Fatal Magpie Attack

With magpie season drawing to an end, I thought it was timely to draw your attention to a sad accident that occurred in October 1954. A three year old boy by the name of Ronald Scott was swooped by a magpie in a paddock near his home in Kentlyn. Ronald and his mother were picking peas when the magpie attacked. The boy was so terrified by the attack that a pea pod he was chewing became stuck in his throat. He was rushed to the local doctor but was dead on arrival from asphyxiation. The pea was later found in Ronald's throat by the local doctor.

Ronald Scott's grave in St John's Catholic Cemetery in Campbelltown can be seen in the above photograph.

Written by Andrew Allen

Who was Simmo?

Have you ever swam at or just seen the signs to Simmo's Beach at Macquarie Fields and wondered who was Simmo? Bob Simmonds was a notorious sand miner along the Georges River in the 1950s. Bob's activities were illegal. The sand he mined was sold for building uses in Sydney and digging for it became a local growth industry. By the late 1960s there was a push to stamp out these dredging operations. Regeneration of the bushland was later undertaken by Campbelltown Council. The Simmo's Beach Recreation Reserve was opened in 1986. It won the Keep Australia Beautiful Council's February Suburban award in that same year.

Written by Andrew Allen

A Day at the Football

This photograph was taken in the 1960s and is of Duguid Memorial Park. The park was used mainly for rugby league and was at the northern end of Queen Street where Sams Warehouse and Officeworks now stand. It was named after Alfred Duguid, a local shoemaker, who was referee and treasurer of the Campbelltown Kangaroos football club for nearly 30 years from 1913. The ground hosted many enthralling games over the years. At one memorable game in the mid-1930s, a supporter fired a revolver into the air to stop brawling spectators!

Do you have memories of watching football at this park?

References:
Campbelltown: The Bicentennial History by Carol Liston (1988)

Written by Andrew Allen

The Coaching House

The Coaching House is one of the magnificent Queen Street terraces that are so synonymous with Campbelltown. The building was built around 1858-1860. Did you know that it was almost certainly not a coaching house though? Confusion arose over the fact that one of the original owners was named Cobb. There is no suggestion that Cobb and Co ever ran coaches along this route. However, the building was at one stage a house of ill repute!

References:

Queen Street Terraces, Campbelltown: Historical Investigation by Carol Liston (1990)

Written by Andrew Allen

Welcome to The History Buff!

The History Buff blog will contain regular posts on interesting, unusual and fascinating stories associated with Campbelltown's rich and diverse history. The blog will be compiled by the local information section of Campbelltown City Library. As well as interesting items about the area's history, the blog will also provide updates on news and activities from the local studies section of the library. Hope you enjoy our posts!