Kempsey is a town in the
Mid North Coast
The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoolg ...
region of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, Australia and is the council seat for
Kempsey Shire
Kempsey Shire is a local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
The shire services an area of and is located on the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line. Kempsey Shire was formed on 1 October ...
. It is located roughly 16.5 kilometres inland from the coast of the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
, on the
Macleay Valley Way
The Macleay Valley Way is a road in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales that connects the Pacific Highway to and . It runs along a former section of the Pacific Highway that was bypassed by a newer alignment between 2013 and 2016.
R ...
near where the
Pacific Highway and the
North Coast railway line cross the
Macleay River
The Macleay River is a river that spans the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia.
Course and features
Formed by the confluence of the Gara River, Salisbury Waters and Bakers Creek, the Macleay River r ...
. It is roughly 430 kilometres north of
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. As of June 2018 Kempsey had a population of 15,309 (2018).
[ Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.]
History
At the dawn of white occupation the town lay within the area of the
Djangadi
The Djangadi people, also spelt Dhungatti, Dainggati, Tunggutti or Dunghutti are an Aboriginal Australian people resident in the Macleay Valley of northern New South Wales.
Language
Dhanggati / Dunghutti belongs to the Yuin–Kuric languag ...
people's lands. An Aboriginal presence has been attested archaeologically to go back at least 4,000 years, according to the analysis of the materials excavated at the Clybucca midden, a site which the modern-day descendants of the Djangadi and
Gumbaynggirr
The Gumbaynggirr people, also rendered Kumbainggar, Gumbangeri and other variant spellings, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Gumbathagang was a probable clan or sub-group. The traditional lands of th ...
claim
native title rights. In the Clybucca area are ancient camp sites with shell beds in the form of mounds which are up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) high.
Midden
A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofact ...
s are attested in the Macleay Valley, together with remnants of a fish trap in the Limeburners Creek Nature Reserve and, just slightly north of Crescent Head, at Richardsons Crossing, there is a
bora ring.
White intrusion on the Djangadi lands first took off as mostly ex-convict cedar cutters, based at a camp at Euroka Creek established by Captain
A. C. Innes in 1827, began exploring the rich resources of the area in the late 1820s. The first European settler in the Kempsey district was named Enoch William Rudder, in 1835, who had purchased a land grant of 802 acres (325 ha) from its first owner, Samuel Onions.In 1836,
runs held by
squatters
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
lying outside the sphere of
colonial jurisdiction were absorbed into the southern legal framework. Within a decade the timber cutters had virtually harvested every stand of this highly prized red gold timber in clearances that made the land increasingly attractive to pastoralists,
0who by 1847, after the passage of the Imperial Waste Lands Act of the preceding year, and the implementation of the Orders-in-Council (1847) had established 31 stations along the Macleay river from Kempsey inland to
Kunderang Brook
The Kunderang Brook, a perennial stream that is part of the Macleay River catchment, is located in the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia.
Course and features
Kunderang Brook rises about west of Brushy ...
. This coincided with one of the most violent and sustained examples of warfare in the Macleay gorges, during which it is estimated that around 15 massacres took place in the region targeting Aboriginal people of the area.
The Djangadi and other tribes affected adopted guerilla tactics to fight the usurpation of their land, by attacking shepherds, hit-and-run raids on homesteads and duffing sheep and cattle livestock before retreating into the gorges where pursuit was difficult. Some 2 to 3 dozen people were killed for rustling sheep at a massacre which took place at Kunderang Brook in 1840. The war ended with the establishment of a force of native police at
Nulla Nulla
A waddy, nulla-nulla or boondi is an Aboriginal Australian hardwood club or hunting stick for use as a weapon or as a throwing stick for hunting animals. ''Waddy'' comes from the Darug people of Port Jackson, Sydney.Peters, Pam, ''The Cambrid ...
in 1851. However, by that time, attrition had devastated tribal numbers. Of the 4,000 Aboriginal people in the area before the settlements, one third are thought to have been killed in a little over two decades.
A description of the Djangadi and other Aboriginal groups in the Macleay area was given by Captain John Macdonald Henderson in 1851.
Some Djangadi settled the Shark, Pelican Island and the two Fattorini Islands in the Macleay River, gazette as Aboriginal reserves in 1885, and grew corn there. In 1924 the Fattorini island residents were relocated to Pelican Island, and its status as a reservation was cancelled. Eventually the Djangadi moved to
Kinchela Creek Station though an unofficial camp remained at Green Hills, resisting attempts to have them relocated, until they were placed under the administration of a white manager at
Burnt Bridge Reserve. Discrimination barriers were finally broken in part when the first Aboriginal children were permitted in 1947 to attend Green Hill Public School, though the white community reacted by shifting their children to West Kempsey. In the 1967 referendum on whether Indigenous people should be counted in the census of the Australian population, Kempsey had the highest number of 'no' votes in the country.
European settlement
Enoch William Rudder is credited with founding the settlement. He arrived from
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
in 1834 and bought land on the southern bank of the river in 1836, at what was then the limit of authorized settlement (the boundary of
County Macquarie). He was initially attracted by
red cedar cutting opportunities but planned also to profit by selling parts of his land. He had riverside blocks surveyed and established a private town, with the first blocks sold in November 1836. He called it Kempsey because the surrounding areas reminded him of the
Kempsey Valley in Worcestershire. The collapse in
red cedar prices in the early 1840s nearly led to the failure of the town.
The main (and most flood-prone) part of Kempsey was founded by
John Verge
John Verge (1782–1861) was an English architect, builder, pioneer settler in the Colony of New South Wales, who migrated to Australia and pursued his career there. Verge was one of the earliest and the most important architect of the Greek Rev ...
, sub-dividing a grant on the flood-plain opposite Rudder's settlement. 1854, a government town was surveyed at West Kempsey and government facilities moved there when it became clear that no town would form around the police station and courthouse at Belgrave Falls. Rudder's settlement was renamed East Kempsey.
Kempsey initially flourished as a center for logging and sawmilling. Large reserves of
Australian red cedar
''Toona ciliata'' is a forest tree in the mahogany family which grows throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia.
Names
It is commonly known as the red cedar (a name shared by other trees), toon or toona (also a ...
''
Toona australis
''Toona ciliata'' is a forest tree in the mahogany family which grows throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia.
Names
It is commonly known as the red cedar (a name shared by other trees), toon or toona (also a ...
'', (sold in Britain and the US as "Indian mahogany") were extracted down until the 1920s, and with greater difficulty until the 1960s, by which time the resource was effectively exhausted. Dairying was the major industry in the area until the 1960s, with a
Nestlé Milo
Milo ( ; stylised as MILO) is a chocolate-flavoured malted powder product produced by Nestlé, typically mixed with milk, hot water, or both, to produce a beverage. It was originally developed in Australia by Thomas Mayne (1901–1995) in 193 ...
factory at nearby
Smithtown, and several cheese and butter factories.
Burnt Bridge
John Moseley was an
Aboriginal farmer who moved to Burnt Bridge, Euroka Creek, near Kempsey, in 1892. Like the European farmers in the district, he grew
maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
. In 1900, Aboriginal children were excluded from Euroka Public School. Moseley, his son Percy and others petitioned for an Aboriginal school, which was created at Burnt Bridge in 1905.
Under the ''
Aborigines Protection Act 1909
The ''Aborigines Protection Act 1909'' was a New South Wales statute that repealed the ''Supply of Liquors to Aborigines Prevention Act 1867'' with the aim of providing for the protection and care of Aboriginal people in New South Wales, Australi ...
'', the
Aborigines Protection Board
Aboriginal Protection Board, also known as Aborigines Protection Board, Board for the Protection of Aborigines, Aborigines Welfare Board (and in later sources, incorrectly as Aboriginal Welfare Board), and similar names, refers to a number of hi ...
(APB) became responsible for the care and control of Aboriginal people, which included powers to remove children from their families. The APB pursued a policy of taking land from Aboriginal farmers and putting it in the hands of white farmers (by sale or lease). His protests to no avail, Moseley was forced to share-farm on a property he formerly owned. In October 1925, Moseley and
Jimmy Linwood addressed a meeting at Kempsey showground organised by the
Aborigines Progressive Association
The Aborigines Progressive Association (APA) was an Aboriginal Australian rights organisation in New South Wales that was founded and run by William Ferguson and Jack Patten from 1937 to 1944, and was then revived from 1963 until around 1970 by ...
.
[
Around 1930, other members of the Moseley family joined John on the farm at Euroka Creek. In 1937 the APB secured a large block next to the farm for the creation of Burnt Bridge Aboriginal Reserve (sometimes referred to as Burnt Bridge Mission). Aboriginal people from various other communities were moved there and forced to live with inadequate housing or a poor water supply.][
Children were removed from the Reserve, including girls who were taken to the ]Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls
The Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls, commonly known as "Bimbadeen" and Cootamundra Girls' Home, located at Cootamundra, New South Wales operated by the New South Wales Aborigines Welfare Board from 1911 to 1968 to provi ...
, and became part of the Stolen Generations
The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church miss ...
.
The manager of the reserve tried to take over the Moseleys' land, but after several scuffles, stand-offs, a letter to the local press by Moseley, a visit to Sydney by one of his sons, and intervention by Michael Sawtell, the APB agreed to leave them alone. After John's death in July 1938, Percy continued to make a claim on the land; he was then threatened with expulsion. He was granted permissive occupancy of of the old reserve in June 1939, but never won title to the land.[
]
Heritage listings
Kempsey has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* Belgrave Street: Kempsey Post Office
Kempsey Post Office is a heritage-listed post office at Belgrave Street, Kempsey, Kempsey Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the Colonial Architect's Office under James Barnet, and was built by Gabriel and McMorrine, with a ...
* North Coast railway: Macleay River railway bridge
* 67 Smith Street: St Andrew's Presbyterian Church and Hall
Climate
Floods
Geographically, Kempsey stretches out around a long loop of the Macleay River
The Macleay River is a river that spans the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia.
Course and features
Formed by the confluence of the Gara River, Salisbury Waters and Bakers Creek, the Macleay River r ...
at the top of the flood-plain. It is famous for its floods. The 1949 flood was particularly destructive, having washed away a large part of the town centre when the railway viaduct (which was acting as a dam-wall due to a build-up of debris against the approaches to the railway bridge) gave way. The area most affected by this flood is now the site of playing fields. The shire council has a policy of buying up land in areas designated as flood plains and many houses have been transported to higher ground in recent years. Other major floods occurred in 1949, 1950, 1963, 2001, 2009, 2013, 2021, late February to March 2022
Economy
Kempsey has a history of economic problems and disadvantage. Of the 10,374 residents in the area 1,573 worked full-time and 1,105 worked part-time. The area has an unemployment rate significantly higher than the national average. A plurality (35.1) of children live in families in which no member works. The median weekly household income is $691, nearly half the national average.
Despite a period of economic stagnation in past decades compared to nearby coastal centres of growth, Kempsey has a growing local economy based on tourism, farming and service industries. As a local centre it has many shops and services including three major supermarkets and fast food chain stores such as Subway, McDonald's and KFC.
In 2014, the Australian Bureau of Statistics ranked Kempsey as one of the poorest Local Government areas in New South Wales.
A Coles supermarket development (known as the "Kempsey Central Shopping Centre") has been built and is situated where the Tattersalls Hotel and various small businesses were in Little Belgrave Street. This shopping centre opened on 6 December 2008. Target Country closed their department store on 9 June 2018 - this ends a 33-year connection to the Macleay Valley (Fosseys was formerly in town before being rebranded as Target Country).
Growing industries include wineries and nut production. Kempsey is a service center for the nearby coastal resorts of South West Rocks
South West Rocks is a town located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, near the mouth of the Macleay River. It is approximately from Kempsey, New South Wales, Kempsey. Jerseyville, New South Wales, Jerseyville is located nea ...
, Arakoon, Hat Head, and Crescent Head, which are popular places for retirees and holiday-makers alike.
Demographics
According to the 2016 Australian Census
The 2016 Australian census was the 17th national population census held in Australia. The census was officially conducted with effect on Tuesday, 9 August 2016. The total population of the Commonwealth of Australia was counted as – an incre ...
the median age in the Kempsey area is 42. 16.7% of residents are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, with the median age of that group being 23. 84.2% of people were born in Australia. compared with the national average of 66.7%. The next most common country of birth was England at 1.6%. 72.8% reported having both parents born in Australia; this is significantly higher than the national average of 47.3%. 84.9% of Kempsey residents spoke only English at home.
The most common responses for religion were Catholic 23.5%, No Religion 23.1% and Anglican 20.8%.
Sports
The most popular sport in Kempsey is Rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
. The town has produced many NRL stars including Amos Roberts
Amos Roberts (born 2 November 1980) is an Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league footballer. A Country New South Wales representative prolific try-scoring back, he played in Australia's National Rugby League for the St. George ...
, Aiden Tolman
Aiden Tolman (born 10 November 1988) is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer who last played as a for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL.
He previously played for the Melbourne Storm and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bul ...
, Albert Kelly
Albert Kelly (born 21 March 1991) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Brisbane Rugby League.
He has previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Gold Coas ...
, James Roberts and former Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
centre and Indigenous All Stars captain Greg Inglis
Gregory Paul Inglis (born 15 January 1987), also known by the nickname of "G.I.", is a retired Australian professional rugby league footballer. His regular playing positions were Centre, Fullback, Five-eighth and Wing.
From 2011 to 2019 he pl ...
, the latter 3 of whom are cousins. A local team, the Macleay Valley Mustangs, play in the Group 3 Rugby League
Group 3 is a rugby league competition on the north coast of New South Wales, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. The Group 3 area runs from Kempsey in the north to Forster in the south.
History
The league began in 1946, with T ...
competition, with their home ground being Verge St Oval. Another local team, the Lower Macleay Magpies play in the Hastings League
The Hastings League is a community rugby league competition. It features amateur teams from smaller towns around the Mid-North Coast and runs as a community competition similar to the Barwon Darling Rugby League and the Western Riverina Commun ...
. Kempsey have a junior team in the Group 2 Rugby League
Group 2 is a rugby league competition on the north coast of New South Wales Since 1966, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. The Group 2 area runs from Grafton in the north to Macksville in the south. Group 2 teams played for man ...
competition, the Kempsey Dragons.
Kempsey Rugby League teams:
* Macleay Valley Mustangs (Group 3 Rugby League
Group 3 is a rugby league competition on the north coast of New South Wales, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. The Group 3 area runs from Kempsey in the north to Forster in the south.
History
The league began in 1946, with T ...
)
* Lower Macleay Magpies (Hastings League
The Hastings League is a community rugby league competition. It features amateur teams from smaller towns around the Mid-North Coast and runs as a community competition similar to the Barwon Darling Rugby League and the Western Riverina Commun ...
)
Kempsey used to have an Australian rules team called the Macleay Valley Eagles, who folded in 2016.
Crime
In recent decades Kempsey has attracted attention for its high and rising rate of crime when compared with state averages. In 2016 crime figures released by the NSW Police Force
The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...
revealed crime levels in Kempsey are two times the state average. Break and enter
Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...
is a particular problem, with a rate three times the state average. From 2014 to 2016, most crimes increased in Kempsey, with domestic violence, robbery with a firearm and break and enters all rising.
In 2015 it was reported in the ''Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...
'' that Kempsey was experiencing violent crime linked to ice
Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...
addiction. Offences for methamphetamine trafficking are roughly twice the state average. There followed a proactive program of crime prevention and community safety initiatives funded through the Australian, NSW and local government that has seen the town revitalised and crime incidents reduced. The 2016-17 Annual Report of Kempsey Shire Council indicated 80% of residents felt safe in their homes and public spaces.
Facilities
Government buildings such as the council chambers, library and several offices - are located west of the North Coast Railway line in West Kempsey. This area is not subject to the flooding that the CBD occasionally sees and is seen as a second business district with a variety of businesses and banking facilities. Opened in July 2004, the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre
The Mid North Coast Correctional Centre, an Australian minimum to maximum security prison for males and females, is located in Aldavilla, West Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney. The facility is operated by Corrective Service ...
, a minimum to medium prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
for 500 male and female inmates
The Inmates are a British pub rock band, which formed after the split of The Flying Tigers in 1977. In 1982, they had a medium-sized international hit with a cover of The Standells' "Dirty Water", and a UK Top 40 hit with their cover of Jimmy M ...
, is located in Aldavilla, approximately west of Kempsey. there are plans to add extra housing for more inmates by 2020.
Transport
Until a new 14.5 kilometre bypass opened on 27 March 2013, the Pacific Highway passed through Kempsey. The former alignment is now known as the Macleay Valley Way
The Macleay Valley Way is a road in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales that connects the Pacific Highway to and . It runs along a former section of the Pacific Highway that was bypassed by a newer alignment between 2013 and 2016.
R ...
. The new bypass included a 3.2 kilometre Macleay River Bridge, the longest bridge in Australia.Kempsey bypass completed
Roads & Maritime Services
Kempsey railway station
Kempsey railway station is located on the North Coast line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Kempsey, opening on 3 December 1917 when the line was extended from Wauchope. It was the terminus of the line until it was exten ...
is located on the North Coast line providing a connection to Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
.
Education
Primary schools
* Kempsey East Public School
* Kempsey South Public School
* Kempsey West Public School
* Kempsey Adventist School
* Green Hill Public School
* St Joseph's Primary School
High schools
* Kempsey High School in West Kempsey largely servicing students living north of the Macleay.
* Melville High School in South Kempsey servicing students living south of the river and in the beachside communities.
* St Paul's College
* Kempsey Adventist School in South Kempsey servicing students all around the Macleay.
* Macleay Vocational College
* Mid North Coast Correctional Centre provides education equivalent to high school level as a means of rehabilitation and reintegration
Notable people
* Richard James Allen
Richard James Allen (born 1960) is a contemporary Australian poet, dancer, actor and filmmaker. The former artistic director of the Poets Union Inc, and founding director of the Australian Poetry Festival, Allen was co-artistic director with Kar ...
, Australian poet, dancer, filmmaker
* Jolene Anderson
Jolene Anderson (born 26 May 1980) is an Australian actress and singer.
From 2006 to 2008, she played the character of Erica Templeton on the drama series '' All Saints''. She is also the winner of the second series of celebrity singing com ...
, actress and '' It Takes Two'' Series 2 winner
* Joseph Donovan, Olympic boxer
* Slim Dusty
Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars, ...
(David Gordon Kirkpatrick), singer
* Charles Louis Gabriel, Medical practitioner
* Silas Gill, Methodist preacher
* Terry Giddy
Terence "Terry" Giddy (born 2 April 1950) is an Australian Paralympic athlete with paraplegia, who won six medals over six Paralympics.
Personal
Giddy was born on 2 April 1950 in the New South Wales town of Kempsey, New South Wales, Kempsey, a ...
, Australian Paralympic athlete
* David Griffin, Paralympic swimmer & gold medallist
* Greg Inglis
Gregory Paul Inglis (born 15 January 1987), also known by the nickname of "G.I.", is a retired Australian professional rugby league footballer. His regular playing positions were Centre, Fullback, Five-eighth and Wing.
From 2011 to 2019 he pl ...
, rugby league player
* Albert Kelly
Albert Kelly (born 21 March 1991) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Brisbane Rugby League.
He has previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Gold Coas ...
, rugby league player
* Thomas Keneally
Thomas Michael Keneally, AO (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, and actor. He is best known for his non-fiction novel ''Schindler's Ark'', the story of Oskar Schindler's rescue of Jews during the Holocaust, wh ...
, novelist
* Robin Klein
Robin McMaugh Klein (born 28 February 1936) is an Australian author of books for children. She was born in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia, and now resides near Melbourne.
Early life
Robin Klein is one of nine children. She had her first s ...
, Australian author
* Henry Tasman Lovell
Henry Tasman Lovell ( - ) was an Australian psychologist. He was born at East Kempsey, New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, ...
, Psychologist and educator
* Amos Morris
Amos Morris (born 1987/1988) is an Indigenous Australian country music bush balladeer from Kempsey, New South Wales. He won a Golden Guitar Award in 2008 for Bush Ballad of the Year, becoming the youngest ever winner of the category. He has perform ...
, singer
* Andy Patmore
Andy Patmore (born 23 May 1968) is an Australian former professional rugby league player who played in the 1990s. He played most of his career at the Canterbury Bulldogs, but he also played for the Parramatta Eels, South Sydney Rabbitohs, and t ...
, rugby league player.
* Penelope Plummer
Penelope Plummer (born 26 October 1949) is an Australian actress, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss World 1968. The then 18-year-old librarian from Kempsey, New South Wales, became the first contestant from her country to win the titl ...
, Miss World 1968
Miss World 1968, the 18th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held at the Lyceum Ballroom in London, UK on 14 November 1968. 53 contestants competed for the crown. Madeline Hartog-Bel of Peru crowned her successor Penelope Plummer of Austr ...
* Dennis Richardson, Officer of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
, former Director-General of Security
The Director-General of Security is the executive officer of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Australia's national security agency. The Director-General, through ASIO, has overall responsibility for the protection of the ...
of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO ) is Australia's national security agency responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically motivated vio ...
, and former Australian ambassador to the United States
* Amos Roberts
Amos Roberts (born 2 November 1980) is an Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league footballer. A Country New South Wales representative prolific try-scoring back, he played in Australia's National Rugby League for the St. George ...
, former rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer
* James Roberts, rugby league player.
* Joe Robinson, guitarist and winner of ''Australia's Got Talent
''Australia's Got Talent'' is an Australian reality television talent show. The show is based on the ''Got Talent'' series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell.
The first six seasons aired on the Seven Network, from 2 ...
'', Season 2
* Dave Sands
Dave Sands (born David Ritchie; 4 February 1926 – 11 August 1952) was an Indigenous Australian boxer.
The man the Americans called the "boxer with the educated left hand" received his due when he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of ...
, Indigenous Australian boxer
* Hector Thompson
Hector Thompson ( – ) was an Australian professional boxer who competed in four different weight divisions—lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight and junior middleweight—during the 1970s and 80s.
Was married to Lynette Slee in 1965/6 ...
, boxer of the 1970s and 1980s
* Aiden Tolman
Aiden Tolman (born 10 November 1988) is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer who last played as a for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL.
He previously played for the Melbourne Storm and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bul ...
, rugby league player.
* Jack Verge, Australian rugby union player
* Amy Winters, Paralympic gold medallist
In Fiction
Tom Keneally
Thomas Michael Keneally, AO (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, and actor. He is best known for his non-fiction novel '' Schindler's Ark'', the story of Oskar Schindler's rescue of Jews during the Holocaust, ...
's novel ''A River Town,'' (1995), a mystery novel centred on the lives of an Irish settler Tim Shea and his family in the period on the eve of Federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
, is set in Kempsey.
See also
References
External links
Kempsey Shire Council Homepage
Macleay Valley Coast Tourist Information Site
Macleay Valley Newspaper and Weather
{{authority control
Towns in New South Wales
Mid North Coast
1836 establishments in Australia
Populated places established in 1836
Kempsey Shire