Sometimes it gets a bit testy but most times is just friendly.

What is this all about and where is it heading you ask? Well I’ll let you in on a bit of abstract knowledge that I came across recently whilst researching something else through the National Library’s online digitised newspaper site, Trove.  Chasing rabbits down burrows my wife calls my distractions.

Looking at old editions of the Forbes Advocate for a reference to Camp Hill I came across some interesting mentions about the two hills in our town – North Hill and Camp Hill.  Let me quote from some of the correspondence of the day to clarify the matter:

Forbes Advocate Friday June 9th 1925 – CHANGING THE NAME OF CAMP HILL.

“At last night’s Council meeting a letter was read from Mr G D Bassett regarding the changing of the name of Camp Hill.  

“The writer pointed out that various towns had had their names changed and he would like it clearly to be understood that the only reason for wanting the name changed was that he considered it necessary to keep in step with the march of progress as to an outsider or stranger the name Camp Hill suggested a string of camps or a deserted portion of the town only suitable for camping purposes”.

Well that got me interested didn’t it?  Mainly because I live on Camp Hill and reckon that the name is fine. So the quest continued and things livened up a bit as the Council seemed quite open to the suggestion – Mr Bassett even offered a few quid to the person that came up with the best name.

More comments came in including one from ‘Excelsior ‘ (you did not have to provide your name in those days.) “I think Mr Bassett’s suggestion is a good one. To Forbes people long familiar with the words ‘Camp Hill’ has naturally left them with no sense of the words unpolished even uncouth sound.  What I mean to say is that Camp Hill does not sound very impressive.”

Well after much toing and froing the rivalry started to set in with those from North Hill joining the fray. Camp Hill was classed as the best place to live by some and the name ‘Golden Heights’ was suggested for the ‘suburb’.

Fortunately nothing changed and the thought slowly faded away – only to be revived again in 1938, this time getting a bit nasty.

Forbes Advocate June 28th 1938

"With all this town improvement and beautification business going on in Forbes, how about a more dignified name for Camp Hill (which sounds as though it were a tent town)? Being the pick of the residential areas of the town and North (Gaspot) Hill will agree with me on that point, it deserves a better name. How about Lakevlew Hill or South Hill, etc.  What do the other Camp Hillites think of the idea? — signed "Valley Heights”.

This was indeed a low blow for the North Hillites, being referred to as ‘GASPOT HILL’. The name by the way was because at one stage in Union Street the Council had their gasworks with its large (and I mean large) gas reservoir. Was a bit on the nose as well.

This attempt at name change also fizzled out with no further mention.

I hope that our little column has not opened old wounds and that all those rivalries have been extinguished – and that no one writes to Mayor Graeme and his Council stalwarts suggesting that the name be changed - again.  

Although Rob and Ollie Willis, Oxford St, GOLDEN HEIGHTS, Forbes 2871 does have a ring to it.