The victim of Ben Hall's bail-up of troopers gets a street name

You may have heard of that U2 song ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’. Well, tiny Jugiong fits that description. But now after 200 years, when the district was first settled, the problem is being resolved.

One of the winners in the street seachange is a brave colonial policeman, Sergeant Edmund Parry,  who was shot dead by bushranger Johnny Gilbert, while trading shot after shot, the sergeant famously refusing to surrender. A new street will be called Parry Street with an official opening on the cards soon.

Jugiong is enjoying a renaissance in visitors after the town was bypassed, with galleries, cafes and a new vitality – and the annual reenactment of the bushranger bail-up. But all the new traffic sparked concern that many streets in town had no name, and in some areas, if you did have a name, it might be the wrong one. 

The town also had no numbers on houses. No mail is delivered and has to be picked up at the local Post Office. The concern was that if someone needed emergency help, no one could find them.

Wes Leseberg, from the Jugiong Advancement Committee, a retired policeman, is behind the push to have street names and have one of the new streets named Parry Street, after Sergeant Parry. He helped start the Parry Memorial Day, which reenacts Ben Hall’s gang hold-up of the Gundagai Mail coach just outside Jugiong. The memorial day will be held again this year on November 3. In the meantime, the NSW Police Deputy Commissioner will be invited to unveil the new street name in Jugiong.

It will have a double bonus for Mr Leseberg – he’ll also get a street name – Parry Street.  “There’s been a lot of confusion over the streets, no one could find anyone. I was in Stapleton Street and Alonso Street and if someone tried to find me they’d more than likely get lost. We did it more as a way for emergency vehicles to find people. For instance if i needed an ambulance and I said ‘I’m in Alonso street’ they’d  never find me. Now hopefully this will change.”

Juliet Robb from Long Track Pantry said she was also in a street conundrum. Officially on Riverside Drive, if she was going to get any utility services to attend the cafe she would have to say ‘600 Hume Highway’.

Now every back lane and street will be properly named. But many still won’t carry numbers. Some even expressed concern at town meetings that their streets would get numbers or be re-named. All the locals still pick up their mail at the central Post Office.

Hilltops Council agreed to move forward with the Jugiong Masterplan and Street Renaming in June. It also will make Jugiong a better place to stop, with new traffic arrangements and street landscaping.

Mayor Brian Ingram said all the community’s feedback was being utilised; “Hilltops Council will ensure that the revised Village Masterplan will be an inclusive plan and will investigate the extension of streetscaping along Riverside Drive. The comments received during the submission will be used as a basis for some revisions prior to implementation.”

“The draft landscape plan was borne out of a need to address traffic conflict issues in the southern area of the Jugiong business zone. This is due to sustained growth in visitation in recent times. The growth is the success of current business operations and magnified by the popular camping area on a nearby reserve. The Draft Masterplan for the village was developed following a public meeting held in Jugiong in March 2018 at which local stakeholders voiced concerns about the problems with pedestrians and parking in the area.

“In a move to honour the heritage of the village a decision has been made to rename one of the streets Parry Street. Sargeant Parry was a police Sargent murdered by Ben Halls gang. This is a nod to the town heroes of the past and celebrates the rich history of the village.” 

 The death of Sergeant Parry caused outrage back in 1864, when Ben Hall’s young gang held up the Gundagai Mail on November 16. The gang was kidnapping people by the minute on the Gundagai road and when Sergeant Parry was escorting the mail laden coach they started licking their lips not expecting anyone to surrender.

In an inquest into Sergeant Parry’s death the Yass Courier published evidence from a Michael Ryan, a carter in the area at the time. Mr Ryan said “I was proceeding with my teams from Gundagai to Yass; about two o'clock this afternoon I heard shots fired when I was about four miles from Jugiong; when I heard the shots fired I suspected that the bushrangers were there; presently a trooper came back followed by two men, whom I believe to be Ben Hall and young Dunn; subsequently I heard them call one another by those names.”

“The bushrangers were firing at the trooper, and he was every now and then turning round and firing at them,” Ryan said.

“The bushrangers then proceeded to stick up the coach, which they expected every minute; presently the coach came in sight; on the box was a constable beside the driver; at some little distance in the rear of the coach were two mounted constables.

“Ben Hall noticed them, and remarked " there's a lot of traps, let us have down hill for it;" they then cantered up the hill, and as the mounted men cantered up the hill the bushrangers galloped down and fired upon them, and the police returned the fire; several shots were exchanged.

“I saw Mr. Sub-inspector O'Neill fire several times, and I saw him fired upon by the bushrangers; the mounted man with him I saw shot by Gilbert--mortally the trooper fell from his horse after Gilbert had shot him twice, and shortly afterwards died-that is, at least within quarter of an hour after the second shot; I saw Gilbert fire distinctly: I have seen the dead man now lying at the police barracks, and I identify him as the man shot by Gilbert; I hear that the dead man's name is Edmund Parry.”

The altercation between bushranger Johnny Gilbert and Parry was recorded in the reports at the time. While up to 10 people were taken prisoner by the hall gang, Parry refused to surrender, taking a shot in the back of the head from Gilbert but still firing on at the young bushranger.

“Gilbert called upon him to surrender, but the man, whose name I hear is Parry, said he would not surrender; Gilbert then shot him dead; I saw him fire the shot; Parry fell from his horse and soon died,” Ryan told the inquest. 

Constable James McLaughlin, who was in the troopers’ party told the inquest: “I was about four miles and a half from Jugiong, three men who I believe were Ben Hall, Dunn, and Johnny Gilbert, came up and called out."bail up;" they were armed; I let go a pack-horse which I was leading, and drew my revolver; I fired several times at them; they fired three shots at me whilst I was drawing my revolver; I fired until my stock of ammunition in the revolver was spent; I was then obliged to surrender, and to follow them into the bush; there were some people there, who were also stuck-up; the bushrangers said they were waiting for the coach; by-and-by the coach came along; one of the bushrangers said " there's some—— traps with it;" they seemed to be going off, but one of them said "no, there's only two; let's mob them;" they galloped down to meet the police; there were two members of the police force there, Mr. Sub inspector O'Neill and Sergeant Parry; these two came up the hill at a canter, in pursuit of the bush rangers; the bushrangers met them, and several shots were exchanged; I saw all three of the bush rangers fire upon the police; I saw Sergeant Parry fire at these men; I saw him fall from his horse; Gilbert came up to where I was, and said to me " how would you like a cove like me after you ; see what that - fool has got for not standing," at the same time he pointed or looked towards the deceased; he added, "he's the first man I ever shot; I don't like to shoot a man, but I can't help the unfortunate man now;"

“I asked him to let me go down and see what I could do for Parry; he said "yes, go down and see what you can do for the unfortunate man;" when I got down to him he was quite dead; I have examined the body, and I see that there is a gunshot wound, the entrance of which is at his left shoulder and it goes right through his right breast; I believe from the appearance of the wound, that it was made by a revolver ball; I did not see Gilbert shoot Parry. This closed the evidence, and the jury returned a verdict :-That the deceased was wilfully murdered by John Gilbert, and that Benjamin Hall and John Dunn were present aiding and abetting.”

One of the reports at the time said Gilbert later said he regretted having shot Parry. “He asserted that he was forced to do it or Parry would have shot him. He consoled himself that it was a fair fight, and that he had only killed the sergeant in self-defence. He said otherwise he would not have done it, as he gained nothing by shooting Parry, and the latter would have gained 1000 pounds by reversing the order of things.”