This history of one of Hay’s founding fathers was penned by Ian Beissel.

A former Hay student, Ian entered this tale in The Riverine Grazier’s 150th anniversary writing competition, taking out the major prize in the open category.

Read on to learn all about George Butterworth.

Learn how this prize-winning Uardry 0.1 Merino Ram ended up gracing Australia’s 1938 shilling - the story of the Shilling Ram.

All the photos from the 150th anniversary celebrations at The Riverine Grazier, including the 12-page feature as a FREE download.

In its heyday Hay was a bustling regional centre and boasted a variety of long gone industries that serviced the district. Breweries and malt houses were established in the late 1800s and by all accounts were in fierce competition with each other.

Arguably one of Hay’s finest and best known photographers Irene Brown, known as Rene, was born in Hay in 1908.

Hay Historical Society has a vast collection of Rene’s images and has collated them in the book “Rene - Photographer of Hay.”

Armed stand-offs over establishing the town of Hay NSW, pulling down buildings as they were being constructed, and shallow graves for the unfortunate are all tales from the town’s early history, when Lang’s Crossing Place was the domain of a few determined people.

The Hay Football Club was founded in 1876 at a meeting at the Royal Hotel. Read about the history of AFL in Hay, from 1876 to the premiership year of 2023.

In the early years of the settlements of Hay, Booligal and Balranald midwives were often the only form of medical care, and the townships have hosted a variety of private hospitals throughout the years.

This is an interesting glimpse into the care of women and babies in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Driving back and forth from Deniliquin to Hay over the years, one’s imagination would surely be ignited by the legend of the Headless Horseman.

Legend tells of the Headless Horseman riding the saltbush plain of the Cobb Highway on his grey steed, striking fear and often terror into the very hearts of the drovers moving their stock.

It’s a simple cross of nails mounted on a small wooden plaque. But the story behind the cross and how it came to be a powerful symbol of peace and reconciliation after the Second World War is a poignant one.

The cross is believed to be a Coventry Cross of Nails, made from nails salvaged from Coventry Cathedral in England after it was destroyed by German bombing in November 1940.

It was discovered at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Hay, NSW, and gifted to the Australian War Memorial.

Robert Rice Howard was born in 1833, and was Sydney’s State

Executioner, the hangman, for 30 years.

Howard was considered of dashing appearance before an unfortunate accident disfigured him in he late 1860s when a horse kicked him in the face. This badly disfigured his nose and ruined his taxi business and he turned to drink. The most unpopular job in the city was the role of Hangman.

Nosey Bob, as he was now referred to, assumed the role between the years 1873 through to 1903 and during his time he hanged 64 people.

Over a century ago, before World War I, this paper was praising a young local in the most glowing terms. The Riverine Grazier was predicting that “big things may be expected” from the town’s “boy champion”, who “promises to be … the best Hay has ever produced”. The Grazier also reported the assessment of an admired local teacher, who described the youngster as “a coming champion”.

The Hay schoolboy attracting such lavish compliments was 14-year-old Norman Callaway, who was a highly talented cricketer. His parents, Tom and Emily, had resided at Hay for over thirty years, and Norman had grown up in the family home at Hatty Street.

The town that went to war and a very unique memorial.

The Hay War Memorial High School Museum commemorates both Hay and district war service and the history of the school in this unique war memorial which has served the Hay community since 1923.

The Hay War Memorial High School was opened on Anzac Day in 1923 as the town's war memorial built to honour those volunteers who lost their lives while on active service during World War I. Of the 641 who served in World War I, 103 did not return. This impacted greatly on the Hay and district community, which had one of the highest enlistment rates for a small town in Australia.

Read about the tragic tale of Alexander Bryson known as The Boy Murderer, who’s deadly acts near Hay, NSW saw him sentenced to hang.