Mount Wilson Progress Association

The Mount Wilson Progress Association Inc is an incorporated non profit entity which maintains the Mount Wilson village and reserves in the precinct, acting as an agent for Blue Mountains City Council. It works on behalf of members who are owners of property in Mt Wilson. It also owns the Marcus Clark Reserve and manages the reserve to maintain the flora and fauna in that area of the village.

The Association works with various authorities to improve services to the village and to maintain the character of the village in accordance with the wishes of the members of the Association.

It owns and maintains this website to provide information to visitors and to the Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine communities.

Objectives

The Mt Wilson Progress Association provides a voice for the residents, maintains the village and reserves as an agent for the Blue Mountains City Council and undertakes projects to beautify the area. The Association publishes a bi-monthly newsletter and maintains this website.

The Mount Wilson Progress Association Inc. is incorporated under NSW Associations Incorporation Regulation 1994 and has the following objectives:

To provide a means whereby members might come together to express views and discuss issues relating to the Mount Wilson district.
To express and represent the views of its members and to carry out their wishes, as far as this is possible, co-operating where desirable with local, state government and other authorities.

Activities

The Mount Wilson Progress Association maintains the roadside areas of the villages, Founders' Corner, Gregson Park, Sloan Reserve, Wynne Reserve, Waterfall Reserve, Happy Valley, Silva Plana and Cathedral Reserve. It also maintains the Village Walk which enables people to safely walk through the Village from Breenhold to Cathedral Reserve.

In the early 1990s work was started to restore Sloan Reserve and in 1996 the Valder Bridge was constructed nearby.

The Progress Association also maintains the Mt Wilson, Mt Irvine and Bell War Memorial which is on The Avenue near the Study Centre. Each year a Remembrance Day Service is organised by the Progress Association and the Historical Society, followed by a talk about some of the servicemen and women who are remembered on the Memorial.

In September 2003 the Mt Wilson Progress Association surveyed residents about the use of the Village Hall about development of the Hall and programs the community would find useful. About 60% of the respondents were permanent residents and 40% weekenders. The responses indicated community preference for better tourist information on the history of the area and a permanent display of local historical objects, film evenings, more social gatherings, a lending library, etc.

In mid 2005 a lending library was started by a group of volunteers. It is open from 10.00-11.00am every Saturday and about 20% of permanent residents use the library regularly.

Signs and visitor information and facilities are provided by and maintained by the Progress Association.

The visitor sign near the Mt Wilson Fire Station was organised by the Progress Association and erected by Council and the Mt Wilson brochure is produced and printed and distribution boxes placed at convenient locations through the village.

Parking areas for visitors, mainly bushwalkers and canyoners have been created with the help of Council along The Avenue opposite Marcus Clark Reserve, and nearby adjacent to the Mt Wilson Fire Station.

Marcus Clark Reserve is owned and maintained by the Progress Association. There is an interesting background to this reserve which is on The Avenue adjacent to Breenhold and the Fire Station.

The Mt Wilson Village Hall has an audio visual system that was funded by the Progress Association and has been used extensively for everything from quizzes, Melbourne Cup lunches to serious presentations and forums.

On Saturday 26 September 2009 a Bushfire Forum was funded by the Progress Association. Organised by Joe Landsberg, the Mt Wilson Community Fire Forum brought people with bushfire experience and researchers together to get a better understanding of bushfires, how they occur and how to prepare for and resist bushfires.

One of the key goals of the Progress Association is to manage the character of the village. An important part of this is preserving the trees along the sides of the roads, particularly where power lines pass close to or through the trees. Putting the powerlines underground was investigated at length since this seems an obvious solution. However, the very high cost and the risk of killing trees where roots have been cut made this not practical. So the answer was to install aerial bundled cables which can pass through trees with little clearance. Integral Energy worked over several years to install bundled cabling in areas the Progress Association identified as a high priority. We would like to thank Integral Energy for their wonderful cooperation during this project and we recognise the investment they made to help us manage the local environment.

Details: Last Updated: 06 December 2016

This section provides information for the Mt Wilson Community on Association meetings and activities.

Annual General Meeting Minutes of the Mt Wilson Progress Association can be acessed by members of the Association.

Committee Meeting minutes can be accessed by members of the Committee of the Progress Association

The pdf MWPA Constitution 2015 (687 KB) was updated in 2015 and can be downloaded using the link.

Details: Last Updated: 15 February 2022

There are a number of area in Mt Wilson that are managed by the Mt Wilson Progress Association on behalf of the Mt Wilson Community. Please take care of these places so that they can continue to be enjoyed by all.

Cathedral Reserve (Picnic Area with fire pits)

Silva Plana (Large open field and picnic area)

Marcus Clark Reserve

Sloan Reserve

Valder Bridge

Gregson Park

The Jefferson Bridge

Details: Last Updated: 30 June 2016

A Community and Recreation Site

Latin derivation: Silva meaning forest or wood & Plana a plain or flat area.

This site in Mt Wilson did not receive the name officially until it was generously given by Mrs Esme Burfitt to the community after the First World War. In 1893 Edward C. Merewether died and in the following year, James Elliott Mann purchased the Merewether Estate and this included the Merewether Paddock and Dennarque now at the top of Church Lane. A small house which was named by the Mann Family, Silva Plana, after a house they had owned in Springwood stood in the Merewether Paddock of which Silva Plana today is also a part. The area of Mrs Burfitt's gift was 4 acres, 2 roods & 2 perches.

The sub divisions surveyed by E.S. Wyndham in 1868 in Mt Wilson were not bought in 1870 when put up for auction at Windsor. However later in 1875 and 1876 these same blocks were sold with comparative ease. This portion of land was no exception. Crosbie Blake Brownrigg was granted 10 acres in this area in June 1875. Interestingly he became an assistant to E.S. Wyndham after the survey of Mt Wilson was completed.¹ He was also the son of Captain Brownrigg who was Superintendant of the Australian Agricultural Co. from November 1852 to July 1856. This company has more than one link with Mt Wilson. Like many of the first landholders in Mt Wilson, C.B. Brownrigg did not undertake any building activities following his purchase. No one has really provided a full answer to that particular question i.e. why so many first landholders failed to stay.

However in 1876 Edward Merewether visited Mt Wilson and reported that he had viewed land belonging to C.B. Brownrigg - 10 acres priced at 100 pounds but it will cost 15 pounds to 20 pounds per acre to clear it of big timber and undergrowth, leaving all the tree ferns. Thus we know it was covered with forest and Silva is therefore entirely appropriate. Edward Merewether was also a Superintendant of the Australian Agricultural Co. He purchased this land and soon it was being called Merewether's Paddock or, when it was flooded (and this occurred after heavy consistent rain), as Merewether's Lake. The last time this writer remembers Silva Plana being flooded was in the late 1980s. In April 1988 we had over 500 mm of rain!

On this land Merewether built a small house for his immediate needs while his major home was being constructed on Dennarque Hill. He had purchased the land for Dennarque (18 acres) from Sir Alexander Dean.

Another story is interwoven with Silva Plana but cannot be told here in detail. Between 1876 and 1888 there was continued pressure to improve the postal service to Mt Wilson. Silva Plana played a role in that.

In 1886 Henry John Wynne, the only surviving son of Richard & Mary Ann Wynne of Yarrawa (Wynstay) and Herbert Merewether, a son of Edward Merewether cleared land here for a cricket ground, the pitch being near the small house built by Merewether.

ON NEW YEAR'S DAY, 1887 A GRAND CRICKET MATCH WAS HELD

Miss Helen Gregson described it in the following way: It became the social event of the year. A local team played against one got together by the Postmaster at Mt Victoria. The visitors drove out 17 miles in a 4 horse drag and lunch was served.² From the Lithgow Mercury of January, 1898 there is a description of the match held that year, exactly 100 years ago. Sadly on that occasion Mt Wilson only managed one innings. We were soundly defeated by Mt Victorians and Blackheathens, as they were so charmingly named.

In 1888 in December a major, indeed, dramatic change took place in the postal arrangements for Mt Wilson. A lady, Mrs Ada Elizabeth Mahoney was appointed to a Receiving Office in Mt Wilson and that office was in that small house in Merewether's Paddock. However Mr Richard Wynne had asked that this office be called Irvine as this was the name originally given to the parish of Mount Wilson by Sir James Martin's Government. This proposal aroused the Hon. G.H. Cox to protest against the change of name in the strongest terms. He stated that it was altogether against the wishes of the residents! Note what he wrote: With the exception of Mr Wynne all the other residents without exception Justice Stephen, Mr Merewether, Mr Gregson and the members of my own family strongly deprecate the change of name, and which we trust will not be sanctioned.³ This statement raises some interesting questions. Were the above the only residents at that time? Sydney Kirk and his wife, Mary (nee Marceau) were certainly living here; their eldest son, Sydney was born on 27^th January 1889. Mr Charles Sharp was the caretaker at Beowang at the same time. Were you only a resident if you owned property or was there some other more subtle criterion?

The Hon.G.H. Cox's protestations over the change of name were successful. Irvine was changed to Mt Wilson on 9^th January, 1889 and the old office at the Mt Wilson Railway Platform became Bell; this was also a suggestion of the Hon. G.H. Cox.. A mail service between Bell and Mt Wilson was established with John Hall winning the contract and carrying the mail on horseback six times a week between October and April, and once a week for the rest of the year.

Mrs Mahoney was the R.O.K. (Receiving Office Keeper) until January 12^th 1890 when she wrote "I don't wish to have anything to do with the letters----". She went off to Sydney and to the consternation of the residents, particularly Mr Richard Wynne, did not tell her husband, James, but worse still did not tell the residents! This in effect ended the link between the postal service and Merewether's Paddock. Our friend, the Hon. G.H. Cox stepped into the breach and the postal service commenced at Beowang in the charge of his daughter, Miss Lucy Cox.

We know that after the death of Edward Merewether in 1893 this land was bought by James Elliot Mann and the small house on it was then named Silva Plana. There is little doubt that the cricket matches continued on New Year's Day and then James Mann's daughter, Esme, realising the great community benefit this land provided gave 4 acres, 2 roods & 2 perches of it for community recreation after the First World War just as her mother gave the land in 1919 for the War Memorial.

The idea of a Sports Day evolved after the establishment of the C.W.A. in Mt Wilson/ Mt Irvine in 1929. In October, 1932 it was recorded in the minutes of the C.W.A meeting of that month the following: 'that the C.W.A. hold a Sports Day on January 1^st 1933.' This motion was proposed by Miss Helen (Nellie) Gregson, seconded by Mrs Draper. It was then implemented by appointing Mr Valder, Mr Gregson & Mr Wilson as the Sports Committee to organise the programme of races! Miss Gregson, Miss Sloan & Mrs Draper became the Catering Committee. Miss Joshua was to conduct the Soft Drink & Sweet Stall. The Younger Set was to clean the grounds & make it ready for the races! Oh for those days when everyone knew his or her role without ambiguity! This recreation area was used through out the thirties and forties and possibly the early 1950's not only for cricket matches, but wood chopping contests, gymkhanas and of course the lively and versatile C.W.A. Sports Day.

In the 1990s the Mt Wilson Progress Association re-established Sports Day on New Year's Day, organised very ably by Michael Pembroke and Libby Raines and others. It continued for some years.

While we enjoyed the spirit created in our return to the past and it adds another dimension of our own to the experience, think of all those who played, laughed and established that sense of continuity and community in the 100 or more years before us and enriched this very special place.

^[1] 'Mt Wilson New South Wales' Dr C.H. Currey 1968 A&R

^[2]C.H. Currey Mt Wilson NSW

^[3]Australian Archives Postal history Mt Wilson and Bell

Mary B Reynolds Research Officer Mt Wilson & Mt Irvine Historical Society Gratefully acknowledges the assistance for this information from the following sources: 'Mt Wilson N.S.W.' C.H. Currey; The Australian Archives - Post Office History of Bell & Mt Wilson; Material from Mr Michael Mann; Records of the Mt Wilson/ Mt Irvine C.W.A. ( H. Naylor ); Archival material collected by the Society from members of the Kirk family.

Details: Last Updated: 09 November 2021

Cathedral Reserve is now open for camping. There will be a range of social distancing requirements and one predominant requirement of the "Conditions of Entry" is that people email their contact details to a designated Council email address - for future contact tracing if required. Check https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/camping for instructions. You do not have to book and it is free to use.

Cathedral Reserve is on the Mt Irvine Rd on the way out of the Mt Wilson village travelling towards Mt Irvine opposite the Cathedral of Ferns. It is a large open area with Liquidambers along the Mt Irvine Rd and rainforest behind the reserve.

The Reserve has two modern composting toilets which were installed by Blue Mountains City Council.

The reserve has been extended several times, giving picnickers and campers the choice of camping in the open or amongst the trees. It is suitable for camper trailers, caravans, motorhomes, and tents, particularly above and behind the central grassed area and back into the rainforest.

Bollards have been installed to prevent cars driving on the central grassed areas adjacent to Mt Irvine Rd so these can be used by tents and picnickers and are protected.

Near the Cathedral of Ferns a path has been made so that visitors can park in Cathedral Reserve and walk to the Cathedral of Ferns without having to walk along the road. This a narrow road on a bend where it is difficult for motorists to see people walking along the road.

Recently a large number of open fireplaces with BBQ facilities have been installed by the Progress Association to aid campers and to discourage the lighting of fires in any other location. This destroyed the grass and increased the risk of bushfire at certain times of the year.

Many people camp or picnic at Cathedral Reserve. Camping is free and no booking is required. There are toilets, tank water (not suitable for drinking but can be boiled or used for other purposes), fireplaces, picnic tables and garbage bins. Remember to bring your own drinking water, firewood, warm clothes (it gets cold at night), toilet paper and your own camping gear.

Dogs are allowed in the Mt Wilson Village and at Cathedral Reserve, however dogs are not allowed in the National Park adjacent to the reserve and village. So walks around the village are ok providing they are not into the National Park.

Users are reminded to securely lock up any valuables during their stay.

Opposite Cathedral Reserve is the Cathedral of Ferns.

Details: Last Updated: 06 October 2023

Live Weather Details at Mt Wilson Fire Station

7 day forecast for Mt Wilson

Monthly Rainfall at Mt Irvine

Monthly Rainfall at Mt Wilson

Details: Last Updated: 15 February 2022

Jefferson Bridge in Gregson Park rebuilt May 1993

Gregson Park, together with Jefferson Bridge, recently rebuilt in 1993 and which straddles Waterfall Creek, links the bottom end of Waterfall Road and Wyndham Avenue.

The small park had its origins in the one of the earliest recorded transactions of the Mount Wilson settlement. The land now known as the property Chimney Cottage was originally sold as Portion 21 to Robert David Fitzgerald, a Civil Engineer from Hunters Hill in Sydney, on 17th June 1875. The original parcel of 9 acres, 1 rood and 12 perches was purchased for twenty six pounds, six shillings and threepence (23/6/3).
On 17th September 1920, Robert Fitzgerald signed joint tenancy of this land to his brother Edward, a Newcastle architect.
Edward J. Gregson - a dedicated botanist and a lover of the natural bushland - had decided to sell Yengo as his wife Margaret found it too cold and purchase land nearby. The land was sold to Gregson six weeks later on 20th November 1920.
On 7th June 1940, Gregson gifted 3 roods of the Chimney Cottage property to His Majesty King George VI; this parcel of land in effect then became Crown Land. Gregson eventually sold this property in 1946.

Against this background was the establishment of the Mount Wilson Group of the Blue Mountains Sight [sic] Reserves. Note that the Mt Wilson Trust Reserve existed before 1930. There is evidence of its existence during World War I but no minute book has been uncovered. This group comprising E.J. Gregson, Sydney (Syd) Kirk, George E. Valder and Richard Owen Wynne had its first formal meeting in 1930 on 15th March at the Shelter Shed in Waterfall reserve. This meeting, and all subsequent meetings, are captured in the formal Minutes Book which is currently held by the Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine Historical Society.
Gregson was the President of this group from this meeting in 1930 through to 1935, but he still maintained an active interest in the group, and the wider Mt Wilson community, for many years after he stepped down.
The Sight Reserve Group met on 26th January 1941 at Chimney Cottage, with an overseeing committee of Fred Mann (President), R (Rollie) Clark (Vice President), Gregson (Secretary and Treasurer), George Valder, Richard Wynne and Syd Kirk. On the same date under the Presidency of Fred Mann, and with Syd Kirk as Secretary and Treasurer, it was decided to name the land formerly gifted by Gregson as Gregson Park. A budget of 2/16/- was set aside to employ a local worker for four days to undertake initial maintenance.

Today, the park is overseen and maintained by the Mount Wilson Progress Association on behalf of the Blue Mountains City Council. The Bush Regeneration Group of Mt Wilson since 1999 has carried out necessary weed removal and control.

Details: Last Updated: 30 August 2016

The Valder Bridge was constructed by Alan and Stewart Gunn in 1996. It is in Sloan Reserve and allows people to walk around the reserve and along to Hay Lane. It was built by the Mt Wilson Progress Association following a donation by the Valder family and with further financial support from Blue Mountains City Council.

Details: Last Updated: 24 June 2016

The Blue Mountains Sights (sic - read Sites) Reserve Mt Wilson Group was a Trust appointed by the Minister of the NSW Department of Lands in the early years of the 1900s. The exact date of its formation is not clear, but it certainly existed as far back as World War I.

The Trust was responsible for Sloan Reserve, Gregson Park and the War Memorial, but was seriously underfunded for many years.

In 1989, the NSW Government dissolved this Trust - and all similar ones - and the Mt Wilson reserves came under the control of the Blue Mountains City Council.

Details: Last Updated: 24 June 2016

The Jefferson Bridge was named and opened on 2nd May 1993 by the Mayor of the Blue Mounatins City Council, Alderman Bob Clarke.

The transcript of the speech given by Mary Reynolds on behalf of the Mt Wilson community is shown below.

I would like to say welcome to the Mayor and distinguished guests who are here today; to my long-standing friends of Mt Wilson; and to my newer friends of Mt Wilson. I am very flattered, indeed very humble also, about being asked to talk about Charles Wilkin Jefferson, who spent so much of his life on this wonderful mountain. Imagine for yourself a striking, remarkable gentleman; broad, large head; bushy moustache; dressed in a cream linen suit and panama hat waving his walking stick and smoking a cigar - the epitome of an English/American gentleman and that was one picture of Charles Wilkin Jefferson. But across that paddock behind me, towards Chimney Cottage, another gentleman, equally a gentleman, would walk in his dressing gown, smoking that cigar - never without it. People smelt his coming, with his walking stick in full flight, along there. So you have two very different pictures of this quite remarkable man.

He was born in 1863 in Yorkshire in England, five miles from where Libby Raines' mother, Mrs Hake, was born too and brought up. So there is an association there.He went to school very briefly at Darlington Grammar School where he learnt about the American War of Independence. This inspired him with the great freedom that document expressed. Some years later, at the age of 17 or 19 (there is doubt about that) about 1880 he went to America with a man named Thomas Hughes who was the author of a very famous book known as Tom Brown's School Days. Thomas Hughes was a student of Dr Arnold of the very famous Rugby school in England. Thomas Hughes took him into the wild hills of Tennessee where he attempted to set up this extraordinary, rather Utopian, settlement for second and third sons of English gentlemen to learn the arts and skills of farming. The first sons of course inherited the name and property and were quite well off; but not so were the second and third and, maybe, fourth sons; and this was Hughes' idea but like all Utopian schemes, it foundered. Jefferson left that little settlement of Rugby in Tennessee in 1885 and went to New York city where he met a certain man called Thomas Edison and became involved in the Edison Machine Works (later known as General Electric). Edison must have been impressed with him as he sent Jefferson to a not so large town, Schenectady in New York state and there he set up the famous works known as the Mica Insulating Works and it was Jefferson who discovered and used Mica as an insulation material.

He stayed there for many years, a much respected gentleman and member of the community. In that period he met Alan MacKerras who may not be known to you but in fact is the father of Charles and Malcolm MacKerras and the many other MacKerras's. The MacKerras family played a significant part in the life of the Gregson's (Bill Smart is very frightened that I will read the whole account but I hasten to assure you that I won't do that; or I will try not to). Jefferson was associated with Alan MacKerras and many other interesting people who will appear in the story very briefly. Thus, he spent many years in that period in Schenectady a much revered and much respected person and a great community worker. He finally retired in 1929, not a very good year for retirement I should think. He was written about with warm approval in the papers and those who knew him were sorry to see him go. May I quickly explain: Edward Gregson who was Helen Warliker and Meg Fromel's father had been in Schenectady and working in the mica factory with Jefferson for about eight years and he met, of course, Margaret, Jefferson's daughter. In 1920 they came out to Sydney, married and came straight to Mt Wilson to live in Yengo for three years before they moved to Wyndham, which is just behind you. Edward Gregson owned all the land upon which you are standing - Wyndham, Chimney Cottage, the paddock behind me, Windyridge, reaching right to Yengo before its sale. The Gregson family had a very strong hold on this mountain.

Jefferson travelled by ship to Sydney. He was not accompanied by his wife, Margaret, because sadly she suffered from tuberculosis and she was in a sanatorium almost permanently for the rest of her life which was a tragic thing. But he was accompanied by a spry, little 'Yankee' woman called Emma Ashdown who had been the nurse to his children, housekeeper/companion and in fact remained with the Jefferson family for thirty years. She accompanied him as a companion. They sailed under the uncompleted Sydeny Harbour Bridge on the ship Aorangi into Sydney and then travelled up to Mt Wilson. They came to Wyndham, and Jefferson was horrifed at the condition that his precious daughter, Margaret, who had been looked after and had had a comfortable and quite luxurious life in Schenectady, was experiencing here. Not that Margaret complained but he thought "I will try to do all that I can for her". This he set about to do.

Where does the bridge come into it? It was in 1930-1931 and I must say thank you to Helen Warliker and Meg Fromel; to Mrs Valder; and to Tom Kirk who were wonderful fountains of information and I cannot take any credit for this at all. But the land here was Gregson land and that land too, belonged to Gregson. "We need to get across the creek so we put a couple of planks across'' Tom Kirk says. They were flooded pretty often so that wasn't good enough. "We will get a couple of tree trunks across'' said Tom and put the large trunks across the creek. Emma ventured across carrying scones. Emma fell in, scones and all" says Tom. This created quite a sensation. ''This is no good to me", says Mr Jefferson. "We must have a proper bridge." Out of these little episodes so came this remarkable little bridge - the Waterfall Bridge. I am not a great expert in the construction of bridges ("You look horrified at the way I am explaining it'' - an aside to the builder of the bridge), I will try not be too technical.

Actually Sam Hall on the other side i.e. the waterfall side built a basalt wall 12' long x 4' high. I was wondering if there were any remnants of that left as at would be quite an archaeological find and relic. Tom & Cecil Kirk were involved in the timber work structure of the bridge and Peter Kirk is here looking at me and I know he had something to do with it too. The bridge was built. Tom will say, it was to get to Chimney Cottage; some tell me that it was built to get to the Post Office more quickly; and others say it was to save Emma from falling into creek with the scones! We have to be flexible about these things in history. As said to someone recently, I feel that I am walking on a tight-rope. If I move one false step either way I will hurtle off completely! The building of the bridge was quite an achievement due to the encouragement and money of Charles Jefferson.

May I tell one little story about Mr Jefferson and Tom Kirk who worked for him for about 2 years. Mr Jefferson asked Tom ''How much are you being paid?" Tom says ''A shilling an hour." Remember this is 1930. ''That is not good enough'' declares Mr Jefferson, "I will give you two shillings!" Well - that upset the whole wage structure in Mt Wilson. A certain gentleman came roaring down the hill to Mr Jefferson demanding to know what right he had to pay his workers 2/- an hour anyhow instead of the 1/- or even 9d paid elsewhere. There followed quite an altercation and I believe the walking stick was used to great effect. These are some of the wonderfully colourful stories that come out of all the information you collect on the way.

May I say this also of Daddo, as he was so lovingly called, not only by his grandchildren but many I think who knew him. He was a loveable, charming man; there was no doubt about that - a remarkable story teller of tales to his grandchildren about the gruesome events in the Tennessee backwoods with the hill-billies; of mad women being kept in cages and all sorts of lurid stories which they loved hearing.

He loved living it up. He went down to the Metropole Hotel Sydney in his panama hat and cream linen suit and loved the life down there. Always a fanatic about his food, he gave Helen a book on that subject, ''The Food We Eat Makes What We Are". Also he was a an avid reader. Mrs Valder said to me that he told her once, "You will never live long enough to do all the reading you need to do".

C.W. Jefferson was a cultured fine person with a vision and a great humanity about him throughout its life. He lived till 1956 and died in Sydney at the age of 93 and I say that this bridge being named after him is just one small gesture of the recognition of this outstanding person by this community and by the people who knew him and spoke with him. He lived in Wyndham, in Campanella and he ended his days for the last ten years or so after the death of Emma in 1943 in a little cabin behind the main part of Chimney Cottage which was built at his behest for his daughter, where she served teas with great flourishes and gentility. She was a magnificent musician Mrs Gregson, possessing this talent amongst many others.

I hope in that way I have given you a picture of this man. I almost feel that I knew him and that he is going to walk over here with his dressing gown and the cigar. Indeed, Tom and Peter told me that they tried smoking the cigars and ended up being violently ill: "Is that right, Peter?" Peter agrees that it is right. You see, I am checking constantly!

In the paper in Shenectady when Charles Jefferson retired there was a quote from Hamlet which I jotted down as my memory is not as good as it ought to be: He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again

Thank you.

Note: since this talk was presented, a correction must be made on one point. Charles Jefferson's wife died in 1906 from tuberculosis, hence well before Charles' departure from the USA.

(Speech given by Mary B. Reynolds at the opening of the new bridge over Waterfall Creek. Without the contributions of C.W. Jefferson's grandchildren Meg Fromel and Helen Warliker, Tom Kirk, and Isa Valder it would not have been possible.)

Details: Last Updated: 21 May 2018

Correspondence, questions, suggestions or feedback about this site, or specific Mt Wilson Progress Association enquires, can be sent to us in two ways:

Via Mail:

Mount Wilson Progress Association
Trelm

5 Hay Lane
Mount Wilson NSW 2786
Att: The Secretary

Via email:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Contact details for the Mt Wilson / Mt Irvine Rural Fire Brigade can be found here.

Contact details for the Mt Wilson & Mt Irvine Historical Society can be found here.

Contact details for the Mt Wilson Village Hall can be found here.

Contact details for the Mt Wilson & Mt Irvine Bushwalking Group can be found here.

Details: Last Updated: 24 June 2016

The Marcus Clark Reserve is 0.79 hectares of bushland on The Avenue near the centre of Mt Wilson.

Providing access to this reserve allows people to view a type of vegetation not common at Mt Wilson and keeps some of the native vegetation close to the main road through the village.

The soil is shallow, sandy and infertile in contrast to the rich basalt soil in most of the Mount Wilson area. The block is currently covered with low open forest with scrub undergrowth and is adjacent to the main road through Mount Wilson, providing a good opportunity to illustrate a very different type of environment. The growth is substantially different from the tall eucalypt forest or rainforest in other parts of Mt Wilson.

The reserve was originally gifted (for a nominal sum) to the Mt Wilson P&C Association on 20th December 1949 by Sir Reginald Marcus Clark and Roland Cuthbert Clark, his brother, to be held under a Trust Deed with the trustees being directed by the Mt Wilson P&C Association. The Clark family who gifted the land wished it to be used as a residency for the teachers or for educational purposes.

The Mt Wilson Public School was officially closed in 1983 and the P&C Association formally ceased to exist in the early 1990s. So there was no organisation to direct the Trustees how to act.

By the early 2000s the land had lost its original intent and the Progress Association wanted to act to restore the original purpose and to preserve the block of land. At that stage the land was owned by two people (one of the original three had died) acting as a trust and it was decided to transfer title in the land to the Mt Wilson Progress Association. On the 19th July 2006 title in the land was formally transferred to the Mt Wilson Progress Associaition.

There is a path through the centre of the Reserve which leads from The Avenue to the Fire Station car park and onto walking trails to the Wollongambe Canyon. It winds through the trees and as the land is almost level there is little water run off.

The plants on the reserve are identified on plaques including information about the plant. The reserve area includes unusual grasses, ground covers, shrubs and trees. Many of these are not seen in surrounding areas and the effect of different soils and fires over many years provides an unusual environment. The reserve takes advantage of this unusual situation and provides information for visitors and teaching groups who visit the area.

It is the basalt soils capping sandstone that has made Mount Wilson the attractive location it is. The rich soil and high rainfall have created rainforest and tall eucalypt forest. These are well known and much admired.

The birds seen in this part of Mt Wilson include the Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo, Gang Gangs, Eastern Rosella, King Parrot, Fan Tailed Cockatoo, Channelled Bill Cockatoo, Boobook Owl, Tawny Frog Mouth Owl, Wood Duck, Brown and Grey Goshawks, Kookaburras, Robins, wrens and thornbills, Scrub wrens, Grey Strike Thrush, White Throated Tree Creeper, Numerous Honey Eaters, Silver Eye, Red Browed Finch, Satin Bower Bird, Magpies, Currawongs and Ravens

Swamp Wallabies, Brush Tailed & Ring Tailed Possums, Wombats and Antechinus are frequently seen in this part of Mt Wilson and, on rare occasions, the echidna.

Marcus Clark Reserve from the Avenue

Details: Last Updated: 19 November 2020

Looking along The Avenue towards the Church

The Mount Wilson Progress Association Inc is an incorporated non profit entity which maintains the Mount Wilson village and reserves in the precinct. It works on behalf of members who are owners of property in Mt Wilson. It also owns the Marcus Clark Reserve and manages the reserve to maintain the flora and fauna in that area of the village.

The Association works with various authorities to improve services to the village and to maintain the character of the village in accordance with the wishes of the members of the Association.

It owns and maintains this website to provide information to visitors and to the Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine communities.

Objectives

The Mt Wilson Progress Association provides a voice for the residents, maintains the village and undertakes projects to beautify the area. The Association publishes a quarterly newsletter and maintains this website.

The Mount Wilson Progress Association Inc. is incorporated under NSW Associations Incorporation Regulation 1994 and has the following objectives:

To provide a means whereby members might come together to express views and discuss issues relating to the Mount Wilson district.
To express and represent the views of its members and to carry out their wishes, as far as this is possible, co-operating where desirable with local, state government and other authorities.

Details: Last Updated: 15 February 2022

In the early 1990s work was started to restore Sloan Reserve and in 1996 the Valder Bridge was constructed nearby.

In mid 2005 a lending library was started by a group of volunteers. It is open from 10.00-11.00am every Saturday and about 20% of permanent residents use the library regularly.

Signs and visitor information and facilities are provided by and maintained by the Progress Association.

Marcus Clark Reserve is owned and maintained by the Progress Association. There is an interesting background to this reserve which is on The Avenue adjacent to Breenhold and the Fire Station.

Details: Last Updated: 08 October 2020

The Committee of the Mt Wilson Progress Association is elected every year and the current committee is listed below.

Role	Person
President	Nancy Fox
Vice President	-
Secretary	Sue Woolfenden
Treasurer	Robbie Feyder
Committee Member	Janet McDonald
Committee Member	Matt Mason
Committee Member	Peter Raines
Committee Member	James Douglas

Subcategories

Submissions

Listed below are formal public submissions made by the Mt Wilson Progress Association.

News and Past Activities

The Community Website of Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine

Mount Wilson

and Mount Irvine