The area around where the hospital now stands was primarily grazing land and at a sale by auction of Crown land at Bathurst on December 27, 1865, Thomas Cullen, described as a gardener from Kelso, purchased Lots 4, 5 and 6 of Section 132 for £8.

Cullen was born in Ballyneatheagh, Ireland in 1824 and arrived on the Elizabeth on March 31, 1845.

He married Mary Dwyer in Bathurst on June 10, 1859, died at Rockley on October 23, 1906 and is buried at Long Swamp Cemetery. Cullen’s father, Patrick, was transported in 1838 for seven years for stealing a cow, and gradually his children followed him as free settlers to the colony.

Asked on immigration papers if there were any complaints, Thomas wrote “none, not a hal’penny worth”.

To comply with a government requirement that land had to be built on within two years of purchase, Cullen built the house at 61 Commonwealth Street around 1867 and called it Prospero.

Robert Bruce, a mercantile assistant, was the next owner on April 30, 1869. He was followed by Joseph Smith in 1897. Smith, who owned many blocks in the town, came from Georges Plains.

It is difficult to trace the ownership of the property for the next 40 years, however, in October 1939 the property was purchased by Mary Beatrice Turnbull, nee Bestwick.

Mary was a daughter of Henry and Clara Bestwick of Guestingthorpe at Perthville, and had married James Henry Turnbull on June 5, 1918 at Georges Plains.

James and Mary had four children – Eric, Arthur, Gertrude and Max. James died when the youngest was just eight days old.

Mary returned to live at Guestingthorpe until she purchased Prospero and moved her family there. Her daughter, Gertrude, was a well-known seamstress.

Mary’s sister, Ethel Bestwick, also lived at Prospero for some years.

Mary subdivided the land in the early 1950s and gave blocks to her children, then sold the house to Percy Albert Golsby of Rockley on December 30, 1953.

Following Percy’s death, the house was transferred to his executors, John Golsby, William Cartright and Allan Eades, who subsequently sold to Ruth Wilson on October 23, 1956.

The next owner was Lorna Hilder of Vittoria on November 9, 1962, and Ian and Marie Van den Berg in February 1968. Ian was a high school teacher in Bathurst.

The land was subdivided into two lots, and on October 12, 1990, Marie sold the house, as surviving joint tenant, to Colin and Marie Billington.

On August 13, 1993, Helen and Steven Bailey purchased Prospero and held it until May 18, 2001, when they sold to Robert Lee, a builder.

The house was re-roofed and renovations were carried out, and on January 29, 2007, the new owners were Benjamin Seamons and Claire Tomlinson, until Saffron Waring, the current owner, purchased in July 2011.

Max Turnbull, son of Mary, recalls that when his family moved there in 1939 the only other houses in the area were The Grange in Daley Street, and Rosehill, now in Patna Street, owned by the Stocks family.

They were surrounded by grazing land and the orchard at Prospero. By all accounts it has been a very happy home to the various families.

The house has been rendered, with a new fence and a garage added, however, many original features remain inside, including high ceilings, fireplaces, cornices and two very worn wooden doorsteps, plus the cellar.

There is a bullet hole in the cellar - a story relating to an owner around the turn of the century.                         .

The National Trust acknowledges the owner for taking care of one of the early homes on the western side of the hospital.