Old news from Armidale and New England

The Farmer and Settler (NSW), Saturday 13 September 1930

A Lonely Spot

JACK SEWELL (Long Point) – I live thirty six miles from Armidale. There we go once a month to do our shopping. Hillgrove is eighteen miles away. It was once a great gold-mining town, but now only the remains are left. The place I live at is called Long Point. I think the name of Out Back would have suited it better. There are only two families residing here. The next family is twelve miles away. Are we not isolated? All we hear is the whistle of the birds, and the howl of dingoes at night. This is what we see: Tree after tree, nearly too thickly timbered to walk through. Then we come to the falls, a most wonderful sight to gaze upon, and gently flowing at the bottom we find a winding river. This is where the wild ducks swim. The river is like the road we travel on, a separation between the trees. But, really, road is no name for it. It is only a bush track that winds in and out among the trees, and when I leave home and get to town I have a thousand pains or more from all the jolts and bumps.

The Farmer and Settler (NSW), Saturday 13 September 1930

Bush School Games

LAURIE SEWELL (Hillgrove). – There are only six children attending Long Point school, so we cannot play many games. My favourite game is cricket. It is so interesting, and is good exercise. Rounders is another game we play, and also red-rover, tip, crowning the base, and fruits and flowers. The best game of all is football. We play football with a tennis ball. The other games mentioned we play very seldom. It is nice and green where we play. Sometimes the sheep eat this green grass, then we have to go and play where it is dusty.