Glenquarie Shopping Centre - for the people

 

Glenquarie Shopping Centre turns 50 this month.

Opened on the 29th September 1975 by N.S.W Premier Tom Lewis, the shopping centre is named as a portmanteau of Glenfield and Macquarie Fields. Uniquely, it was developed solely by the council instead of private enterprise. The seventies had seen a period of massive growth in the region and planners were trying to meet the needs of families moving in.

Deputy Town Clerk, Bruce McDonald had the idea to turn idle council owned land into a productive venture. A shopping centre would be able to provide a range of services and community facilities the community needed, hedge against rate increases and generate an income for the ratepayers of Campbelltown with an expected 14% return! He presented the idea in 1970 when the ground on which the centre stands was virgin bushland.

Following the retirement of H.J. Daley in 1973 Bruce became the new Town Clerk and re-invigorated the proposal saying "whilst the scope of the proposal is something new to the council... we are convinced we have the management capacity to successfully undertake the scheme.” 

Artists impression of the shopping centre

A committee comprising Mayor (Bob Barton), Deputy Mayor (Gordon Fetterplace), Town Clerk (Bruce McDonald), Deputy (Ron Streater) and property officer Ian Henry supervised architectural designs, construction, negotiation with tenants, coordination and promotion. The tender was won by Max Cooper & Sons who took possession of the site in March 1974.

Originally to be completed by the end of the year, wet weather and industrial action pushed back the project.

This early construction image shows its original logo. The sign was designed to be a laid-back letter “G”  and symbolized the relaxed and pleasant shopping in store for customers.

A major supermarket was not part of the original planning but housing programs in the area had been accelerated so Coles New World and Franklins were added to the already planned convenience stores.

3 1/2 acres of beautification were needed around the centre during its construction. 37,000 metres of turf were rolled out, 450 trees and shrubs were planted by local Grahame Baxter and his employees who sourced all plants from his nursery at Kentlyn. Grahame was also responsible for Landscaping Ingleburn RSL and Bradbury school.

Amongst some of the first tenants were Leo's milk bar, a hardware store, newsagency, toys & hobbies, dry cleaners, T.A.B, Willis’s cakes, doctor and dentists surgeries, Chinese restaurant, a bank, the Housing Commission of N.S.W, “women's boutique” and a branch library in a storefront number 5.

Throughout it's opening week a darts competition was held to win a trip for two to Melbourne! Though we’re not sure who won.

Advertising for the opening in 1975 embracing the idea

 that the centre was entirely for residents.

Searching for Mary

Sometimes our research at the library gets us nowhere and we need to call on our knowledgeable History Buff readers for help. Finding information about Mary Doherty and her untimely death is another example. The enquiry originated with a question about the naming of Mary Doherty Reserve in Ruse.

There is little we know. Apparently, Mary died after visiting the Etchells family on the other side of the river to where she lived. She was supposedly at Etchell's property because the river had flooded. Mary was later buried on the Etchell's property. Her family's home wasn't far from today's Mary Doherty Reserve at the corner of Acacia Avenue and Tumut Street. Mary was only 16. There is no date of death and nothing about when she was born. This brief information comes from the Geographic Names Board records.

After an extensive search of various records, we have found very little about Mary Doherty. A search of electoral records reveal that there is a strong possibility that her parents were Robert and Margaret Doherty, who lived on Hansen's Road, East Minto in 1930. This would have been close to the Etchells house who lived in the East Minto vicinity, but still some distance from Mary Doherty Park, where it is claimed she lived close to. There are also questions about which river it is referring to if the visit to Etchells was on the other side of the river to where she was living. There is no river between East Minto and Ruse.

Please let us know in the comments if you have any knowledge of Mary Doherty.

Mary Doherty Reserve in Ruse. This place is a great spot for bird watchers.

 

Early Queen Street Photos

Most of Campbelltown Library's earliest images are of Queen Street. They all date back to the early 1870s. It's hard to imagine a main street without cars and traffic lights. They are replaced with horses, dung and serenity. I have included brief descriptions of each of these photographs, some of which there is plentiful information and others not so.

Photo date: 1870

Patrick's Inn pictured on the right was built about 1842 and licensed to Anne Byrne. Not long after it was changed to the Coach and Horses Inn and later known as Hammond's Grammar School. By 1860 it was used as a School of Arts. Prominent pioneer John Hurley lived there from the 1870s and he died in the building in 1882. By then it was known as Alpha House. In later years it became a private school run by Miss Whittingham. Alpha House was demolished in 1938 to make way for the Good Intent Hotel.

Photo date: 1870

This building was located at 158 Queen Street, opposite Patrick Street. It was owned by John Bray and operated by John Boag from 1863 and later Henry Rose from 1868, until he was replaced in January 1870. The building combined the post office with living quarters. It served as a post office until 1881 when the lack of space became an issue, and a new post office was constructed in Queen Street further south. The building was the newspaper printing office in the 1890s and later Annie Marlow's dressmaking business. 

Photo date: 1870

Doyle Henty & Co. Auctioneers was located a couple of doors north of Alpha House. The building was made from weatherboard with shingles on the roof. The business became insolvent in 1879. Today it would stand about where the entrance to Campbelltown Mall is located in Queen Street.

Photo date: 1871

The Railway Hotel was built about 1850 by the Doyle family. The hotel was named this because of the anticipation that the new railway line would result in increased patronage. This never eventuated. It was known as Doyle's Railway Hotel up until at least 1896. The Meredith family owned it from 1921. From 1943 it was owned by JL Froggatt and known as "Bonito". This building and the surrounding colonial group were restored in the 1960s and saved from demolition.

Photo date: 1871

This image was taken by William Boag in 1871 and is one of a number of Campbelltown shots taken by this photographer in the same year. The characteristics of the image indicate that this is from that period. The library's description for the photo claims that it shows Barney Bugden's Blacksmith. Barney was born in 1884 and didn't come to Campbelltown until he was aged 21, where he started work as a blacksmith. He went into partnership with a man named Phillips a few years later when he was aged 24. Their blacksmith shop was in Queen Street. Therefore, it is impossible that this photo is of Barney Blacksmith's shop. It could possibly be of the same shop as Barney's but much earlier than his partnership. The men are unidentified.

Photo date:1871

Mrs Hickey ran a store in Queen Street at this time. Records reveal the shop would have been located around the vicinity of today's car wash opposite KFC in southern Queen Street.

Photo date: 1871

The Forbes Hotel was built in 1827 by Daniel Cooper and named after the Chief Justice who presided at the first Circuit Court held in the Campbelltown district. It had nine bedrooms, two parlours, a tap room, bar and cellar. In 1901 it was refurbished and became the Federal Hotel. It was located at the corner of Queen and Railway Streets and demolished in 1984.

Photo date: 1875

The main street of Campbelltown looking north. On the left is Alpha House. The Railway Hotel and the other colonial terraces are opposite. The building visible on the left in the distance at the time was the Family Hotel. It was leased to James Campbell by owner John Hurley and became the Bank of NSW in 1878. It remained in operation until 1943.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

More Than Bricks and Mortar: Remembering Campbelltown's Lost Buildings by Andrew Allen 2018

Queen Street Terraces, Campbelltown: Historical Investigation by Carol Liston 1990

Demolished Heritage Buildings of Campbelltown, A Joint Project of Campbelltown-Airds Historical Society and Campbelltown City Council, November 2005

 

Farewell Hurley Street

The day has arrived. After serving our wonderful Campbelltown community from our Hurley Street building for over 34 years, today we open for the last time at this location. 

All our staff feel an amazing connection with our patrons and regard it a privilege to form a significant part of many of your lives. We love what we do and value your support over the many years we've been here. We will continue to care and provide a place where you can come and be informed, entertained, and engaged. Even if it's simply to escape the heat or cold, you are always welcome at any of our libraries.

There are exciting times around the corner! On Monday, 4 August 2025, HJ Daley Library will re-open at our new premises at Downtown Plaza in Queen Street. We hope to see all our regular faces again, plus many more new ones!

Here are some photographs taken throughout the 34 years at our HJ Daley Library in Hurley Street.

The vacant block prior to construction

Ready to open in 1991

The library in recent times

Written by Andrew Allen

Farewell Robert

Campbelltown was saddened to learn of the passing of Dr Robert Close in January this year. I had the privilege of meeting Robert a couple of times when he visited the library, and I was amazed at his knowledge and enthusiasm for koalas. He struck me as a calm and gentle man; characteristics I know would have been on display when dealing with our precious koala population.

Robert was a leading wildlife activist and conservationist, particularly for our koalas. The protection of these animals in South Western Sydney was what he was most renowned for, and his tireless work provided significant benefits for these koalas.

Over nearly 40 years, he gathered vital data that revealed a healthy, thriving koala population in Campbelltown. In 1992 small radio transmitter collars were fitted to selective koalas at random, that allowed Robert to accurately track their movements.

Robert wrote regularly for the local newspapers and his column Mac Koala featured weekly in the Macarthur Advertiser until 2013. These articles and other newspaper clippings are kept in the library's local studies collection and provide a wealth of information for researchers.

Vale Robert Close.

Minto School of Arts

Journey to any town in Australia and there is a good chance you will find a school of arts. They became popular in Sydney in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with about 140 established. They were also known as Mechanics Institutes. The School of Arts were originally established by volunteers as independent community organisations, assisted by a small government subsidy.

On Saturday 21 December 1901, Minto celebrated the opening of their School of Arts building. It was completed the previous September and an excited community celebrated with a concert and social. The build-up to the opening was enormous and the Hon. John Kidd was chosen to officially open the building. The program for the night included Miss Cookson's version of singing "The One-Legged Goose", and a rendition of the comic song "The Chinaman", by Mr Craft. One can only wonder about the lyrics of this version! The Chairman Mr Skerritt officially opened the building in the undisclosed absence of Mr Kidd.

The Minto School of Arts became an important social and cultural institution for much of the twentieth century. Over the years it was home to dances, bazaars, and meetings, and would serve the community as a library for a time.

Photographs in the library's collection show it still standing in 1993. Today the site at 6 Surrey Street is occupied by the Minto Community Hall.

The School of Arts in 1993 (Norm Campbell Collection, Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Members of Minto Show Community dressed as chorus girls at Minto School of Arts (l to r. Joe Hawkes; Jack Hadden; Bob Saunders; Allan Mitcherson; unidentified; John Rays and Roy Thomas) c.1953-54

The School of Arts in 1990 (Norm Campbell Collection, Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Campbelltown Herald, 8 January 1902

Freyne, Catherine 2010

The School of Arts Movement

In Dictionary of Sydney

A Colourful Surprise

Undoubtedly, one of the most exciting discoveries from Campbelltown Library's Great Australian Dream Project from earlier this year was this photograph above of Tom Cooper's famous colourful house at Menangle Park. Donated by Barbara Edney and taken by Max Keegan, this low quality but very significant image shows Tom Cooper's "Eye Stopper" in all its wonderful glory. Tom's house has been written about in two previous History Buff posts and covered in an episode of the library's Curious Campbelltown, so we were thrilled to at last to see what it looked like. 

Tom Cooper was an eccentric character that lived in a tin shanty on his property at Racecourse Avenue at Menangle Park. His neighbour Melva Thomas wrote an article about Tom in the Literary Review in the 1960s. She described how he was ordered to demolish the shanty by Council. He then built a new home at the same location. Tom loved bright colours, and this led to his new home being brightly painted in a variety of gawdy colours. The house became a kind of tourist attraction and people would gaze and take photographs from passing trains on the adjacent train line. 

Following his death in 1968, the new owners removed the colours to a more mundane single finish. This photo below taken by Barbara Edney shows the house in 1972. Taken from the same angle as the above photo that showed the house in bright colours, the house no longer attracts any attention.

The view in 2024 is very different. The house has since undergone major alterations and barely resembles the original structure (and colour)!

Thank you to Barbara Edney for sharing her photographs.

Written by Andrew Allen