When James White’s sister, Janetta, whose husband had died, suggested to James that the family would like to emigrate to Australia he was quick to offer to cover the cost of the passage. This included Frederick and Edward and Frederick’s wife and four children and another child born on the voyage.

Frederick Taylor was soon helping Denis Regan  running Burrangong. Thomas White Jnr., with his brother James, took up a new station at Humbug Creek, called Ballangama Station , which was a new area discovered by John Regan.

Denis and Sarah built a house on the other side of the creek from the Burrangong  Station homestead. They operated it as a tavern for travellers between Young and Grenfell.

In July 1862 Denis Regan had a serious riding accident, he fell from a horse and never recovered, dying on April 9, 1863.

Denis was 29 years of age and left four young children, Sarah, Harriet, Lizzie and Denis .With the loss of Denis, James White appointed William Regan as manager of Burrangong and Curraburrama.

The local gold rush had petered out by 1863, while gold was still being found the rush had moved on to Grenfell and Forbes. Workers could now be more easily found and farming was again the main source of wealth.

Sarah received a visit from Johnny Gilbert and  John O’Meally, two well known bushrangers one winters day. Sarah knew Gilbert from when he was a stockman on Mulholland’s Station near Murringo. Gilbert asked Sarah if she would supply the bushrangers with cooked meals when they came by. Sarah refused and  proceeded to give him a lecture and pleaded with him to give up his life of crime with the Gardiner gang.

Gilbert apologised to Sarah for stealing her horse “Jackie”.

Sarah was unaware that the horse had been missing as it had returned home when Gilbert had let it go.

Later when Gilbert was shot by police he was riding another horse he had stolen from Burrangong Station called “Harkaway”.

Bushrangers were very active on the roads and in the  area surrounding Young and Forbes.

Frank Gardiner had a butcher’s shop  at the temporary village of Spring Creek near Lambing Flat. He supplied the stock and William Fogg was his butcher.

A large portion of the beef was supplied by stealing stock from James White’s Station.

When it got too hot for Gardiner he abandoned his shop and headed to the Weddin Mountains for refuge.

Frank Gardiner organised a gang of bushrangers to rob  a  mail coach at the Eugowra Rocks. Some of the bushrangers involved were Alex Fordyce, John Bow, Harry Manns, Johnny Gilbert, John O’Meally, John Peisley, Mick Burke, John Vane, John Dun, Daniel Charters and Ben Hall. Most of them well known and worked or  lived in the Weddin-Burrangong-Murringo area.

It is not known what James White, a convicted horse thief, thought of the activities of the Australian bushrangers but he had made a success of his life in his new country.( to be continued).

Young Historical Society – Brian James.