I have a fascination, probably obsession, to record and research the stories of the ‘characters’ of Australia for our Oral History and Folklore collection at The National Library of Australia. Those who dare to be different and are, perhaps, slightly eccentric yet contribute strongly to the social fabric of our towns and cities.
Luckily I live in Forbes, a town that is richly endowed with these people and I am a strong believer we should acknowledge and promote them as part of our cultural heritage. Buildings, architecture, music, statues and art are truly wonderful things for a town but, in my mind, it is the stories of the people who lived in the buildings and created the art and music that are also vital.
What prompted the above was the opening of Forbes’ new venue, SYLO and the story of the man who built the Lachlan Arcade (SYLO’s home), Daniel Berger, a gentleman of Jewish persuasion.
Many years ago in a rare moment of spare time I dug into our National Library archives and found some interesting stories about Mr Berger. They were shoved into an electronic folder on my computer and now seems as good time as any to share a few.
Mr Berger first appears in the 1880s in Hay with a business selling just about everything. Court reports have him in a couple of legal altercations over various fiscal matters. He leaves the Riverina in 1890 and is next spotted as a businessman and owner of a paddle steamer ‘The Wandering Jew” described as “a hawkers boat” which according to a newspaper advertisement “sold everything from a needle to an anchor”. The vessel was burnt on three recorded occasions. The ‘Jew’ held the record from Brewarrina to Walgett and back, loaded both ways – 5 1/2 days. An average load of wool on the ‘Jew’ was 27 tons with barges sometimes carrying an additional 80 tons. The final resting place of the steamer is just above the Aboriginal fish traps at Brewarrina, it is listed on several heritage sites.
Read the full article by Rob Willis at The Forbes Advocate.