The Eastern Dorrigo was first settled early in the 1900s. Tom arrived with his father Thomas when he was 15 years old. Others arrived with their families on the Dorrigo plateau to clear very thick bush and make a life for themselves farming.

Tom and his father Thomas did get their dairy farm operating but Tom saw a future in the timber industry an with his bullock teams carted logs to the Coffs Harbour Jetty where they were taken to Sydney.

He was 22 years old when he built his first sawmill which was powered by a water turbine. This video will show you how people lived and worked on the Eastern Dorrigo during those days in the early 1900s.