How Tarlee Got Its Name: Mr. O'Sullivan Gives a Little History
Not of Native DerivationThose who have interested themselves in the nomenclature of towns in various parts of Australia have always emphasized that the names of many of them were derived from old Aboriginal words. A large number of them, when scanned, leave no doubt as to their derivation, and in that connection, many people have taken the well-known town of Tarlee, 50 odd miles from Adelaide, as another example.
But, according to Mr. J. J. O'Sullivan (country organizer for the State War Loan Council), who is at present in Pirie, Tarlee was given its name in somewhat unusual circumstances, and it has nothing whatever to do with the Aborigines. To tell the story of its origin, it was necessary for Mr. O'Sullivan to go back through the years and into history.
To begin with, the O'Sullivans came out from Ireland when this State was young. The present Mr. O'Sullivan's grandfather was a classmate in Dublin of Dominic Daly, who was Governor of South Australia from 1862 to 1868. It was during his regime that O'Sullivan Grandpere took up land in what was then known as the "Far North." It was no farther north than where Tarlee now is.
The property he took up was adjacent to Cobb & Co.'s coaching station, the service then running from the railhead at Gawler, as far as Clare. There the foundations of a successful farming venture were laid by the old Dublinite.
Veteran's Story
Talking of Tarlee to a representative of "The Recorder," Mr. O'Sullivan said: "Recently I have been in conversation with Mr. John McInerney, of Thebarton, on the subject of Tarlee," he said. "He is now getting along into his nineties, but he still retains vivid recollections of the earlier days. He told me that in Governor Daly's time there was at one end of the hundred a section of land taken up by an Irishwoman named Colbert, and at the other end a famed spot known as Forrester's Crossing.
"There came a day when the Government needed a portion of Mrs. Colbert's land through which to run a road. The matter was urgent, and an agent was sent to the owner with an offer. The Government would not only purchase her land but would do her the honor of allowing her to name the hundred.
"The deal was completed, and when asked what name she had chosen, the loyal old Irishwoman said that the hundred and the town-to-be should be named 'Thralee,' her brogue pronunciation of the famous spot in Ireland. The agent was not too accurate, however, and Tarlee came into being. Mr. McInerney assured me that it was never intended that the name of the town should be so spelt."
Mr. O'Sullivan later took up land in the Kapunda district, but most of his early memories are of Tarlee. Thus he was the more interested in the reminiscences of Mr. McInerney. The veteran told him of the once-famed hostelry at Forrester's Crossing and of a stabbing affray there one night which ended in the death of the publican.
It was Patrick Buckley (who arrived in the Tarlee district in 1857) who rode across to Kapunda for the police while others held in custody the alleged assailant, a traveling bootmaker, arriving back with the constable at 4 a.m.
Sports and Show Ring
Tarlee sports, according to Mr. O'Sullivan, were the feature of the year in the "Far North," and all roads led on New Year's Day to the popular Forrester's Crossing. He recalls having seen the famed Peter Smadden win the Sheffield Handicap there. Later that pedestrian became the champion of the State.
Mr. O'Sullivan is one of the best-known judges of horses at shows in this State, for he has officiated at practically every show round the country. His first task was at Mount Gambier Show when he was 24 years of age. There is an interesting story behind his experiences in the realm of the horse, which may be made the subject of a later article.
1. 1943 'HOW TARLEE GOT ITS NAME', Recorder (Port Pirie, SA : 1919 - 1954), 18 January, p. 3. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/96355056