By special request of Gwen Landon, nee Thompson, who was at one time in charge of the Post Office/ Store, Moorbel will be the topic for the next History in the Club to be held later in the year. Past and present residents of Moorbel are requested to contribute information and photos of Moorbel from its beginnings as Belmore Diggings in the late 1860s when gold mining brought a rush there that took business from Canowindra.
Mining continued intermittently until about 1914 and Belmore remained a community minded settlement distinct from Canowindra. In the 1880s there was Stone Hotel and a Flour Mill which continued to function until 1910 when the Tee family built a new mill at the corner of Blatchford and Mill Streets in readiness for the opening of the long awaited railway in July 1910.
When Belmore residents applied for their own post office in 1917 the name had to be changed to Moorbel to avoid confusion with Belmore, a Sydney suburb. Moorbel had its own public school from 1920 until 1962, a Catholic School in the purpose built St Teresa’s Church from 1923 to 1961 and a hall which is now the venue for the monthly Moorbel markets.
Many well-known district families have past or present links with Belmore/ Moorbel and may have photos of interest. In 1969, when celebrations were held at Moorbel to mark 100 years of trading in the district by Thomas Joseph Finn, the Historical Society erected a stone monument there to mark the site of the butchery that T J Finn had opened in partnership with his cousin, Thomas Galvin, in 1869.
Anyone with photos is asked to contact Anne Vincent on Tel 63441817. A power point presentation and a small booklet on Belmore/ Moorbel might even be the result.
By Dorothy Balcomb, Publicity Officer