Emma Pritchard

The rural community of Lawrence and the picturesque landscape, including several swamps and waterways which surround the riverside township, are rich in history.

The area is also home to several species of duck, including the Pacific black duck, commonly known as the black duck.

Between 1850 and 1950, Lawrence was well known for its abundance of black ducks, and it became a popular destination for duck hunters.

During the Great Depression in the 1930s, many families relied on the black ducks as a source of food and income, and there were some professional shooters who would send boxes of prepared ducks on the North Coast steamers to the Sydney Markets.

While today, native game bird species in NSW can only be hunted under the Native Game Bird Management Program managed by DPI Hunting, the early history of duck hunting in the region and how the industry supported the local community is on display at the Lawrence Museum.

The duck hunters display, an initiative of local member Ken Woods whose father hunted ducks to put food on the table in the 1930s, features a typical dinghy which hunters used for carrying decoys, ammunition and ducks, a model of a duck hunter complete with a shotgun, and a duck hunter’s seat kindly donated by Barry Reeves.

The display is one of many new additions in the Lawrence Museum which is open between 9am-1pm each Tuesday and from 1-4pm on weekends.

Admission is $5 per person.

Roz Jones, Vice President of the Lawrence Museum kindly wishes to advise that EFTPOS is not available.