by Hornsby Councillor Nathan Tilbury
There is a heritage listed roadside gravesite, just south of Maroota Public School, on Old Northern Road. The sandstone plaque on the grave reads “McFarland is Buried Here 19.1.1871” and the site is heritage listed by Hills Shire Council.
However, research by Diane Papandrea has revealed errors on the plaque regarding both the person’s name as well as the year of burial.
On 18th January 1872, a drover, named T. Bowcock, was riding from Windsor to Wisemans Ferry when, not long after he joined the Great North Road, he was led off the road by his dogs. A short distance into the bush he discovered the body of a man who appeared to have been dead for several days. In his pockets several pawn tickets were found that were later traced to a dealer in Newcastle.
A Coroner’s Inquest was held by James Bligh Johnston and the jury concluded this unknown man had likely died from “exposure” to the sun. He was 5 ft 8 inches (172cms) tall, stout build with black hair, dressed in a black cotton coat and trousers, wearing blucher boots and a drab Californian hat.
Following enquiries made in Newcastle after the burial, this unknown man was identified as Thomas McFarlane (the surname is different to that on the grave). Thomas was a former newspaper “Compositor” who had recently been dismissed from his employment “on account of intemperate habits”. It appears he was attempting to walk from Newcastle to Sydney in very hot weather conditions.
Sadly, he died a very short distance from a waterhole and was buried near where his body was found. Gregory Fuller undertook the burial, with John James Fitzpatrick and William Henry Goodman acting as witnesses. For many decades a wooden post and sign marked his grave.
In the late 1990’s when the road was upgraded by the RTA (now Transport for NSW), Paul McKinley, stonemason of Wiseman’s Ferry, voluntarily installed the sandstone plaque and grave surround that survives today. The exact wording and burial date on the old wooden sign were replicated, but in 2010 it was discovered the burial year was different.
The grave remains easily visible alongside the road, initially located in front of scrub bushland before that was cleared for orchards. Eventually, the fruit trees were removed leaving an open grass field behind the gravesite.
As we approach the Bicentenary of the Great North Road, now known as Old Northern Road, it is hoped that McFarland’s (McFarlane’s) grave can be tidied up and include a plaque that accurately reflects his full name and the year of his burial.
