A Jovial Giant Remembered

It was not long after 11pm on the night of 24 July 1979. A group of 14 miners were having dinner in a crib room about 600m underground at a coal mine at Appin when it is believed sparks from a fan starter box ignited a build-up of methane gas. One of the group was a man by the name of Jurgen Lauterbach. I would like to write about his story and that fateful night all those years ago.

My interest in Jurgen's story developed when I came across a number of books in Campbelltown Library's local studies collection dedicated to the memory of Jurgen Lauterbach and his death in the Appin Mine Disaster. The finding stirred my curiosity and I thought I would research the story further. Much of this post comes from information from Jurgen's younger brother Frank.

Earlier on that awful day, Jurgen had made his way from his home at Chester Hill that he had shared with his wife Maia to the Appin Colliery. They had been married for only a year and were soulmates. Jurgen was nine years younger than Maia. Like many who worked there, Jurgen held some concern about the safety of the mine for some time. Still, the job paid well and the financial benefits seemed to outweigh any safety concerns. Jurgen was always a glass half full kind of guy anyway. He was described by his brother Frank as in-your-face- a real can-do person. He stood at 6 foot 7 inches and was always jovial and joking around. When Frank visited the body not long after the disaster, Jurgen still has a smile on his face.

Jurgen's joviality was a remarkable trait considering his background. His 11-year-old brother Udo, described by Frank as a perfect child, died from drowning, leaving his mother devastated. His parents had a strained and combative relationship from that point and his mother went on to become bipolar and abusive. Jurgen was left to virtually raise his two younger siblings on his own. Despite this burden, Jurgen remained positive and ambitious, studying engineering. He was also interested in getting his pilot's licence and dreamed of flying around Australia's entire coastline. Little wonder that Frank, aged ten years younger, idolised his older brother. 

Did Jurgen Lauterbach and his 13 other colleagues die in vain? One positive outcome from the tragedy was the formation of Work Cover, an organisation set up to regulate the state's workplace health and safety. However, on the other side was the fact that following an investigation straight after, no charges were laid, despite two subsequent inquiries into the cause of the blast. The NSW Mining Department also investigated only hours after the explosion. No person was ever fined or gaoled after the incident. A similar tragedy occurred at Bulli in 1965 that left four dead and that also saw no person or company punished- a fact that along with the outcome of the Appin enquiry, left Frank and his family unsatisfied and disillusioned that justice wasn't served.

Jurgen Lauterbach was cremated at Leppington and his ashes moved to Rookwood. He was aged 30. His wife Maia never remarried.

I would like to thank Frank Lauterbach for sharing his story with me and wish him well in fighting for justice and to overcome the mental health battles he has had to endure since the incident in 1979.

Frank is pictured here with his brother Jurgen on the right. It was the last photo taken of them together on Mother's Day 1979. (Frank Lauterbach Collection)

Mayhem in the Main Street

Driving down Queen Street today is an exercise in patience. The battle for the elusive parking spot, traffic lights and speed limits make the journey down Campbelltown's main thoroughfare a painstaking one. The result is very few accidents; something that was not always the case in years gone by. One of the first fatalities resulting from an accident in Queen Street was the death of Thomas Hyndes. On the evening of Sunday, 19 July 1846, Thomas Hyndes was riding with three companions down Queen Street. When he got to the courthouse (site of present courthouse) he started to ride at a furious pace and when he got to opposite the King's Arms (site of present First Nation Real Estate on corner of Queen and Cordeaux Streets) he was thrown from his horse and killed instantly.

Truck and trailer bogged in front of Wilkinson's plumbing business in Queen Street 1926-1932. (Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

On 1 August 1898, an accident occurred in Queen Street in the vicinity of W.W. Lee's store. A horse and sulky owned by Mrs Fowler was standing by, when young Austin Tripp rolled the wheel of a vehicle up the street. The horse took fright and bolted, striking another conveyance owned by Rev. J. Ashmead with considerable force. Miss Ashmead was thrown out of the vehicle but was not seriously injured. The sulky was badly damaged.

A fatal accident occurred in 1926 when James Carroll was driving a horse attached to a sulky along Queen Street when a shaft broke, causing the horse to bolt. The runaway horse and sulky crashed into a cart driven by Aby Adams driving in the same direction. A shaft from the sulky penetrated the rear of the car and went through the lungs of John Adams, the father of the driver. He was rushed to hospital but died soon after.

By the early 1920s, the main street was becoming a dangerous place to navigate. Cattle were still being driven down the street by drovers. A couple of accidents prompted the Council to change the stock route to surrounding streets. Two of these incidents happened in 1921, with one fatal. A young girl was struck in Queen Street by cattle and knocked over, injuring herself. Another accident was fatal. Chun Yueon was killed by a cow that charged at him on Menangle Road near the southern end of Queen Street. Although not in the main street, this accident resulted in the coroner recommending that Council have proper times and stock routes for droving cattle. This lead to a change from droving cattle down Queen Street to running them down surrounding streets, thus avoiding the busy main street. The route was changed a few years later after the Inspector of Nuisances was harrassed by drovers claiming the old stock route was to difficult to navigate. Accidents in Queen Street kept occurring up until 1947. Mary Loftus was desribed as being "hale and hearty" for her age, 75, when a tragic accident took her life. Stepping off the footpath in Queen Street on Christmas Eve at about 8pm, Mary was struck by a truck and fatally injured. She was taken to Camden Hospital where she died not long after. The driver was later cleared of manslaughter.

Written by Andrew Allen

Mayhem at the Crossings

 A hazard that faced motorists from the early years of local travel was the dreaded railway crossing. The area had numerous level crossings that needed careful negotiating. I thought I would detail some accidents at two of these: the crossing on Camden Road at Campbelltown and to the north at Morgan's Gate at Leumeah.

Train accidents and incidents along both the Great Southern Railway line and the line joining Campbelltown to Camden have been common over the years. One such drama occurred to an unfortunate group of horses on 7 November 1861- a date remembered in Australian history coincidentally as the first meeting of the Melbourne Cup, won by Archer. Five fine horses were hit by the 3.30am train and killed instantly. The local newspapers did not refrain from using descriptive language to describe the state of the horses. I will spare you the gorey details!

However, it was at the level crossings that most local train accidents did the damage. In 1895 tragedy struck Campbelltown when two year old Cecil Mortimer was killed by a south-bound train at the Camden Road level crossing. Cecil was the son of the gatekeeper, George Mortimer. A number of people witnessed the accident, but were powerless to do anything. Cecil had crossed the line and was making his way back when he was struck.

In 1923, there was a lucky escape for a family named Korniovsky. When getting over the level crossing at Morgan's Gate, the off back wheel of the car caught against the gate post. The front of the car projected over sleepers. At the same moment the Melbourne Express came round the corner. The occupants jumped out as the train struck, but miraculously avoided serious injury or death.

It took a shocking accident in 1925 for authorities to start planning action on Morgan's Gate crossing. Eighteen year old Irene Scattergood was waiting at the crossing for a train when suddenly one dashed past without warning. Irene suffered a fractured skull and died soon after reaching hospital. Her sister Mabel was also struck, but survived the accident. The following year the Railway Commission announced that a plan and estimates had been prepared for an overhead bridge in the vicinity of Morgan's Gates. Work on the bridge commenced in 1928 and was completed the following year.

Irene Scattergood's grave in St Peter's Anglican Cemetery

Highlighting the urgency for a solution to the Morgan's Gate problem was another accident in 1927. Despite the frantic signals of gatekeeper Charles Hinton, a car travelling along the southern road swerved at Morgan's Gates just before midnight, crashed through a fence and completely overturned the gatekeeper's hut. The car was driven by a W.H.Tayor with seven passengers inside. The car came to a stop on the railway line, causing all rail traffic to be blocked. Luckily, only one person suffered injuries.

Meanwhile, accidents continued to occur at the Camden Road level crossing. In June 1932 Camden man Herb Scott was killed when a car he was travelling in stalled at the level crossing. Mr Scott and the other occupant attempted to push the car off the line when they were struck by the Picton to Sydney train. He was taken to Camden Hospital but died of his injuries. Another accident at this crossing happened in 1938 when a car crashed into a goods train. A driver mistook the light and realised his mistake before it was too late. There were only slight injuries to the occupants.

The road over the railway on Camden Road was finally closed in 1996 after a replacement overhead bridge was constructed adjacent to the crossing.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Cootamundra Herald, 4 March 1938

Camden News, 7 July 1932

Sydney Morning Herald, 30 November 1895

Evening News, 8 August 1927

Campbelltown News, 15 June 1923

Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 1 December 1925

Sydney Mail, 9 November 1861

 

First Accident on the F5

The new section of the F5 freeway from Campbelltown to Yanderra opened on 15 December 1980. The new stretch was opened by Premier Neville Wran, with large queues of cars banked up for kilometres waiting for the opening. The new section reduced travel times greatly, but unfortunately accidents on the freeway still occur. Strangely however, the first accident on the freeway happened BEFORE the official opening. 

On the weekend before the opening, Sergeant Olivera and Constable Bailey were patrolling the new section at the request of the Department of Main Roads. The DMR had been concerned that people may have misused the freeway before its official opening. About 12 kilometres south of Campbelltown, a kangaroo appeared from the grass on the eastern side of the road directly in the path of the police car. Despite braking, the police car was unable to avoid hitting the kangaroo. It died instantly. Damage to the police car was minor and neither officer was injured.

Looking north from the bridge over construction of the F5 Freeway at Menangle Park in 1976. (Trevor Richardson Collection).

Written by Andrew Allen

Source: Campbelltown-Ingleburn News, 16 December 1980, p1

Fined

50 years ago today, this story from the Campbelltown-Ingleburn News:

An Ingleburn man was convicted at Campbelltown Courthouse and fined for negligent driving. Proceeding along Atchison Road, Macquarie Fields the driver decided to overtake the car ahead.
Unfortunately, in doing so he forced a police car, approaching from the opposite direction, to brake suddenly and swerve completely off the road to avoid collision.
According to the accused, he took the course of action because the car in front had braked suddenly.

The driver was fined $100.

The incident was dramatic to imagine but I wondered too about the fine payment without the convenience of eftpos. Back then there were no $100 dollar notes. And in 1970 there were no fifties either! After decimalisation, $50's were only deemed warranted after enough inflation had come to pass and weren't introduced until 1973. The only suitable choices after $20's, if he were flush enough, were these Campbelltown related notes.

Caroline Chisholm

John Macarthur

Or perhaps he wrote them a cheque...whatever they might be.

Sourced from the Campbelltown Macarthur Advertiser, 11 August 1970

by Michael Sullivan

In Memory of Violet

Occasionally in my research I stumble upon a story that tugs at the heartstrings. One such story was an accident that occurred at the St Andrews farm at Minto almost one hundred years ago.

On the afternoon of 10 May 1923, Phillip Gray was cutting chaff on the farm at St Andrews, assisted by his two sons. The chaff cutter was a horse-driven machine, and whilst engaged in the work five-year old Violet Gray walked into the shed without being seen by her father. Phillip was busy working the chaff cutter at the time. Violet reached across for a bag near the chaff cutter. Her frock was caught in the driving-wheel of the machine, and she was hurled around several times before her father was able to stop the machine. Poor Violet's head was injured too severely to be saved by the doctor and she died a few minutes after his arrival.

The Gray's had recently moved from near Robertson in the Southern Highlands. Violet was born at Kangaloon near Robertson in 1917. She was the second youngest of nine children born to Phillip and Ellie (nee Papworth). Phillip died in Iolanthe Street, Campbelltown in 1932 and Ellie died in 1964. All three are buried in St Peter's Cemetery in Campbelltown.

Violet's grave in St Peter's Anglican Cemetery. The dates for Violet are incorrect. She was born in 1917 and died in 1923. Her father Phillip died in 1932 and not 1930 and he was born in 1878 and not 1874.

 St Andrews Farm in the 1960s- scene of Violet Gray's accident in 1923. (Thomson Collection)

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

Sydney Morning Herald, 11 May 1923, p12

Campbelltown Federation Register 1900-1920, 2008
Campbelltown District Family History Society Inc.

Killed by Lightning

It would have been a typically hot and steamy February morning in Campbelltown. By midday on Sunday, February 11 1883, the skies over the small village has darkened and, in a matter of moments, so too were the lives of the Denmead family.

The Denmead family, including parents James and Eliza and their children, had moved to Campbelltown by 1857. It was during the 1870s and 1880s that the family lived at Emily Cottage. James Denmead was a butcher in town and possibly had his shop adjoining the cottage. Two of his daughters living there in 1883 were Emily and her sister Mary.

This is how the Evening News of 16 February 1883 and a number of other newspapers around the country reported what happened that fateful day:

At about midday on Sunday last, while a Miss Denmead was standing at her bedroom window at Campbelltown, a flash of lightning struck the bed in the room, burning part of the curtains and killing Miss Denmead on the spot. An inquest was held on Monday last, when the jury found that the deceased had been struck dead by lightning.

It was poor Mary that was struck. She was only 21, not married and a whole life ahead of her. There have been many stories over the years that claimed it was Emily that was struck, however this is untrue. Similarly, many have believed that Emily Cottage was named after Emily Denmead, but this cannot be proven. There is another story that a retired sea captain lived at the cottage in 1865 and that he named the cottage after his brig Emily.

Emily Cottage taken in 2004

There are as usual, claims that ghosts have been sighted at the cottage. Two girls, an older and a younger one, are supposedly Emily and Mary. As well as claims of seeing a girl at the window, there are also claims of seeing a woman and a young girl dressed in nineteenth century clothing emerge from the back of the cottage, walk to a lemon tree, pick some fruit and return to the cottage.

Emily Denmead would later marry Ted Wearne in 1891. This was a controversial marriage, as Ted was from a staunchly Protestant family and Emily was Catholic. She died in Stathfield in 1944 aged 73.

Mary Denmead was buried in St John's Catholic Cemetery on the hill, along with other members of the Denmead family. (see below)

Next time you are passing Emily Cottage, that much loved icon of Campbelltown at the intersection of Camden and Old Menangle Roads, spare a thought and perhaps reflect back on that terrible day for Campbelltown and the Denmeads.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

HOLMES, Marie
Emily Cottage
In Grist Mills, Journal of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society, Vol. 30, No. 2, July 2017

RENWICK, Manoa 2001
Emily Denmead and Ted Wearne of Campbelltown and Liverpool

Reverend Canon William Stack

William Canon Stack was born in Ireland, eldest son of Rev. Edward Stack, a clergyman in the United Church of England and Ireland, and his wife Tempe Bagot. William was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and was ordained in Ireland.

Reverend Canon William Stack and his wife emigrated to Australia, arriving on the 31^st October 1837 on the ‘Andromache”, taking up an appointment on January 1^st at West Maitland Anglican Church. He was then transferred to St Peter’s Campbelltown in about 1847, where he remained until June 1855, when he was transferred to Balmain. The Stack’s had 13 children.

William was described as having a manly character, earnest in the cause of religion, frank and genial manners, and universally beloved and respected. To all classes he was peculiarly courteous and gentle, yet remarkably firm and fearless where conscientious scruples had to be maintained. He was the first clergyman advanced to the dignity of the title Canon ‘by the suffrages of his brethren’.

Reverend Stack is pictured in the middle row on the right.

For 32 years he fulfilled the duties of his profession in New South Wales. He was constantly moving among his congregation, and visiting the poor and the afflicted. On Sunday June 11^th, he preached on the words “I have glorified thee on Earth, I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do.”. The following day, June 12^th, he and Mrs Stack embarked on a trip to visit their son in Walgett, who had met with an accident that threatened to prove fatal. Early on the morning of Tuesday 13^th, an accident occurred when the wheels of the coach in which they were travelling went into a rut, and the coachman was thrown from the coach. The horses took fright and bolted, and Mr Stack, in an endeavour to seize the reins, was also thrown off. The coach passed over him and crushed him beyond any surgical aid. At the Coroner’s Inquest held on 14^th June, 1871 at Murrurrundi, a verdict was given of ‘died of injuries accidentally received’. His body was brought to Balmain for a funeral service, and then taken for burial at Campbelltown.

Tragedy came to the Stack family when their two infant daughters died. The church burial register recorded: Tempe Stack, 2 years 8 months died 1 June 1852 and Olivia Bagot Stack 4 years 4 months died 17 August 1852. A tablet in memory of the children was placed in the church on 20 December 1852, on petition of the churchwardens. The story passed down by parishioners is that the little girls drowned in the well beside the old parsonage, but, by the two different dates on the register, it was either two separate accidents or one of the babies must have lingered for several weeks. The parsonage, built slightly to the south of the present rectory, was built around 1840 and demolished around 1887.

During his time at Campbelltown, another daughter died and was interred at St Peter’s with Tempe and Olivia, and a son died whilst he was at Balmain and was returned to St Peter’s for burial. With his last words, Reverend William Stack requested to be buried at St Peter’s. His wife Mary lived to the age of 83 and was also buried at St Peter’s.

Reverend Stack's monument in St Peter's Anglican Cemetery

 

 Written by Andrew Allen

A Popular Young Man

In the library's recent cemetery tours, we looked at the tragic death of William Saunders. William's headstone had been flattened by vandals, so it was decided by some enthusiastic locals to get the stone standing upright once more. Led by local history devotee Learna Coupe and with the approval of St Peters Church, William's headstone was raised in recent weeks.

In May 1881, a contract was given for the construction of the tramway line between Camden and Campbelltown, to be completed by January 1882 for a cost of just under 13500 pounds. Generally the line followed the contours of the ground, with one exception- Kenny Hill, where a deep summit cutting was necessary. In August 1881, it was reported that "thousands of tons of stones have been removed" from the Kenny Hill cutting. This part of the construction was responsible for about half of the cost of the line.

The workers lived in a tent village, and among these workers was William Saunders. Young William, aged 18, died in an accident at the "Kenny Hill Quarry" on 16 February 1882. An inquest was held into his death on February 17th, and the cause noted as "death from a blast". William's estate was valued at two pounds. No parents or other family are noted in either his death or burial record, although it was recorded that William was born in Wales, and was a stonemason, hence his work at the quarry. William was buried at St Peters, with a memorial headstone raised by his co-workers. This indicated that William must have been a popular young man.

The tramway opened on 10 March 1882, just 22 days after the accident.

Written by Andrew Allen

A Cycling Tragedy

One warm spring day in 1961 two local boys were doubling on a bicycle coming down Bradbury Avenue. They turned into Lindesay Street and made their way towards Allman Street. The boys were chasing leaflets that were dropped over the town from an aeroplane. The leaflet drop was part of a promotion by the Campbelltown Chamber of Commerce to encourage people from the town to shop in Campbelltown before thinking about going outside the town to shop. The leaflets were numbered and shops were giving gifts to customers if their number matched those within the store.

On approaching Allman Street the boys, Douglas Perryman and William Dowser, became distracted by the leaflet drop and didn't notice a car coming into the intersection. This was when Lindesay and Allman Streets were unsealed and before a stop sign had been erected at the intersection. Both boys suffered severe head injuries. Douglas died instantly and William a few hours later.

This week I interviewed 96 year old Elsie Evans at her home in Lindesay Street. Elsie lives in the same house that she was living in on the day of the accident. She heard the accident and ran out to give help to the boys. Elsie was a trained nurse and sat in the back of the ambulance with the boys on its way to hospital at Camden. She told me "Hank (the ambulance driver) told me you could get in the back. These days look at all the equipment they've got but back then we had nothing". The boys' families were found and taken directly to Camden unaware of the condition of either boy.

The tragedy not only forced Council to erect a stop sign at the intersection but it also changed the attitudes of parents towards their children owning and riding bicycles. Sadly the 'Spring Shopping Fiesta', as the day was known, will always be remembered for one of the town's most devastating tragedies.

This is the exact site of the accident photographed in 2006 by Stan Brabender

Elsie at her home in Lindesay Street in 2018. She was first on the scene in 1961.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Crowley, Julie
'Living on the St Elmo Estates: the story of one man's trust"
In Grist Mills
Vol. 30, No.1, March 2017

Campbelltown-Ingleburn News, September 26, 1961 p3

Elsie Evans Oral History Interview 17.1.2018

A Hazardous Journey

The Campbelltown to Camden train, affectionately known as 'Pansy', is remembered fondly by those who remember her. The train or tram service as it was known, played an important role in transporting people from both towns to their required destination. Its stations between Campbelltown and Camden included: Maryfields, Kenny Hill, Curran's Hill, Graham's Hill, Narellan and Elderslie. How valuable would it be today and in the future if the line was still functioning. From most accounts the service ran efficiently with the only occasional hiccup of the steep slope up Kenny Hill. Look a little further into the earlier history of the line however and a more troubled picture is revealed.

Incredibly, only week after its opening in March 1882 the train experienced its first accident. At about 5pm a train laden with people who had attended a land sale at Camden was approaching the main line at Campbelltown. The train on descending an incline smashed into a number of ballast wagons. Many were injured, including a Mrs Evans of Glebe who suffered the worst injuries.

Only a couple of months later on a dark night, the train was badly damaged after it ploughed into a large pile of logs, deliberately stacked against the line. The culprits or 'cowardly wretches' as the local paper described them, have always remained a mystery. Whether it was an angry farmer or drunken louts is unclear. The driver and passengers thought an animal had been runover. After the logs had been cleared and the train moved on a second obstruction was encountered. Another larger log was left on the tracks. Several passengers then chose to walk into Campbelltown rather than risk their lives further.

Tramcar used on the Campbelltown-Camden line at Moore Park in the 1880s (photo courtesy of Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Accidents continued on the line in the ensuing years. In 1889 a valuable horse was killed on the line near Narellan and forced the engine to be thrown off the rails. A cow was killed by a tram a few evenings before that. In 1903 a gang of men employed on the line were returning one night from Narellan to Campbelltown on a trolly when it collided with a cow on the rails. The men were all thrown violently on to the metal and suffered serious injuries. The fate of the cow couldn't be ascertained!

In 1905 a man's foot had to be amputated after a serious accident. Mr Alfred Clissold was riding on the rear platform on the last carriage. The guard failed to pull the points and the carriage crashed into the buffer stop causing Alfred to lose the fore part of one foot. He was awarded 1000 pounds damages.Two years later the tram collided with a horse. A boy was riding his horse after a cow that had walked onto the line. He didn't hear the approaching train, which struck the horse and threw him on the roadway. The boy escaped with severe bruising however the horse had to be destroyed and a dog following the boy was unfortunately run over by the tram and decapitated.

 

Camden tram stranded by flooded Nepean River at Elderslie in July 1899 (Photo courtesy of Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Further carnage occurred in 1914 when an engine collided with a number of carriages near Campbelltown station, causing injuries to two people. In 1919 the train crashed through a flock of sheep on the line. In 1956 a fatality occurred where the Hume Highway crossed the line at Narellan. A 20 Class engine was struck by a brand new truck. Tragically, the owners had invited two of their friends to accompany them when they picked up their new truck from Sydney. All four occupants of the truck lost their lives. No further dramas appear to have struck after this.

The line closed down in December 1962, with a special journey held on January 1, 1963- the last journey 'Pansy' would make.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

McGill, Jeff 1993
Campbelltown Clippings

Pearson, Malcolm 2013
Recollections of Pansy (The Camden Train)

Various newspaper articles provided by Trove

Eschol Park House

Eschol Park House c 1870 (Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Eschol Park House has a long and colourful history. From vineyards to ghosts to lost Nazi gold bullion, the place has long been a source of fascination. It was built on a grant acquired by Mark Millington in 1816. A small cottage was originally built on the site and can still be seen from the Queen Victoria Ballroom in the main house. The main house was built about 1820 by Thomas Clarkson and then changed ownership regularly throughout its history. The house is a mixture of styles and was added to, in stages. It was built using the ashlar method which is apparent on other houses built by Thomas Clarkson.

A flourishing vineyard was established on the property in the 1850s when William Fowler took over the large landholding.  He called it Eschol Park from the biblical reference to the 'promised lands of Eschol', a place of vineyards. Fowler built the two storey cellar into the hillside south of the house which still stands. He won numerous prizes for his wine.

Tragedy struck the Fowlers one night in the mid 1800s. Young Amelia Fowler, the granddaughter of William, was waiting for her boyfriend to come and get her in a horse drawn carriage to take them to a ball. In her haste she ran down the stairs, catching her foot in the hoops of her dress and fell down the steps, breaking her neck. It is Amelia's ghost that is said to haunt the building. A direct descendant of the Fowler family was attending a family gathering one night. Members of the family were waiting for her to come down the stairs at the end of the evening. However at the top of the stairs she froze to the spot and went into a dazed state. She said later she had gone through an instantaneous regression to the day of her forebearer's death, and could see the footman waiting at the bottom of the stairs to carry her to the carriage.

In 1876 William Fowler sold all of his land to Spencer Milgate. Milgate sold the property two years later to a Dutch photographer who lived there until the end of the century. The property's vineyards were wiped out in the 1890s with the coming of the phylloxera disease. The surrounding land remained as rural hills for many years until the mid 1970s when the suburb of Eschol Park was developed.

During the Second World War, the estate was used as a detention camp to house German Embassy staff. A fortune in Nazi gold bullion was believed to have been buried in the grounds of the property by the embassy staff.  Despite every square metre of the property being turned over, including the immediate grounds and the internal walls, no trace of the bullion has ever surfaced. Perhaps someone will dig it up from a backyard in the neighboring suburbs one day.

In 1991 a Croatian family named Masina purchased Eschol Park House and turned it into a fine wedding reception venue. Historically friendly additions were made to the property. The building, surrounds and driveway have been classified by the National Trust.

The house taken in 1999

Update

Evidence reveals Amelia Fowler was not killed by falling down stairs at Eschol Park House. She died at at a Queensland property known as 'Inkerman Downs' Station.

Written by Andrew Allen

Austin Tripp: A Life Cut Short

I recently wrote an article for Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society's journal Grist Mills on the Tripp family of Campbelltown. The Tripps are probably best known for their garage that once stood on the corner of Queen and Dumaresq Street. Tragedy struck this family one Summer day in 1900 when young Austin drowned in the Nepean River at Menangle. The following is an extract taken from my article about Austin Tripp and what happened on that awful day at Menangle.

Charles and Phillis Tripp’s second child was James Austin, who used Austin as his name. He was born in 1883. Austin was a bright, talented and popular boy who suffered from a speech impediment.

The Freeman’s Journal of 2 July, 1898 wrote about a school concert at St. Patrick’s that Austin performed at. It described how “Master Austin Tripp fairly brought down the house with his comic song, The Broken-Down Masher, his ‘get-up’ was perfect, and the enthusiastic encore he received was fully deserved”.

Austin again made the news a month later, however this time the news was not as happy. On 1 August an accident occurred in Queen Street in the vicinity of Mrs W.W. Lees’ store. The horse and sulky owned by Mrs Fowler was standing by, when Austin rolled the wheel of a vehicle up the street. The horse took fright and bolted, striking another conveyance owned by Rev. J. Ashmead with considerable force. Miss Ashmead was thrown out of the vehicle but was not seriously injured. The sulky was badly damaged.

Austin’s bad luck continued in February 1900 but this time it proved fatal. He was 16 years and 9 months when, on Saturday the 3rd February 1900, he went with his father Charles and a man named Harold Brown at Menangle to fish on the river. They stayed there all night, intending to return home about 9 o’clock next morning. At about 8.15am the next morning Austin joined his father and Brown for a swim in the river. Austin could not swim, so he paddled out in shallow water for about 5 minutes. He went too far however, entering a spot where the river suddenly drops into deep water. Charles was about 20 yards from him and could see his son struggling. He swam across as fast as possible to assist him and by the time he got there he was sinking. He managed to grasp him but they both sank after Austin grabbed his father around the neck and arms. Charles then freed himself, came up to the surface, and again went down, but could not reach him. Brown helped in the search but they could not locate Austin.

After searching for about a half an hour and assisted by two other people nearby, Charles came into Campbelltown and informed the police. Constable Loomes and numerous others journeyed to the spot where the body was recovered at 3.30pm.

News of the disaster reached the town shortly before 11am on that fateful Sunday morning. It was a devastating blow to the people of Campbelltown. Austin was held in high regard and Father Dunne spoke to his congregation about his splendid character.

Austin’s body was brought back to Campbelltown on a wagon. He was buried the following day in St John’s Cemetery. The grief suffered by Charles and his young family would have been unbearable. It was theorised by Harold Brown that Austin didn’t call for assistance because of his speech impediment.

 

 

Austin's grave in Campbelltown's St John's Catholic Cemetery

 

My article and other articles from Grist Mills can be purchased from the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society at 8 Lithgow Street, Campbelltown. Alternatively, they can be viewed in the local studies room at Campbelltown Library.

Written by Andrew Allen

Who was the Macquarie Fields Train Station Ghost?

There's been a lot in the local press in the last week about the ghostly happenings at Macquarie Fields train station. If you haven't read anything about this, here is a link to the Macarthur Chronicle article: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/macarthur/teenage-ghost-girl-haunts-commuters-at-macquarie-fields-railway-station/news-story/6b2b9fb22747a927024aab552d6992c6

The article mentions a possible explanation for the spooky noises and the sightings of a 'young girl wearing dancing clothes, covered in what looked to be blood in her chest area'. The article describes how an Emily Hay Gengeson was reportedly hit by a train and killed along the railway line at Macquarie Fields.

I thought I would do a bit of investigating to find out more about the accident and Emily Hay Gengeson. My research yielded some fascinating results. The young girl was actually a 42 year old woman named Emily Hay Georgenson. She was killed on the Saturday afternoon of 7 July, 1906. Newspaper reports provide a gruesome description of what happened. The Cumberland Argus described how "an unknown woman was run over and killed near Macquarie Fields platform on Saturday afternoon by the train reaching Liverpool at 3.53pm. The line there is a straight down-grade from Ingleburn, and the train, which does not stop before it reaches Liverpool, was travelling with considerable speed. When near the platform, the driver noticed the woman attempt to cross in front of the engine, too near to avert the accident, and the woman was knocked down and run over and literally cut to pieces."

Before the accident, Emily had recently been a patient at a private hospital at Wahroonga. Before that, she had been living with her father, Gifford Georgenson at Darlinghurst. She had been in bad health for a number of months. The reports described how she had been suffering from sleeplessness and melancholia. Her insomnia was so bad that she had to be moved to the hospital or 'lunatic asylum' as some newspapers referred to it as.

On the Saturday, the day of her death, she went to Glenfield to visit some friends. A nurse was sent to be in charge of her and accompany her by rail to Glenfield. Emily required constant watching as she might do an injury to herself. She appeared normal on the train, but after they alighted at Glenfield and the train was taking off again, Emily jumped back on. Her nurse then drove to Ingleburn after her, but Emily had got off at Macquarie Fields. A driver of a train coming from Campbelltown that was approaching Macquarie Fields station saw a woman come out of a tool shed and walk towards the line and on to it. She threw herself down on her knees and the train passed over her.

The coroner ruled that it was not an accidental stumble and that Emily had committed suicide by throwing herself in front of the train.

Emily Hay Georgenson was born on 19 June, 1864 at Lewick, Shetland Islands in Scotland. Her parents were Jean and Gifford Duncan Georgenson. The family, including seven other siblings, came to Australia on 10 May, 1879 when Emily was 14. Gifford was a shipmaster and died at Mosman in 1912.

I'd like to do some more research on Emily. It would be interesting to know where she is buried and perhaps find a photograph of her. Stay tuned for further updates on this blog post.

I wonder, is it Emily's faint crying that can be heard on the breeze at Macquarie Fields station late at night? Perhaps they are cries of a tortured soul that will hopefully one day find everlasting peace....

Written by Andrew Allen

Update: Emily Georgenson was buried at Waverley Cemetery in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Chop Jim Crow

This is not from the Campbelltown area but I thought it was worth sharing. The article appeared in the Campbelltown Herald of November 18, 1903.

At Cobar the other day, J. Farrell, six years of age, was playing with a doll, when another boy named Jim Crow tried to chop off the doll's legs, but instead chopped two of Farrell's fingers nearly off.

Imagine poor Farrell having to explain that for the rest of his life.

Written by Andrew Allen

The Glenlee Train Accident

There was a crack like a 'gun blast' that was heard from Menangle. It was regarded a miracle that everyone of the 73 passengers escaped. The date was March 27, 1961- a date that would be etched on the memories of all those involved.

The accident at Glenlee occurred when the engine of the second division of the Melbourne express, due in Sydney at 10.55am hit the engine of a goods train hauling coal trucks from a siding. The engine and four leading cars of the express left the rails after travelling some distance. The fact that there was a bank above the line to Sydney which is not level with the line from Sydney, prevented the carriages from falling right over and not a window in the carriages was broken.

The other astounding fact, according to the Campbelltown-Ingleburn News, was that the main section of the express engine remained on the line after hitting the huge Garrett engine so hard that it ripped the side out of the front tank and threw it yards into the mud near the signal box. It was so badly smashed that it had to be dismantled and removed in pieces.

Four ambulances from the Macarthur area were on the scene within ten minutes. Within one hour over 30 civilian and army ambulances were present. Ambulance men treated a dozen or so passengers for bumps and abrasions. A relief train from Campbelltown conveyed the passengers to Sydney.

News reports also described how within an hour of the accident the narrow road leading from Menangle Road to Glenlee siding was jammed with cars. Sightseers swarmed around the damaged trains and police had to keep them away from the railway gangs.

Local photographer Norm Campbell was on the scene immediately to take photographs. Below is one of those images.

Do you recall the accident at Glenlee? Were you one of the sightseers? Please let us know.

Train accident at Glenlee showing Sydney-bound passengers from the second division of the Melbourne Express joining a replacement train to continue their journey to Sydney after collision with a coal train on 27 March 1961

Written by Andrew Allen

Source: Campbelltown-Ingleburn News March 28 and April 4 1961

Elizabeth Walsh

I recently came across the following newspaper article from the Sydney Morning Herald dated December 9, 1859: An inquest was held at noon on Tuesday, at the house of Mr Fieldhouse, sign of the Jolly Miller, by Dr Bell, the coroner, on the body of an infant named Elizabeth Walsh, aged one year and eight months. It appeared that on Saturday, the 20th November, the child, who was able to walk about the house, went to the table, and pulled a plate with hot flour and milk, food prepared for her, off it, when the contents went over her face and chest, causing an extensive scald. The burns were deep and they turned gangrenous. Poor Elizabeth died 15 days later on December 5. Dr Bell's verdict was that she "Died from the effects of accidental scalding." Elizabeth would probably have survived today but in the middle of the nineteenth century there was little that Dr Bell could have done to save her life.

Elizabeth was the first of 7 children to John and Mary Walsh. They were married in 1856 at St David's Presbyterian Church in Campbelltown. They later moved to Berrima in the early 1860s.

My next blog post will feature The Jolly Miller Hotel referred to in the inquest above.

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 9 December, 1859 page 3

Dog Saved Alderman's Life

C.J. Marlow was a Campbelltown Council alderman in the early 1900s. He owned a drapery store in Queen Street and was a well known and respected citizen of the town.

Alderman Marlow lived on the Appin Road at Campbelltown. One morning in 1910 as he was making preparations for milking his cows, he was savagely attacked by a bull.  The Campbelltown Herald reported " Rushing at Mr Marlow, the bull caught him between its wide horns and with the unfortunate man pinned and helpless, charged at a tree, and jammed its victim against the trunk. Drawing back a little, the animal made a second rush, Mr Marlow being again crushed against the tree trunk. The length of the bull's horns alone saved Mr Marlow from a fearful death. Retreating a little from the tree, the bull tossed its victim completely over its head, and then commenced pawing at him".

Marlow was at the mercy of the bull when a fox terrier ran up and started barking at it. This distracted the attention of the bull and while it was charging at the dog, Marlow took advantage of the respite to crawl through a gate. Having managed to reach safety, he collapsed.

C.J. Marlow suffered severe injuries but made a full recovery. He later moved to Dulwich Hill and died at Bowral in 1916 aged 65. His son Percy Marlow became mayor of Campbelltown and served three terms.

Apparently the bull had been regarded as a quiet animal. It is not known what reward the little fox terrier received for saving C.J.'s life.

            Above is C.J. Marlow shortly before he died in 1916

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

Evening News, 1st November 1910

Dr William Bell

The bulk of the information for this post comes from the extensive research performed by Lois Sabine from the Blue Mountains Historical Society. Lois spent countless hours researching material for her article on Dr Bell in the Blue Mountains History Journal cited at the end of this post.

Few men have left such an indelible mark on Campbelltown as Dr William Bell. Although he only lived in Campbelltown for six years, his medical contributions helped him earn the reputation as one of the finest doctors the town has seen.

William Bell was born in Newry, Ireland in 1815. He sailed to Sydney in 1839 as Surgeon Superintendent and after arriving established a practice where he offered free consultations for the poor. He then moved to Parramatta and Windsor where he performed more medical work. However Dr Bell soon became insolvent as a result largely of the economic conditions of the 1840s. In fact money problems plagued him for the rest of his life.

Dr Bell wrote a number of medical publications during his life. His first work written in 1849 was "The Settlers Guide" or "Modern Domestic Medicine and Surgery". This book arose from Bell's observation of the need to help the many settlers who lived out in the bush, and who were far away from medical assistance. He also hoped that the book would solve his financial problems.

Bell moved to Carcoar near Bathurst in 1850 and then Orange the following year. In 1854 he had a practice at nearby Sofala on the goldfields. A coroner's report from his time there reported that he had performed a post mortem on a notorious drunkard, a woman who had been missing overnight and was found next day standing upright in the middle of a water hole but when rescued she immediately expired.

In 1855 the miners were moving on from the goldfields and Dr Bell thought Campbelltown would be a good place to move to. He rented a well furnished house that had a surgery, two parlours and three bedrooms.

In 1857 he became a coroner for the area. Using whatever transport was available to him, he was required to reach a body before decomposition set in. The court would then sit at the inn nearest to the incident.

Dr Bell was soon in financial trouble again and became insolvent for the third time in his life. He had run up accounts after buying a piano forte for his parlour, books for his daughters, furnishings and expensive clothes. Perhaps to overcome these financial problems, he wrote and published an essay titled "The Wear and Tear on Human Life" and another one titled "On the Origins, Progress and Treatment of Smallpox". It was however more likely that Campbelltown's healthy population had reduced his income. His business had fallen by 400 pounds from 1858 to 1859. He was charging 1 pound and 1 shilling for a visit and about 10 shillings for medicine.

Despite his financial worries, Dr Bell was involved with a number of committees in the town. Some of his activities included: the formation of a Benevolent Socity, chairman to raise funds for the celebrations for the opening of the railway in 1858, raising funds for the Donegal Relief Fund for the starving peasantry and an inaugural member of the Campbelltown School of Arts Committee.

It was his experiences as a doctor that most fascinated me. A search of Trove revealed some interesting, challenging and distressing calls for Dr Bell during his years in Campbelltown. Some of these included amputating a boy's thumb after a shooting accident, attending to a child after a tree had fallen on him, a girl who had died after falling out of a cart, a 17 year old girl dying after her clothes caught on fire and the scalding of a 20 month old girl who pulled a plate of boiling milk and flour over her. There were many inquests that he was needed for and many of these were as a result of intemperance.

Dr Bell moved to Picton in 1862. He later moved to Ashfield and practised in the city. His health began to decline and he became insolvent for a fourth and fifth time. He was advised to take a holiday to a warm climate but he never made this. Instead he moved back to Picton where he died in 1871. The end had come for a wonderfully talented medical man whose brilliance had touched the lives of many.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

LISTON, Carol 1988
Campbelltown: The Bicentennial History
North Sydney: Allen and Unwin

Dr William Bell (1815-1871): Experiences of a 19th Century Doctor on either side of the Blue Mountains
In Blue Mountains History Journal
1; 2010

Skeleton in the Creek

It's Friday the 18th of June 1920 and Alexander Crowe, a World War One digger, is chopping wood on his farm at the Soldier Settlement near Campbelltown. Crowe's block was on the far eastern boundary of the settlement with a creek running through the rugged portion. As he was chopping wood he saw a curved shape bone lying on the ground. After curiously scouting the ground in the vicinity and much to his horror, found a human skeleton partially dressed in men's clothing lying in the dry creek bed. The police were immediately notified and they began to identify the skeleton.

Initial newspaper reports before identification described the scene. They wrote that the nature of the bones indicated that the man was in the prime of his life when he died. They theorised that the man could have stumbled over the bank of the creek and lain there without attracting assistance. The right knee was dislocated it was also noticed.

Early reports also suggested that the body had been there for around 12 months. Also in the creek bed were six bottles of vanilla essence, three pennies and four half pennies plus some cordial bottles. Police however initially had little to go on to identify the body.

Dr Mawson of Campbelltown then examined the remains. He was of the opinion that they were lying exposed for at least six months, and were those of a young man between 5ft 9in and 5ft 10in high. Several bones were missing and the doctor believed that they were taken by wild dogs.

News of the discovery reached Victor Thompson of Parramatta. He was quickly on the scene and was convinced that the skeleton was of his father Nathaniel.

Sixty year old Nathaniel Thompson lived in Landers Street, Redfern and worked as a cordial maker. He had recently lost a son and was greatly affected by this. One day in February that year he had set out to visit his mother's grave in Liverpool. Before he had left the family gave him three pennies and four half-pennies to take with him. Being a great walker he had decided to walk the journey but became lost as night approached. The Campbelltown Herald went on to explain that "the place where the deceased was found would give every reason to believe that an accident happened, and the death was due to exposure". Further adding support to the son's belief that this was his father was a distinctive broken tooth and a newly soled boot.

This was all I could locate on this story. I find it strange that Nathaniel Thompson would stray as far as the Soldier Settlement at Campbelltown on his way from Redfern to Liverpool.

                         Soldier Settlement, Waminda Avenue, Campbelltown


Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

VINCENT, Liz 1994
Tales of Old Macarthur Country
Picton: Liz Vincent

Bathurst Times, Monday 21 June 1920

Campbelltown Herald Friday 25 June 1920