Cassilis is on the Golden Highway, 43Km N/W of Merriwa.
Originally a private village called Dalkeith in the 1830's. Gazetted as a town and named Cassilis in 1869. It is a small village north of Mudgee.
Bushranging in Australia during the great gold era has to a large extent been lost. No doubt historical records still exist in the archives and someday the real story of the bushrangers might be told.
However a century ago several noted writers took the time to record snippets of information about this historical time, when the Australian gold fields were indeed lawless places - and where anarchy ruled. Some of the acts of courage displayed by some who were held up - perhaps needs some mention. There are many, but one that comes to notice quickly, is the bank teller at Cassilis, who was dutifully recording transactions when he lookup up to see a bushranger standing before him with a pistol pointing at his head. The bushranger demanded, "bailup - or I'll blow your brains out".
"Will you by golly", the teller replied and immediately vaulted the counter towards the bushranger. This action so startled the bandit, that he dropped his pistol and ran from the bank with the teller in hot pursuit.
After a short chase the teller, and others who joined in captured him. As the local police officer was away at the time, the locals dealt with the would be robber, by giving him a thrashing and then turning him loose. It was reputed that the town's two hotels were full for the rest of the day.
1905 Photo of Cassilis 4 years before branch opened.
1909 Opened (123rd Report);
1934 Listed in Century of Banking;
Streetscape photo from Dept of Environment & Heritage.
1977 Listed in Annual Report as receiving office of Merriwa.
1984 ceased as a NAB Agency.
More recent photo of Cassilis township. Population 110.
Recent photo of Cassilis branch.
2017 March Commercial Bank, Cassilis plate "Made in Czecho-Slavakia" donated by John Wyndham.2020 August: Bob Young advised. I am writing about the unidentified building in the last newsletter. It looks very much like the temporary premises at Cassilis NSW used by the Bank while a new branch was being built in the 1950’s. I was working at Muswellbrook Branch and was sent out to Cassilis for a week to relieve.
It was a two handed Branch, Lionel Gillard was the Manager and I was relieving the other Officer. The Bank was in the front rooms of the dilapidated building where there were dirt floors in the rest of the building. On one occasion a girl rode up to the front door on a horse, and while still holding the reins, came to the counter on the left side of the door and said “would you please put this cheque in Dad’s account”, which I obligingly did. Cassilis was a very small town (and probably still is) so not many customers came through the frond door while I was there. There was a General Store opposite, a Pub, a Café where I had my three meals every day at 18 shillings a day, and an RSL Club. I boarded with a lady in the town for 5 shillings a night for a bed but no meals. (I only paid 5 pounds a week for full board and washing and ironing at the Boarding House in Muswellbrook). It was in the middle of a severe drought and my allocation of water was a thermos of hot water every morning which I had to use to wash and shave with. The only transport available to get there was the mail truck from Muswellbrook, leaving at 6.30am, via Merriwa and Denman, arriving in Cassilis around Midday. The truck also collected mail and other supplies to drop off at farms along the way. The truck then returned back to Muswellbrook, also with any passengers. On the Monday when I was to return to Muswellbrook, even though the Officer I was relieving had returned to work, (and I can’t remember his name), the Manager kept me for another day, when I then returned on the truck with other passengers. Now I can’t guarantee this was the same building, but it looks very much like it. If it’s not – then the story might give a few members an idea of what it was like in a small country town in the 1950’s. 2023 Bob Young returned to Cassilis and took this picture. He wrote In talking to a friend and neighbour in our village, he told me his family still owned a farm property at Cassilis and that he was going up there to check out everything as his family was no longer living permanently on the farm. When I told him I had worked there he invited me to travel up there with him and I jumped at the chance. I could not believe how derelict the town was. Off the main road, there was virtually no activity going on in the town. Many of the buildings in the town were closed and falling down. I was very sorry to see what had happened to the town."" | 
OFFICERS CLUB Inc.
