150th Anniversary of TathraPrint Page

The plaque commemorates the 150th anniversary of the foundation of Tathra.

The township was first surveyed in December 1861 and the Tathra Wharf was officially opened not long after in June 1862. Steamers used the wharf to transport the local farm produce, cheese, cattle and sleepers to Sydney and elsewhere.

There was a bitter wind blowing through Tathra for the first day of winter. However, it couldn’t chill the warm hearts in attendance as a plaque commemorating 150 years since the town’s founding was unveiled on Friday.

Lifelong residents Betty Koellner and Kevin Cole unveiled the bronze plaque, which is set on a stone next to the Tathra war memorial. “This is a very important day and a very important occasion for Tathra,” Kevin said. “It’s a unique spot near the RSL memorial and thanks to the council for providing the plaque. “Pat Campbell is our unsung hero, he does a lot behind the scenes.”

Betty also thanked the pupils from Tathra Public School who attended Friday’s ceremony. Betty is 82 and has lived all her life in Tathra. Her family – the Preos – have been part of the Tathra landscape since it was first settled.

The official date commemorated on the new plaque is Christmas Eve 1861, when the township was first surveyed. The Tathra Wharf was officially opened not long after in June 1862. Steamers used the wharf to transport the local farm produce, cheese, cattle and sleepers to Sydney and elsewhere.

“The Preos were some of the first settlers in Tathra,” Betty said. “They were fishermen and sleeper cutters. “And Jim Preo ran a ferry across the river for most of his life.”  Another long-time resident and local historian, Margaret Evans, said that after the river punt had washed out to sea on three occasions a bridge was eventually built.

Kevin recalled his younger days, cycling to Tathra with his good friend the late Kingsley Koellner – Betty’s husband. “We’d ride in to meet the steamers at the wharf or fish off the river mouth,” he said. Kevin recalled one ride where instead of their usual route across the mountain, they followed the Tathra-Bega road. Kingsley needed a break so they stopped in at Lot Stafford’s place for a breather. Mr Stafford told the boys the water in the tank was too hot to drink, but to “go see the wife, she has some sponge cake and home-made lemonade”. “We always went the Tathra-Bega Rd after that,” Kevin said with a laugh. “I really wish he was here today.”
Bega District News, 5th June 2012.

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