Brave Jack

John Rankine Hadden was born on 14 March 1921, the son of David and Janet Hadden. The family lived in a cottage at 69 Dumaresque Street, Campbelltown where David worked as a carpenter. John, known throughout his life as Jack, attended Campbelltown Public School in nearby Lithgow Street.

Jack Hadden is pictured 3rd from left in the front row in this 1932 Campbelltown Public School 5th class photograph

 After school Jack was a member of the town’s 1^st Campbelltown Troop Boy Scouts.

Jack Hadden in 1934 1st Campbelltown Troop (Courtesy Morgan Family)

The Hadden’s lived close to the convict-built Cattle Tank and Reservoir between Dumaresque and Allman Streets. These water conservation structures provided water for the town’s population (including cattle), from their construction in 1840 to 1889 when water was sourced from a different supply. This proximity to the Cattle Tank led to one of the most profound experiences of Jack Hadden’s life.

The Cattle Tank photographed in 1957. Jack would have raced down this track that lead to the tank. Note the water still visible. (Campbelltown City Library)

At 8am on 31 January 1935, tragedy struck the sleepy village of Campbelltown. The Sun newspaper printed the following article later that day:            

GIRL DROWNED

Fell Into Dam

CAMPBELLTOWN Thursday

Betty Humphries, 16, youngest daughter of Mrs Eva Humphries, fell into an old cattle tank dam at the rear of her home about 8am today, and was drowned. Jack Hadden, 13, who had just learned to swim, made a gallant, but unsuccessful, effort to save the drowning child. The body was eventually found in deep water by John Parker, son of Constable Parker. Attempts at resuscitation failed.

Further reports described how young Betty had been having mental issues at the time. The outpouring of grief in the town was immense and her funeral at St John's Catholic Church enormous. The girls of St Patrick's Convent formed a guard of Honour. 

Betty Humphries grave in St John's Catholic Cemetery

So what became of Jack after the tragedy? Not long after, Campbelltown Council made a request to the Royal Humane Society of NSW for Jack Hadden to receive a bravery award in recognition of his attempt to save Betty. The request was successful and Jack received a Certificate of Merit for his actions. Jack was further recognised in October that year when the Scout Association honoured him with a presentation and an award of a medal and a certificate for his conspicuous bravery.  The Town Hall was crammed with about 300 people who danced the night away and played in a euchre tournament. When Jack was lead through the hall, the crowd cheered and a Guard of Honour formed. Everyone that night was very proud of him.

In 1938, aged only 17, Jack signed up for the 1st NSW Royal Lancers. His gave his occupation as an "attendant". Then in 1940, now aged 19, he was transferred to the 2/2 Machine Gun Battalion and served as a Private. The battalion took part in the fighting in the Mediterranean theatre. Jack was discharged from the army in 1945.

Jack Hadden's Army Photograph

The "attendant" that Jack recorded as his occupation when he signed up for the war was probably the same job he recorded after the war- a veterinary attendant. 

On 10 September 1949, John Rankine Hadden married Madge Lyneham at Campbelltown. Madge came from Minto and their wedding was a small affair, with only their parents in attendance. The couple made their home at "Weona" in Kent Street, Minto.

Jack and Madge later moved to 31 Bradman Street, Merrylands and Jack now worked as a laboratory assistant. He was to hold the same job until his retirement many years later.

After Jack’s retirement, the Hadden's moved to Kiama on the South Coast. Jack passed away on 28 January 1998 aged 76 years. Madge was still alive and living in Kiama in 2017. She was photographed attending an ANZAC Day ceremony in the town. It is unknown if she is still alive at the time of writing. 

Madge Hadden is pictured on the right of this 2017 photograph on ANZAC Day at Kiama (Kiamaindependent.com.au)

Update: Madge Hadden passed away at Kilbride Nursing Home in November 2022 aged 97.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

WILLIAMS, Wayne

Scouting in the Campbelltown Area 1921-1970

In Grist Mills: Journal of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society

Vol. 32, No. 1, March 2019

The Sun

31 January 1935"

Swimming in the Cattle Tank and Reservoir

Located in Allman Street, Campbelltown are the historic Cattle Tank and Reservoir. Both were constructed and completed by convict labour in the 1830s. They were regarded as necessary as water supply was a constant problem for both farmers and townspeople living in Campbelltown.

Both the Cattle Tank and Reservoir appear mostly to have had an ample supply of water, even during droughts. So of course one can imagine how alluring they were to the locals on a sweltering Campbelltown day. An interesting photograph in our collection is of "Jack's Day"- a regatta held at the site in 1917. It shows a crowd of people gathered around the Reservoir and a couple of local lads cooling off in the water. The newspaper reported "A band of 20 performers headed a procession from the railway station to Hurley Park, where juvenile sports and aquatic displays in the once tabooed reservoir exhilarated spectators".

The Cattle Tank has also been the scene of drowning tragedies over the years. In 1925 seven year old Leniel Johnson drowned after she accidently fell in while playing with her sister. She had been in the water for 20 minutes before she was found but couldn't be revived. Ten years later sixteen year old Betty Humphreys drowned. She had been suffering a nervous breakdown according to the 'Campbelltown News' and ran from her home in Allman Street and jumped in the Cattle Tank. Despite attempts from a young boy named Jack Hadden, she was unable to be revived. The newspaper mentions a mass of tangled wire and rubbish under the water so the days of a clean place to swim appear to be gone by then.

I interviewed both Jim Summers and David Milliken and they described their experiences of swimming in the Cattle Tank when they were boys. Jim, who was born in 1929, recalls his days of swimming there: "we used to swim in those and when I was a kid they were always full of water. We used to catch fish and eels in the smaller one on the bottom side. The tanks would dry up and you could walk in them. Then they would fill up and the fish and eels would be back, they must stay under the mud." He also went on to explain how there used to be a creek that ran down from the tanks in Allman Street. It ran down to Oxley Street and came out in Dumaresq Street. In the late 1930s council, worried about flooding from the Reservoir and tank, decided to drain water from them. Only a year earlier however, there were plans to convert the Cattle Tank into a 'glorified swimming hole', with preliminary estimates of the cost put at 400 pounds for cleaning out and concreting the tank, plus 5 pounds per refill. The proposal was eventually dropped in the late 1930's after another expert calculated a more realistic cost of 2500 pounds for the conversion.

David Milliken described swimming in there as a kid with whatever was underneath! "Every now and again you would get a bite on your foot from a yabby."

The Cattle Tank continued to be used to water stock as late as 1960. By the early 1960s, both the Reservoir and Cattle Tank were all but dry. Subsequent earthworks for a playing field at the top of Hurley Park radically changed the topography of the site. Although dried out today, both catchments continue to provide recreational facilities for nearby residents- albeit in the form of a cricket pitch or sunken volleyball arena.

 

The photograph above shows the regatta held on the cattle tank in 1917. Note the young boy in the water.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

PEDDELL, Wendy
Conservation Plan Stage 1: Campbelltown Reservoir and Cattle Tank

Campbelltown Water Supply and Cattle Tank: A Conservation Plan

Interviews with Jim Summers and David Milliken held at Campbelltown Library

Bravery Award

In 1935 The Committee of the Royal Shipwreck Relief and Humane Society awarded its certificate of merit to a young Campbelltown lad by the name of Jack Hadden. The award was for endeavouring to rescue Betty Humphries from drowning at Campbelltown on January 31.

According to the Campbelltown News, 16 year old Betty had been suffering from a nervous breakdown and, although she appeared to be recovering, managed to escape her mother's watchful eye one morning and ran to the cattle tank dam in Allman Street. Young Jack, a Boy Scout, just learning to swim, was also at the dam that morning. He saw her jump in and immediately swam after her. He managed to drag her to the stone wall. However, after again slipping back under the polluted water Jack could not hold off her struggles the second time and she once again disappeared under the water.

Eventually Betty was found by the son of a local constable but after an hour and a half of resuscitation, the rescuers failed to revive her. Jack Hadden received much praise from the community, the press and the scouting association. In fact the scoutmaster was so impressed by Jack's heroism he decided to have an award made to him. The coroner too in his report made special mention of Jack Hadden's efforts. He called him a very game little boy.

Above is the cattle tank as it looked for a regatta in 1917 and below is a photograph of Betty Humphries grave in St John's Catholic Cemetery

Written by Andrew Allen