https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/158071518?searchTerm=Geo...
The Scone Advocate - Tue 17 Oct 1933
Vale, George Mitchell
FINE ' OLD RESIDENT .
93 YEARS IN THE UPPER HUNTER
In the passing, recently, of Mr. ,
George .Mitchell, the Upper Hunter lost
one of its most picturesque characters,
a landmark, as it were, and probably
its oldest native-born resident. Born
up the Hunter, at Brushy Hill Creek,
then known as 'Aberfoyle, ' the old
gentleman was within easy reach of
94 years, and for the whole of which
long period so lived continuously in '
and about the place of his nativity.
His father, the late George Mitchell,
came out to this State from the Old
Country upwards of a century ago.
The subject of these lines, whose old
home was ' ' Glenfern, ' ' and who at one
time owned "Tanborough," on the
Hunter, was favorably known, as also
are his descendants, not only in the
Hunter and Rouchel watersheds — his
wife, who predeceased him 21 years
ago, was a member of the Gardner
family, who were contemporaneous
with the first settlers in the Rouchel
district — but on the Manning side as
well. As a lad, he was on Scgenhoe
when that historic property was in the
hands of Mr. Donald McDonald, and
when in a reminiscent mood, which
was frequent, he would hark back to
the days when the conditions were so
vastly different to those obtaining at
the present time; when the times called
for men, and women, too, of grit and
courage. From Segenhoe, he entered
into arrangement as head stockman
for the late Mr. James Campbell, on
Tomalla, where he remained for three
or four years. Those were the days
when the Tops country, unshorn of all
its rugged grandeur, with wild cattle
and horses in full possession. Of
slight build, and lithe in the saddle,
George Mitchell was a horseman with
few peers, and revealed his intrepi-
dity in many a chase through the big
timber and down the broken spurs.
Leaving the ranges, he came to Bell-
trees, and here he remained continuous-
ly for just on 35 years, invariably be-
ing regarded as a faithful and trust
worthy employee, his worth amongst
stock being assessed at full value.
Not only was he a great horseman,
bushman, and stockman, but a more
likeable, intensely popular, and
straightforward man it would be dif-
ficult to find. His life was replete with
kindly actions, and this, combined
with his always bright and jovial dis-
position, earned for him the goodwill
of many friends and acquaintances of
two, and even three, generations. Such
was the make-up of this grand old
man of the hills, picturesque in the
saddle, and of more recent years be-
cause of his snow-swept flowing locks
and beard, that the loss of an optic
through accident, and a fractured hip,
which necessitated his having to press
into service a pair of crutches, that
not even these handicaps dampened his
cheery disposition nor even drew from
him a complaint. Right up to the last
did he, one of Nature's gentlemen, re-
tain the whole of his faculties, disclos-
ing the stern stuff he and many others
of his generation were built of. In
the evening of his life, he was cared
for by his children, who could only
have been enriched, and certainly were
most fortunate, in that he was spared
to be associated with them for so long,
thereby inculcating in them and so
many other confreres the many fine
and manly traits of his character.
He was laid to rest in the Gundy
Cemetery, in 'wooded and wild' sur-
roundings, where the vegetation is
' stragglingly luxuriant' — surely a
fitting resting-place for one such as
George Mitchell. it was in such a
setting that Adam Lindsay Gordon,
Australia's beloved poet and game
horseman, of whom the old gentleman
was wont to refer on so many occa-
sions, was placed at rest at Brighton
(Vic.) many years earlier.
The concourse at the graveside was
fully representative of the district
which he loved so well.
Of a family of nine children, seven
survive, namely, Messrs. William G.
(Woolooma), John H. (Maitland), Ir-
win J, (Clifton, Q.), Arthur E. (West
Tamworth), Herbert E. . (Woolooma),
and Roland H. Mitchell (Nundle),
and Mrs. F. W. T'ilse (Amaroo).
Rev. B. C. Wilson, of St. Mark 's
Church of England, Aberdeen, who
conducted the burial service, recalled
that exactly 21 years ago he performed
the same rites over the remains of
their old friend's partner in life.
Many beautiful floral tributes were
placed on the earthen mound, forward-
ed by the following relatives and
friends:— Loving daughter and son in
law, Bill, Roland, Ollie and family,
Bert, Ethel and girls, Reg. arid Millie,
Harold and Elsie and family, Ada and
family, Edie and Stan, Mrs. Carter, Eb.
and Ida, W. J. and Mrs. Rose, Herb.,
Olive and family, Bruce, Vera and
family, Roy, Ella and family, Cecil,
Beryl and Marie, T. A. Cone and fam-
ily, all at 'Clydsdale,' Evelyn, Sid
and family, C., and S. Cone and family,
Dot, George and family, Mr. and Mrs.
A. A.. Collison and family, Mrs. M. A.
and G. Clifford, Will and Mrs. Roe,
Mrs. M. Wharton and Mr. and Mrs.
J. E. Wharton, Mrs. Riley and Lulu,
Mr. and Mrs. S. Felton and family, Mr.
and Mrs. E. S. Walters and family, Ted
Mitchell, Mrs. W. H. Cone and family,
J. and A. Garland and family, George
Sutherland, Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Urqu-
hart and family, all at 'Rockhill,'
all at 'Mount. View, ' Mr. and Mrs.
W. W. McPhee and family, Mr. and
Mrs. W. Davis and family, Mr. and
Mrs. J. D. Ninness, Donald McPhee,
Mr. and Mrs. Eipper and family, Mr.
and Mrs. Chas. Clitfford, Vic. and Joy,
D. G. and M. A. McPhee, Mr. and Mrs.
John Riley and family, Edna and
Cecil, Mr. and Mrs. P. A. James, Mr.
and Mrs. Mills and family, Mr. and
Mrs. H. A. Teague, Mr and Mrs. A. R.
Cone, Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Minch, Mrs.
N. Minch.
