CHARLES SOLOMON is very closely associated with the earliest of Manaro history. In 1841 he came to Bunyan, then known as Reed's Flats, where his brother, Solomon Solomon, had acquired the hotel business previously carried on by David Moses. In addition to the hotel, Solomon Solomon conducted, in conjunction with his brother, Harry Solomon, a store business, and in each of these young Charles Solomon assisted. When race meetings were held at the Flats, he rode many a horse to victory. Later he started cattle dealing, being his own drover, and it is recorded that on Xmas Eve, 1849, he at Galantiba Station found a family of five who had been without tea, flour or sugar for five weeks. With these he shared his supply. When he made his first trip to Gippsland there was no track, the only guide being an occasional blazed tree. When he first came to Cooma he states the blacks were very numerous, but not dangerous, but that after 1850 they began to get troublesome. In his early days Mr. Solomon recalled that the only money of utility were notes of 5/- and 10/- each, issued by Ben Boyd.

In 1861, Mr. Solomon took up his residence in Cooma, and with William Coulter, who had been his droving partner, started business in a stone building at the corner of Sharp and Bombala Streets, owned by Samuel Shannon and known as the "Big Drum." This business was carried on for twelve months only. Mr. Solomon went to Kiandra during the rush. In conjunction with Mr. Moses, he had a store at Jindabyne, which was run by a storekeeper named Davis. The store was run in conjunction with an hotel which belonged to Jindabyne East, and was situated where the Jindabyne Hotel is to-day. In 1870 Jacob Alexander was running the store for him. In addition to the store at Jindabyne, the subject of this sketch for a number of years owned a store at Buckley's Crossing. This was conducted by John and Isaac Davis. Mr. Solomon had built to his order in 1862 the Cooma Hotel, at the corner of Massie and Vale Streets. After carrying this on for three years, he went across the road to premises built by Amos Crisp, for William Ross. There he carried on at first in partnership with David Moses as Moses and Solomon, and following that as C. Solomon, until his death, the business of a general merchant.