WHAT was first meant to be just a historical pamphlet on White Rock has turned into a very popular 158-page publication.
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The book, White Rock: The gateway to Bathurst, is now entering its third printing after being published during the city’s bicentenary year.
Coordinator John Down said the book’s popularity has a lot to do with it being able to be enjoyed by people outside of the immediate area.
“It is just not a local type of book that is put out for the locals and families. It is about the history of White Rock, the pre-history, the Indigenous history,” he said.
“It is a limited edition. It was released to coincide with the bicentenary and it sold out before the first release [in May, 2015].”
The White Rock Progress Association needed a $5000 loan from Bathurst Regional Council, along with a $2000 grant from the NSW Government to get the book printed.
Mr Down said the book was so popular that the group was able to pay back its loan to council just six weeks from the release.
The book was printed for a second time in November that year.
There have been 500 copies of the book printed to date.
Mr Down said the book has been snapped up by a lot of locals and has even gone out to people across the state and overseas.
“Being the coordinator of the book, I am overwhelmed; I didn’t think it would be so successful,” he said.
“It was originally going to be a pamphlet, but there was just too much, so it became a book.”
While the money provided to the White Rock Progress Association was a huge part of the book becoming a reality, it would not have been made possible without the work of many contributors.
Contributors wrote chapters about White Rock’s families, history and the role the locality played in the development of Bathurst.
A number of photos are also featured.
Mr Down said people should take note of the front cover, which features an authentic vehicle and jacket from the World War I period.
Anyone who would like to get a copy of book can do so via the White Rock Progress Association, Bathurst Historical Society and BooksPlus.
They can also email johnkathydown@yahoo.com with the subject ‘White Rock Book’ to place an order.
The book retails at $40.
