It was announced during September, 1948 that a portion of Europambela Station would be divided in eight blocks for soldier settlement. Applications had to be lodged with the Crown Land Agent at Walcha by October 15. The blocks ranged in size from 1200 acres to 1625 acres with annual rentals from £138 to £162.
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Of the 789 applications received 765 were admitted to the ballot conducted on Tuesday, November 30, 1948. The successful applicants were: Cyril Ingram, Alex King (Walcha), Alec L’Estrange, Gordon Lisle (Uralla), Reg Madeley, Neville Makeham, Frank O’Brien and Fred Roche (Walcha).
In addition to property acquired directly by the government for soldier settlement, other suitable land was made available through private promotion. Under this scheme, land was surrendered voluntarily with the owners able to negotiate special arrangements - generally to help suitably qualified family members.
Buri West (6,405 acres) was the largest of the local properties to be made available by private promotion and in March 1952 it was approved for five soldier settlement blocks. The owners nominated Max Blomfield for one block and arranged for the other four to be put to a ballot among applicants living in the area covered by the Apsley Shire Council, the Walcha Municipal Council and the Uralla Shire Council.
Seventy four names were admitted to a ballot held at Walcha on August 20 for the other four blocks. The successful applicants were Maisie Schaefer (Walcha), Bernard King (Salisbury Plains), Edmund Young (Yarrowitch) and Ken Reeves (Wollun). Six reserve names were also drawn but no vacancies arose.
Miss Schaefer, who married Clyde Reynolds in 1956, served with the RAAF and was the first woman in NSW to obtain a farm under the soldier settlement scheme. Her brother, Hilton, also gained a war service block when his father subdivided his Florida property for that purpose.
A total of 56 soldier settlement blocks were established at Walcha after World War II of which 45 were taken up at Orandumby, Yarrowitch, Europambela, Buri West and Florida. The other 11 became available through private promotion at other places including Callaghan’s Swamp, Rowley’s Creek, Wilga, Wollun and Woolbrook.
