Denniss Family
Walter John DENNISS was born at Berkley NSW in 1869, to Abraham and Naomi (GREEN) DENNISS
At the time of his birth, his parents were living in the fishing village of Berkeley on Lake Illawarra. Young Walter spent his childhood and youth here as the number of his brothers and sisters grew.
During the fishing season family visits were made to the Tuggerah Lakes, to the north of Sydney - in those days the road and rail links to the north simply did not exist, so the trip was made in an open boat.
The move to the Tuggerah Lakes in the late 1800s established the family at Canton Beach, where the fish catch was landed and hauled over to Cabbage Tree Bay by a bullock team owned by Edward John HARGRAVES, who lived at ‘Noraville’ House.
In 1891 Walter married Edith HARGRAVES, the eldest daughter of Edward John HARGRAVES and granddaughter of Edward Hammond HARGRAVES of Noraville. It was probably Edith, with her knowledge of Sydney, who saw the opportunity for establishing a commercial venture at The Entrance North. By 1905 ‘Dunleith’ was in operation and was run by Edith and Walter until it was leased in 1910. At about the same time, Walter began a launch service to the railway station at Tuggerah and later to Wyong to cater for the guests.
The establishment of ‘Dunleith’ started a trend and several more guest houses were established in succeeding years at The Entrance and at Long Jetty.
Walter was a progressive man and had an outstanding record of ‘firsts’. As far as can be ascertained, he built the first house at North Entrance. He had an oyster lease around Terilbah Island in 1914 – probably the first and last. He had the first fishing boat on the Tuggerah Lakes with an engine. He also held the first auction sale for land in The Entrance area. Among other things that led to progress that could have been ‘firsts’ was the installation of electricity at ‘Dunleith’ and also septic tanks. He built the first shop at North Entrance for his daughter, Ada, and installed the first telephone continuous service for The Entrance. When the telephonist at The Entrance (Miss Hazel TAYLOR) closed at 6 pm she plugged North Entrance direct to Wyong.
He built a hall at North Entrance for meetings and it was free for any church group to use. This later became the first school.
In 1986 Wyong Shire Council honoured these early pioneers of North Entrance by naming the park in Hutton Road the Walter and Edith Denniss Park.
At the time of his birth, his parents were living in the fishing village of Berkeley on Lake Illawarra. Young Walter spent his childhood and youth here as the number of his brothers and sisters grew.
During the fishing season family visits were made to the Tuggerah Lakes, to the north of Sydney - in those days the road and rail links to the north simply did not exist, so the trip was made in an open boat.
The move to the Tuggerah Lakes in the late 1800s established the family at Canton Beach, where the fish catch was landed and hauled over to Cabbage Tree Bay by a bullock team owned by Edward John HARGRAVES, who lived at ‘Noraville’ House.
In 1891 Walter married Edith HARGRAVES, the eldest daughter of Edward John HARGRAVES and granddaughter of Edward Hammond HARGRAVES of Noraville. It was probably Edith, with her knowledge of Sydney, who saw the opportunity for establishing a commercial venture at The Entrance North. By 1905 ‘Dunleith’ was in operation and was run by Edith and Walter until it was leased in 1910. At about the same time, Walter began a launch service to the railway station at Tuggerah and later to Wyong to cater for the guests.
The establishment of ‘Dunleith’ started a trend and several more guest houses were established in succeeding years at The Entrance and at Long Jetty.
Walter was a progressive man and had an outstanding record of ‘firsts’. As far as can be ascertained, he built the first house at North Entrance. He had an oyster lease around Terilbah Island in 1914 – probably the first and last. He had the first fishing boat on the Tuggerah Lakes with an engine. He also held the first auction sale for land in The Entrance area. Among other things that led to progress that could have been ‘firsts’ was the installation of electricity at ‘Dunleith’ and also septic tanks. He built the first shop at North Entrance for his daughter, Ada, and installed the first telephone continuous service for The Entrance. When the telephonist at The Entrance (Miss Hazel TAYLOR) closed at 6 pm she plugged North Entrance direct to Wyong.
He built a hall at North Entrance for meetings and it was free for any church group to use. This later became the first school.
In 1986 Wyong Shire Council honoured these early pioneers of North Entrance by naming the park in Hutton Road the Walter and Edith Denniss Park.
Walter John Denniss died in 1939 at The Entrance NSW and is buried at Noraville Cemetery. |
Walter and Edith’s daughter Ada, who married Walter CLIFFORD, died in 1929, and is also buried at Noraville. |