Everyone loves a parade and some of the biggest in the district were the Inverell Hospital wood parades. They were usually led by the Salvation Army Band.
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Long before the chain saw, the axe and two-man saw were used to cut wood all around the district.
For weeks woodcutters went out on weekends cutting supplies to load horse-drawn wagons that transported wood for stoves and boilers at the Inverell and Tingha hospitals.
The idea of a wood parade was brought from Victoria to Tingha about 1913 by Mr J Symes Sr.
This was an effective way to help district hospitals. The enthusiastic Tingha Wood Cutters and Carters group led the way.
The wood supplied would last for 12 months, and was a great cost-saving benefit for the hospitals, at that time principally financed by the community.
By 1928, at Inverell, over 40 vehicles took part in the procession from the Town Hall in Otho St through Byron St en-route to the hospital where more volunteers stacked the wood.
As they did every year, the Hospital Ladies Auxiliary provided an appetising luncheon. Each year the number of participating vehicles and children with their billy carts loaded grew.
In 1938 the wood cutters and carriers excelled themselves with 400 tons delivered.
This time 105 motor lorries, 10 horse-drawn vehicles and nine billy carts came from Delungra, Elsmore, Bundarra Ashford, Newstead, Swanvale and of course Tingha. Many vehicles were loaned to help transport the wood.
During 1946 the Sydney press stated Inverell staged the most outstanding wood parade in the State. Not only did the wood cutters and carriers contribute, so too did members of service groups, boy scouts and junior farmers.
In 1938 the wood cutters and carriers excelled themselves with 400 tons delivered.
When the Government began taking over financing the hospital, the old steam boilers were replaced so the parades dwindled. A newsreel movie film was made of the 1946 parade, known as the Victory parade.
Wood parades continued at Tingha for some time, however the Inverell hospital one was discontinued after 1946, although there was talk of another to be held in 1954.
After World War II the RSL Sub Branch organised wood cutting to provide for Legacy widows and the wood parades continued for some years.