The Much Loved Mr Newman

One of Campbelltown's most loved and respected teachers was Patrick Newman. Born in Ireland in 1832 to parents Joseph and Alice, young Patrick arrived in Australia in 1852 on the Herald of the Morning.

Patrick's first connection with Campbelltown came twelve years later in 1864 when he took charge of the Catholic School on Old Menangle Road. This building is known today as Quandong. The very popular teacher attracted students to the school and by 1880 enrolments had reached 140. Then in August 1880, amidst much controversy, the popular headmaster was transferred to Campbelltown Public School. Prominent Campbelltown citizen and politician John Kidd was largely behind the move. Enrolments for the Public School were falling and Kidd was aware of Patrick's reputation. Many Protestant children transferred from the Catholic School to the Public after Patrick's transfer, such was the high esteem that he was held in. The Catholics of Campbelltown were furious at what they saw was a deliberate attack on their school. Despite the protests, the Minister of Education refused to take any action.

The relationship between John Kidd and Patrick Newman became closer on his appointment. This relationship got Patrick into trouble on one occasion however. In 1880, not long after his transfer, Patrick drove Kidd to a political meeting at Narellan because Kidd's horse was lame. As attitudes to public and private morality were demonstrated most clearly in reactions to local schoolteachers, Newman was accused of political bias. Teachers were not allowed to express political opinions. The incident, in reality, didn't seem to affect Patrick's popularity with most of the community.

There are a couple of memories of past pupils of Campbelltown Public that provide an insight into Patrick Newman's term at the school. Cricket was a favourite game played by the boys. Mr Newman would not allow them to drive stumps into the ground, but he did allow them to use a stump of a box tree, after they had chopped the tree down, sawn it into logs and stacked it in his backyard. Can you imagine this happening today! One lesson, which Mr Newman insisted upon, was the identification of various snakes, especially venomous ones, and also the treatment of snake bite. He believed it was necessary because of the bush surrounding Campbelltown and a number of boys went shooting at weekends. He advised them, when going into the bush, to always carry in their pocket a length of string, a knife and a sixpence. In case of snake bite, the string was to be used as a ligature and the knife to scarify the wound. If they became lost and came out near a farmhouse, the sixpence was to be used for a meal and possibly transport home.

He had a reputation of being strict and used his cane frequently. Despite this, he was also considerate, especially to children who often became sleepy during lessons because they had to rise early, milk cows and then walk long distances to school.

By the late 1890s Patrick's formerly neat handwriting had become shaky. He was now in his 70s and had been the leading educational figure in the town for 37 years. Mr Newman eventually retired with six month's long service leave in 1901 to his home known as 'Tara" on the leafy hilltop overlooking the school and town he had grown to love. This house still exists on the corner of George and Condamine Streets.

Patrick Newman passed away on October 19, 1909. He was buried in St John's Catholic Cemetery. He died a year after his wife Elizabeth. Patrick took a great interest in the volunteer force and two of his sons served during the Boer War.

The only photograph I could locate of Patrick is this grainy image below. Taken around 1890, it shows Patrick and Elizabeth on a horse drawn buggy somewhere in the local area.

 

(Watson Collection. Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Burns-Wood, J
Campbelltown Public School 1876-1976

Catholic Press, Thursday 28 October 1909, p29

LISTON, Carol 1988
Campbelltown: The Bicentennial History

Campbelltown Public School
Pamphlet Collection
Local Studies Collection
Campbelltown City Library

Miss McGuanne

It was an unusually large gathering at the Town Hall in 1922 when the people of Campbelltown gathered to honour local teacher Miss Catherine (Kate) McGuanne after forty years of service.

Many former students were among the audience that night, remembering their first lessons with Miss McGuanne as well as the “smiling welcome each morning as they came to school” Mayor Hannaford proclaimed that his old friend had “all her life carried out the arduous task of training young minds” so that they could “take their place in the world.”

The evening opened with children singing, the Wattle, and followed by a cup of Camamile tea for which an encore was called.

Born in 1855 to Campbelltown shoemaker, Martin McGaunne (owner of 284-286 Queen Street, McGaunne House) Miss McGuanne began teaching at her own private school located near the Fisher’s Ghost restaurant. In 1894 she was appointed to Campbelltown Public School’s infants department, teaching there some thirty years before her retirement. She wore ‘four different frocks, black, bottle green, grey and mauve, each with high boned collars done up to her throat. Always, she wore a bonnet with an ostrich feather and had a jacket fastened with frogs.’

After being presented with a gold wristlet Miss McGuanne responded she would not lecture or preach as she had done in days of long ago when their childhood hours were her special care. She instead, thanked everyone for ‘this lovely, this very lovely watch’ and was reminded not only of the present time but of past hours of satisfaction, gratification and “sometimes minutes of misery.”

She recalled the stage where she stood now being filled with the ‘creditable’ work of her kindergarten class during an agricultural show. And then of taking 40 children to Sydney for School Sports and though the day was ‘perfect, crowded with scenes of entrancing beauty’ at home-time the tram filled fast, and a boy, little Walter Carey became separated from them. Arriving at the station the tram emptied and ‘joy of joys there was Walter eating an apple.’

Earlier in her career, a young man of 19 arrived at the door of her school room.
           ‘How do you like me in Khaki?’ he asked.
            She admitted to liking him very well but didn’t know who he was.
            ‘I’m Harvey Edmondson. I came from Sydney to say goodbye before I go to the front.’
It was not the last time ‘bronzed and brawny’ lads would seek her out before going off to the Great War but the two she mentioned, Harvey and Willie Rowe are on the honour roll at Campbelltown Public School.

Though many of her ex-students had good memories, John Cheeseman remembers her differently, “Miss McGuanne was a tyrant and I hated her... She would regularly get me carrying her shopping basket after school.’ John would help deliver the groceries to a corner house on the site of Campbelltown Mall today. ‘Her brother was a real sourpuss too! He just grunted.’

Miss McGuanne always set aside time in the morning for a conversation piece where the class would tell her what had happened at home. John reckons she used this time to find out all the gossip of the town.

If John’s recollections’ seem subjective there is another worth mentioning. ‘I was fidgeting with my pencils in the groove of the desk and without warning she brought the cane across my knuckles and broke my finger. It never recovered properly and I shall always have that as a reminder of her.’

I doubt John was at the town hall that night as the musical entertainment resumed - an action song sung by five junior girls ‘dressed as negresses’ but Catherine McGaunne ended her retirement speech, ‘But why linger? The tale is told. My work is finished.’

Miss McGuanne lived out her retirement, ‘in a shady nook of her garden among flowers and books’, dying on the fourth of June, 1946.

                                                             McGuanne House.

Do you have stories of Miss McGaunne? Perhaps your parents shared an anecdote or two. Please, share them with us! 

Article written by M. Sullivan


Sources: Campbelltown and Ingleburn News Sep 8th 1922
Campbelltown and Ingleburn News Oct 21 1980 p13
John Cheeseman Remembers his Childhood Grist mills Vol 4 No2 Campbeltown Public School 1876-1976
Campbelltown Pioneer Register 1800-1900
Campbelltown & World War One 1914-1918 by Jeff McGill.
Campbelltown : the bicentennial history by Carol Liston.