Christmas in the 1890s

 

W. Wilkinson Collection

This delightful Christmas postcard from our photograph collection is of Queen Street. It was taken by the Sydney firm of Kerry and Co. The shot is taken from near the intersection of Queen and Dumaresq Streets and is looking south. Pictured in the postcard are Charles Tripp's Wheelwright business on the left behind the lamp post, a hairdresser business opposite and the Old Post Office behind it. 

Charles Tripp and his brother Thomas rented this building in 1884. It was later used as a garage after much alteration and served the people of Campbelltown until its demolition in 1966. The hairdresser building continued as a hairdresser for some years after this photo was taken. It operated under the name of Fred Joseph after 1900. It was demolished in 1977. The Old Post Office was built in 1881 and still stands.

Kerry and Co. began operation in 1892, taking over from Kerry and Jones. Given that the name on the hairdresser is different to F. Joseph that took over in 1900, we can assume that the postcard was created between 1892 and 1899.

Written by Andrew Allen

An Interview with Rita

Queen of Campbelltown Competition, 1922. Rita is the queen seated in the middle of the photograph.

In 1977, 73 year old Rita Brunero gave an interview to the library about her life in Campbelltown. The interview took place at her home at 28 Oxley Street. Rita's interview is one of 119 sound recordings that the library has now digitised and is to be made available on the library's website.

Rita Brunero, formerly Tripp, was born in Campbelltown in 1904, the daughter of Charles and Maria Tripp. Her interview provides an insight into what life was like in Campbelltown for a young girl in the early years of the twentieth century. Campbelltown was then a small village and far enough away from Sydney to be regarded as a country town. Life was simple for a girl like Rita but still full of adventures and memorable moments that she recalled with fondness in her interview in 1977.

Rita was there in 1917 for the "Jack's Day" Regatta on the reservoir in Allman Street. She remembered the day fondly. The navy used it to raise funds for the war effort and people would pay to have a turn on row boats floating on the reservoir. Rita made sure she had a turn on a boat. On that same day her younger sister lost her gold bracelet there and Rita, not knowing she had taken it, was devastated when she found out. The bracelet had been given to her by a young man who went to war. The next morning at 5.30am she went back to the reservoir and found the bracelet in the grass!

She went on to talk about the night that electricity was first turned on in Campbelltown in 1926. (1924 ed.) A large crowd including Rita had gathered at the electricity station in Cordeaux Street for the switching on at 7pm. Her family had left the switches turned on and when they returned home they found their house lit up like a Christmas Tree!

In the interview she talks about her father and how he was a pioneer in developing radio (see my earlier blog post on Charles Tripp). He would get her to test the sound by going into a nearby room or on the verandah. If it worked there would be great excitement in the house.

Rita married Leslie Brunero, an Italian migrant who was to establish a saw mill in Patrick Street. She fondly recalled how handsome he was and how nervous she was that her parents would not allow the couple to marry because of his background. If they had not given permission she would have accepted this, as back in those days one never argued with your parents. Fortunately, they took a liking to the friendly Italian.

I hoped that Rita might have discussed the photo shown above of her as Campbelltown Princess in 1921 but unfortunately she didn't. One can imagine the excitement she would've experienced that day too.

Rita Brunero lived the rest of her years in Campbelltown. She died in 1982 aged 78 and is buried beside her husband in St John's Catholic Cemetery.

Rita's interview and the other 119 sound recordings will, in the near future, join our current oral histories on our website at http://www.campbelltown.nsw.gov.au/OralHistories.

I will keep you informed of the project's progress on this blog.

Written by Andrew Allen

In the Name of Progress

Those locals old enough would remember Oxley Street before the bypass went through in the early 1980s. The street was lined with houses instead of the car parks that dominate on the western side of the bypass today. Two such delightful cottages were "Tripps Cottage" on the corner of Oxley and Dumaresq Streets and Mrs Chinnocks' next door in Oxley Street. Both fell victim to the construction of the Moore Oxley Bypass. Luckily, photographs were taken before they were demolished to keep memories of them and their owners alive.

When I came across the photograph above I couldn't get over how much this scene has changed. Replacing this quaint little cottage with its picket fence, shrubs and verandah is an ugly car park. The cottage was removed to make way for the bypass. This photograph is looking south towards Bradbury Avenue.

The cottage belonged to Miss Hannah Chinnocks. She was from accounts a remarkable woman. Born in Queen Street in 1880, she was a cleaner and teacher at Campbelltown Public School from the age of 14 until in her seventies. Her standards were very high with rooms and furniture kept spotless. Pens and pencils found on the floor were invariably swept into the garbage bin, where their owners would find them if they wished. Teachers were also expected to be tidy as nobody wished to be assessed lowly on the Chinnocks tidiness scale. Even the headmaster felt pressured to live up to her expectations.

She was regarded as one of the most effective teachers on staff. Hannah Chinnocks died in Campbelltown in 1957 aged 77. She was the daughter of another well known Campbelltown character and shop owner George Chinnocks.

The photograph above is of "Tripp's Cottage" on the corner of Oxley and Dumaresq Street and next door to Hannah Chinnocks' cottage. The house belonged to Vincent Tripp and later to his brother Charles. Vincent was born in 1899. He at first drove hire buggies for his father Charles and from 1910 conducted a mail delivery to Wedderburn. He then operated a produce store in Queen Street in the 1920s. He was a thin man with restless energy and the eternal fidgets. An avid bowler, he even had a strip of lawn prepared in his backyard to practise bowls.

Vincent's brother Charles Tripp, was known as Lizard. Locals remember him sitting on the toilet with the door slightly open where he would watch people come and go. Occasionally he would yell out to them as they passed. "Tripps Cottage" was demolished in 1982.

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

Holm, Marie et al
Campbelltown 193-1940: Dumaresq Street and Environs, 1985

Charles Tripp- Radio Pioneer

Imagine the scene: its a cold Saturday night in early September of 1928 and a large crowd of Campbelltown locals have gathered outside Charles Tripp's Silver Star Garage at the corner of Queen and Dumaresq Streets. They are all rugged up against the cold to listen to a broadcast of the fight at the Sydney Stadium between the Englishman Kid Socks and the Australian Archie Cowan. But why have they gathered outside a garage in Campbelltown?

Charles Tripp was Campbelltown's pioneer radio buff. He was a member of the Wireless Institute of Australia from 1914.  Radio was very much in it's infancy at the time Tripp became interested. Charles would have learned about radio from two magazines of the period catering for the home constructor- The Wireless Weekly of Sydney and The Listener In.

In 1925, Charles built a four valve wireless set that was reported as a box-like structure. He then fixed a loud speaker on the front door of his garage on the corner of Queen and Dumaresq streets. The speaker was described as a horn type variety. The sound from the speaker could be heard fifty yards (45 metres) away. This attracted crowds who would listen on Friday and Saturday nights to boxing matches from the old Sydney Stadium or to popular serials.

Charles Tripp lived in Campbelltown for the remainder of his life. He died on the 17th of March 1953 and is buried in St John's Catholic Cemetery in Campbelltown.

Charles Tripp's early radio experiments are featured as part of Campbelltown Library's "Creative Campbelltown" display for the 2012 National Trust Heritage Festival. The display will be available for viewing at the H.J. Daley Library from April 14 to 29.

Tripp's Garage on the corner of Queen and Dumaresq Streets in 1940. Ralph's Chemist now occupies this site. Haydon Collection (Local Studies Collection. Campbelltown City Library)

Do you remember Tripp's garage? Let us know your memories.

Sources:

Holm, Marie (Tess) et al
Campbelltown 1930-1940: Dumaresq Street and Environs
Campelltown NSW: Campbelltown City Council, 1985