In 1865, a boy named Henry – later known as Harry –was born in Tabulam.

That boy grew up to be General Sir Harry Chauvel and he was the first Australian to attain the rank of lieutenant general and later general and the first to lead a corps – as commander of the Desert Mounted Corps.

At Beersheba in October 1917, his Light Horse troops used speed, surprise and bayonets to capture the town and its vital water supply in history’s last great cavalry charge.

By September 1918, Chauvel was able to carry out a secret redeployment of three of his mounted divisions and launch a surprise attack on the enemy that won the Battle of Megiddo.

The preservation of the historic Chauvel Park homestead will be an honour to the Chauvel family and their military history.

Local blueberry enterprise Mountain Blue owned by the Bell family has bought the property and will work with the Tabulam/Jubullum Regional History Association to turn the original homestead into a museum.

Tabulam was home for the first 23 years of General Chauvel’s life.

His early years in and around Tabulam, and his experiences growing up and working on the family-owned Tabulam Station are credited with shaping him as a man and how he led and directed his men, Andrew Bell said.

Mountain Blue will undertake improvements to the homestead and grounds before handing the homestead to the Tabulam/Jubullum Regional History Association on January 1.

Society president Jill Adams said they were delighted Chauvel Park had been bought by the Bell family.

“This will give the association an opportunity to preserve the historical value of Chauvel Park and unlock the tourism potential of Tabulam,” she said.

Kyogle mayor Danielle Mulholland was pleased that future generations would be able to enjoy the beauty of Chauvel Park while learning the history of the area.

This article appeared in the Richmond River Independent, 28 April 2021.