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The Pioneer of Yass The Mercury, Hobart 26 December 1908 |
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The
pioneer of Yass. Name for Federal Capital. A
correspondent in the "Sydney Morning Herald" writes: - “Yass-Canberra having now secured the proud
position of being the elect of Australia as the territory within which the
future Federal capital city will be located, we anticipate in the near future
experts will be sent out to select the most suitable site from the many
beautiful ones presenting themselves. Undoubtedly the selection of
Yass-Canberra is a wise one, and future generations will bless the foresight
of their forefathers in selecting such an ideal spot for the seat of
Government. Probably the Great Barren Jack weir (one
of the finest bodies of water in the world) was a factor in determining the
site, and if such is the case the capital will be built as near as possible
to the great lake with a water frontage to the foreshores of same, thus
giving residents of the city easy access to what will be one of the greatest
pleasure resorts in Australia. After the site is selected will come
another very important event, and that is the selection of a name for the
"infant city."
If
it is in close proximity to Yass or to the weir, as I anticipate it will be,
might I humbly suggest that we name the city 'Hume' as a tribute, and a slight compliment to the memory of the
late Hamilton Hume, the explorer. He
was the first white man who came to Yass district, and who risked his life in
opening up this country, and so impressed was he with the beautiful natural
surroundings, the equable climate, the fertile appearance of the soil, and
the score of other advantages that presented themselves to the observant eyes
of this keen and brave bushman that he decided to make his home here in
preference to any other part that he had explored. In
recognition for services rendered in exploration, the powers then being
offered Hamilton Hume a grant of land anywhere that be chose, and his choice
fell on Yass district and the 'chosen land' embraced Humewood,
Euralie, and Marchmont
Estates, all of which still belong to descendants of the Hume family. The
great explorer built a home for himself close to Yass, lived there through
the balmy days of manhood, and by his energy helped to build up the district
of his choice to a prominent position in the forefront of importance, and is
the fullness of years his spirit passed away to join the great ancestral
multitude, and his mortal remains are interred in the land he did so much
for, and loved so dearly - Yass. "What
a great man be must have been, and how must he have been gifted with
observation and foresight, and what a great compliment our Australian
Parliament have now paid him by endorsing his selection of Yass as the 'eye'
of the land, and fixing on it as a worthy spot wherein to locate the
Australian capital. In the face of those facts, and as a tribute to the
memory of one who had so much to do in building up the 'chosen land,' it
would come as a graceful compliment to name the Federal capital 'Hume,' and thus do honour
to the earliest pioneer of Yass." |