Time to honour the man who established Picton

The man who established Picton in 1844, Major Henry Colden Antill, was born in New York.

He lived in Canada for a while when his family, who were on the losing side during the American war of independence, were forced to move north.

But Henry Colden Antill made his mark here in Australia where he became Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s right hand man.

By all accounts a very generous man, Antill subdivided the part of his 2,900 property north of Stonequarry Creek and financed the establishment of the township of Picton in 1844.

The founder of Picton is buried, along with his wife Eliza and nine of his 15 descendants in the Antill family cemetery at the very top of Vault Hill, which stands out like a giant guarding the township below.

Antill was buried there in 1852 and his wife six years later in 1858.

The above is a very small slice of the history of Major Henry Colden Antill.

There is much more.

One would imagine that there would be a monument or two in Picton to this great man of colonial history.

Surprisingly, there is virtually no acknowledgement of his key role in the founding of Picton.

And as if that’s not bad enough, the historic Antill cemetery up in Vault Hill has gone to the dogs, thanks to vandals – and neglect.

Now a former Wollondilly councillor, Lynette Styles, along with Marie Reeves, a direct descendant of Antill, have joined forces in a bid to save Vault Hill from total oblivion.

They have a proposal for a lookout up on Vault Hill which could become a tourist drawcard.

Ms Styles and Ms Reeves also want Wollondilly Council to take over the running of the cemetery site, including restoration work which will be required.

However, in what looks like bureaucratic oversight, nobody seems to know who owns the land at the top of Vault Hill where the cemetery is located.

Ms Styles and Ms Reeves say they have a solution: the establishment of a Section 88 instrument, which is a legal way to establish ownership over land where no ownership seems to exist.

But before proceeding, council has to accept ownership once a Section 88 instrument is established.

They have written to council and are waiting for a formal response.

“Nowhere in the development of the township since it was created is there any statue or memento to the memory of Major Henry Colden Antill by the community or by Council, who would not exist but for his foresight,’’ says former councillor Styles.

“Antill donated a great deal of land for St Marks Church, the court house and schools – and his legacy is trashed by vandals desecrating his tomb.

“If Council doesn’t accept ownership of the cemetery site to preserve and maintain, as it attempted to do in 2016 with a proposal to build a lookout on Vault Hill overlooking the township, the cemetery will be lost forever.

“Council has the power to accept ownership by legal processes, but it is happy to bury its head in the sand.

“It is shameful for Council to ignore its history, and while the historical Antill cemetery site is one step from oblivion, Council is spending millions on renovation and extensions of the library, the old Shire Hall and its offices.

“Shame on them for confusing costly modernisation at ratepayers’ expense juxtaposed to the value of historical roots,’’ Ms Styles said.