Between 1910 and 1940, England sent seven thousand five hundred boys to Australia as part of the first immigration scheme. They came to be known as "The Dreadnought Boys". The purpose of the Dreadnought scheme was for English teenage boys to come to Australia to be trained to work on farms. One of these boys [...]
One hot summers day in the 1850's, a local man was watching a large group of Aborigines swimming and diving in the Paterson River at Hinton. They were having a great time when a shark attacked one of them, dragging him under and shaking him like a dog would a rat. He was rescued by [...]
Electricity was connected to Hinton during October 1934, costing 1642 pounds, 8 shillings and 10 pence including street lights. Then electricity was extended to Swanreach and Nelsons Plain in 1940.
An accident happened one Sunday during September 1856 when a hearse driven by a local undertaker, plunged off the punt at Hinton. Mr James Parnell of Osterley had died on the previous day and the undertaker was driving the hearse carrying the corpse to the burial ground. Driving onto the Hinton punt, the jolting threw [...]
The Loyal Orange Lodge established an order in Hinton on 1st September, 1871 and it was named "The Hinton Purple Star". The Loyal Orange Institution or Orange Lodge, is a Protestant fraternal order sworn to maintain the Protestant Ascendancy. The fraternity was established in 1795 and is headed by the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, [...]
A public pound was established at Hinton on 4th September, 1844. Mr Robert Household was appointed Poundkeeper. People complained of damage to crops by stray horses and cattle at night.
In August 1884 a sad and tragic accident occurred at Wallalong. Two young ladies, Ester and Maud See, were drowned. The eldest sister Ester, 19, was sent to Morpeth by her mother on business. She crossed the Paterson River in a large boat, but when she returned at 11.00am, the boat was gone. The younger [...]
In 1884 a survey was carried out for the North Coast Railway to come through Hinton from Maitland, crossing the Hunter River just below the junction with the Paterson River. The line then cut through the town between the Victoria Hotel and Ann Street, then on to Seaham and North from there. A deputation of [...]
In March 1888, Mr W Cook and Mr W Barwick, two slaughtermen employed by Hinton butcher, John Bramble, agreed, for a wager of ten pounds, to dress six bullocks and twenty sheep within one hour. Mr W Morrow was elected timekeeper. The day being a holiday saw a large crowd assembled at the slaughter yard [...]
A branch of the "Blue Ribbon Army" was established in October 1883. They would gather in the street near the Victoria Hotel with a large number of people present. Hymns were sung and addresses for the total abstinence of alcohol were delivered.
