February 2021

Contents

• President’s column and Society activities - page 1Reviews the difficult year of 2020, the museum reopening, plans for a historical gardens display and a cemetery transcription day at Burrawang.
• Society notices and anniversary - page 2Includes Bruce Moore’s humorous shopping story, historical Society notices and a photograph of the Society’s 60th-anniversary cake at Burrawang Cemetery.
• A Bowral cottage and the McDonald family - page 3Linda Emery traces the subdivision of land at Victoria Street and Mittagong Road and the McDonald family’s long association with a house there; a tribute to member Maxine Gray also appears.
• The de Mestre family and Garryowen - page 4Ian Mackey begins a family history with Prosper de Mestre’s early life, Sydney business, family and land at Terara in the Shoalhaven.
• Terara and Etienne de Mestre’s horses - page 5Describes Mary Ann de Mestre’s work at Terara, the village’s floods and Etienne’s training of Veno and Melbourne Cup winner Archer.
• Bowral Free Press and the Beer brothers - page 6Philip Morton traces the Free Press, the Mittagong Mail and Daniel Beer’s publishing businesses, including the competition between district newspapers.
• The Free Press becomes the Wollondilly Press - page 7Continues the newspaper history after Daniel Beer’s death, following Emily and William Beer, changes of title and the paper’s closure in 1914.
• Society information and office bearers - page 8Lists Society contacts, opening times, membership fees and office bearers as printed in February 2021; these details are historical and may have changed.

Issue highlights

• Linda Emery traces the people associated with a house on Mittagong Road, Bowral (p.3).
• Ian Mackey begins the story of the de Mestre family and Garryowen in Moss Vale (p.4).
• The de Mestre family story follows Etienne de Mestre and his horses (p.5).
• The Bowral Free Press history follows the Beer family and the paper’s changing fortunes and names (pp.6-7).

Original Society source