PART 2 - �Gilbulla� � A Digression

I said the third clue was contextual in that it linked time (WWII) with place, the historic �Gilbulla�House.
In this part I would like to digress from the �mower story� and discuss the �military connection� that led me
to identify the lawnmower in the photo in PART 1.

The house and estate are situated some 50 kilometers south-west of Sydney, on the outskirts of the township
of Menangle. The house was built in 1899 by the Macarthur family as a wedding gift for Lieutenant Colonel
James William Macarthur-Onslow � the great-grandson of the famous John Macarthur, the pioneer of
the wool industry in Australia.

Over the years, Gilbulla would entertain the Who�s Who of Australian society and British royalty.
Here�s a photo from the 1930s, courtesy of the National Library of Australia:

[Linked Image]

For my story, though, the importance of Gilbulla lay in the fact that it was used by the Red Cross as
a convalescent hospital for Australian servicemen during and after WWII. This was the military link
that connected the Scott Bonnar mower.

As a 1944 newspaper article put it:
�Gilbulla is a Red Cross experimental station to accommodate men who, through physical or psychological
disabilities, are not able to take their place in civilian life without some time of readjustment.
Gilbulla will hold 75 men, who will be trained in agriculture and animal husbandry and can remain for
long period convalescence up to three months or longer.�

Here�s a 1945 photo of some of those men, again courtesy of the National Library:-

[Linked Image]

There is a certain irony in that an estate that once housed and entertained the rich and famous
should be used for such a noble purpose for the common man. In undertaking this research, I was
time and time again reminded of how this came about: it was through the generosity of an early
Australian philanthropist, Sibella Macarthur Onslow, an amazing woman who exemplified the notion
that with wealth comes great responsibility.

Today the Gilbulla Estate survives as a religious retreat, conference and training centre.
Clearly, there have been a number of additions that have occurred over the years. Here�s a Google Maps view.
I have marked the approximate location of the Scott Bonnar (yellow pin) when the photo in PART 1 was taken.

[Linked Image]

TO BE CONTINUED ...