Coolamon

Distinguished and Famous people from Coolamon

🤝 Chris and Jo Berry

Chris and Jo Berry helped turn the Coolamon Fire Engine Muster into an established community occasion through a decade of work and commitment. The event received the shire’s Community Event of the Year award in 2026, with the council recognising their contribution to its development. Bringing historic fire engines and their enthusiasts together takes considerable organisation behind the scenes. Their story belongs to the volunteers who build a town’s calendar as well as preserve an interest in its emergency-service history.

✈️ Allan McSweyn

Allan McSweyn spent his childhood on Mona Leigh, his family’s Ardlethan property, before moving to Sydney and training in accountancy. Flying lessons led to wartime RAAF service. Shot down over Germany in 1941, he made repeated escape attempts, eventually reaching England through France and Spain in 1943. He received the Military Cross for his resourcefulness and determination, then returned to flying instruction and later airline and business management. Ardlethan is his documented childhood home, not his Ashfield birthplace. The family property supplies an early rural chapter in a life later shaped by aviation, war and commercial travel.