Walcha News history contributor to take a well deserved sabbatical

Last month he decided it was time to take a break from his weekly writing to relax and focus on other projects, but he promises to still contribute sporadically when the opportunity arises.

Mr Walsh has previously written more than a dozen books including one on Walcha Central School to commemorate its sesquicentenary, 'Aviation at Walcha', 'Racing at Walcha' as well as many individual family histories. This year he will collaborate on a book recording the history of the Walcha Pony Club.

Mr Walsh says his interest in history dated from the 1950s when he had a teacher who was easily distracted

"Our Latin teacher was willingly sidetracked into talking about the goings-on in ancient Greece and Rome," said Mr Walsh.

"My long departed mother Elsie Walsh also wrote about local history and did short local history articles for the Nyngan Observer. She was one of a group who compiled a history of Nyngan."

Mr Walsh moved to Walcha with his wife and son from Sydney in 1979. He says he enjoyed learning his family history and was particularly struck by the make do attitude that was essential in the years following the war.

"I was the third of 10 children and, in the 1940s, both money and foodstuffs were in short supply," he said.

"I often was sent to a friend down to borrow a cup of sugar, and other children often came to our home to borrow a cup of flour or a couple of eggs. We had a small vegetable garden and Mum would often trade say a cabbage for a few potatoes."

Estimating he has written more than 500,000 words about Walcha Mr Walsh says he came across one of his favourite stories while researching the Racing at Walcha book.

"There is a story of the district's first picnic race meeting, held in 1854, as seen through the eyes of a 20-year-old girl who was a governess for the Wilson family at Aberbaldie," he said.

"She recalled the dresses, dances and the like rather than the race results."

There was also an amusing anecdote from his family's involvement in World War I.

"My father served in the 54th Battalion during the First World War," Mr Walsh said.

"He was wounded on several occasions and in one instance in 1916 was sent to Glasgow to recuperate where he became friendly with the daughter of the family he was staying with.

"During the 1960s at team of lawn bowlers from Gymea in Sydney visited Nyngan and that night, with a few beers aboard began singing 'I belong to Glasgow'.

"One of Gymea bowlers asked Dad if he had ever been to Glasgow and it turned that the Gymea man was the young lad in the home were Dad recuperated many years earlier."