Kirstin Nicholson, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper
(Photo from Arbuthnot Sawmills)
There’s a fair chance you’ve seen the sign that went up in the patch of land where the free camping ground is located on Grigg Road, Koondrook. It proudly declares the land as the Sidney Reid Reserve but has many locals scratching their heads.
Let us introduce you to Sidney CP Reid JP.
Sidney Reid was born in 1889 in Grafton. He came to Koondrook to manage Arbuthnot Sawmills in 1918 on behalf of the Arbuthnot family, then became a shareholder and manager in 1921. He managed the sawmill for 40 years, until his death in 1962.
He was responsible for converting the sawmill from steam to electricity in 1962.
Reid was a community minded fellow. He was instrumental in establishing the Barham-Koondrook Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, raising funds for its build and continuing his support as the first president of the hospital committee and the first chairman of the board of management. He was appointed as one of the first life governors of the hospital.
A busy man, he operated a dairy farm in Gannawarra and was the first person to grow tobacco on the sand hills of Gannawarra. He proved that sultanas could be grown locally and founded the IXL Stores in Koondrook.
In addition, Reid was secretary of the Koondrook Race Club, a Justice of the Peace, member of the Koondrook Progress Association, Koondrook Hall Committee, treasurer of the Barham Bowling Club, member of the Barham-Koondrook Services Club, member of the Kerang Masonic Lodge, and an honorary auditor of the Koondrook Baths Committee.
In his obituary, he was described as a most generous person who “gave freely to many charities, was ever ready to help a worthy cause and always lending a hand or doing a good turn for someone… Mr Reid had a deep sense of citizenship of which he made a generous contribution, being one who possessed a tremendous capacity for getting things done.”
With that knowledge now imparted, each time you drive past the Sidney Reid Reserve, give a nod to Mr Sidney Reid, the man who helped shape the Koondrook and Barham communities you know today.
This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 24 February 2022.
