BUNYAN

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Bunyan

John Cullen's Hotel, Bunyan

The native name of which is Boonyan or Pigeons' Resting Place, is five miles north of Cooma, and is of interest in that it is the locality where early settlement suggested the probable formation of a town. It was in the direct line of travel for anyone coming from Queanbeyan, and making for the hinterland of Manaro. It had extensive flats, which offered inducements to graziers. So in the very early thirties Dr. Reid settled there and from this fact the place gained its early name of Reid's Flats. Reid's Innkeeper in 1832 was William Stanton, who was Nimmitabel's first hotel-keeper. Though officially Reid's Flats was known as such till about 1858, in which year it was called Bunyan, it was locally spoken of as "Jews' Flats," by reason of the fact that in the thirties members of the Jewish families of Solomon, and later those of Moses and Shannon, resided there. Solomon Solomon built a store and public-house there and carried on until September, 1854, when he transferred to his brother, Maurice Solomon Charles Solomon, in 1841, at about the age of ten years, had been brought to the Flats by his brothers.

In 1855 Alexander Walker Davidson appears as the licensee of the hotel called "The Squatters' Arms" at Reid's Flats. In 1856 the license apparently lapsed, but was granted to John Cullen in 1858.

Mr. A. J. Litchfield states that some years ago he met a son of Dr. Reid, who informed him that his father, during his occupancy of The Flats, purchased some sheep from Camden Park and ran them on part of what is now Rosebrook.

Cullen's Hotel was acquired by Thomas Power, who used it as a residence. The site of the premises erected by Solomon is still to be located by ruins of part of the buildings. The land at Bunyan is to-day used principally for lucerne growing, for which purpose it is regarded as equal in quality to anything in the district.

Transcribed by Pattrick Mould in 2003, from the book "Back to Coma' Celebrations" page 39

Bunyan Siding Post Office and lever style Telephone Exchange existed to service the area, the railway gate next to the Post Office was manually operated by the Post Mistress. The mail train used to drop the (Royal) mail off nearby as they passed.

Janette Gail Francis [email-at-janettefrancis.com]

Bunyan Statistics submitted by Carole Douch

Bunya	electoral rolls 1903
Bollard	William	Bunyan	maintenance man	1903
Cullen	Daniel	Bunyan	farmer	1903
Huggett	Elizabeth Caroline	Bunyan	domestic duties	1903
Huggett	John george	Bunyan	farmer	1903
Huggett	Sarah Ann	Bunyan	domestic duties	1903
Murphy	Bridget	Bunyan	domestic duties	1903
Murphy	James	Bunyan	labourer	1903
Murray	Daniel	Bunyan	labourer	1903
Murray	Marjorie	Bunyan	domestic duties	1903
Power	Catherine	Bunyan	domestic duties	1903
Power	David	Bunyan	labourer	1903
Power	Matthew	Bunyan	labourer	1903
Power	Thomas	Bunyan	farmer	1903
Power	William	Bunyan	labourer	1903
Robinson	Frederick John	Bunyan	labourer	1903
Rollason	Jacob	Bunyan Rise	farmer	1903
Stopp	Mark	Bunyan	labourer	1903
Storman	Honora Mary	Bunyan	dressmaker	1903
Summers	Robert	Bunyan	labourer	1903
Whitehead	William	Bunyan	labourer	1903
Wilford	Jane	Bunyan	domestic duties	1903
Wilford	Thomas	Bunyan	farmer	1903
Woodcroft	Agnes	Bunyan	domestic duties	1903
Woodcroft	Eliza Jane	Bunyan	domestic duties	1903
Woodcroft	John	Bunyan	farmer	1903
Woodcroft	Thomas	Bunyan	farmer	1903

	1909 rolls
Birch	James Richard	Bunyan	fettler	1909
Birch	Sarah	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Brogan	Charlotte Frances	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Huggett	John George	Bunyan	farmer	1909
Huggett	Mary Jane	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Huggett	Sarah Ann	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Huggett	Thomas Alfred	Bunyan	farmer	1909
Murphy	Bridget	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Murphy	James Richard	Bunyan	labourer	1909
Murphy	Mary catherine	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Murray	Annie Elizabeth	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Murray	Daniel	Bunyan	labourer	1909
Murray	John william	Bunyan	labourer	1909
Power	Mary Ethel	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Power	Matthew	Bunyan	labourer	1909
Power	Thomas	Bunyan	farmer	1909
Robinson	Frederick John jnr	Bunyan	labourer	1909
Robinson	Frederick John snr	Ti-Tree cooma	farmer	1909
Robinson	Mary Jane	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Rollason	Jacob	Bunyan Rise	farmer	1909
Stopp	Mark	Bunyan	labourer	1909
Storman	Honora Mary	Bunyan	dressmaker	1909
Summers	Robert	Bunyn	labourer	1909
Wilford	Thomas	Bunyan	farmer	1909
Woodcroft	Ada	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Woodcroft	Agnes	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Woodcroft	Agnes Faith	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Woodcroft	Edward john	Bunyan	labourer	1909
Woodcroft	Eliza Jane	Bunyan	home duties	1909
Woodcroft	John	Bunyan	farmer	1909
Woodcroft	Thomas	Bunyan	farmer	1909

	1922 rolls
Brogan	Bernard Ambrose	Bunyan	labourer	1922
Brogan	Charlotte Frances	Bunyan	home duties	1922
Brogan	Edmund	Bunyan	labourer	1922
Brogan	Ellen	Bunyan	home duties	1922
Collins	Margaret mary	Rosebrook Bunyan siding	home duties	1922
Huggett	Mary Jane	Bunyan	home duties	1922
Huggett	Thomas Alfred	Bunyan	farmer	1922
Kerruish	Susan	Umeralla Station,Bunyan	home duties	1922
McDonald	Alexander Ducan	Rosebrook,Bunyan	labourer	1922
McKeachie	Eliza Annie	Bunyan	home duties	1922
McKeachie	William	Bunyan	teacher	1922
Martin	Gertrude may	Umeralla Station,Bunyan	home duties	1922
Martin	Reginald Smith	Umeralla Station,Bunyan	grazier	1922
Murphy	Esther Alice mary	Umeralla Station,Bunyan	home duties	1922
Murphy	John thomas	Bunyan	labourer	1922
Murray	Annie Elizabeth	Bunyan	home duties	1922
Murray	Johm william	Bunyan	labourer	1922
Neuss	William	Rosebrook,Bunyan	labourer	1922
Neuss	Elizabeth	Rosebrook,Bunyan	home duties	1922
Power	Catherine	Bunyan	home duties	1922
Power	David	Bunyan	labourer	1922
Power	Mary Ethel	Bunyan	home duties	1922
Power	Thomas Alfred	Bunyan	farmer	1922
Robinson	Frederick John jnr	Pineleigh,Bunyan	farmer	1922
Robinson	Mary Jane	Bunyan	home duties	1922
Woodcroft	Agnes	Bunyan	home duties	1922
Woodcroft	Dorothy Alice	Bunyan	home duties	1922
Woodcroft	Eliza Jane	Bunyan	home duties	1922
Woodcroft	John	Bunyan	farmer	1922
Wroe	Willaim Austin Clyde	Bunyan	labourer	1922

	1928 rolls
Brogan	Bernard Ambrose	Bunyan	labourer	1928
Brogan	Ellen	Bunyan	home duties	1928
Burke	Elizabeth Sara	Bunyan	home duties	1928
Burke	William Henry	Bunyan	labourer	1928
Crimmins	Clara Eileen	Rose valley,Bunyan	home duties	1928
Harcourt	Winifred catherine	Bunyan	home duties	1928
Huggett	Alfred george	Bunyan	labourer	1928
Huggett	Mary Jane	Bunyan	home duties	1928
Huggett	Thomas Alfred	Bunyan	farmer	1928
Hurley	Eugene Hilton	Rose Valley,Bunyan	labourer	1928
McGregor	Donald leslie	Rosebrook,Bunyan	labourer	1928
Murphy	John Thomas	Bunyan	labourer	1928
Murray	Annie Elizabeth	Bunyan	home duties	1928
Murray	Elvira Irene	Bunyan	home duties	1928
Murray	John William	Bunyan	labourer	1928
Murrell	George Boniface	Rose Point,Bunyan	farmer	1928
Murrell	Helen Maude	Rose Point,Bunyan	home duties	1928
Phillips	Arthur	c.o.R S Martin,Bunyan	labourer	1928
Phillips	George	Rose valley,Bunyan	station hand	1928
Power	David	Bunyan	labourer	1928
Power	David William	Bunyan	labourer	1928
Power	Mary Ethel	Bunyan	home duties	1928
Reed	Elizabeth	Rose valley,Bunyan	home duties	1928
Reed	George William	Rose valley,Bunyan	labourer	1928
Reed	Francis Victor	Rose valley,Bunyan	labourer	1928
Robinson	Frederick John jnr	Pineleigh,Bunyan	farmer	1928
Robinson	Ivan henry	Bunyan	labourer	1928
Robinson	Lionel	Bunyan Siding	labourer	1928
Robinson	Mary Jane	Bunyan	home duties	1928
Rowson	Frank Edward	Bunyan	fettler	1928
Rowson	Olive may	Bunyan	home duties	1928
Smith	Herbert George	Bunyan	labourer	1928
Tall	Harry	Rose valley,Bunyan	manager	1928
Tall	Mary	Rose valley,Bunyan	home duties	1928
Warwick	Frederick John	Springbank,Bunyan	labourer	1928
Warwick	Matilda Ann	Springbank,Bunyan	home duties	1928
Whiley	Elizabeth Jane	Bunyan	home duties	1928
Whiley	Isaac	Bunyan	grazier	1928
Woodcroft	Edmund Charles	Bunyan	labourer	1928
Woodcroft	Eliza Jane	Bunyan	home duties	1928
Woodcroft	Reginald Joseph Martin jnr	Bunyan	grocer	1928

1885	Landholders return
Holding	Town of Holding	Name of Occupier	Acreage	Horses	Cattle	Sheep	Pigs
Bunyan	Bunyan	John Cullen	226	10	12	900	3

Building at Bunyan.

Now known as Bunyan House was built in 1859 and operated as the Bunyan Inn for only one year before being burnt down - arson was blamed because of the strong competition between the two Inns in the one small settlement.

The building had not been touched for more than 100 years before being restored as a gallery; it has now been converted into a home and has been registered with the National Trust.

Taken from the book Monaro Country

Text by Trisha Dixon

Drawings by Bill Bresser.

Published in 1988 by B J Publications, Canberra.

Information supplied by Marg Denley [mldargyll-at-bigpond.com] 19.07.11

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