Why Scots? Well, like it or not, we are living in a valley that in the early days of settlement attracted many many Scots who had migrated to Australia.

Some came for economic reasons, some came for religious reasons, and some were driven from their homes during the Highland Clearances. Today, they could be thought of as asylum seekers.

In the late 18^th century, highland estates moved from mixed farming, which supported a large tenant population, to the then more profitable grazing.

Surplus tenants were cleared from the estates from about 1780 until the 1850s in what was known as ‘the Highland Clearances’ devastating Gaelic culture and clan society.

The challenges faced by people driven from their homes and lands where they had lived for generations, and without employment or adequate food, caused starvation and many deaths and were the reasons why many families, including the ancestors of our clan of honour Cameron, decided to come to Australia

Eighteen shiploads of Scottish Highlanders (4000) arrived in Australia under the bounty system where the NSW government paid a ‘bounty’ equal to the cost of the passage for each immigrant sponsored by a colonial resident who was a potential employer.

One of these ships was the ‘Boyne’ which departed Scotland on September 1, 1838 with 285 emigrants bound for NSW, including 109 Camerons.

The opening of the Manning Valley to settlers coincided with the time when many had repaid their passage money and were free to make their own way.

Having come from a country where they were denied title to land in their own right, most had been tenants or poor unemployed. Owning their own land was a bright shining goal and they kicked it as hard as they could.

A number of Cameron families trekked north to the Manning settling at The

Bight, Redbank (now Pampoolah), Mount George and Marlee northwest of Wingham, where they arrived on April 15, 1854. The Camerons have farmed on Marlee and ‘still reside there’ for 163 years. They are our ‘Clan of Honour’ this year.

Today, under the auspices of the Manning Valley Historical Society, Wingham is host to the Bonnie Wingham Scottish Festival held on the first weekend in June annually.

The theme is ‘Honouring the Ancestors’, and is aimed at highlighting their contribution to the development of the Valley and the way of life we enjoy today.

We hope readers will find the Scots Corner both informative and entertaining and encourage you to visit ‘Bonnie’ Wingham.