Narrabri Shire Council is backing an idea to build a giant monument celebrating the Mount Kaputar pink slug, a creature that calls a remote mountain peak in north-western NSW home (Sydney Morning Herald, 7 October 2026).
There has been a mixed reaction to the proposal, which has attracted considerable attention. As a local resident, on and off, since 1952, I must confess that despite many trips up Mount Kaputar, I have never been fortunate enough to spot one.
I am unaware of any alternative suggestions, but the following story about a much-loved Narrabri local might provide food for thought. A statue, perhaps?
I speak of Mr Timothy Driscoll – better known to generations of Narrabri residents as Tim the Bellman.
From Narrabri’s earliest days as a township until the 1940s, the community was served by a succession of bellmen, or town criers. The office was humble but important. It was through the voice of the bellman and the sound of his bell that townspeople learned of important forthcoming official events and other community occasions.
Narrabri’s bellmen were all characters in their own way, but their value to the community meant that they became well known throughout the town. The arrival of radio and the development of car-mounted loudspeakers eventually brought the era of the traditional town crier to an end. Only in more recent times has interest in Narrabri’s bellmen and their role in the town’s history been revived.
Perhaps the most famous of them all was Tim Driscoll, who served the community for many years.
Tim was a humble man, a bushman with wide experience of the pioneering era, accustomed to hardship and hard work. Yet he was also a gentle man, proud of his community and proud of his office.
Information about Tim’s early life is scant. It is understood that he was born in London in 1822, where he became a stonemason. He travelled to Australia around 1850 and worked for many years in Victoria before eventually making his way north to the Liverpool Plains. He appears to have arrived in Narrabri in the 1880s, as there are newspaper references to him from around that time.
How he became the town’s bellman is not known, but he soon became a much-loved and familiar figure in the community.
According to the Narrabri Age, Tim rang a rhythmic bell and delivered his messages in a “sweet, clear tenor-like voice”. He was held in high regard by young and old alike and across all levels of Narrabri society.
The affection in which he was held is evident from the records of the time.
Narrabri’s first dentist, Mr H. Freeman, provided Tim with free dentures. On another occasion, when Tim’s little tenement on the banks of the creek was destroyed by fire – along with all his money, just as he was preparing to take a holiday in Sydney – the townspeople rallied to replace his lost belongings.
Tim regularly featured in Narrabri’s two local newspapers. One reported his announcement of the Governor’s forthcoming visit to Narrabri; another recorded him announcing an important public meeting to discuss the Federation debate. When misfortune struck him, appeals for assistance appeared in the newspapers.
A poem about Tim was also published. Perhaps nothing describes this remarkable character better:
Listen to Tim as he passes by,
Shouting aloud the well-known cry.
Public notice, notice to all,
Meeting or concert, lecture or ball,
Slowly he goes, ringing his bell,
Shouting the message he has to tell;
Down the streets of the dear old town,
Slowly he trudges up and down.
Every corner is known to him,
Every urchin to Bellman Tim.
Year after year as each goes by,
Winter or summer – wet or dry –
Slowly he goes with cheerful face,
Ringing his bell from place to place.
“List the bell,” the people say,
“What does the bellman ring today?”
What’s the message Tim would tell?
Many have asked who heard the bell,
Many who now lie still and cold,
Lying asleep in the graveyard mould.
But Tim rings in the usual way,
Rings us the news from day to day.
Long may he ring his rhythmic bell,
The local news of the borough tell,
All of us love the sight of him,
The honest face of Bellman Tim.
This Ai-generated image was created using a sketch of Tim Driscoll.
– Author unknown
Then, one morning in late June 1900, a businessman found Tim in a poor condition and ordered a taxicab to take him home. Sadly, Tim died shortly afterwards. He was 78 years of age.
Mayor A. E. Collins offered to pay his funeral expenses, but the townspeople wanted to demonstrate their own affection and respect for Tim, and everyone contributed.
Eulogies appeared in both local newspapers.
“When the news spread on Tuesday that old Tim, our town bellman, had expired that morning, a sad feeling pervaded the whole community, his familiar voice and figure being quite a feature of the place for many years…”
– Narrabri Herald, 29 June 1900.
I have searched the old Narrabri cemetery records but have been unable to find any visible record of Tim’s gravesite.
Nearly a century later, in 1998, a number of stories about Tim were circulated throughout the town and district by The Courier. The historic figure of Tim the Bellman was then re-created and led a procession through Narrabri’s main street. Tim’s original bell was located in the Old Narrabri Museum and brought out for the occasion.
The story of Tim became well known in Narrabri once again. “Tim” even appeared as the central character in school plays at the time.
His story deserves to live on.
The Mount Kaputar pink slug may be unique to Narrabri’s mountain country, but Tim Driscoll was unique to Narrabri’s streets. He was an ordinary working man who became an extraordinary part of the town’s social history.
He represents something rather different from a novelty attraction. He represents community, character, kindness and a connection with the people who built Narrabri in its early years.
So, if Narrabri is considering a statue or monument to celebrate something that is distinctly its own, perhaps there is another possibility worth considering.
Why not Tim the Bellman?
Who better than this humble, cheerful and friendly man to typify the face of old Narrabri?
And perhaps, somewhere in the town, Tim could once again stand with his bell in his hand – reminding us of a time when one man’s voice, his bell and his dedication to the community could bring an entire town together.
Thanks to John Dunnet and the Narrabri Old Gaol and Museum. The accompanying image of Tim has been AI-edited from an old sketch made at the time.
RICHARD BARRY
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