Letters
Clarence TV show disappointment
Ed,
After all the lead up hype, being interested in local history, I, and I am sure many other locals, found the recent TV show on Clarence, extremely disappointing.
From show title, Back Roads, Clarence River, I imagined a road journey on Clarence Way, following river through Tabulam, Baryulgil, Copmanhurst, to Grafton. Then Southgate Road to Lawrence, ferry across river to Woodford Island, on to Maclean, then past or through Harwood and Palmers Islands to Yamba.
Yes, we saw Yulgilbar Castle and beef cattle, 2 canoeists from Old Bonalbo, two chaps fishing near the Gorge, Jacaranda Festival cultural day at South Grafton, divide between Grafton and South, which may only succeed in opening old wounds, and ferry from Iluka arriving at Yamba.
But there was no mention of source of Clarence near Queensland border, aboriginal settlements, other industries such as dairying, timber, fishing, trawling, and sugar cane, other Jacaranda activities like queen crowning, Thursday fun, floats, July Racing Carnival, Maclean Scottish town and highland gathering.
Other significant omissions were Nymboida (the river is a Clarence
tributary) being source of our water supply, and our original power supply, train ferries that carried trains across river before the bridge, Ulmarra historic river port, number of islands, with Woodford Island being the largest in the southern hemisphere, and where the first white settlement occurred, significance of ferries, houseboats, cane punts that used to take cane be river to Harwood Mill, which is oldest sugar mill in Australia.
I know it was only a half hour show, but it promised so much, and delivered so little.
Sandra Connelly,
Grafton