Billy Capp
The Canberra Times, 16 July 1977.
Terrence Peter “Billy” Capp was born in Liverpool, England on 12 October 1930, the son of Lawrence Patrick Carroll and Sarah Ann Dalton. He came to Australia in 1955 aboard the New Australia.
He was a scriptwriter, comedian and harmonica player appearing frequently on the Sydney Tonight TV show during his 17 years in the entertainment industry.
This colourful man came to the Ridge in 1968 on a bus trip. He wandered away from the rest of the group to have a look down an old shaft, and while scratching at the wall beside an old wooden prop, he found a stone worth a thousand dollars. Billy seemed to have a gift for finding opal and was often called upon to help others with his divining rods.
In 1983, at the opening of the newly relocated Bush Moozeeum at Hatter’s Flat, Billy entertained with a song and dance and his famous Punch & Judy show.
Billy Capp passed away in Moree in 2012. He’s given a lot of character to the Ridge over nearly 40 years. He’s also given all of his photos and memorabilia to the Historical Society to look after for posterity.
Photo courtesy of Leisa Carney.
Article: Research by Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: ‘The Saturday Page’, The Canberra Times, 16 July 1977, p. 1.