A Father Figure

Few public figures have left their mark on Campbelltown like Clive Tregear. As Mayor from 1964 to 1972, Clive became one of the most respected figures in Macarthur politics and would not retire from council until 1980. He was involved in a huge range of community, health and planning bodies. He was devoted to the job and devoted to his beloved Campbelltown.

Clive Tregear was born at Wagga Wagga in 1918. During World War Two he served at Darwin during the attacks there, before being transferred to Ingleburn Army Camp's convalescent depot for medical reasons. He married an Ingleburn girl named Genevieve Kayless.

Clive began his service to council in 1956. Jeff McGill wrote that "he was viewed by many as little more than a left-wing ratbag when he was first elected as an alderman to Campbelltown Council." It didn't take long however for people to start respecting him. Through the early stages of Campbelltown's development, Clive's qualities of leadership were recognised by his fellow alderman who returned him as Mayor for eight successive years from 1964 to 1972. He was enlisted by the ALP and joined Alderman Frank Ward under the Labor Party banner.

Clive wasn't afraid to stand up for what he believed in. This would sometimes get him offside with developers, local press and some of his colleagues. It was his staunch opposition to rate rises however, that kept him onside with the public.

He was also, in some ways, a man ahead of his time. An example of this was how he saved the magnificent colonial terraces at the southern end of Queen Street from being demolished. This action wasn't popular with everyone at the time, but today his stance is looked on with admiration and relief.

Clive is pictured at council's Civic Centre with Harley Daley at the receiving of the new lamp standard in 1966

One of his other qualities was his public speaking prowess. His words were constantly sought at everything from civic events to local school fetes. Some recordings of his voice are kept at the library and from listening to these it is obvious what a great orator he was.

Clive wasn't always in control of things though. One day his dentist, Peter Benson, put him under hypnosis to attempt to ease his pain. Peter told Clive that he was Captain Scott down in the Antarctic. Clive immediately went blue with cold and began to shiver uncontrollably. When his dog walked past, he told him to get that husky out of here!

Some of his other notable achievements included the opening of the new and prestigious housing development of Sherwood Hills (now Bradbury), construction of a new swimming pool and the opening of a new library service. However, it was the declaration of Campbelltown as a city that was probably the biggest highlight of his term in office. This was celebrated on May 4 ,1968, and saw Clive at his best, making a number of speeches and decked out in his finest mayoral robes. Two years later he was prominent again when Campbelltown celebrated the Bicentenary of Captain Cook's discovery. A highlight was the opening of Glenalvon in Lithgow Street as a museum.

It came as a huge shock when Alderman Tregear lost the 1972 ballot to Cec Mulholland. Clive served as an alderman for the following eight years. In 1977 he was awarded the MBE for his outstanding record in public affairs. It was a sad day when Clive announced his retirement from local government in 1980.

Clive Tregear passed away on 5 August 2001 at his home in Ingleburn. His wife Genevieve died in 1996.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Leader, 2.2.1977, p2

Mayoral Minute, City of Campbelltown, 14.1.1977

Macarthur Advertiser, August 15 2001, p2

McGill Jeff 1996
First Citizen: mayors of Campbelltown since 1882

Building Our First High Rise

High rise development in our city is a topic that is currently dividing opinion. The latest controversial proposal is the construction of high rise next to the old CBC Bank and later Macarthur Advertiser building in Queen Street. However the arrival of high rise to Campbelltown dates back to the early 1960s with the building of Campbelltown Council's brash new administration centre. The library has in its collection a number of fascinating photographs of the construction of this building that I wanted to share with you.

The administration centre opened on Saturday, 28th November, 1964. It was easily the highest building in the town and was seen for kilometres around Campbelltown. The design was seen as "providing a strong vertical emphasis to the Civic Centre". Mayor Fraser at the time called it "a symbol of our faith in the future". The first stage of the Master Plan was prepared in early 1961. The first sod for construction was turned in June 1963 and by November the steel frame had begun to take shape. Work continued on through 1964 and by July the building was near completion.

The following photographs show the various stages of construction. They were taken by Jim Waugh. It's interesting to also look at the built environment around the administration building, most of which has disappeared.

This is the earliest construction photo we have in our collection and would've been taken in late 1963. The photo is looking towards Broughton Street. In the background to the right are the old ambulance station and to the left of the construction is the old milk depot. Both buildings no longer exist.

The next photograph above shows workman pouring concrete. These are the days before WHS became an issue! This would be in early 1964. In the background is the milk depot which stood on the adjacent to the railway line in Broughton Street. It was burnt down in 1969.

The above image is looking south west with the railway station in the background.

This one shows a lone worker perched precariously on a steel girder. The view is looking east and shows the old Macquarie Cinema in the background that was demolished in 1979.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

McGill, Jeff 1999
Campbelltown: A modern history 1960-1999
Campbelltown: Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society

Campbelltown Ingleburn News Tuesday, December 1, 1964

Dating a Photograph

 (click on the image for a larger version) 

Campbelltown Library recently received a generous donation of photographs by Sue Dredge believed taken by her relative Garnet Dredge. One of these can be seen above. The photo is taken from a building on Blaxland Road looking east towards the multi-level Campbelltown City Council building.

Although the photographs, including this one, are undated, it is sometimes possible to use clues from the photograph to determine an exact or approximate date. There are clues in this photograph that help us. The council building was completed in 1964 and opened in December of that year. So we know the photograph was taken after 1963. In front of the council building in the photo, and on the other side of the railway line, is the Milk Depot. The depot was closed in 1967 and burned down in 1969. Therefore we can now narrow the date of the photo to between 1964 and 1969.

The photograph has a number of other recognisable landmarks. The Ambulance Station can be seen on the corner of Hurley and Broughton Streets. It was opened in 1960 before the council building, so it doesn't help in the dating. What does assist us however, is the building on the extreme right in the middle of the photo. This was part of today's Court House, although it had a significantly different appearance around this time. Dark brick additions along the main level of the facade were constructed which extended to the side of the building. This work was carried out during 1965 and 1966 and the additions removed in 1995. This therefore dates our photograph to after 1964.

We can now be sure that the image was taken between 1965 and 1969 inclusive.

If anyone else can identify anything else in the photograph that might help date it to a narrower period, I'd like to hear from you!


Written by Andrew Allen

Update

A clever reader has noticed that the railway isn't electrified yet. The electrification of the railway was completed and celebrated on May 4, 1968 meaning the photograph pre-dates this. It is mostly likely the photo was taken in 1966 or 1967.

First Town Clerk

 

                               Thomas Jenner Winton photographed in 1884

It was commonplace for newspapers in the nineteenth century and well into the next to give the deceased a highly complimentary obituary. Although the obituary for Thomas Jenner Winton is lost to history (no copies of the Campbelltown Herald for 1887 survive), existing documents and oral tradition provide adequate proof that this man's character was exceptional.

Thomas Jenner Winton, often referred to as TJ, was born at 'Sugarloaf', Menangle in 1846 to William Winton and Mary Anna Larkin. His parents had migrated from England in 1840. The name Jenner was his grandmother's surname. Not much is known about Thomas's early life. We do know that he was educated  by a private tutor with his Uncle Edward Larkin at Windmill Hill, Appin. In 1868, Thomas married Helen Sophia Nicol at Campbelltown.

                            Helen Sophia Winton (Stan Thomson Collection)

Thomas was bailiff at Campbelltown District Court for several years where he had a reputation as a kind-hearted man who frequently paid the small debts of locals rather than see their homes repossessed.

He was chosen from two applicants for the position of first Town Clerk of Campbelltown in 1882. His friendly advice and opinions and his ability to perform unpleasant tasks in a kindly manner assisted the town through its transition to modern government and won him high praise from the community.

When Thomas died unexpectedly in 1887 Campbelltown was shocked. News of his death sped rapidly around the town and work was 'almost entirely suspended'. His funeral was enormous. The procession to the Congregational cemetery was headed by members of the Oddfellows Lodge, followed by the mayor and aldermen and other dignitaries from the town. The rest of the town followed. James Bocking made the comment that 'A prince in Campbelltown has fallen today'. A marble memorial was erected by public transcription over his grave.

Thomas and his family lived at "Jennerville" in Dumaresq Street. When he died in 1887 he was living at 'Belmore Farm' at Campbelltown. Thomas and Sophia had eight children.

Family of Thomas Jenner Winton outside their house "Jennerville" in Dumaresq Street 1882-1899 (Stan Thomson Collection)

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

LISTON, Carol 1988
Campbelltown: The Bicentennial History

HOLMES, Marie
The Congregational Cemetery
In Grist Mills, Vol.17, No.2, July 2004, pp40-41

There was an old mayor who swallowed a fly...

 
Gordon Fetterplace served three terms as mayor of Campbelltown for a total of seven and a half years. His first term began in 1976 and his last year was in 1992. One of his favourite phrases according to local author and editor Jeff McGill was "good for the town". He always backed anything that would help Campbelltown. He was very popular with voters with his man-on-the-street personality.

In 1985, he was in to his second term as mayor. One day that year he arrived at Hurlstone Agricultural High School for speech day and was walking towards the stage as part of the official party when he accidently swallowed a fly. "Everyone was in academic robes, and everything was very proper, with me walking down in my mayoral robes as the kids got up to sing the national anthem" he said. "Somehow the fly got into my mouth and I just swallowed. But maintaining the dignity of the occasion, I just had to keep on walking and just let him flutter all the way down...it was the most nauseating-and embarrassing-experience of my life. I survived, but I don't know about the fly."

Written by Andrew Allen

 

Sources:

Macarthur Advertiser, 20.11.1991

McGill, Jeff 1996
First Citizen: Mayors of Campbelltown since 1982

Forty Three Years Ago

By now you are probably aware that South Sydney won their first premiership in 43 years last Sunday (this is a touchy subject for this mad Canterbury Bulldogs supporter). Last week I watched a number of news reports that showed what the country and the world was up to 43 years ago when Souths last won the 1971 premiership. So I thought I would look and see what Campbelltown was up to for the week of the 1971 Grand Final by checking out the Campbelltown Ingleburn News for Tuesday, September 14, 1971.

The front page was dominated by plans for Lend Lease Homes to extend the present Sherwood Hills (now Bradbury) housing project.  Plans for lakes and natural open space were high on the agenda. Also on the front page was a photograph of Jo Meyerink with the mayor of the day Clive Tregear. Jo won the Miss Spirit of Campbelltown contest for 1971. In those days the Fisher's Ghost Festival was held in September. Another heading on the front page talked about a "Record Issue" with the paper proudly announcing that this issue contained a record 44 pages!

A large section of the newspaper was dedicated to the upcoming local government elections. A pre-election round up was provided with each candidate promoting their credentials. One thing that struck me was the number of candidates wearing the typical thick coke bottle glasses of that era! The newspaper took a humorous look at the election with page 12 describing the field for the "1971 Campbelltown Stakes". One such horse was Yvonne Bentley (by Big Effort from Likeable Lass). She was described as a petite filly having her first run in this event.

Also making news was the appointment of B.P. McDonald as the new Town Clerk for Campbelltown Council. Four pages of the paper was given to the 125th anniversary of the Methodist Church in Oxley Street, Campbelltown.

Another headline that jumped out at me was a remark made by a Mr P.H. Morton M.L.A. accusing State Member for Campbelltown Cliff Mallam of being a "first class coward". Morton was annoyed that Mallam "talked about a letter but didn't have the guts to lay it on the table of the house". The matter concerned the sale of Campbelltown Golf Course.

Some of the advertisements are interesting and occasionally amusing. Burrows and Hawthorne Photographers advertised children's portraits in colour for only 48 cents. You could also buy a leg of lamb from Coles New World for $1.59! Or perhaps a tub of Eta margarine for 33 cents.

While Souths were preparing to take on St George that week, a last minute field goal to the Campbelltown Kangaroos at Duguid Oval against the RSL Warriors sent them into the Group 6 Grand Final.

So completed a busy news week in Campbelltown 43 years ago.

"M.A.S.H." Float in Fisher's Ghost Parade on 4 September, 1971 (Hugh Bairnsfather Collection)

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

Campbelltown-Ingleburn News 14 September, 1971

Fred Sheather

Fred Sheather must surely hold the Australian record for years served as Town Clerk for one council. Remarkably, Fred served as Town Clerk for Campbelltown Council for the years 1901 to 1927 and then again from 1929 to 1944- a combined total of 41 years of service.

Fred Sheather was born at Mittagong (some sources claim Berrima) on July 9, 1875. He was the second son of Charles and Elizabeth Sheather. Fred came to Campbelltown in 1896 and joined the staff of the Campbelltown Herald managed by Joseph McGlynn. His long and dedicated service to the Campbelltown community began immediately upon his arrival. From 1896 to 1900 he was the secretary of the local Picnic Racing Club.

Fred married Ruth Pett in 1901 at St Peters Anglican Church and they produced 6 children: 3 boys and 3 girls. Ruth and Fred were to form a long and loving marriage until Ruth died in 1952.

That same year Fred began his role of Town Clerk for council, replacing Alexander Munro. He was most successful in that role. In 1921 to mark 20 years in that position, a function was put on by prominent people of the town. Former mayor Fred Moore made a speech and praised Sheather for making Campbelltown's rates the lowest in New South Wales at that time. Dr William Mawson also heaped praise on Fred and wished him 20 more years in that position (he would serve 21 more!).

In 1927 Fred decided to retire as Town Clerk. In 1929 his replacement left and Fred was coaxed into coming out of retirement. He continued to serve until 1944.

Fred Sheather's involvement in other community activities included president of the local football club, president of the Red Cross, secretary of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows, trustee of the municipal band, president of the Church Committee and life member of the Show Society.

Those who remember him today talk about his friendly nature. He would sit on the verandah of his house in Railway Street and give a cheery hello to passers by.

Fred Sheather died in 1953. Sheather Place in Campbelltown is named after him.

     Fred Sheather c1929-1944

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Campbelltown Pioneers Register
Campbelltown-Ingleburn News 15.6.1953

Dog Saved Alderman's Life

C.J. Marlow was a Campbelltown Council alderman in the early 1900s. He owned a drapery store in Queen Street and was a well known and respected citizen of the town.

Alderman Marlow lived on the Appin Road at Campbelltown. One morning in 1910 as he was making preparations for milking his cows, he was savagely attacked by a bull.  The Campbelltown Herald reported " Rushing at Mr Marlow, the bull caught him between its wide horns and with the unfortunate man pinned and helpless, charged at a tree, and jammed its victim against the trunk. Drawing back a little, the animal made a second rush, Mr Marlow being again crushed against the tree trunk. The length of the bull's horns alone saved Mr Marlow from a fearful death. Retreating a little from the tree, the bull tossed its victim completely over its head, and then commenced pawing at him".

Marlow was at the mercy of the bull when a fox terrier ran up and started barking at it. This distracted the attention of the bull and while it was charging at the dog, Marlow took advantage of the respite to crawl through a gate. Having managed to reach safety, he collapsed.

C.J. Marlow suffered severe injuries but made a full recovery. He later moved to Dulwich Hill and died at Bowral in 1916 aged 65. His son Percy Marlow became mayor of Campbelltown and served three terms.

Apparently the bull had been regarded as a quiet animal. It is not known what reward the little fox terrier received for saving C.J.'s life.

            Above is C.J. Marlow shortly before he died in 1916

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

Evening News, 1st November 1910

Kathleen Whitten - Our First Woman Mayor

She has been referred to as a headline generator, a mould-breaker and a trailblazer, elected as mayor of Campbelltown at the end of 1961, Alderman Kath Whitten became the first woman to ever hold that position.

The idea of a woman holding such a senior rank dismayed many men and they made no secret of the fact that she had been elected because of a tactical mistake, the result of a political tug of war between council’s two most influential men, Greg Percival and Clive Tregear.

Nonetheless the new Mayor proved both talented and capable and the public grew to be proud of their “novelty” mayor, her biggest problem was winning over her colleagues.

There was friction from the start between the Mayor and her male colleagues, with Council refusing to buy her a better fitting mayoral robe (the existing robe was fitted for a large man and held together by safety pins) so she purchased her own sable–trimmed robe. Sympathetic media coverage of the matter only angered her opponents but her biggest confrontation was to be with councilor Guy Marsden over Government plans for Campbelltown to become a “satellite city”.

Whilst her one year term included walkouts by aldermen, an unsuccessful vote of no-confidence and the eternal opposition of several key councilors that resulted in a failed bid to regain the mayorship, even her harshest critics acknowledged her dignity and decorum that she showed in office.

Retiring from council in 1971, she remained Campbelltown’s only female Mayor until Cr Meg Oates was elected mayor in 1993.
 

By Samantha Stevenson

 

Opening of Campbelltown Fire Station in Broughton Street including (l to r) Norm Campbell, Mayor Kathleen Whitten (nee Robinson) and Mr Andrews (former president)   

Sources :

McGill, Jeff Campbelltown : a modern history 1960-1999

Local Information Pamphlets

Our First Mayor- A Tragic Ending

Not a lot is known about Campbelltown's first mayor John Ahearn. Local author and journalist Jeff McGill published a book on mayors of Campbelltown in 1996 and outlined what little information there is about him. Jeff wrote that "as mysteriously as Alderman Ahearn appeared on the pages of our history, he departed". Now, after a recent telephone call by a relative named Mrs Hobbs, I am able to explain what happened to our first mayor. It was a sad discovery.

John Ahearn was elected as Campbelltown's first mayor in February 1882, simply because he was a newcomer, who had less to do with the town than any other alderman. Most of the new council's members came from old local families with entrenched rivalries. John Ahearn was from nearby Appin and therefore no established faction could grab power.

Alderman Ahearn became frustrated by some of the parochial attitudes he encountered. When a tender for kerbing and guttering was offered he supported a new resident who had a cheaper quote. He was embarrassed however when his colleagues voted for a contract that was more expensive but from an old-town family.

It appeared that John Ahearn would have lost the Mayorship after his first term but the death of his sister forced him to leave the district. His sister Eliza died suddenly and left four children behind. Her husband was W.T. Airey who was also serving on council as an alderman.

John Ahearn was a contractor when he wasn't serving council. He was involved in a number of important constructions throughout Sydney, including construction of the Centennial Park reservoir.

After Campbelltown he completed terms as mayor for Burwood and Auburn councils. He also served as mayor of Mudgee council.

On the 18th of June, 1909 John Ahearn took his own life. He shot himself through the head at his office on the Arncliffe-Bexley tramline, for the construction of which he held the contract. A revolver was found in his hand by his son and another man. John had been depressed at the time. He was buried at St Patrick's Catholic Cemetery at Parramatta. A non-descript headstone marking the final resting place of Campbelltown's first mayor.

 

Written by Andrew Allen 

 

 

Sources:

McGill, Jeff 1996
First Citizen: Mayors of Campbelltown since 1882
Campbelltown: Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society

Sydney Morning Herald, June 19, 1909, p16

Tom Gamble

Tom Gamble was one of the more interesting personalities from Campbelltown's past. Born in Ireland in 1844, Gamble was a devout Irish Protestant who migrated to Australia and arrived at Campbelltown about 1872. He established himself as a prominent shopkeeper and auctioneer and was elected to Council in 1894. A year later he became mayor.

Tom Gamble is standing in front of his shop (second from right) ca 1882.

According to Jeff McGill's research Tom Gamble hated critics. When correspondents in the local newspaper attacked him, Alderman Gamble responded by claiming they "warranted a kicking"- and publicly threatened to do just that! He was a radical conservative who believed cut backs were the way to go and that public works should be contracted out and not done by council labourers.

He was very patriotic and pro Empire which was evident in his rousing speeches. When the Boer War broke out he arranged recruitment rallies. He attracted criticism for his arrogance however and lost his seat on council in 1900. Still, he continued his war rallies, became a busy worker for St Peter's Anglican Church and was appointed a magistrate. He also occupied the position of librarian for the Campbelltown School of Arts.

We get some feel however for the softer side of Tom's personality in a letter he wrote to his father in Ireland while he was mayor. In it he writes to his "dada" about how he is anxious to find out about the health of his "mama" and how fond he is of his 20 month old baby. He describes the tough times he is experiencing with his business and the long hours he and his wife work just to make ends meet. He laments that he is getting old and grey and much stouter than he used to be. There is no hint of the hot headed man that he is reputedly known to be.

Thomas Gamble died in 1923. His obituary is glowing so perhaps the town forgave him for his bad tempered ways. His son Roy became mayor the year after he died.

This image was taken in 1895- the year Thomas Gamble became mayor of Campbelltown.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 August 1923 p10

McGill, Jeff 1996
First Citizen: Mayors of Campbelltown Since 1882
Campbelltown: Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society

Letter in Local Studies Collection of Campbelltown Library 22.4.1896

Campbelltown Town Hall

Many of Campbelltown's important historic events have revolved around one of the town's landmark buildings- the town hall theatre.

The land was originally the site of the Temperance Hall built by James Bocking in 1862 and before this it was owned by George Worrall, the murderer of Frederick Fisher. The original hall had a raised stage with dressing rooms either side and kitchen underneath with lighting provided by kerosene lamps. The local newspaper reported that it was "available to theatrical companies and with piano, for balls, entertainment, etc".

The Temperance Hall was purchased in 1884 by Campbelltown Council and was to be used as a town hall. A fire station was built next door in 1891. Almost immediately it was taken over by Council for the Clerk's Office and the following year a matching facade was added to the town hall. This facade of the fire station and the town hall is decorated in solid late Victorian style, and this is the main character of these buildings.

A free library and reading room functioned from 1886 to 1905 in the area beneath the existing stage. Council meetings took place in one of the upstairs rooms for 60 years up until 1953, when the move was made to the corner of Queen and Lithgow Streets.

One interesting fact about the building is that it was the first in Campbelltown to have electricity connected. This was in 1924 and it apparently bears the official connecting serial number of 1!

Up until 1964 when a new civic centre was constructed, the building was used as a town hall. This included dances, balls and concerts during World War II. Between 1964 and 1979 the building served as the home of the Campbelltown RSL Youth Club. Following this and after renovation in 1979, the theatre group adopted the town hall as its home.

The building has long been associated with numerous ghost stories and the resident ghost is of course named "Fred". Members of the theatre group are certain of Fred's existence and say that he makes cameo appearances when there are few people about the place. Lights turning on and off and footsteps after shows are just some of the antics Fred gets up to.

This photograph shows the town hall and fire station taken prior to 1920.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Macarthur Advertiser April 18, 1979

"History of the Town Hall Theatre"
In "Grist Mills" Vol.5, No.4, 1990 p.65

The Amazing Mary Brookes

Campbelltown's second female alderman Mary Brookes gave an insightful interview to The Australian Women's Weekly in 1974. In the article she explained "I am not conscious of myself as a woman on the Council. The men are real nice to me." Then with a twinkle in the eye she added "I rationalise it this way: they can afford to be good sports, they have had it good for so long."

Mary Brookes was born in Chicago on New Year's Day 1904. In the 1920s she worked for the Chicago Flexible Shaft Company (later to become the Sunbeam Corporation). She is credited with naming the newly developed electric mixer "The Mixmaster" in 1930. Mary and her husband moved to Australia when the company sought to grow the manufacturing operations there. They first lived at Elizabeth Bay but it was on a picnic that they first saw St Helens Park homestead at Campbelltown. Mary explained in the interview to the Weekly "I thought if only I could possess that house I would never see a cold day. It had eight fireplaces." Cyril and Mary Brookes were able to buy St Helen's Park in 1949.

Mary was always kept busy with farming activities at St Helens Park.  She would often be up through the night delivering lambs and later managed the herd of friesians on the property. So fond of her cattle was she, that each one was named; "Teacake", "Buttercup" and even "Faith", "Hope" and "Charity"!

In 1962 she became an alderman on the Campbelltown Municipal Council, a position she held for 12 years. Mary was the second woman ever to be elected to Campbelltown Council. She said in the Woman's Weekly interview "Pushing a trolley in the supermarket I make a point of speaking to everyone I see. It doesn't take a moment to say 'hello honey'. It was undoubtebly this friendliness and hard work that saw her constantly re-elected to council.

Mary "Honey" Brookes died on 13 January, 2001. A park, Mary Brookes Park, in the suburb of St Helens Park is named in her honour.

Do you have any memories of Mary Brookes that you would like to share?

Written by Andrew Allen