The Varroville Judge

Alfred Cheeke was a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales who once lived at Varroville house. Deeply respected, kind and courteous, Judge Cheeke left an indelible mark on the legal history of New South Wales. Yet it was his love of horse racing that most people recognize or remember him by.

Alfred Cheeke was born 10th March 1810 in England and migrated to Sydney in 1837, having been 'lured by rosy prospects of quick advancement in the burgeoning colony'. Later that year he was admitted to the Bar of New South Wales and made a magistrate in 1838. He went on to hold numerous legal positions until appointed Supreme Court judge in 1865. In these positions his justice, patience and mildness won him public acclaim and his conduct was said to have brought him more friends and fewer enemies than any other public officer in the colony. Despite this reputation, the Empire newspaper wrote in an article under the heading of "The Turfman of New South Wales" about Cheeke that "not one more thoroughly the type of blunt, straightforward Englishman, who, whether he loses or gains by it, will blurt out whatever comes into his head, and often makes a great mistake by so doing". Perhaps someone held a grudge! His most famous case was probably the trial of Henry O'Farrell for attempting to assassinate HRH The Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh at Clontarf in 1868.

Judge Cheeke purchased the Varroville Estate in 1859. While he was there he finished the construction of the third house on the Estate started by the previous owner George Taylor Rowe. It was at Varroville that he established a horse stud, training and breeding horses, and went into partnership with the famous trainer of the day John Tait. A private racecourse was established on the flats below Varroville (see my previous post on this at http://campbelltown-library.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/where-was-our-first-racecourse.html ). Cheeke often used the nom-de-course Mr A. Chaffe. His most famous horse racing accomplishment was when his horse Clove won the first AJC Derby in 1865. He was trained at Varroville. His most successful horses however were Zoe and Zingara.

Judge Alfred Cheeke died at his residence in Darling Point Road on 14th March 1876. He is buried in St Jude's Cemetery at Randwick.

Sources:

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 3 1969

Empire, 3 July 1866, p6

FOWLER, Verlie
Varroville: the estate of Dr Robert Townson
Grist Mills, Vol. 16, No. 3, November 2003, p87

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources

Fruit of the vine.

The Campbelltown area is not the first that comes to mind when considering vineyards and winemaking. Although the Macarthur family was producing wine throughout the first half of the 1800’s at Camden Park, and indeed, took wine to the Paris Exhibition of 1955, other winemakers in the Campbelltown area were also busily trying to grow grapes and produce good wine. 

Campbellfields

Dr William Redfern was transported to New South Wales, arriving in 1801. His good reputation as a doctor gained him a free pardon in 1803. He eventually became physician to Governor Macquarie and his family, and also to the Macarthur family. He was granted 1300 acres in the Airds district near Campbelltown in 1818, naming the property Campbellfields, in honour of Mrs Macquarie.

In 1821 William Redfern went to England, and on his return voyage, spent some time at Madeira, studying the vineyards and wine industry there. He engaged vine dressers and procured vines at considerable expense, and returned to New South Wales in 1824, receiving a further grant at Campbellfields, where he introduced the white grape variety ‘Verdelho’ to Australia from Madeira.

He lived at Campbellfields and devoted more and more time to his farming activities, which included cultivating the vine as well as fine wool and cattle, gradually withdrawing from his medical practice, which he entirely gave up in September 1826. Two years later he took his son William to Edinburgh to be educated. Though he intended to return, he died there in July 1833.

Varro Ville

1811 Dr Robert Townson was granted 1000 acres at Minto and called it 'Varro Ville', after the Roman agriculturalist Marcus Terentius Varro, whose only complete work to survive is the Res Rustica (“Farm Topics”), a three-section work of practical instruction in general agriculture and animal husbandry, written to foster a love of rural life.

Dr Townson was living off his capital since arriving in Australia, and, fearing financial ruin, devoted himself to developing Varro Ville to the exclusion of everything else.  Varro Ville became a showpiece and its vineyard was 'second only to Gregory Blaxland'.  (Gregory Blaxland had a vineyard at Brush Farm on the Parramatta River, taking wine to England in 1822, and again in 1827, the latter earning him a Gold Medal from the Royal Society of Arts.)  After the death of Dr Townson in 1827, Varro Ville was advertised for sale and described as follows “The Estate was the Residence of the late Dr. Townson, and possesses one of the first Vineyards in this Colony, planted with the choicest Grape Trees, together with an Orchard, having a great variety of the best Fruit Trees in it.”

Eschol Park

The original 50 acre grant to Mark Millington was enlarged to 1,300 acres by Thomas Clarkson, who also erected a house on the property in 1817. After changing hands again, it was sold to William Fowler in 1858. He originally named it Eshcol Park after the Promised Land of Eshcol in the Bible, but it was continually misspelt, and is now known as Eschol Park.  William built the existing main house, and in about 1860 erected a three story winery and adjoining still room. He also established a 15 acre vineyard, and within a decade or so, it was producing 2000 to 3000 gallons of award-winning wines. William Fowler sold the property to a Mr Milgate, who continued the vineyard with Fowler acting as agent for selling the wine. The property changed hands again, and was again listed for sale in 1885, with the listing boasting  ‘15 acres of valuable and well-cared-for vineyards in full-bearing’ and ‘in the cellars are nine 700 and one 1,100 gallon casks, besides a large number of lesser capacity; these together with the valuable plant and about 15,000 gallons of wine, varying in age from six years downwards’. Vineyards across the region were badly hit in the 1890s when the Phylloxera disease struck, and Eschol Park was devastated. The suburb bearing the name Eschol Park has its streets named after varieties of grape grown in Australia, as well as wine types, methods and terms, and the early vigneron of Eschol Park himself is remembered by William Fowler Reserve.

Eshcol Park c1870. Photo courtesy of Campbelltown & Airds Historical Society

 

Written by Claire Lynch

Sources:

Wineries in Macarthur – A Historical Perspective by Steve Greaves

Vineyards of Sydney – by Dr. Philip Norrie

Australian Dictionary of Biography   http://adb.anu.edu.au/

Campbelltown City Council www.campbelltown.nsw.gov.au

Trove

Where was our first racecourse?

A few weeks ago I met up with author and racing enthusiast Bob Charley to see if we could locate where the area's first recorded race meeting took place. Former resident and local historian Verlie Fowler's research revealed that "A private racecourse was established on the flat below Varoville" and it was here that the races of 1827 were held in the vicinity of Bunbury Curran Creek. The land remains as open paddocks although partly covered by the Hume Highway. Carol Liston, the author of Campbelltown- The Bicentennial History, suggests that this 1827 meeting was held by Colonel Henry Dumaresq for the Sydney Turf Club.

After a visit to the flats below Varoville homestead Bob and myself came to the conclusion that this piece of land was the only area flat enough to have a race course constructed (see the photograph above). We looked out over the hills surrounding the flat and imagined the crowd roaring for their nag to bring them victory. The Australian reported that "The Campbelltown people had a prime day's sport on Monday. The place was crowded with up-country bucks, from far and near, and all was fun and bustle and activity." The following week, however, the same newspaper hinted at what had been publicised as the first "dead-un" in Australian racing: "The Campbell Town Races, which took place last week, though they were carried off with so much eclat, and afforded so much fine sport, has given rise to some dissatisfaction among many of the sporting gentry, in consequence of Spinks losing the race against Cullen's horse. Spinks rode Hammond's and though, throughout the race, some good judges declare he had not a chance for winning, yet others do not hesitate to call it a cross. A meeting, we hear, has been on the subject, and Spinks has offered to run the race over again, provided a bet, worth contesting for, be made by the owner of the winning horse." Nothing however came of the matter.

Bob Charley is working on a new book on early NSW racecourses. He has been involved in racing administration including Chairman of the AJC, Racing NSW and the Australian Racing Board. He was inducted as an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2001. He has previously published a book called "Heroes and Champions" about the history of horse racing in Australia.

Written by Andrew Allen