By Elizabeth Griffin

Andrew Barton Paterson was born on 17 February 1864 at Narrambla near Orange, a fact that can be found in most books and internet sites.

This raises the question of why was he born at Narrambla and not at his parents’ home at Buckinbah, now Yeoval?

The story begins with the marriage of his parents, Andrew Bogle Paterson and Rose Isabella Barton, in April 1863 at Rose’s home, Boree Nyrang near Molong. It was here that the newlyweds lived and worked hard on their property despite the isolation from other people.

Rose’s mother Emily Barton went to live with Andrew and Rose after her husband Robert Barton died suddenly on 4 October 1863 at the Australian Club in Sydney from a chest infection.

At that time there was a great deal of unrest in the area due to the activity of bushrangers. Rose’s brother had been involved at Campbell’s farm around the time of the gold escort robbery at Eugowra in 1862 by Frank Gardiner, Ben Hall, Johnny Gilbert and John O’Meally.

Emily was concerned about the remoteness of Buckinbah and the lack of medical assistance, particularly for an 18-year-old having her first baby. So she wrote to her sister Rose Templer, asking if her daughter could have the delivery of her first child at their home.

Narrambla was a property of 1,920 acres with a busy flour mill, dairy and cheese factory, wheat growing, a blacksmith and wheelwright. In all, there were about 33 families living and working on Narrambla.

The week before the baby’s due date, Andrew travelled with a very heavily pregnant Rose in a buggy over rough dirt and gravel roads in the heat of February. They stayed overnight with their friend John Smith at Gamboola just out of Molong.

From all accounts, the birth was uncomplicated. A few days later Andrew’s father rode into Orange and registered the birth of “Baby Paterson.” On 11 March the local Anglican priest, Reverend Robert Mayne baptised Andrew at Narrambla.

It was some 80 years later that Richard Sheraton, the clerk at the Orange Court House, noticed the entry of “Baby Paterson” in the records of the birth registry. He thought that the date was “about right,” so he sought out the records at the local church, Holy Trinity in Byng Street, to find that the baptism record was indeed that of Andrew Barton Paterson. These records are available on display in the church. Mr Sheraton then contacted the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages about his find and the records were corrected.