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Percy William Jenkins
Nimmitabel c1897

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Mr Percy William Jenkins was one of the pioneer graziers of the Nimitybelle district, and an active member and promoter of the Nimitybelle Community.

He was the foundation chairman of the Nimitybelle Show Society and a foundation member of the Nimmitabel School of Arts Committee.

Born at Upper Carlton in Tasmania on 2 September 1862, he was the ninth child and fifth son of Robert Crocker Jenkins and Hannah Halstead of ‘Wettenhall’ in the Upper Carlton/Sorell district of Tasmania.

As a young man he left the family property and Tasmania to discover new parts of Australia. He travelled north through Victoria, NSW and up into the newly developing cane growing areas of Queensland, where he was appointed an overseer in charge of  a band of Kanaka’s working the cane fields.

He later decided to return south. While passing through the Nimitybelle district he found himself in waist-high red clover. So impressed was he with the countryside and the good season, that he decided to take up a selection and stay. He named his property on the Bombala Road Clifton. In the years that followed he continued to purchase adjoining selections as the owners sold out and moved on. At his peak PW Jenkins owned around 8,000 acres of grazing and farming land, the General Store and residence in Bombala Street, and several other houses throughout the Nimitybelle township.

On 10 June 1897, he married Kathlene Eveline Silk, the daughter of Joseph Wilfred Silk and Helena Boulgaris of ‘Boco Creek Station’. The couple were married in Surrey Hills, Sydney. Together they raised 10 children (three sons and seven daughters) at Clifton.

The original house at  Clifton  was under a willow tree beside a creek on what was known as Darby’s Flat. PW Jenkins later built a new home, which the family moved into in 1905.  As selections were added to Clifton the Jenkins family continued to name each paddock after the original owners, for example – Darby’s Flat, Darby’s Hill, Miners, Peters, Slavens, Cansells, Smiths and the Square Range.

PW Jenkins gave land on the Kybean Road ( more recently owned by Ken Edwards) (now McKinnon  -  Editor), and later the property Hillside, above the Meatworks on the Old Bombala Road, to his eldest son Halstead. The property Cobadah, five miles from Nimmitabel on the old Bombala Road, was given to his youngest son, Jack, while 1500 acres of Clifton was given to his second son Norman, after PW Jenkins death in 1954. 

PW Jenkins also owned a dairy farm at Picton near Sydney and a property at Bega. Following his wife’s death at Bega in 1938, PW Jenkins returned to Nimmitabel. He died at Clifton on 10 July 1954, at the age of 92. 

In 1957 Clifton was sold to the Johnson Family. Clifton is currently owned by Dave and Sandy Litchfield.

From Rae Blyton

Norman Robert Jenkins (b 28/2/1901 at Nimmitabel d Dec 1976) Grazier, married Linda Mary Egan, School teacher (b 29/5/1909 Nerrigundah NSW d Feb 1968) – married 17/5/1936 at Moruya. Linda Egan taught at the Nimmitabel Public School in 1930s and was involved in the Nimmitabel branches of the Red Cross and CWA. She was a past President of the Red Cross and a past Secretary of the CWA.

Their children were Robert James, Helen Margaret, Norma Rosemary, Janice Evelyn (Jenny). All born in Cooma NSW.

The children were raised at ‘Clifton’ Nimmitabel and attended Nimmitabel Public School. Robert, Helen and Norma went on to secondary school at Canberra Grammar.

After selling ‘Clifton’ in 1957, Norman, Linda, Helen and Jenny moved to Molong NSW. Robert and Norma stayed in Nimmitabel., Robert lived and worked in Nimmitabel before marrying and moving to Cooma, and later Coffs Harbour. Norma married Fred Summerell, they lived and raised their family in Kirke Street Nimmitabel before moving to Queanbeyan in 1973.