THE owner of the former Bunnan Village Hotel will shed some light on the town's past at a special function this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Scone Library is hosting an Author Talk featuring Gloria Muir, who has written Bunnan: A History of a Small Town in the Scone Shire.
Everyone is welcome to attend on Thursday, August 22, from 2pm.
Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase.
RSVP to Scone Library on 6540 1183 to assist with catering.
The book includes chapters on white settlement of Bunnan from the 1820s, law and order, farming and hardship, families, hotels, and the Bunnan School of Arts built in 1911.
"Unlike many small towns in Australia, Bunnan did not have a boom time, or a focus such as a gold strike to draw residents to the area," Mrs Muir said.
"It was forged by residents who expended a lot of effort to make the town a success and a hub of social events, drawing visitors from other areas.
"The history that unfolded shared common stories with all of regional Australia, with its battles against sickness, drought, floods, and the continual fines from government agencies, such as the Pasture Protection Board.
"The town has held on, and many of its buildings survived due to the diligence of the early settlers.
"I was motivated to write this history because I owned the former Bunnan Village Hotel.
"And, I was interested in its history; why it was built out of town, who built it and who patronised it for 80 years.
"I was surprised to find many thousands of newspaper articles on the township of Bunnan.
"These showed that Bunnan was a thriving and prosperous town, whose success would suggest a much larger population.
"A surprising fact to emerge was the number of sporting teams in Bunnan, and their success in regional competitions, even into the 1980s.
"These teams were funded by balls, or later, by owners of the Bunnan Hotel.
"This book became a social history examining the reason for Bunnan's pre-eminence in farming, the success of the various business enterprises, and its citizens' generous contributions to local groups and to Scone institutions such as the hospital and ambulance services.
"Large amounts of money were raised by the many social balls and sporting events held in Bunnan, with people travelling many miles to attend."
