AGY-6360 | Tumbarumba and Tumbarumba North Lands Office

Full description

The Crown Lands Act, 1884 (48 Vic. No.18) provided for New South Wales to be divided into three district divisions - Central Division, Eastern Division and Western Division. (1) The regulations for the purpose of carrying into effect the Crown Lands Act, 1884 provided that New South Wales be divided into land districts, and that any land district or number of land districts shall constitute a Land Board District with a head office. (2) The system of local land offices enabled decisions affecting land to be taken locally and the offices became the operational work-face of the Department in their locality. (3) Each Lands Office administered a Land Board District. (4)

The Tumbarumba Land District, located in the Eastern Division, and the Tumbarumba North Land District, located in the Central Division was proclaimed on 1 October 1892 (5), with Mr. C.W. Cripps appointed Land Agent for both districts. (6)

The major functions of the Tumbarumba and Tumbarumba North Lands Office were:
(a) administration of legislation affecting Crown lands;
(b) assessing Crown lands to determine land capability and preferred use;
(c) acquiring and reserving land for recreational, public and community use;
(d) administration of purchases, leases and occupancies over Crown land;
(e) processing of applications for the Minister's consent to transfer in respect of restricted title lands and applications for conversion of leasehold tenures into purchase tenures;
(f) publication, sale and maintenance of Parish maps;
(g) distribution and sale of aerial photographs, satellite imagery and associated products;
(h) administration of Commonwealth-State land exchanges on behalf to the NSW Government
(I) Determination of claims over Crown land by Aboriginal Land Councils. (7)

The office of Crown Land Agent was held from 1 December 1897 by Arthur James Peisley who was also the Police Magistrate. (8) In 1904 the office was held by Richard Mends Gibson, who was also Police Magistrate. (9)

From 14 June 1938 the office of Crown Land Agent was held by Herbert Victor Connington who was also the Clerk of Petty Sessions. (10) He remained as Crown Land Agent in 1946. (11) From 6 October 1959 John Vincent Clifford held the office of Crown Land Agent as well as that of Clerk of Petty Sessions. (12) It has not been established when the office closed.

Though Tumbarumba and Tumbarumba North were separate Land Districts the duties of Crown Land Agent were performed by the same person for both districts, however separate records were usually maintained for each District.

Endnotes
1. Crown Lands Act, 1884.
2. NSW Government Gazette No.3, 2 January 1885, p.56.
3. Department of Lands, Annual Report, 1987-88, p.39.
4. NSW Government Gazette, No.3, 2 January 1885, p.56 (Crown Land Regulations, cl.5).
5. NSW Government Gazette No.706, 1 October 18925, pp.7962-7965.
6. Public Service List 1892, p.103.
7. Department of Lands, Annual Report, 1987-88, pp.40-41.
8. Public Service List 1899, p.62.
9. Public Service List 1904, p.124.
10. Public Service List 1938, p.83.
11. Public Service List 1946, p.80.
12. Public Service List 1960, p.113.