ON a cold winter's night in 1893, three masked and armed men stepped lightly through the doorway of the A.J.S. Bank in Cargo.
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The manager, innocently working away at the rear of the building, didn't hear the trio enter the premises on June 10, 1893, and had little idea he was about to be a central figure in one of the Central West's most infamous crimes.
When he re-entered the bank proper he was set upon, one man grasping him while another dealt him a heavy blow with a waddy - a club used by Indigenous hunters - knocking him senseless.
After binding and gagging him, the robbers placed the blood-soaked manager on a bed, one thief guarding him while the others opened the safe.
After binding and gagging him, the robbers placed the blood-soaked manager on a bed, one thief guarding him while the others opened the safe.
The pair removed 500 pounds in one-, five- and 10-pound notes, and the group fled not knowing the un-signed notes were worthless.
The infamous crime will play a central role in celebrations marking 150 years since the proclamation of the village's goldfields this weekend.
MAP: Where will the celebrations take place …
Organising committee chairperson Karen McMullen said the festivities will get under way at 3.30pm in the Cargo Community Hall.
A highlight of the afternoon's activity will be a re-enactment of the robbery, with a Cobb & Co coach to also take centre stage in the program.
A book on the goldfields will be launched, and a bar and barbecue will be in operation during the series of free events and spectacles.
Bush band November Shorn will be the feature entertainment act, accompanied by performances from Cargo Public School students.
Earlier in the day the ever-popular Cargo Village Markets will host stallholders on the Village Green from 10am-3pm.
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