RESIDENTS are familiar with Glossodia, about five kilometres north of Wilberforce as the crow flies. Not so commonly known is that the area was originally known as Currency Creek.
The origins of the name are uncertain, but “Currency Creek” was in use by the 1840s when it appeared on a map from that era.
Apart from meaning legal tender, “Currency” was a derogatory 19th Century term ascribed to children born in the colony to emancipated convict parents. It implied Australian-born were inferior to the “Sterling’” immigrants from Britain.
In 1828, visitor to Sydney Peter Cunningham observed “our Currency lads and lasses are a fine interesting race, and do honour to the country whence they originated…and are little tainted with the vices so prominent among their parents!”.
The area was once part of Wilberforce Common created by Governor King in 1804 for the grazing of sheep and cattle. The common covered 2491 hectares north of Wilberforce village.
In 1893, the government set up areas for the resettlement of disadvantaged families. One scheme was Wilberforce Labour Settlement Area, known as Copeland Village, which was bounded by today’s Putty, Kurmond, Old East Kurrajong and Creek Ridge roads.
A public meeting at Wilberforce discussed whether protests should be made to the minister objecting to the re-settling of unemployed people in the district.
“The first contingent” for Wilberforce arrived in July 1893 consisting of 15 men, three women and 16 children. John Lines was elected leader of the settlement.
In 1895 new types of land ownership were established, including homestead selection. The land set aside for the labour settlement was opened for selection. The community petitioned the government for the provision of a public school, post office and telephone service. Ten families lived on the labour settlement by 1909.
In 1922 permission was given for a post office, provided the district change its name to avoid confusion with a South Australian town. On Boxing Day 1922, in Mr Wilson’s Boundary Road paddock, the name Currency Creek officially changed to Glossodia, a species of orchid growing in the district.
By 1925, families such as Lines, Rhodes, Gregory, Edwards, Izzard, Smith, Hayes, Shepherd, Atkins, Case, Salt, Argent, Becroft, Popplewell, Fotheringham, Schmidlin, Rutter, Carr, Rissler, Fry, Tredoux, Cullen, Gordon, Geake, Hutchison, Greentree, Kingham, Mole and Jabour were well established.
Many descendants of these “Currency lads and lasses” live in the Hawkesbury district today.