The lagoon is named after the late Mr David Kiss, who lived on the higher land above it in the 1890s, where he was employed as a poundkeeper and dealt in cattle and property – not always according to the law.

Dave was a noted character and many stories are told of him about his ability as a dealer as well as being considered to be the best man with his hands in the early days.

He was born on the Monaro and his father owned Clydebank at Bemboka, before he moved into Bega.

His brother kept several hotels in the area.

Dave had a head so hard that he is credited with fighting a ram on the Monaro one time, and the ram failed to make any effect on his head. He died in Sydney in 1912, aged 66.

Well, Mr Kiss was the first to attempt to drain the lagoon, and to do it he had to run the drain through the property of Mr Martin McCarthy, the property adjoining the river from Bega Street.

Mr McCarthy strenuously objected but Dave won the day.

A deep drain was put right through, but it was only partially successful in draining the lagoon.

Years later Mr Joseph Kirkland, after whom the road beside the lagoon is named, single-handed, put in tremendous work deepening and slabbing the drain, but he also failed to achieve anything permanent, the trouble being that the level of the lagoon is lower than the river and whenever there was a “fresh” the water backed up.

There is no doubt that if it could be properly drained it would greatly add to the value of the land thereabouts and engineers might be able to formulate a plan.

There have been suggestions at various times that the Municipal Council should make a drive round the lagoon and thus turn it into a beauty spot.

Many wild fowl make their home there, and on one occasion, when it dried up, lots of good-sized fish became stranded - hence the name of Carp Street?