Continuing the Thread of Her Ancestors

NICOLA O’Driscoll, may now have an Irish surname, but her Scottish roots through the Macintyre clan made her the ideal Chief of the Day for the 20th anniversary of the Aberdeen Highland Games.

Peter Macintyre, was one of the first settlers in the Upper Hunter area managing Thomas Potter Macqueen’s property at Segenhoe and through Nicola and her brother Duncan Macintyre their family name and history in the Valley endures until today.

Duncan Macintyre, with his sister and Chief of the Day, Nicola O’Driscoll. Photo: Amanda Ray Images.

One of the first surviving letters from the district was by the hand of Peter when he described the relationship with the Aboriginal tribes, which was surprisingly peaceful for the time. (Read more: Aboriginal History.)

In 1827, Allan Cunningham, began his expedition to the Darling Downs from Segenhoe and Peter Macintyre guided the expedition over the Liverpool Range, an incredibly inaccessible area in the 1800’s and the limit of location.

Allan Cunningham went on to name the Macintyre River after the local family and so began the intertwined history of the Scottish in the Upper Hunter.

True to the form of her family, Nicola O’Driscoll made history at the Games this year, by being the first lady Chief of the Day.

Nicola said it was very humbling and a great honour to be Chief of the Day at the 20^th Games.

“People have been wonderful and a lot of people got very excited about me being the first lady Chieftain,” said Ms O’Driscoll.

“This helps (showing the staff), because being short like I am, it would be less impressive walking around without this saying ‘Hi, I’m the Chief’,” laughed Nicola.

Nicola, who lives at Thompson’s Creek outside of Scone, said she was at the first Aberdeen Highland Games and was amazed to see how many people the Games attracted 20 years later.

“The first Games were a lot of fun, there were probably 2,000 people here for the first Games,” she said.

“Because it was the first, people came to see what it was all about, lots of locals came along, but the dancers bring lots of people, the bands bring lots of people and the tartan warriors, there are so many people associated with all of the various groups here today,” said Nicola.

Nicola was proud of her family history in the Upper Hunter and marvels at how pioneering the first settlers were in the area.

Nicola O’Driscoll made history at the Games as the first lady Chief of the Day. Photo: Amanda Ray Images.

“They were so far from anywhere, they must have been very pioneering, I can’t imagine what the Valley was like in those days,” Nicola O’Driscoll said.

“Peter Macintyre was my great, great, uncle, he had land around Blairmore and managed land for many others, including Potter Macqueen,” she said.

“It is incredible to think he showed Allan Cunningham the Cedar Brush Pass over the Range, because the Highway was not there in those days, so they went over the Cedar Brush and named the Macintyre River after Peter in thanks,” she said.

“There is a lot of Scottish history through this Valley and it is great to have those connections and to celebrate those connections as a community today,” Nicola O’Driscoll said.

Read also:

• Hugh Cameron – A Scott who instigated the early settlement of Invermein to be called Scone.
• William Nowland – discovered the current pass over the Liverpool Range – Nowland’s Gap.