Locals will recognise some errors e.g. Summerville was usually spelled Som(m)erville; Standfield should be Grandfield.
LILYDALE
The town of Lilydale is situated on the north-west foot hills of Mount Arthur, by road 16 miles from Launceston, and by railway 21 miles. Lilydale is an agricultural district, and is closely populated, as there are many small farms as well as the larger holdings. The farmers of this district are an industrious class of people. Many of their farms are nicely cleared homesteads.
FRUIT, TIMBER, GOLD It may not be too much to say that Lilydale is one of the best fruit-growing districts in the state. There are many fine orchards to be found throughout a large portion of this municipality. Some of the larger of these orchards are owned by J. Walker and Sons (Lalla), who have a splendid nursery here, both of fruit and flowers. Walkers' orchard produces many thousands of bush els of fruit, and so does Mrs. Abel's 40- acre orchard, as well as her son's 30-acre orchard. Among the smaller orchards which are just as good in quality, there are too many to enumerate.
There has been very large quantities of timber of all kinds, both sawn and split, sent out of this municipality during the past 70 years, and also many thousands of piles for wharf construction. Large quantities of these have been shipped to mainland states. The rich alluvial gold diggings of Lisle, which at one time had between two and three thousand people on this diggings are in cluded in the Lilydale municipality, as well as Golconda, and the Denison gold fields, and also the Bangor slate quarry.
NO HOTEL
There are in the town of Lilydale five churches—English, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Salvation Army, and there is no hotel there. At one time there was, but it has been closed for a great number of years. While everything is being done to force an hotel upon the people of this town, the majority of the people are set against it, and the Licensing Bench have stood firm against it also. The fight between those who wish to secure a licensed house and the people of the town, who will not sanction it, is so keen that this case has even been taken to the Federal High Court. This is the first case of this kind in Tasmania, if not in Australia, that has been taken to the Federal High Court.
Lilydale has a good state school, nice council chambers, and a splendid agricultural and fruit pavilion. There is an up-to-date cool storage and fruit packing company, whose buildings are near the railway station. This company also runs continually a saw mill, in which all the fruit cases are cut and made up. The company has as its manager Mr. J. Taylor.
A little distance from the town are to be seen the Lilydale Waterfalls. Just to the east of the town stands some thousands of feet high the hoary head of Mount Arthur, which on occasion is to be seen capped with snow.
THE FIRST SETTLER The first man to settle in the Lilydale district was William Lynch in the year 1859, and he was closely followed by John Campbell in 1860. Then came Michael Shea, who settled at Underwood. Poor Shea came to a sad end. He was rolling a log for a culvert, and it got away from him and rolled on him. He was found dead with the log lying across his body.
The Upper Piper cemetery trust held their first meeting on the 18th of October, 1877.
When the first settlers arrived in the Lilydale district the bush was full of all kinds of Tasmanian animals, such as kangaroos, wallabies, and native birds—jays and parrots—which were often welcomed as good food for the early settlers. As soon as the selectors could cut down and burn off, and sow down with grass seed enough land to keep one or two cows and a few fowls, the pioneer carried these products upon his back along the bush track into Launceston and sold them, as there was no cart road into the forest in those very early days.
The first saw mill erected on this North-East of Tasmania was erected at Underwood, on the banks of the Piper River by an American firm, and was driven by water power. This plant was later sold to Grubb and Tyson, and they laid down a tram line from Underwood to Rocherlea. On this tram line the goods of many of the settlers were brought in. Another early settler was Jacob Sulzberger, the father of G. K. Sulzberger, a present resident of Lilydale. Mr. John Power came to Lilydale in the year 1862. William Lynch and John Power came out in the ship from Ireland together. They left London Docks in the ship Antipodes (Captain Grey), and they did the trip in three months, which was certainly a very quick trip in those days. Other early settlers were J. J. Marx, A. Dolbey. W. Summerville, and W. Wilson. W. Summerville came out in the Kathleen Shearer. This ship was burnt to the water's edge on reaching Port Esperance. The passengers and crew just managed to get away in the boats, when the ship exploded. The emigrants therefore landed in Tasmania having lost practically all their possessions.
EARLY INSTITUTIONS
G. K. Sulzberger and W. Wilson were instrumental in having the first school erected in the year 1871.
The first road trust was established in the year 1872. The members of this board were J. Campbell, M. Boland, J. Doak, W. Wilson, W. Summerville. The other two names are not now traceable. Duncan Campbell was appointed collector, and the revenue for first year amounted to the small sum of £12. John Power was elected a member of the board in 1874, and later on held the position of collector, auditor, and secretary to the board. In 1906 Mr. Power was appointed council clerk, and he held the position up to 1918, when he resigned owing to his eyesight failing. He is now living in retirement at Lilydale. Last March he reached the grand old age of 87 years, but for years he has been blind.
The first post office was opened in 1874 by G. K. Sulzberger. The mail came in from Launceston to Lilydale once only a week. The late J. G. Mather, who was stationed at Scottsdale, conducted the first church service, riding through from Scottsdale once a fortnight. Most of the creeks had to be forded as there were no bridges in those days.
In August, 1881, an association known as the Upper Piper River Mutual Improvement Association was formed. The officers appointed were Rev. J. G. Mather (president), Scottsdale; vice-presidents D. McLennan and J. Wolfe; secretary, Martin T. Cheek; treasurer, James Miller, senior., librarian, Edward Kowarzik. It may appear strange, but this association was formed the same year as the Scottsdale Mechanics' Institute was erected.
The first public hall was erected at the junction of the Lilydale and Karoola roads. There for many years all big public meetings were held. When the Sunday school anniversary was held a monster tea meeting gathered in the hall, when practically all the people of the district would attend.
THE UNITED CHURCH
The first meeting of the subscribers of the Upper Piper River United Church was held in the schoolroom on the 6th of January, 1879. Mr John Summerville presided. It was agreed to have a church which should be named the Upper Piper United Church. The land offered by Mr. Bardenhagen was accepted, and the situation was approved. A committee of thirteen were elected as follow:-L. Bardenhagen, W. Summerville, J. P. Marx, P. Arnold, J. Brooks, J. Phillips, J. Sulzberger, C. Grandfield, C. Sulzberger, G. Wills, W. Doak, J. W. Wolfe. and W. Wilson. It was resolved that the church should be opened for ministers of all denominations to preach in, local preachers to have the same privileges. The committee alone mentioned were to have power to frame roles, and to choose five members to act as a working committee on the following basis:-Presbyterians, two; Wesleyans, two; independents, one.
On the 17th of November, 1879, the third meeting of the committee was held in the schoolroom to take into consideration the offer of the Rev. J. G. Mather, of Scottsdale, to visit districts regularly every month and to conduct Divine services. J. W. Wolfe was elected chairman at this meeting. It was agreed that Mr. Mather was to visit Lilydale once a month every third Sunday, and that he should for his services receive the sum of £25 for the twelve months, to be paid in four in stalments of £6 5s, to commence on 21st October, 1870, and to end on the 21st of October, 1880.
It was also decided that committee of four members should be elected for the purpose of conducting the internal matters of the church. W. Wilson was elected an elder on the motion of G. Brown, seconded by M. Phillips. J. Brooks was elected warden, P. Arnold was elected a steward, L. Bardenhagen a deacon. At a later meeting it was decided to call tenders for the erection of a church, and at a meeting held on the 15th March, 1880, the tenders were opened. It was decided on the motion of Mr. P. Arnold that the lowest tender, that of J. Wilson and J. Summerville, be accepted at £30. The building was to be completed by the 30th of June, 1880.
NAMES TO BE REMEMBERED
Many years ago, Mr. Samuel Procter opened a blacksmith's and wheelwright's business at Lilydale, where he ran for a number of years, and then he sold out his business to his elder brother Mr Fred Procter. The history of Lilydale would not be complete without the well known name of Mr. Fred Procter, who carried on a good business for a great number of years, until his son, Mr. L. A. Procter took over the business some two years ago. Mr. Procter was one of the best known men on the coast. He always took a keen interest in the politics of the country, and at one time was a constant writer to the press of the day. His special mission at one time appeared to be the correcting of any little errors that perchance appeared in the platform of the Labour party. He at no time was in favour of such a thing as a 44-hour week. Mr. Procter at the age of 77 years is still to be seen riding his motor cycle. Mrs. Procter after a very long illness passed away some two years ago.
Charles Brewer, J.P., had resided on his farm at Lilydale for over sixty years.
L. Bardenhagen for many years carried on a large general business there.
Old Mrs. Lowe, who was an invalid for many years, and many others of the old residents, have long since crossed the great divide.
The Rev. Mr. Campbell, the well-known Presbyterian minister, lived at Lilydale for many years, as did Mr. Lynex. C. J. Adams, and Mr. Parry, of Lower Piper, are well and favourably known. The Counsel Brothers, of Piper's Brook, sons of the late Peter Counsel, are a well-known family of athletes, and the Birds, Targetts, Lockharts, Keoghs, Sheppards, Storeys, Adamses, and Beatties, are all well known names at Lebrina.
The late John Beattie carried on a general store-keeping business there for a great many years, until his business premises were burnt out. John Beattie was a well-known man in the early days of the North-East tin mines, where he had some splendid chances of good tin properties.Tasmania's North-East (1928, February 22). Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), p. 8 (DAILY). Retrieved October 12, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51463987