Still standing today, Yodalla is the name of the house once owned by the Hunter family of Emu Plains. Located in close proximity to the Nepean River, it was purchased by Norman Hunter in 1914 and was the site of the family’s apple orchard. Today, the house sits across Nepean Street from the Hunter sports field. The Hunter family was of dual importance to the community of Emu Plains, through their contribution to the agriculture and food production of the area, and their contributions to organised sport. Norman Hunter was the managing director of Miss Bishops Catering Company, which was, at one point, the largest catering company in Sydney, catering for the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. His family was also important in organising community events to support Australian troops during World War Two.
Penrith City Library
One of the main local history archives for Penrith and its surrounding suburbs, including Emu Plains, is Penrith City Library. They maintain an archive of census records, newspaper clippings, council and land records, and over 4,000 historic photographs. Much of this material is accessible online through the library catalogue, and they maintain a website (penrithhistory.com) which provides further information on Penrith’s history. For material which is not available online the library has a research room dedicated to local history research, which can be accessed by members of the public on certain days.
The Norman Hunter Collection
The library has created a collection of material related to Norman Hunter and his family. the collection has been used as a reference for a number of books written about the history of Penrith, for example Penrith: the Makings of a City by Lorraine Stacker. The collection is still being added to, and this is where the library has asked for my assistance. They have come into possession of some home videos recorded by the Hunter family on their property Yodalla, but they have not yet sorted them. In preparation for them to be uploaded to the library catalogue, the library has requested that I watch the films and provide brief descriptions of them.
The significance of my project
As outlined above, Penrith City Library is an important organisation for the preservation of history in Penrith and the surrounding area. I hope that my project will be able to contribute to the expansion of their archives, and thus play an important role in preserving our local history. Although the Hunter family was important to the development of Emu Plains there is relatively little accessible information about them, so I hope that my contributions to the library’s Norman Hunter collection can assist in spreading historical knowledge of the family.
The library has also expressed interest in having me write in more depth about the role of the family in regards to agriculture in Emu Plains. I believe this would be a beneficial companion piece to the films and other items in their collection, and I hope it will also achieve the goal of increasing the family’s local historical profile.
Will you be including the long agricultural history of the Aboriginal people in the area and around Dyarubbin pre-colonisation? Grace Karskens, ‘The People of the River’ is a good starting point for information and references.