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VICKY Campbell has lived in eight towns including Mary Kathleen, but at the end of 1982 she moved to Cloncurry. 

Since then the town has become her home, and she is proud to witness the 150^th year since Cloncurry’s foundation. It had always had a close community feel. 

“I knew from a young age that this town was my hometown and where I wanted to raise a family,” she said. 

Her husband’s ancestors were class members of the Cloncurry State School when it began in 1884. 

The shire councillor remembers her teenage years living in the Curry, and some of those memories included visiting ‘Katter’s’ and ‘NJ Powers’ clothing shops with her mother and chatting with the shopkeepers. 

“Or (I was) going to the Bio Cafe and saying hi to owner Jimmy Scott, a well known local identity, on my way in to see a movie or have a skate,” Cr Campbell said. 

“Then there was the pony club. That certainly kept me busy with competitions most weekends.” 

Brad Rix is aware that his family has lived in Cloncurry for a much shorter time than any of the other councillors. 

The police officer had a plan to stay in the town for three years – a timeframe that aligns with many other state government employees. Yet Cr Rix was happy to continue calling Cloncurry his home. 

He said the 150^th anniversary was a good chance to recognise the achievements of numerous people who were not born in Cloncurry and would not die in the shire. Yet they had shown dedication in making the town a better place to live.

“The people of this town and region can be justifiably proud of the significance of their achievements and contributions, particularly when taking into account the difficulty and challenges presented by the remoteness of this relatively small town,” Cr Rix said. 

Dane Swalling’s wife likes to tell the story of when they went on their honeymoon to America.

He was more interested in ringing the family back in Cloncurry to see if anything interesting had happened, than in visiting the Statue of Liberty or the Las Vegas trip. 

“I’m curious by nature and enjoy those aspects of living in a small town where nothing gets past everyone, and time has a way of growing local legends,” the deputy mayor said. 

“I’ve always enjoyed older Curry people sharing their Cloncurry yarns and hope to do the same if someone is interested as I get old here.” 

Cr Swalling’s fondest memory as a child was the passionate town meetings in which council amalgamation was being discussed. “We all fought together successfully to keep our town and our identity,” he said. 

Cr Swalling’s family has lived in the shire since the early 1900s. His great great grandfather was a manager at the Great Australia Mine. A great uncle on another side of the family was part of the syndicate that discovered the Mary Kathleen Mine. 

“I have many relations in the cemetery here and that will be my final resting place, God willing,” he said. 

“I genuinely love Cloncurry and it’s because of this that I’m defensive of anyone who attacks us either in jest or more seriously.” 

Greg Campbell said that the shire has achieved so many things in its 15 decades. Yet he wanted to use its lengthy history to develop its future. 

“Our history is rich and diverse, arguably unrivalled in the country. For me the only thing more exciting than our past, is our future,” the mayor said. 

The mayor said many races and nationalities arrived in Cloncurry chasing their fortunes in mining and agriculture. The town even once had 100 hotels, Cr Campbell said. 

Innovation, hard work and commitment were the pillars of Cloncurry’s greatness. 

“John Flynn and his supporters refused to accept that it must be normal for a stockman to not have ready access to medical help, so they overcame the problem,” he said. 

“So too today, we need to welcome new people to town, spark new ideas and create opportunities for our businesses, our kids, and our community.” 

The mayor recited a poem from Dame Mary Gilmore, who is pictured on the $10 note and is buried in Cloncurry’s cemetery: 

We are the sons of Australia,

Of the men who fashioned the land,

We are the sons of the women

Who walked with them, hand in hand;

And we swear by the dead who bore us,

By the heroes who blazed the trail,

No foe shall gather our harvest,

Or sit on our stockyard rail.