Aero Estate

An early housing estate in the area was Aero Estate at Ingleburn. The estate, situated on the western side of the railway line, was also known as Blomfield Estate. The Blomfields were descendants of Captain Richard Brooks of nearby Denham Court. Richard's daughter Christiana married Thomas Blomfield. 

The vacant paddocks were subdivided in the 1920s and marketed as Aero Estate later in the decade. Information about the sales appeared in Sydney newspapers in early 1927. In the Daily Telegraph of 12 March 1927, the following notice appeared under the heading of Subdivisions: Six Estates Offering- Today's Sales and under Ingleburn "Today, at 3pm, Peach Bros. will offer at public auction, on the ground, 850 acres of choice residential and farm land, fronting the main Southern Road and the railway, at Ingleburn. The land for sale is known as the Aero Estate, and is subdivided into one, three, five and acre farmlets, in addition to a number of home sites". Advertisements the next month boasted it was "right at station" and buyers could choose between one, three and five acre lots from 30 pounds.

In 1939 Aero Road, which ran through the estate, became the first road in Ingleburn to be sealed. It was sealed for army purposes from the Military Camp to the railway station.

The estate continued to be developed into the late 1950s. In late 1969 Council announced plans to rezone the entire area light industry. All hell broke loose. Protests and petitions were the order of the day. Local residents who were living the dream on the estate were about to have their lives turned upside down. However, residents were eventually victorious, and the plan was dropped. Only a decade later Council overruled objections and approved light industry.

Aero Road was blocked off and became a minor road. In 1987 a new road bridge over the railway connected with Williamson Road. The level crossing closed, and Old Aero Road was renamed MacDonald Road, in honour of early landholders.

How Aero Estate and road got its name is confusing. According to locals Arthur and Jean Hounslow, around the First World War years when aviation was in its infancy, students from Sydney University used to travel there to use grass sledges. They then started using gliders and once they got used to it, they would sit in the glider and have it projected and come down over the flats over Ingleburn. However, according to Margaret Firth in her 1977 oral history interview, an early model aeroplane landed in a property named Moorland where the estate was later developed. A man and a woman had flown the plane and either a mechanical fault or lack of fuel forced them to land in the paddock. A huge crowd gathered, with "people coming from miles around".

An undated photo of Aero Road below the twin bridges from the freeway (Copyright NSW Main Roads 1929-1984)

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Margaret Firth oral history interview held at Campbelltown Library 23 November 1977

Arthur and Jean Hounslow oral history interview held at Campbelltown Library 23 May 2013

McGill, Jeff et al Campbelltown's Streets and Suburbs: How and why they got their names 1995

Daily Telegraph, 12 March 1927, p10

Kerr, David, Old Ingleburn in Grist Mills: Journal of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society, Vol 21. No.1, March 2008

"Digger" Black

My recent Denham Court cemetery tour covered a former Ingleburn identity Clive "Digger" Black. Unlike everyone else I covered on the tour, "Digger" has no headstone to mark his grave and therefore his final resting place in unknown. "Digger's" story is covered below, taken from notes I made for the cemetery tour.

Clive “Digger” Black is buried in this cemetery in an unmarked grave. About 15 years ago when I started in my current role as Local Studies Librarian, I was asked to locate the grave by his daughter Maureen. I was unable to do this based on what I had to search, including the burial register for the cemetery. His location is still unknown.

He was born in 1913 at Ingleburn. “Digger” lived in Glenham Road (no longer exists but did in ’39- now Williamson Rd) and worked as a milk vendor/ dairy farmer 1935. Brother Oswald was also a farmer. His mother was Agnes Matilda and his father, once a Mayor of Ingleburn, was named Oswald. “Digger” enlisted in the army- in the Citizen Military forces or Land Army in 1941 and was discharged in 1944. He married Teresa Shanahan in 1950.

With his brother Oswald they saved Vincent Butters from drowning in Bunbury Curran Creek in 1924 after Vincent had swung out on a rope into deep water. Vincent hadn’t meant to let go as he couldn’t swim and went straight down. Oswald dived in to drag him to the shore and Clive pulled the lifeless body out from the slippery shore and began resuscitation. First standing him on his head, then rubbing hard and working his arms and legs until one of the boys stood on his stomach and he spluttered back to life. The Black family still have the hand-written thank you letter in their possession.

Digger Black’s dairy was the first to have a tractor in Ingleburn- A Lanz Bulldog. It had to be started by applying a blowtorch to the manifold and cranked with the removable steering wheel. Interestingly, the Lanz agents came at the beginning the war and removed it’s made in Germany label.

He later lived in Oxford Road and then Ingleburn Road in 1964 and listed as dairy farmer. Oswald had moved to Bringelly. Digger was president of the Ingleburn Bowling Club and was a well-known footballer. He was from accounts a sociable man.  He has a park named after him in Ingleburn.

“Digger” Black died from heart complications at Liverpool in September 1966 at the family home at 71 Oxford Road. He left behind a wife and 6 children.

Thank you to Digger's son Clive who provided information and generously donated the above photograph of his father.

Written by Andrew Allen

A Bold Bid

The history of Campbelltown never fails to surprise me. I recently discovered that in 1974 Campbelltown put in a bid for the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Not having come from the area, this was quite a revelation. In fact, at one point, it looked like our town might beat Brisbane in the race to host the games.

There were a number of aspects of Campbelltown's bid that the delegation believed they had in their favour. Firstly, plans were confirmed by Gough Whitlam that a new university was to be built in the city. The university would be used as the Games village should Campbelltown's bid succeed. Adding to this was the investment in vast sums of money by the Federal and State Governments in freeways, fast transit commuter services, and health and recreation facilities. Campbelltown's population was also forecasted to explode with figures of as much as 300,000 predicted by 1980. 

A delegation was sent to Christchurch, New Zealand for the 1974 games to study the staging of the games. There they would promote the town's case. They claimed that the least of their worries would be finding people to fill the seats at any Games stadium.

Campbelltown's bid attracted strong criticism from the Brisbane delegation. Brisbane's Vice-Mayor at the time, Brian Walsh, commented on Campbelltown's efforts, "I think they're getting past a joke. As a general comment, I'd say the Campbelltown group are humorous people who have ceased being humorous". The Campbelltown delegation was not bothered by Brisbane's reaction and not the least bit daunted by the prospect of a David and Goliath struggle with Brisbane. They simply turned the other cheek when Walsh jibed in Christchurch that he did not know where Campbelltown was!

The two main men in the delegation were the Town Clerk Bruce McDonald and the Deputy Mayor Gordon Fetterplace. They were joined by president of the Chamber of Commerce Russell Hayes and chamber member Rod Lawrence. To help promote the bid, a games symbol of Fisher's Ghost was used.

The bid of course ultimately failed, and Brisbane was chosen as the host city. The Brisbane games would be remembered mostly for Matilda, the winking Kangaroo.

  

Above is a sketch of the plan for a sporting complex for the 1982 Commonwealth Games which Campbelltown City Council hoped would be established near the CBD.

Royal Australian Historical Society Conference

 Please see details below for this year's RAHS Conference in Campbelltown

Windows into Local History

Campbelltown Catholic Club, 26–27 October 2024

Local history, with its intimate view of the past, is a key to understanding the interconnectedness of history at all levels. It reveals how global and national events have shaped local communities and how local events have contributed to the Australian story.

The 2024 RAHS History Conference will be a fantastic opportunity to engage with local history and discover what it can reveal about your community. The conference will take place in Campbelltown, on the traditional lands of the Dharawal People. It is the perfect site for our conference as the region’s rich tapestry of heritage sites, landmarks, and festivals reflects the development and diversity of NSW. The annual Fisher’s Ghost Festival also provides a unique window into how Australians engage with local legends and folklore over time.

We are sure you will enjoy the RAHS Conference program and exploring Campbelltown’s museums and historical sites. 

A native of Campbelltown.

 In a prison cell attached to the historic Hartley Courthouse is carved the words “Michael Lynch a native of Campbelltown” on the door, and on the wall “M. Lynch aged 15 years & 8 months. Aug 12th 1877. Who was this Michael Lynch of Campbelltown and why was he in a cell so far from home and at such a young age? I decided to investigate Michael’s life and was lucky to find a wealth of information about him. 
Michael’s parents were assisted immigrants Thomas and Margaret Lynch. Natives of Tipperary, they had arrived in New South Wales in 1858. Thomas was a farm labourer, and neither could read or write. Their eldest daughter born in 1855 in Ireland did not come with them, she may have died as an infant, but they were accompanied by their next child, Alicia, born in 1856. It would appear that the Lynches came to Campbelltown fairly quickly, as their next child, Ann, was born in Campbelltown in 1858. Ann was followed by James in 1860, Michael in 1862, Thomas in 1865 and Patrick in 1872, all born in Campbelltown. 
At age 12 Michael was placed on board the “Vernon”, a reformatory for boys. Previously a merchant vessel, the Vernon was anchored at Cockatoo Island from 1871 onwards. It housed about 100 boys who were given academic lessons and taught nautical and industrial skills. 

The "Vernon"

Why was Michael sent here? His intake record of 21st April 1875 states “loitering about the streets and public places in Campbelltown in the colony of NSW in no ostensible lawful occupation, and sleeping in the open air”. His mother stated that he had been to school but not made much progress, he was mischievous and dishonest but had good health. His parents were unable to give him much support, they had little themselves and a large family. He was then described as “a cruel dishonest bad boy indeed”. I can’t help but feel sorry for this 12 year old lad.

 On leaving the Vernon, boys were either apprenticed, found employment or sent to situations in the country. It would appear Michael was apprenticed to a man named Morris Lynch of Little Hartley. In July 1877 we next hear of Michael having absconded from his apprenticeship with Morris. Here we gain a physical description of him. About 16 year of age, stout build, 4’9’’ tall (I think this was an error, he was later described as being 5’7” tall), round face, sandy hair cut short, dressed in black coat, black felt hat, moleskin trousers and Blucher boots. A warrant was issued for his arrest by the Hartley bench. Michael had fled to Campbelltown where he was arrested and remanded to Hartley Court House. It was during this time Michael made his mark on the cell wall and door.  I’m unsure of Michael’s eventual fate for this incident, but unfortunately it set him on a path of petty crimes. 

In 1879 he was suspected of damaging a mowing machine belonging to Joseph Terry of Campbelltown and stealing the tools belonging to said machine.  Although being named in the newspaper no warrant was issued. He was then charged with stealing a saddle the same year and sentenced to 9 months hard labour for Horse Stealing. At Bathurst in 1880 he was tried for horse stealing and sentenced  to 12 months hard labour and a concurrent 18 months for another incident of Horse Stealing. No lesson was learnt as Michael was then charged with Forgery and Uttering in Cooma in 1881. This means creating and circulating false documents. For this he was sentenced to 3 years hard labour for each of the three incidents to be served concurrently.

Michael's photo from his prison records.

I’m happy to say that things then began to improve. Michael returned to Campbelltown and married a woman named Mary Cahill in 1891. Mary was working at the time for Miss Hurley of Queen Street. She had had a son already whose father was not named on his birth certificate. She and Michael married in St John’s and went to live at Quirindi for three years where they became parents of Katherine in 1892, and Johanna in 1894. On returning to the Campbelltown area the family moved to a cottage in Menangle. In 1895 son Thomas was born, and the same year Michael again found himself involved with the law, this time on the right side! He was working as a railway fettler and sadly discovered the body of a young woman at the bottom of an embankment about 10 feet from the rails. An open finding was found at the inquest, but no suspicious circumstances were found. The incident was reported widely in the newspapers. Michael and Mary’s last child was born in 1897, Patrick Michael, who would sadly die the same year aged 9 months.

Michael in later years.

Michael built a home at North Menangle and the couple lived there for many years. The home was relocated to Menangle Park. Michael continued to work as a railway fettler until around the late 30s/early 40s. Mary passed away in 1944, and Michael in 1948, still living in the Cummins Road Menangle Park house. Both he and Mary are buried in St John’s Cemetery Campbelltown with their infant son, as are Michael’s parents and a number of other members of the family. 

Written by Claire Lynch (no relation!)

Sources -  Trove, Ancestry, NSW BDM, https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/entity/nautical-school-ship-vernon/

Oh no! Not traffic lights!

In December 1977 the question of whether Campbelltown needed traffic lights was a hot topic. The idea absolutely horrified some residents, with such comments as “Sydney is saturated with these electronic monstrosities” and “let’s not get carried away with the traffic light installations”. There was no stopping progress however, and the lights were given the go-ahead.

The lights were to be situated at the intersections of Queen and Railway Streets, and Queen and Dumaresq Streets. They were installed by the Department of Main Roads and ancillary work such as kerbing and guttering was undertaken by council. On Thursday 8^th June 1978 an electrical engineer made final checks on the system and at the end of June the lights became active.

Intersection of Dumaresq and Queen Sts.circa 1970 prior to traffic lights.
Geoff Eves Collection, Campbelltown City Library

It’s hard to imagine a Queen Street today without traffic lights, but those original locations are still the only traffic lights along the main drag of Queen Street, from Allman Street to Railway Street!

Written by Claire Lynch

Sources - Campbelltown Ingleburn News.

The Rising Sun

There was an inn in Campbelltown, they called The Rising Sun. Not sure if it was the ruin of many a young boy, but the inn itself appears to have had a short life. Many of Campbelltown's early inns had a fleeting existence. Names such as the Sussex Arms, The Welcome Inn and the Hope Inn have disappeared into the mists of time with very few people now knowing their whereabouts. Often roughly built, many succumbed to fire or other natural disasters. Others endured a slow death, perhaps due to changing importance of previously main roads or thoroughfares or development of settlements away from the inn's location. Many, like The Rising Sun, have left little or no trace of their being.

What do we know about The Rising Sun? According to local historian of the early twentieth century J.P. McGuanne, the inn was located on the corner of George and Dumaresq Streets, on 36 and one quarter perches, and that Benjamin Davies/Davis held the licence in 1836. Dumaresq Street now ends at Hurley Park, well short of the intersection with George Street. It has been that way since the development of Hurley Park. Little else is known of the inn, apart from a valuable notice in Trove from the Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser of 3 June 1837. Under the heading of a "Valuable Freehold Property at Campbelltown" the notice continues" The Rising Sun public house, substantially brick-built with verandah front, containing nine rooms and spacious brick-built Stabling and Kitchen; a substantial brick-built House nearly finished, suitable for a wholesale and retail Store; and a substantial weather-boarded House, Verandah front, floored, glazed, and plastered, now occupied as a Butcher's Shop; the whole will be put up and sold in one lot by J. Blackman and Co., on Monday 5th day of June, 1837, at twelve o'clock precisely, on the Premises, at Campbelltown.

Licensee Benjamin Davies went through difficult times from 1836 to 1838. In 1836, he was forced to sell all his stock, mostly haberdashery, at an auction. A few months later he went into business with a man named James Lacy. However, all stock from this partnership was sold five months later again at auction. Then came the above notice of The Rising Sun and other blocks of surrounding land being sold. The next month saw a notice in the newspaper to Benjamin's creditors and then in 1838 a Supreme Court notice to sell all property known as Davies Premises.

However, according to McGuanne in 1920, the hotel was a successful venture. He wrote in his work "A Centenary of Campbelltown" that "Whoever was the last licensee has left so many thousands of empty bottles stowed away in bags on the verandah, that we have concordant evidence of a good business been done". Does this mean the hotel was still around in McGuanne's time or was this passed on from earlier days? The answer is unclear as no maps or photographs of it exist.

No other records can be found. I walked past the site of the inn a couple of days ago. The site is now located in Hurley Park and of course nothing remains. There is no indication that anything was ever there. I was puzzled about why it was here in the first place. To my knowledge, there was very little settlement at this part of the village in the 1830s and no major thoroughfare where traffic would pass through. Perhaps it was built with an idea to relieve the thirst of the weary builders of the newly proposed reservoir in Allman Street? The plot of ground for the reservoir was provided by Governor Bourke in 1833 and work started in 1838. One day more information might come to light.

Approximate site of The Rising Sun Hotel

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

McGuanne J.P. 1920

A Centenary of Campbelltown

The Australian 2 June 1837

The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, Thursday 1 June 1837