THE saga of Meadow Flat's WWI war hero Fred Brown and his mystery diary found on a Devon (UK) farm goes on and on.
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Fresh from last week's chat with now Magnetic Island resident Phil Landon and his valued input to our history file comes another former Meadow Flat boy. Barry Buttfield, of Wang, has produced photos of Fred and, unless the camera really does lie, he had a twin brother, Douglas.
Doug was killed in France on June 11 1917 and his headstone stands as testament in Meadow Flat cemetery. Fred survived to somehow leave behind his diary in that barn on a Devon farm.
Now another link. Barry Buttfield's great uncle, Walter Buttfield, served in the same regiment. He too survived the war and later farmed with his brother at Megalong before seeing out his days back at Meadow Flat.
According to Barry, the Durack family's mid 1800s inn and Cobb and Co coach depot was actually on what is now 'Karoo' at Meadow Flat and was not 'The Poplars' home to the Browns.
He said 'The Poplars' was the home of great uncle Walter's sister Jean Green who provided musical afternoon's for the local schoolkids whose 'curriculum' included sitting through her piano recitals.
And their dear readers and contributors is where we might end the intriguing saga of Fred Brown's diary that began almost five years ago with an email from the Webbers, today's custodians of that Devon farm.
All too familiar
LITHGOW'S water woes go on and on. For the third time since Christmas week there was another disruption to the system Friday night leaving much of the valley with 'black water' and furious unsuspecting residents with ruined laundry.
It's been a frustrating sequence of problems for householders and business but a bonus for the bottled water industry. Those frustrations will no doubt reach boiling point when the next Council water bills arrive.
Shrinking demand
TO our older tipplers it doesn't seem that long ago that Lithgow had nine pubs kept busy in full time service to our drinking public. Currently we have just three full time, one part time and two out of action awaiting new owners. Seems many of our once dedicated boozers have disappeared without trace, just like the old 'Vale" and 'Bloodhouse' pubs before them.
Healing hands
THOSE visiting volunteer veterinarians who set up base at the State Mine Museum have been continuing their work treating fire affected wildlife, together with WIRES.
The latest arrivals to help out last week were two vets from the US.
Out of the ashes
WE know Mother Nature's a wonderful thing but her powers to rejuvenate in even the most extreme situations never ceases to amaze.
It seemed nothing could survive our pre Christmas inferno when our bushland was incinerated.
But new growth is appearing everywhere. You don't have to look far to find the evidence; the old Hermitage mine site in Coalbrook Street, a blackened mess a month ago, is now a field of green.
