Leslie G. Rouse - man of the turf

In 1923, "Blairmount" was purchased by Leslie G. Rouse, a well-known racing identity from Sydney. Leslie was born in Mudgee to parents Richard and Mary. His family owned Biraganbil and Guntawang stations at Mudgee, and they had become prosperous through the production of fine wool and beef cattle. Perhaps more important was their reputation as breeders of some of the finest racing and carriage horses in the colony. Their "Crooked R" brand inspired Banjo Patterson when he wrote 'A Bushman's Song', declaring that there were no better horses than those that wore the 'Crooked R'.
Leslie followed in his father's footsteps as a "top notch gentleman jockey" and he rode in amateur races as a young man. He studied to become a solicitor and was admitted in 1894, practicing law in Armidale and Gulgong. In 1897 he was appointed coroner for Gulgong, but his love for horses and horse racing was still a driving force in his life. He resurrected the Gulgong Races in 1899 and acted as handicapper, and was elected as an officer of the Mudgee District Racing Club the same year. The Mudgee Guardian described him as 'a young man with plenty of go'.
Leslie was appointed as a Stipendiary Steward for the A.J.C. (Australian Jockey Club) in 1904, and in order to fulfil this role he sold his Gulgong legal practice. The same year he married Hilda Bowman of Merotherie Station. Leslie devoted himself to the A.J.C. and in 1913 was appointed Keeper of the Stud Book and Registrar of Racehorses. His love of breeding, bloodlines, and racing made him the ideal person for this job, in which he remained until his untimely death in 1928.

Leslie G. Rouse (Photo Sydney Mail 22.6.1927)

Leslie used Blairmount as a breeding establishment for fine thoroughbreds, and he regularly submitted yearlings to the annual Yearling Sales in Sydney. After his death at the age of 58, the stud was dispersed, and the 11 broodmares who had produced beautiful foals for Leslie were sold at the William Inglis & Sons Easter Sale in 1929. Blairmount, perfectly set up for horse breeding, was then sold to Frank Young, who also bred horses, though of a very different type - Clydesdales!


Written by Claire Lynch


Sources:
Trove

Hack Races

What better way to spend an Easter weekend in Campbelltown than to attend a hack racehorse meeting. Run on the course opposite the King's Arms in 1848, a number of races were set down for the Easter Sunday for the amusement of the townsfolk. Each race involved untrained hacks that had never won a prize. When "Jackey" won the first race on the card however there was much speculation over his credentials considering his great superiority over his rivals. Having survived the enquiry, 'Jackey" was declared the winner. The best riding of the day went to Hugh Byrne.

According to "Bell's Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer" the following day witnessed a few sports, such as running for watches, hunting a grunter with a shaved tail, and other amusements, which, coupled with the exhilarating draughts of Tooth's entire, effectually dissipated any appearances of ennui. If anyone can shed any light on what running for watches involves, please let me know!

The day was spent in good humour and it was hoped to run a similar one for the "Whitsuntide" and the next holiday season. For the record, the course opposite the King's Arms would have to have been the site of today's Mawson Park. The King's Arms was on the site of today's City Hotel on the corner of Queen and Cordeaux Streets.

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

Bell's Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer, 29 April 1848, p2

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

Trainer of Champions.

Thomas Payten, or Tom as he was known, was a highly skilful horse trainer, especially of two year olds. Born at Menangle to Irish parents Martin Payten and Mary Connors on April 5th 1855, he was the second of twelve children. He was brought up on his fathers farm, and at the age of 19, he joined Michael Fennelly, trainer for James White of Kirkham Stud, Camden. James White built the lavish Newmarket Stables at Randwick, and by 1881 Tom Payten was foreman there. In 1881, Tom also married Jean Renwick.
When Michael Fennelly died in 1887, James White appointed Tom as his trainer. The Town and Country Journal described Tom as "most trustworthy and a very capable man with a horse".
In 1877, James White had purchased the brown colt "Chester" who, the following year in 1878, would win the AJC Champagne Stakes, AJC Sires Produce Stakes, VRC Mares Produce Stakes, VRC Derby and the VRC Melbourne Cup. "Chester" would sire many Stakes winners for White, including "Dreadnought" and "Abercorn", for Tom Payten to train.

Abercorn, trained by Tom Payten. (Photo - www.sporthorse-data.com)

In 1890, James White sold most of his racehorses, and Tom Payten formed a syndicate to purchase the Kirkham yearlings. He also purchased the Newmarket stables. Tom would go on to become the first Australian to train winners of 200 feature races. Despite his success the venture folded in about 1896. Tom purchased a property at Canowindra for bloodstock breeding, and would continue to breed and race successfully. He sold Newmarket to William Inglis and Son in 1918, and built new stables in Botany Road, Randwick.
On November 5th 1920, Tom died at his home in Randwick, and his third son Bayly William Renwick Payten inherited the Botany Road stables. Bayly continued in his father's footsteps as a horse trainer, and was leading Sydney trainer for most of the 1940s.

Tom Payten  (Photo - Racing Victoria)

Tom Payten was described as having a neat dark beard, with a tall, slightly stooped figure that hardly changed over the years. He was a devout Catholic and a generous subscriber to church charities. Tom was also "brimful of a dry humour" and a great practical joker. He was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2006.

Written by Claire Lynch

Sources
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Australian Stud Book (www.studbook.org.au)
Wikipedia
Racing Victoria (www.rv.racing.com)
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

Campbelltown Picnic Races

This is the souvenir programme for the inaugural Campbelltown Picnic Race Club meeting in 1965


It was Saturday September 25, 1965 and all roads lead to Appin for the inaugural Campbelltown Picnic Race Day at Hume Racetrack. The crowd was enormous with 5,500 people passing through the turnstiles. Mother nature turned on a sparkling Spring day and everyone asked "When is the next one?" The Campbelltown-Ingleburn News reported "Car boots were opened; portable coolers were taken out; in many cases portable barbecues were assembled; lunch baskets were opened; rugs and tablecloths spread out on the ground and the people sat down to dinner in the lovely rural atmosphere."The newspapers heavily promoted the meeting in the weeks leading up to it. The winner of the main race for the record was Dashing Emperor.

The first race meeting may have had a 'sparkling day' but luck was going to run out- in a big way! The race day was to be plagued by bad weather for much of the remaining 23 years that it was held. It started in 1970 when race promoter Diedre O'Dowd called the main race the Fisher's Ghost Cup. It seemed Fred wasn't impressed and Diedre recalled "The rain was so heavy the horses had to swim up the track, so we had to cancel." In 1972 after a rail from the old Fisher's Ghost Creek bridge was used as a finishing post the next four meetings were washed out (see my previous post on Our Ghost Post). Rain again forced it to be postponed in 1978 and the meet was washed out 4 years in a row from 1986 to 1989. Campbelltown Picnic Race Club was to have the worst abandonement record in the history of Australian race clubs. Two farmers from drought affected Ivanhoe in Western New South Wales attended an ill-fated meeting one year. They told the president that they would give the club $10,000 every year if they staged the event in Ivanhoe!

The race day also had its share of race falls. In 1977, a five horse fall in the Fisher's Ghost Cup marred the day. In 1983, tragedy struck when jockey Ted Savage died instantly after his head hit the inside running rail on the straight 100 metres from the barrier. He had earlier expressed his concerns that the horses might have difficulty in negotiating the very sharp turns on the picnic track. There were four other accidents on the track that day.

Despite the weather "jinx" and the tragic falls the picnic race day is remembered fondly by Macarthur people. The last race was in 1989.

Written by Andrew Allen

Melbourne Cup Link

As Campbelltown watched Damien Oliver ride home the winner of the Melbourne Cup earlier this month, I am sure few would have known that Campbelltown had its own cup winning jockey. The winner of the 1868 Melbourne Cup was a horse called Glencoe ridden by Charles Stanley from Campbelltown.

Thomas Charles Stanley was born in 1844. He dropped the name Thomas and used Charles throughout his life. In 1871 he married a local girl named Emma Fieldhouse, who was the daughter of a well known identity George Fieldhouse. George owned the Jolly Miller Inn in Queen Street.

Charles Stanley had a very successful career as a jockey. His achievements included riding the winners of the AJC Derby in 1866 and 1867, the Victorian St Leger in 1868 and the win in the Melbourne Cup in 1868 on Glencoe.

Charles rode for the stable of the famous trainer of the day 'Honest John' Tait. Glencoe was John Tait's second win in the Melbourne Cup. However, he was not an easy horse to train or ride. Glencoe was often referred to as 'a dog' by Charles Stanley who detested riding him. He eventually urged Tait to stop training the horse, which Tait eventually did. Charles rode locally for Judge Cheeke of Varroville.

Charles, or Charley as he became affectionately known, took over the licence of the Sportsman's Arms Hotel. This was on the site of the present City Hotel on the corner of Queen and Cordeaux Streets. He died on February 12, 1914 at his home in Bondi and was buried in St Peter's Cemetery in Campbelltown. He and Emma had eight children.

A capstan Cigarette card of Charles Stanley on Glencoe

A sketch of the day showing Glencoe winning the 1868 cup

Written by Andrew Allen

Friend of the Strays

There is a strong argument for Patrick "Paddy" Hunt as the most colourful character in Campbelltown's history. Over the years Paddy earned the title 'friend of the strays' and became a familiar figure as he searched for food to give the stray cats and dogs of Campbelltown. Locals always knew when he was around by the number of dogs gathered.

Dressed in a navy blue suit and hat Paddy walked Queen Street almost every evening regardless of the weather, searching the garbage cans for scraps to feed the strays. In 1970, the then Member for Campbelltown said "Paddy Hunt was Campbelltown's conscience with regard to the treatment of animals" and "Paddy would go without things himself so that he could have food for his animals."
On one occasion, Paddy was featured in a TV program for his kindness to stray animals.

Paddy Hunt was born in Leichhardt in 1897 and came to Campbelltown with his parents in 1930. He was described as a "natural hard-doer" and worked at odd jobs around the town, particularly gardening.

According to Paul O'Loughlan, Paddy was also a very keen racehorse follower. He would regularly describe an entire race from start to finish and this once included the 1940 Melbourne Cup won by a 100-1 outsider named Old Rowley. He backed it and won a fortune!

Paul also described how Paddy would retrieve half smoked cigarettes from rubbish bins and keep the unused tobacco. He would then add a liquid to it and add it to his tobacco supplies.

Paddy was knocked down by a car while attempting to cross Queen Street one night in 1978. He was searching for scraps to feed the animals at the time. He never fully recovered from this accident and died in hospital on January 7, 1979. During his time in hospital he requested that a bird bath be installed in Mawson Park. This wish was fulfilled and a memorial to Paddy next to the bird bath was erected early that year.

This is the Patrick "Paddy" Hunt Memorial Bird Bath in Mawson Park, Campbelltown

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Campbelltown-Ingleburn News 30.1.1979, 5.12.1978, 9.5.1978
"Campbelltown Recollections: stories from our past" interview with Paul O'Loughlan

Early Days of Horse Racing at Campbelltown

As early as June 1827, a race meeting was held by Colonel Henry Dumaresq for the Sydney Turf Club in the bush near Campbelltown. This racecourse was probably located on the flats below Varroville. In June 1836, a meeting was called at John Hurley's King's Arms Inn to form a committee for a subscription race meeting. A two day race meeting was planned for September. The final event of the programme was a women's race in which six of the local 'lasses', 'exhibiting uncommon good judgement and skill', raced their horses around the track to win a saddle.

By the 1840s, horse racing had become an annual event. Every September races were held on the Campbellfield Estate along Bow Bowing Creek (now Memphis, Nelson and Francis Streets, Minto). In September 1842 the "Australasian Chronicle" reported on the previous week's 3 day race meeting at this course. It described how 'No accident occured, and everything went off satisfactorily. The Campbelltonians enjoyed the performances of the Sydney band, which was in attendance, at night, after the sports of the day; and the young people of Campbelltown will bear in mind until next races the amusing gymnastics of Jim Crow, who was likewise in attendance".

 In 1851, the Campbelltown Turf Club leased 60 acres from John Keighran for a racecourse.

Races were held at Menangle Park from the 1870s. Two railway sidings were built to bring spectators, competitors and horses directly to the track. In 1914, local Alfred Rose Payten designed the three grandstands at Menangle Park Racecourse.

There once existed a racetrack at Leumeah. It was originally known in the 1800s as Rudd's Racecourse. The racetrack was roughly bound by where today's Kingsclare Street, O'Sullivan Road and Beverley Park on the old Rudd Road are located. Alf Cooper, who passed away in 2010, used to do trackwork on it in the 1930s. He would train racehorses that belonged to George Chinnocks. Another local man, Clarrie O'Loughlan, trained trotters on the old racecourse as well. The racecourse later became part of the C.B. King Estate.

                  The opening of Menangle Park Racecourse in 1916


Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

LISTON, Carol
Campbelltown: The Bicentennial History, 1988

FOWLER, Verlie
Reminiscences of Alf Cooper
In Grist Mills: Journal of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society
Vol. 10, No. 4 1997