Ex-Manumbar resident Patricia Maher, now at Calliope, with one of the special guests for the day, former Kilkivan Shire councillor Graham Knight who served on the council for 29 years
October 23, 2024
Manumbar residents – as well as just about everyone who’s been connected with the locale in recent years – gathered at the historic Manumbar Community Hall on Saturday to mark the centenary of settlement of the area.
The history of Manumbar dates back much further of course, with a long pre-colonial past and then the first pastoral run established by John Mortimer and Andrew Anderson in 1848.
In the early days, the area was sheep country and then became known for dairying and timber.
But things really started changing in the 1920s, with the establishment of the Manumbar Settlement School, the first dance at the Manumbar Settlement Hall and the first campdraft (at Washpool) in 1924.
The area, now part of the Gympie Regional Council area, was formerly part of Kilkivan Shire and a number of former Kilkivan councillors returned for the centenary celebrations.
There were vintage cars and farm machinery, cart rides as well as an extensive display of local memorabilia inside the hall.
Some of the visitors dressed in period costume to add more colour to the day.
A highlight of the day was the cutting of the Centenary Cake by former Kilkivan Shire councillor (and Manumbar resident) Graham Knight and former Manumbar resident Ida Moffett, who is turning 100 later this month.
Ida was born in Nanango on October 30, 1924, and lived at Manumbar until 1965; these days she resides at Kilcoy.
An old-time dinner/dance was held in the hall on Saturday night, with about 200 diners already booked in by Saturday afternoon.
Many of the visitors camped over for the night in the grounds of the nearby campdraft area.
An Encouragement Draft was also held to coincide with the centenary from 7:00am on Saturday, with entrants taking part in Junior, Juvenile and Encouragement competitions.
Former councillor Graham Knight and Ida Moffett, who lived at Manumbar until 1965, cut the centenary cake … Ida will turn 100 on October 30Manumbar Hall Committee secretary Sheryl Franz rings the old school bell to get the crowd’s attentionMary and Elizabeth Devereux, from the Gympie Gold Mining and Historical Museum, with Ruby Beil, centre, from KingaroySteve Webster, from ‘Langley’, and Bevin Schulz, from ‘Karrabin’, were hard at work at the barbieVolunteers from the Elgin QCWA were also hard at work … Andrea Ashby, Ros Franz and Kat FranzManumbar Hall Committee secretary Sheryl Franz with Gympie Regional Council Deputy Mayor Dolly JensenManumbar Hall Committee president Yolande Webster speaking at the official openingBud Angel with his mum, former Kilkivan Shire councillor Margaret Angel … Margaret, who served on the council for 16 years, was sharing memories of the region at the microphoneHazel Christie-Small and Judy Cranston, both from Blackbutt, were catching up at ManumbarShaun Bliesner, from Kingaroy, with his 1948 Ferguson TEA20 tractor, formerly owned by Dick Perkins, from Johnstown, which was used in the early 1960s to snig logs for the construction of the Manumbar campdraft yards … the tractor was part of a display by the Kingaroy & District Vintage Machinery ClubEx-Elgin Vale and ex-Manumbar friends were catching up in the hall … Jackie Isaacson, Kingaroy; Ivy Brown (nee Richards), Nanango; Helen Russell, Brisbane; and Ivy’s daughter Jewelann Kauppila, InghamJulie Horton, ex-Nanango, with Manumbar Hall Committee secretary Sheryl FranzMichael and Lisa Whitehead, from Great War Living History Maryborough, with “Winifred” and “Chauvel”Nereda and Egon Gfrerer and Luke Payet from the Gympie Gold Mining and Historical MuseumPete Gibson and Jane Rutherford, from the Manumbar Hall CommitteeThe Jimna Forest Action Group was getting its message across about the importance of preserving the Jimna Fire Tower … from left, Judy Cranston, Dave Wright, Hazel Christie-Small and Michael SchultzLarry and Trish McArthur, from Goomeri, with Mandy McArthur, ManumbarLes Cecil with Len and Margaret Franz, all from Gympie
Brilliant stories about a brilliantly organised weekend.