Obituaries Australia

While not actually associated with the pastoral industry, Mr. Henry Betteley Jefferson, who died in Sydney last month at the age of 70, was closely connected with early life in Riverina, in fact was a personal friend of many of the early-day pastoralists. Also he was involved in many experiences with the Ned Kelly gang of bushrangers, who during his managership held up the Jerilderie post office in 1879. The bushrangers cut the telegraph wires, also cut down several posts, and then shut up Mr. Jefferson with the police, at the same time making them promise not to repair the wires. As soon as the bushrangers, however, had left the town the townsfolk released the "prisoners" and Mr. Jefferson, with his young assistant, immediately set to work to repair the line of communication with the outside world in the hopes that the bushrangers would be caught before they got back over the Victorian border, but they were not captured until nearly a year later.

The late Mr. Jefferson was not only stationed at Jerilderie, but at many other Riverina post offices, and was eventually inspector at Wagga Wagga. In 1919 he retired from the service after 45 years' service, and since then has lived at Ashfield, near Sydney.