The Flying Doctor comes to Campbelltown

The sprawling weatherboard homestead of "Glen Lorne" was built in the 1820s on the Appin Road, not far from Campbelltown. In 1936, the house was used to film the movie The Flying Doctor starring Charles Farrell and Mary Maguire and a special appearance by Don Bradman playing himself. Farrell, an American star of the day, and a British crew were imported. The plot revolves around a complicated love triangle, a doctor who falls in love with a married woman and then becomes a flying doctor in the outback. Box office receipts were poor but the film lead to a flood of donations to the flying doctor service. "Glen Lorne" homestead was destroyed by fire on 9 July 1981.

Another old Campbelltown homestead was the scene for filming in November 1969. St Helens Park was used as a film set for the ABC television series Delta. The series starred Frank Thring, John Gregg and Kirrily Nolan and was based on a fictitious scientific investigation unit. Frank Thring attracted the most interest, playing a "sinister anthropologist" who had returned to Australia after living in the wilds of New Guinea. The house and grounds were described as a "hive of activity" during those days of shooting back in 1969.

Written by Andrew Allen

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