The Balalaika Cafe

Situated in Queen Street opposite Cordeaux Street in Campbelltown, the Balalaika Cafe was a popular dining venue during the 1940s through to the 1960s. Its popularity existed well before this time however as Jack O'Loughlin's cafe and tea rooms.

My research revealed that a building existed on this site in the early 1900s and up until the mid 1920s was known as Crow's Bakery. A photograph of this building exists in our collection. It shows the bakery located next to a water tower that belonged to the fire station next door in Queen Street.

By at least 1925 the site was occupied by O'Loughlin's tea rooms. I am not sure if by this time the building that housed Crow's Bakery was a different building or not. The tea rooms were described as "A cafe built elongated and low-set of weatherboard and in which soft drinks and small goods were sold. Meals were served on a long table." The tea rooms were a favourite meeting place on Saturday nights, especially with sporting people who gathered on the front verandah. Apparently the next day would see a mass of piecrusts, saveloy skins, peanut shells, cigarette butts, soft drink and an occasional beer bottle all scattered around the place!

Some time in the early post-war years the place became known as the Balalaika Cafe. In 1955 it was bought by the future mayor of Campbelltown Cec Mulholland. Cec and wife ran a successful business until ill health forced him to sell the cafe.

The shop had food window displays, such as sandwiches, and counter displays of products inside to the right of the front door. Out the back there was a kitchen and two bedrooms.

Some interesting anecdotes about the place include the walls having paintings of historical places of Campbelltown such as Fisher's Ghost Creek. There is also a reference to a small library in the cafe that was run by a Mrs. Lloyd. It was like a small community centre where you would exchange a chat or come to pass the time of day. When the new municipal library arrived in 1965 this small library closed.

The Balalaika closed some time in the mid to late 1960s. The building was home to the Bank of NSW by 1969. It is now demolished.

This photograph shows the Balalaika in the 1940s. The sign on the building says Campbelltown Cafe but below this is another sign that reads Balalaika Cafe. (click on the image for a larger version)

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

McBarron, Ed
Campbelltown 1930-40. Patrick Street and Environs.
In Grist Mills Vol.3 No.5, Feb 1987

Campbelltown and Ingleburn News 18.9.1962 and 31.8.1965

The House of Stone

"Osbaldeston" is a bush cottage with low ceilings, built entirely of stones and rock quarried on the property. The cottage on Georges River Road at Kentlyn was built by Tom Barnes between 1932 and 1934 and named after the English town that he came from.

The Barnes family arrived in Australia in 1930 and came to Kentlyn in 1932. They took up 52 acres of land which stretched from Georges River Road down to the river. The family originally lived in a tent until Tom later built a hut of bark, saplings and bags. Tom Barnes then began working on slowly building his stone cottage. He formed a track down to a sandstone quarry, and carried slabs of stone, some individually up the steep track and some in a wheelbarrow.

The kitchen cupboards were made of stone. A bath and wash basin were carefully chiselled out of stone, which was smoothed with cement. The "open air" laundry had tubs and a copper, all chiselled from stone. The laundry area was paved with sandstone. Even the wood box was made of stone!

Osbaldeston still stands today in Georges River Road and remains in its original condition. It is listed under the NSW Heritage Act.

Osboldeston on Georges River Road photographed in the 1980s

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

"Osboldeston"
In Grist Mills
Vol. 2 No. 1, Feb 1984 p6-9

"Smithy" Comes to Campbelltown

Campbelltown was connected in two ways to the life of the famous aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. The first was in 1926 when "Smithy" visited the property of "Springmead", located in today's suburb of Denham Court. After endless research into this visit I have come up with very little information about the day. Photographs in our collection show the aviator in his plane surrounded by scouts from the 1st Ingleburn Group. This must have been a memorable occasion for the owners of 'Springmead' and the star struck scouts that day.

The second connection is through the making of the 1946 movie called "Smithy". An airstrip at Menangle Park that was used during the Second World War was used for particular scenes from the movie. Actor Ron Randall, in his first major acting role, played the part of "Smithy". For two Sundays in November of 1945, a number of locals were selected to be part of the filming at Menangle. Owing to unfavourable weather conditions the screenings made on the first occasion were not satisfactory and therefore had to be re-enacted again on the following Sunday.

 

Of course this was a novel experience for the group. Paul O'Loughlan from Campbelltown was a young lad of about ten when he was filmed. He recalled in his Campbelltown Recollections interview that he was filmed getting in and out of the plane but to his disappointment not required to actually fly in the plane. Further adding to his disappointment was that the scenes that he and the other locals were filmed in were cut from the final version. However the local cinema owner was able to arrange for the removed scenes to be included in the screening at the Macquarie Cinema in Campbelltown.

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in his plane at "Springmead" with 2 unidentified members of 1st Ingleburn scout troop in the background. 



Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Campbelltown-Ingleburn News 30th November, 1945

Paul O'Loughlan interview in Campbelltown Recollections: Stories From Our Past http://www.campbelltown.nsw.gov.au/CampbelltownRecollectionsstoriesfromourpast

Early Entertainers at the 'Catho'

When the Campbelltown Catholic Club, or The 'Catho' as it is affectionately known, first opened on December 5 1968, it meant that the town could finally draw big name acts to fill the entertainment void in Campbelltown. With no nightclubs, regular concerts or cinemas (the Macquarie Cinema had closed a few years earlier), the club was very welcomed by the locals.

The first major stars the club attracted were Little Patti, Judy Stone, Toni Lamond, Frankie Davidson, The Delltones and Slim Dusty. The first really big star was considered to be Normie Rowe, although some of the senior club members thought he was too 'hip' a character to be on stage. Another famous performer was Barry Crocker, who staged his own show on three consecutive nights. In excess of 600 people came to watch 'one of the greatest shows ever performed in Campbelltown'.

However, the early days saw some uncomfortable moments. Barry Crocker caused a stir by swearing mildly on stage, but it was English comedian Dickie Valentine that caused the most outrage. He dropped the F-word into his routine, causing the manager to climb on stage and order him off. This caused national headlines.

No visiting act however caused as much fuss as Winifred Atwell. Winifred first visited the club in November 1970. She was a world-famous US pianist and the people of Campbelltown treated her like royalty. They loved her and she loved them back. She stayed to perform eight concerts and attracted an amazing 2500 people. Chris Thomson, formerly Vardy, who worked at the club at the time, told me in an interview that she was brilliant and made people outside of Campbelltown know that they could come here to see someone known around the world. It, more than any other single event, put the club on the entertainment map. Winifred Atwell later settled in Sydney.

Winifred Atwell pictured in 1970 with board members from the Catholic Club (Campbelltown-Ingleburn News)

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

McGill, Jeff 2004
Campbelltown Catholic Club: King of Clubs
Campbelltown: Campbelltown Catholic Club

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

Downes Department Store

"Downes?, yeah, everyone went to Downes, 'cause it was the only shop. You got everything at Downes". These were the words of a local that I interviewed recently. This opinion seems to reflect most local's thoughts about where you did your shopping from the 1950s to 1980s.

Downes store opened in Queen Street on Thursday, November 1, 1951, when the company took over the Pat Solomons Progressive Store. In 1951 the store was one of four operated by the company and offered only hardware, clothing and software merchandise. The company's managing director was Rex Downes. His faith and foresight in the future of Campbelltown first brought the company to the city.

Rex Downes bought up all available land in the vicinity of the store. He set out also a policy of keeping Downes store "one step in front" of the growth pattern and at times the economic situation. This allowed Downes to present the best possible service "at city prices" to the residents of what was then the country town of Campbelltown.

Downes sold everything from clothes to lawnmowers to homewares. There was also a large menswear department. It had three levels with the top level being the office. Electrical was on the bottom level. The store was located where Spotlight is today.

In 1984 two stages of a $2.5 million redevelopment of Downes were completed. The store became Downes City Plaza. It included Franklin's Supermarket, butcher, ice-creamery and restaurant. The competition from Campbelltown Mall and Macarthur Square eventually led to Downes demise.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Campbelltown District Star
18 November, 1976 p13

Macarthur Advertiser
23 October, 1984

The Man who saw The Ghost!

A great deal has been written about Frederick Fisher, of Fisher’s Ghost fame, but there would have been no story if John Farley had not seen the ghost! There is only a little information about John.

John Farley arrived in Australia in 1812, having been tried at Old Bailey Second Middlesex Jury in 1810 for stealing a quantity of clothing from a dwelling house. He was found guilty and sentenced to life. Transported to New South Wales, aboard the “Guildford” in 1812, he spent the next five years in the service of Governor Macquarie. He petitioned for mitigation of sentence in 1818. John may have received this mitigation of sentence, as he was on a list of persons to receive land grants in September 1818. 
John became a settler, and was described by Rev. Reddall and Major Antill as ‘capable and industrious’. He again appeared on a list of orders for land grants in 1825.
In 1826 John played a role in the mystery of Fred Fisher, being the one to whom the ghost “appeared” thus leading to the finding of the body. Theories abound as to the veracity of this sighting; regardless it has made its way into the history books. It was certainly not enough to scare John Farley away from the district!

By 1828 John and his wife Margaret were prospering on their 325 acre farm on the Appin Road south from Campbelltown. He had also been appointed a Constable.
John Farley was recommended for Absolute Pardon later in November 1837; the same year he built the early colonial home “Denfield”. There is no doubt that John was a respected citizen. He died in 1841, and is buried in St Peter’s Churchyard, Campbelltown. John went to his grave saying he had seen the ghost of Frederick Fisher.

 

Written by Claire Lynch

Sources -

www.historyaustralia.org.au

http://www.oldbaileyonline.org

http://colsec.records.nsw.gov.au

http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au

Library Pamphlet files

A Stroll through St Peter’s Chuchyard Campbelltown N.S.W  by Verlie Fowler

The One-Legged Tennis Player

The library was  recently made aware of a remarkable photograph of a local man playing in a tennis tournament in 1935... using one leg! The man was Fred Morgan from Campbelltown. The tennis tournament was the Lawn Tennis Country Carnival at Rushcutter's Bay.

Fred would play using a crutch which he used under his left armpit. When serving he discarded the crutch altogether. The newspaper reports described his poise as "superb, and he possessed a service which many players would envy. He hops into the court after his delivery, and effects many fine half-volleys and volleys. Needless to say, his balance is materially affected when his crutch is discarded, and this interferes with his volleying". Apparently his strength was his forehand drive.

Fred Morgan was the son of George and Amy Morgan. It was this family that Morgan's Gate was named after (see an earlier blog post on Morgan's Gate). Not much is known about the rest of Fred's life other than he was born in 1910 in Campbelltown, lived in Chamberlain Street and later moved to Manly where he died in 1952 at the young age of 42. In 1936, he was listed as a hairdresser in Campbelltown.

Thank you to Michael Veness for alerting us to the photograph.

Photograph is from the State Library of New South Wales picture collection.

Written by Andrew Allen

Tom Gamble

Tom Gamble was one of the more interesting personalities from Campbelltown's past. Born in Ireland in 1844, Gamble was a devout Irish Protestant who migrated to Australia and arrived at Campbelltown about 1872. He established himself as a prominent shopkeeper and auctioneer and was elected to Council in 1894. A year later he became mayor.

Tom Gamble is standing in front of his shop (second from right) ca 1882.

According to Jeff McGill's research Tom Gamble hated critics. When correspondents in the local newspaper attacked him, Alderman Gamble responded by claiming they "warranted a kicking"- and publicly threatened to do just that! He was a radical conservative who believed cut backs were the way to go and that public works should be contracted out and not done by council labourers.

He was very patriotic and pro Empire which was evident in his rousing speeches. When the Boer War broke out he arranged recruitment rallies. He attracted criticism for his arrogance however and lost his seat on council in 1900. Still, he continued his war rallies, became a busy worker for St Peter's Anglican Church and was appointed a magistrate. He also occupied the position of librarian for the Campbelltown School of Arts.

We get some feel however for the softer side of Tom's personality in a letter he wrote to his father in Ireland while he was mayor. In it he writes to his "dada" about how he is anxious to find out about the health of his "mama" and how fond he is of his 20 month old baby. He describes the tough times he is experiencing with his business and the long hours he and his wife work just to make ends meet. He laments that he is getting old and grey and much stouter than he used to be. There is no hint of the hot headed man that he is reputedly known to be.

Thomas Gamble died in 1923. His obituary is glowing so perhaps the town forgave him for his bad tempered ways. His son Roy became mayor the year after he died.

This image was taken in 1895- the year Thomas Gamble became mayor of Campbelltown.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 August 1923 p10

McGill, Jeff 1996
First Citizen: Mayors of Campbelltown Since 1882
Campbelltown: Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society

Letter in Local Studies Collection of Campbelltown Library 22.4.1896

Epping Forest

In 1810, Governor Macquarie granted two adjoining 100 acre parcels of land to Matthew and John Kearns. It was on this grant that the property of Epping Forest was established. By the early 1820s the land had passed into the hands of William Kearns who was recorded as having lived there in 1823. A house was built shortly after in 1825. The property had improved to include orchards, grain crops and general dairy farming. This house still stands today and is known as Epping Forest.

Epping Forest is highly valuable in terms of heritage significance due to its early date and architectural quality. It is a rare example of a Georgian bungalow from the early colonial period, dating from the 1820s and built by Colonel Parker who had served in the East India Company. Its design reflects the influence of the Indian bungalow on the houses of this era.

The house is made of sand stock brick. It has a symmetrical facade, semi-circular fanlight above the front door, windows with fifteen small panes and solid shutters. The unusual hipped roof verandah is stone flagged, with turned wooden columns and a patterned balance board. There is a detached kitchen at the back of the house.

The property developed into a successful dairy farm and in 1896 a pure bred Ayrshire cattle stud was established by the Clark family. This stud continued until 1960 when it became a mixed herd dairying business.

Today Epping Forest is surrounded by the development of the suburb of Kearns. Attempts were made in 1975 by the Clark family to have the suburb of Kearns named Epping Forest. It was originally suggested that it should be called "Bunbury". 'Epping' means 'people of the lookout place', which possibly refers to an ancient hill fort on a ridge in Epping Forest, England. It was decided by the Geographical Names Board however that this name was too similar to the Sydney suburb of Epping and so the name of Kearns was settled on.

The house is today located in Mississippi Crescent, Kearns.

A sad accident occurred on the property in 1857. A four year old girl named Mary Cullen was struck and killed by a fallen branch from a tree that was being cut down by two farm workers. She was playing with another four year old who was hit by the same branch but not killed. Dr Bell from Campbelltown was called but was unsuccessful in saving Mary's life.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

McGill, Jeff et al 1995
Campbelltown's Streets Suburbs: how and why they get their names
Campbelltown: Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society

'Epping Forest' 1999
Heritage Impact Assessment Proposed Subdivision

This photograph of Epping Forest homestead was taken in 1993 (Courtesy Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Wild Waters

Anyone who lived in Campbelltown in the 1980s would remember 'Wild Waters' located behind Macarthur Square. 'Wild Waters' was an ambitious entertainment park costing $2 million that had an amusement arcade and kiosk, three huge water slides, a double water toboggan aquaskoot and water playgrounds.

Work started on the park in 1982 but was delayed as a change of investors led to a halt in construction. The next year work resumed  and the park was opened with much fanfare on October 22, 1983. Amongst many attractions on the opening day was a special appearance made by actors Grant Dodwell and Penny Cook from the television show A Country Practice.

The project initially provided employment for 70 local people. A further two stages were planned and due to be completed by the 1985-1986 swimming season. The project developers were a company called Jenwell Pty Ltd.

There were hopes that the park would become a major drawcard for the area and attract up to 200,000 visitors each summer. The park had the capacity to handle 1000 visitors a day. It was also to be a place where the youth of the area could spend their time as amusement venues at that time were limited.

However, the park however never really succeeded. In February 1985 an accident involving a young girl falling over the side was negative publicity. The six year old received seven stitches after falling six metres. There was also a story that people were placing razor blades on the slides using chewing gum. However, the main factor was probably the lack of use during the cooler months as the park mainly catered for water activities. Instead of the expected 1000 visitors a day, there was only ever an average of 300 per day and the busiest day in its existence was a crowd of 700.

'Wild Waters' closed on Sunday April 10, 1988. There were plans to relocate it to a block on the Menangle Road but this was axed. The caretaker manager demonstrated his frustration when he said "There is a lot of talk about the lack of facilities in the Campbelltown area but when there are good facilities the kids just don't want to use them. Nowadays kids want entertainment dumped in their laps."

The park was located on the hill above where the service station is now located at the southern entrance to the car park.

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

Macarthur Advertiser: 31.8.1982, 18.10.1983, 19.2.1985, 30.3.1988

 

 

 

Photos showing 'Wild Waters' (Macarthur Development Board Collection)

Witches in Allman Street?

There once stood a fine brick cottage in Allman Street, Campbelltown that both fascinated and terrified locals. The cottage was home to a woman called Susan Merritt and her daughter Sarah.

Susannah Marie Merritt, formerly McGuanne, was born in Campbelltown in 1847. She completed her schooling away from Campbelltown at Ursuline Convent and returned home at 18 years of age. In about 1871 she moved with her husband Frederick Merrett to the Allman Street cottage. Her obituary described her life as that of a "cultured woman living a sheltered life with her books, her birds and her flowers".

Frederick died in 1887 and left Susan at home with their daughter Sarah. The pair kept very much to themselves and never seemed to shop. They wore long black robes and were rarely seen in daytime except when driving the house cow at dusk to nearby Austin Park to have it milked. Apparently children associated Susan and Sarah with witchcraft and were scared to walk past the house at night.

Susan died on January 27, 1935 aged 88. Many heirlooms treasured by her were sold in her later years. A letter of Lord Nelson belonging to her was sold to the Mitchell Library.

Sarah lived on in the house until her death in 1945. Both are buried in St John's Catholic cemetery in unmarked graves.

Those who remember the house recall a fish tank in the front garden, with a large garden on the eastern side of the house, flush with the footpath. The house was on the southern side of Allman Street between Oxley and Lindesay Streets, but closer to Lindesay Street.


Written by Andrew Allen


Sources:

McBarron, Eddie et al, 1985
Campbelltown 1930-1940: Dumaresq Street and Environs
Campbelltown: Campbelltown City Council

Campbelltown-Ingleburn News, February 8, 1935

New Milestones Book

We recently acquired a new book for our local studies collection called Discovering Australia's Historical Milemarkers and Boundary Stones by Robert and Sandra Crofts. This interesting book has a chapter on milestones between Liverpool and Campbelltown. Descriptions are given to the remaining 8 markers (originally 13) that were erected in 1854. In 1987 the Campbelltown series of milestones were listed by the National Trust.

The photograph of the milestone above was taken on Campbelltown Road in 1980

A Tale of Two Ladies.

The first lady of this tale is the Lady Penrhyn, one of the convict transports of the First Fleet. She was a wooden cargo vessel built in 1786, and named for the wife of Lord Penrhyn, Lady Ann Susannah. She was charted by the Navy as a First Fleet vessel, bound for Botany Bay.

She had no sea time prior to her departure, and was fitted out in Deptford for her run. She had on board the largest number of female convicts, as well as a large company of men in charge of the voyage.
The female convicts were delivered to the ship beginning in early January, from Newgate and Southwark jails, and country prisons. The ships of the fleet were assembled at Spithead, Portsmouth in March 1787, and at daybreak on the 13th March 1787 set sail. In Cape Town the Lady Penrhyn took aboard the first horses to come to Australia. One stallion, three mares and three colts were bound for New South Wales. Some difficulties on the voyage were encountered, amongst both convicts and seamen. Lady Penrhyn was also slower than the other ships, but all the ships of the fleet entered Botany Bay Harbour on 20^th January 1788.

(Picture - http://www.firstlanding.com.au/1st_fleet_ships_of.htm)

 

The second lady of this tale began her life aboard the Lady Penrhyn. Henrietta, born to the convict Jane Langley, arrived on 23^rd October 1787, whilst the ship was in Capetown Harbour. The ships surgeon was not present at the birth, although it is likely that one of the three midwives among the convicts was. Poor Henrietta was recorded as male in the surgeon’s log, but she was accurately recorded in the ship’s log. Her baptism took place on board ship on the 4^th November 1787, by Rev. Richard Johnson. There is some doubt about her paternity.

Little Henrietta arrived on the shores of Port Jackson 6^th February 1788. The first two years in the colony were very hard, with famine taking its toll. Five surviving children and their mothers were sent to Norfolk Island aboard the ship Sirius. At great peril they were landed at Cascade Bay, but the not so lucky Sirius was shipwrecked on the rocks that night. During the five years that Henrietta lived on Norfolk Island, her mother married Thomas Chipp – a marine. The family returned to Sydney Town. Life was tough in those early days and Henrietta referred in her letters as being in “the Orphan School’. The family was also on record as being “on stores” in 1904, the equivalent of social security.

At age 19, Henrietta was married on 23^rd March 1807, to the convict Edward Fletcher. On the grounds that she had been an inmate of the Orphan School, Henrietta applied for a land grant and a cow, and was granted 30 acres south of today’s Warwick Farm. Governor Macquarie revoked all land grants made by the Rum Corps after the overthrow of Governor Bligh, but Henrietta re-applied and was re-granted the same land. Thomas Moore wanted this grant, but probably helped Henrietta to receive a grant at Upper Minto (Elderslie), plus an extra 10 acres, which became known as Fletcher’s Farm. Edward worked the farm, as well as being appointed District Constable and Gaoler of Upper Minto, and later Chief Constable of the District of Camden. For this he was granted fifty acres of land, where the Mount Annan Gardens are today. Emma and Edward had six children all of whom were born in either Campbelltown or Cowpastures, or on the farm.

Henrietta’s health had declined over the years, and at the time of her death aged 41 (in 1828), she was blind and crippled. Edward would go on to live to 76 years of age. She was described as “an exceedingly reputable woman who bestowed great pains in bringing up her children”. Although she never lived to see them, she left a legacy of 36 grandchildren. She is buried, with Edward, in St Peter’s cemetery, Campbelltown, and has a First Fleeter’s plaque on her headstone. A remarkable if short life.

 

 

And our other lady, Lady Penrhyn? She was discharged from Government Service and sailed for China, stopping at Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, Tahiti, and Canton for a cargo of tea, and finally back to England in mid-August 1789. She had logged 45,000 nautical miles since departing England! She was then purchased in by Wedderburn & Co London and used in regular London – Jamaica runs. She changed ownership several times, and disappeared from records in 1811, after being captured in the West Indies and scuttled. Another remarkable lady!!

 

Written by Claire Lynch

Sources

Henrietta Fletcher’s Heritage – Marie Holmes

www.firstfleetfellowship.org.au

http://m.hardwickfiles.info/Henrietta_Shewing.html
"A new beginning : the story of three First Fleeters and their descendants" compiled by the Jane Langley Descendants Association.



History Week 2013 “Picture This”

To mark History Week this year at Campbelltown Library, an exhibition is currently being held at H.J. Daley Library. The theme this year is “Picture This” and is a celebration of local photographers and their work. We pay tribute to them and their important role in capturing images from Campbelltown’s bygone days. We are lucky to also have some original works on display.  Still images from as early as the 1870s are shown, along with biographical information about the photographers. Also on display is a fabulous range of cameras, from the early 1900s through to today. It is a great timeline of the development of cameras and our ongoing fascination with the medium of photography.

Due to popular demand, this display will be on display up to the 22^nd September, 2013.

 

 

 

92 Years Overdue!

October 1982 was amnesty month for Campbelltown Library. One of the books returned anonymously during the month was a book called "Poultry Breeding".  It came to the attention of staff that the book was due on August 29, 1890. This meant that it was 92 years overdue! The fine due on the book in line with the value of the day would have been $478.40.

The book had been borrowed from the forerunner of the present library service, the Campbelltown Free Public Library which was established in 1883 and which operated from the Town Hall building in Queen Street, Campbelltown (see our previous blog post). This service ceased to exist in 1905 and it was not until 1964 that the existing library service was established.

The above photograph is of the Town Hall with its new facade taken in 1892. If you look at the bottom far right window (click on the image to make it larger) you can just make out the word library. It was here that the book was first borrowed in 1890.

Written by Andrew Allen


Source:

Macarthur Advertiser 12th October, 1982 p1

The Daily Telegraph 13th October, 1982 p3

Campbelltown Town Hall

Many of Campbelltown's important historic events have revolved around one of the town's landmark buildings- the town hall theatre.

The land was originally the site of the Temperance Hall built by James Bocking in 1862 and before this it was owned by George Worrall, the murderer of Frederick Fisher. The original hall had a raised stage with dressing rooms either side and kitchen underneath with lighting provided by kerosene lamps. The local newspaper reported that it was "available to theatrical companies and with piano, for balls, entertainment, etc".

The Temperance Hall was purchased in 1884 by Campbelltown Council and was to be used as a town hall. A fire station was built next door in 1891. Almost immediately it was taken over by Council for the Clerk's Office and the following year a matching facade was added to the town hall. This facade of the fire station and the town hall is decorated in solid late Victorian style, and this is the main character of these buildings.

A free library and reading room functioned from 1886 to 1905 in the area beneath the existing stage. Council meetings took place in one of the upstairs rooms for 60 years up until 1953, when the move was made to the corner of Queen and Lithgow Streets.

One interesting fact about the building is that it was the first in Campbelltown to have electricity connected. This was in 1924 and it apparently bears the official connecting serial number of 1!

Up until 1964 when a new civic centre was constructed, the building was used as a town hall. This included dances, balls and concerts during World War II. Between 1964 and 1979 the building served as the home of the Campbelltown RSL Youth Club. Following this and after renovation in 1979, the theatre group adopted the town hall as its home.

The building has long been associated with numerous ghost stories and the resident ghost is of course named "Fred". Members of the theatre group are certain of Fred's existence and say that he makes cameo appearances when there are few people about the place. Lights turning on and off and footsteps after shows are just some of the antics Fred gets up to.

This photograph shows the town hall and fire station taken prior to 1920.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Macarthur Advertiser April 18, 1979

"History of the Town Hall Theatre"
In "Grist Mills" Vol.5, No.4, 1990 p.65

The Local Undertaker

Charles Alexander Nicol, known affectionately as Charley Nicol, was born in Campbelltown in 1884. He was the son of George and Martha Nicol. During his youth he worked with his brothers on the family farm on Appin Road. Being a teamster, his father was often away and the boys needed to run the farm in his absence.

Being one of 14 children he soon found he would have to move out and fend for himself. He had some years of working for wages before going into business. This was at first a sawmill at Appin but later he went to Campbelltown where he opened a timber yard in Iolanthe Street. Soon after starting his timber business, he became the local undertaker and used his timber in making the coffins. He kept his empty coffins in the roof of a large shed at the rear of Iolanthe Street. Charley also dug the graves at the cemeteries and filled them after the funeral. He was well known in the Campbelltown community for his caring and sympathetic nature and for the comforting words to the deceased's relatives and friends.

According to local identity Norm Campbell, Charley was adamant that Frederick Fisher was buried close to the corner of Howe and Broughton Street in St Peter's Cemetery. This was against the most people's belief that it was more towards the bowling green corner.

Charley was a real character of Campbelltown. He could be regularly seen in the company of local barber Mort Clissold. If you wanted any information to do with the town you would call in and catch up on all the gossip from the pair.

Charley was also a builder and constructed many of the timber buildings in King, Iolanthe, Warby and Chamberlain Streets. He was a keen cricketer and lawn bowler. Charley also owned the land where rugby league was played and the ground was often known as "Charley Nicol's Paddock".

Another of his interests was motorcycling. In his younger days he was one of the first in Campbelltown to own one of the "boneshakers" as they were known at the time.

In 1920 he was elected as an alderman on Campbelltown City Council and served several terms on council.

Charles Nicol died on May 30, 1969 aged 85 and is buried in St Peter's Cemetery. His grave can be seen in the photograph below. I wonder did he catch up with Fred Fisher to confirm if he was correct or not!

Written by Andrew Allen

Menangle Railway Bridge Turns 150

Opened in 1863, Menangle Viaduct is the oldest railway bridge in New South Wales. It is an excellent example of early bridge construction.

The bridge was designed by John Fowler. Messrs. Peto, Brassey and Betts were successful in tendering for construction of both the railway line from Campbelltown to Picton and the viaduct. After a great flood occurred in 1860 during the finalising of its design, the bridge was lifted over six feet to provide sufficient clearance for floodwaters.

During its construction, about 500 people (construction gangs and their families) lived in tents and small huts nearby.

The sandstone for the piers was quarried about one and a half miles upstream and transported by temporary tramway. The ironwork was fabricated at Birkenhead in the UK and loaded on to two vessels which sailed in 1861.

The bridge is one of two identical bridges constructed for the NSW Railways, the other being over the Nepean River at Penrith. The Penrith bridge was opened in 1867 but has been used for road traffic since 1907.

In 1976, some wagons of a goods train were derailed on the northern approach and came into violent collision with the ornamental masonry piers at that end. They were so severely damaged that they were demolished from above the rail level and have not been replaced.

Last Monday the 12th of August, a presentation was made to acknowledge the 150th anniversary of the opening of the bridge.

 

Menangle Railway Bridge taken in the 1930s (Riley Collection)

Written by Andrew Allen

Adventures Down St Elmo Hill

In my interview with local identity Norm Campbell in 2011, he told me a story about the day of his lucky escape as a baby in the 1930s. Norm was in the care of the Meredith family on this day and they were visiting friends at St Elmo. They walked there pushing young Norm in a pram. This house was located at the top of the steep Broughton Street hill in Campbelltown.

The Meredith girl who was taking care of him was distracted for a moment. Suddenly his pram began to charge down the steep, unpathed roadway, gathering speed as Norm swayed and bumped inside. The pram accelerated past Lindesay Street, Moore Street, and Queen Street, finally coming to a halt in long grass near the railway line.

Another local girl named Chris Vardy and her brothers experienced the thrill of hurtling down this same hill during their childhood in the late 1950s. In her Campbelltown Recollections: stories from our past interview, Chris described what is was like to descend the hill at top speed in a home made billy cart made from pram parts. "No helmets, no shoes and just shorts. Straight from the top of St Elmo all the way down to Queen Street. Look out! It was a wonder we weren't killed".

The photograph above is of the notorious Broughton Street hill at St Elmo looking west in 1946. (Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Written by Andrew Allen

Our "Ghost Post"

Locked away at H.J. Daley Library is an old rail from Fisher's Ghost Bridge that once spanned Fisher's Ghost Creek near Airds Cottage. The piece of wood has an interesting history as Jeff McGill describes in his Campbelltown Clippings book.

According to Jeff, the rail became famous as the finish post for the Campbelltown Picnic races in the early 1970s. It was famous because in the years that it was used as the finish post the races were repeatedly washed out. It started in 1970 when race promoter, Deirdre O'Dowd, called the main event the Fisher's Ghost Cup.

It seemed "Fred" was unimpressed. The rain came down in torrents and the horses virtually had to swim up the track! The rest of the event had to be cancelled.

The next year the name reverted to the old title of the Campbelltown City Cup and the sun shone brightly. However the next year the meeting was named again after "Fred" and the rail was used as the finish post. It was completely washed out and three other meetings that followed were as well.

Deirdre brought the post back to her house and stored it in the garage. Within six months she received an excess water bill for a half a million gallons of water, due to leaking pipes!

I use the "ghost post" for the occasional display and school tour. Yes, it almost always rains on the day it's brought out of storage. A sure way to break any drought!

                            Fisher's Ghost Bridge in Southern Queen Street

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

McGill, Jeff 1993
Campbelltown Clippings
Campbelltown: Campbelltown City Council

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

Joe Quinn

I was recently contacted by a researcher investigating the life of Australia’s first major league baseball player, Joseph J. Quinn.  Quinn is something of a forgotten hero in Australian sport – he played 17 seasons in the American major leagues between 1884 and 1901, mostly as a second baseman, and he was so popular with the American public that he was voted “Most Popular Ballplayer” in 1893!  It was 102 years before another Australian was drafted into a major league team, which may explain the lack of research and recognition of Quinn’s achievements in the land of his birth, although he was inducted into the Australian Baseball Hall of Fame in May this year. 

Most of Joe Quinn’s childhood was spent in the Campbelltown area before he immigrated to the United States with his parents and older brother at the age of 11 in 1872.  He was actually born in North Ipswich, QLD, in 1862, to Patrick and Catherine Quinn, but the family are thought to have moved to Campbelltown around 1866 due to the severe drought and subsequent high levels of unemployment in Queensland.

But the Quinns’ lives in Campbelltown between 1866 and 1872 are a bit of a mystery.  Joe’s father was an illiterate labourer with a history of finding work wherever he could get it during his travels around Australia – he had previously worked as a farmer, miner, and railway navvie.  The Quinns were Irish Roman Catholics and it may be that both Joe and his older brother Patrick jnr. attended St. Patrick’s school on the Old Menangle Road.  But there are very few employment or education records from this period – can anyone shed any light on this family and their lives?

It is anticipated a book about Quinn’s life will be released later this year – details to come.

 

 

This photograph of Joe Quinn was taken in 1890 in Boston

Written by Andrew Allen

Kenny Hill

Kenny Hill was the name given to the rise out of Campbelltown near today's Narellan Road heading towards Narellan and Camden. It was named after Dr William Kenny, an early doctor in Campbelltown.

The hill is best known to locals as the steep gradient that 'Pansy', the steam train that once ran on the Campbelltown-Camden line, had to confront regularly. It was once written that "Any day of the week one may see the "tram" panting and puffing, emitting clouds of angry smoke up the preposterously steep grade of Kenny Hill. Sometimes it fails to make the grade. On those occasions it retreats in rage and humiliation to take another run at the hated lines."

The gradient was the steepest used by adhesion locomotives in Australia. Due to the steepness of the gradient of 1 in 19 between Campbelltown and Kenny Hill, there were often multiple attempts made at ascending the grade. It resulted in passengers disembarking from the train and walking alongside it, leaving their bags on board. Often the train would reverse back down the hill, stoke the engine up, and have another try! When trains could not successfully ascend the hill, the train would be divided and the second half of the train (usually where the passengers were carried) would be left standing on the line until the first half of the train had been stowed at Campbellltown. These delays were a source of annoyance and inconvenience for passengers. The ascent was made harder when it rained as the train found it harder to get traction.

Kenny Hill was the second station on the line after leaving Campbelltown. It was a station with a simple platform with no shelter. Trains only stopped there if the driver was notified that passengers needed to stop. The station was located just to the west of the water canal near Narellan Road. Those with a sharp eye can make out the remains of the old line at Kenny Hill cut into the embankment adjacent to Narellan Road.

The Campbelltown-Camden train service ceased running on New Year's Day 1963.

This is an interesting image taken on 15 September, 1963. It shows Narellan Road at Kenny Hill with the train line very close to the road. This shot was taken just nine months after the last train ran on the line. (Hugh Bairnsfather Collection).

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

NEWMAN, Cindy
"The Camden Tram"
In Grist Mills
Vol.9, No.4, November 1996

Camden Tram Will Pass Soon
In The Sunday Herald, 14.10.1951, p12

The Presbyterian Cemetery

The Presbyterian Cemetery was originally a gift made to St. David's Presbyterian Church by Alexander McDonald, most likely in the 1830s. The deaths of his two children Jane and William are the earliest deaths shown on a monument in the cemetery. Alexander's own death was in 1847.

There are 177 monuments in the cemetery recording the deaths of about 326 persons. The cemetery has some notable Campbelltown names that rest there. These include:

John Kidd- owner of Blair Athol. He was an MLA for Camden in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Thomas Swann- well known photographer from Wedderburn.

Percy Marlow- member of Campbelltown Council from 1926-56 including mayor for 3 separate terms.

Samuel Bursill- mayor of Campbelltown 1909-1914.

James W. Kershler- mayor of Campbelltown 1930-1937.

In 1987 that portion of the cemetery lying adjacent to Moore Street was resumed to allow for widening of the road to become the Moore-Oxley Bypass. The Department of Main Roads compiled a register of all persons buried in the affected area and contacted those descendants who were able to be located. In March 1987, graves and/or memorial stones were moved to other locations within the cemetery or other cemeteries.

A total of 17 remains were exhumed and reinterred into another section. All but one of the 55 headstones were relocated to another section and they now stand in 4 rows in the north-west corner. These remains were left in their original burial place under the new road.

St. David's Presbyterian Cemetery, Broughton Street, Campbelltown before the widening for the Moore-Oxley Bypass. 1984 (Copyright Verlie Fowler)

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

HOLMES, Marie
The Presbyterian Cemetery Campbelltown

Trivia Answers

Answers to last week's trivia questions are:

1. John Farley
2. 1820
3. Mad Dan Morgan
4. High Street
5. Kath Whitten
6. Pansy
7. Harley Daley
8. Dr William Mawson
9. Minto
10. Kentlyn

Here's how your score is rated:

9-10: You're an expert on Campbelltown's history!
5-8: Good effort!
2-4: A little more reading required
0-1: Better come and visit us at the local studies section at H.J. Daley Library!

Trivia Time

Here are 10 questions related to Campbelltown's history. Let me know what score you got! (Answers will be in our next blog post).

1. What was the name of the person who claimed to have seen Fisher's Ghost?

2. What year was Campbelltown established?

3. What famous bushranger was born at Campbelltown?

4. What was the name of the main street before it was Queen Street?

5. What was the name of Campbelltown's first female mayor?

6. What was the name of the steam train that used to run from Campbelltown to Camden?

7. What is the name of the person in the photograph below?

8. Who was Mawson park named after?

9. "Campbellfield" homestead, once owned by Dr William Redfern, is in which Campbelltown suburb?

10. And a challenging one to finish with.....What suburb was originally called Campbelltown Common?

HistoryPin

We've been adding images of Campbelltown from our collection to Historypin. This website allows these photos to be linked to their locations on google maps. A clever feature of Historypin is being able to fade out of the photo of the past and in to the contemporary street-view.

To have a look at Campbelltown Library's channel go to http://www.historypin.com/channels/view/16333020/#|photos/list/

It's a fascinating way of comparing images from yesteryear to the same scene today.

The Penny-Farthing Man

Many locals would remember Jack Hepher as the man who for years rode an old penny-farthing bicycle in the Fisher's Ghost Parade. Jack had a love of bikes that lasted throughout his long life.

Born on May 30, 1915, Jack Hepher's family came to Campbelltown in 1919 when his father, Charles, a World War I veteran, became one of the first poultry farmers in the famous "Soldier Settlement" that once existed along Waminda Avenue.

Jack's father opened a bicycle shop in Queen Street in the 1920s and this became popular in the town for many years. In 1933, Jack and Reg Rutter formed the Campbelltown District Cycle Club. The club held its first road race- a 10km event between Campbelltown and Minto that same year. Jack would become club champion six times, during which he rode in 16 open classic races including six Goulburn-to-Sydney races.

Jack wrote a book on the famous Goulburn to Sydney race, "A Narrative of a Sports Classic: Goulburn to Sydney 1902-1992". He rode in the race throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

Another route that Jack and the club would take was from Appin to Campbelltown Post Office. This would take him 25 minutes on what were very ordinary roads. They had wooden rims and had to do their own repairs with no helpers like today.

In laters years he would own and run Fisher's Ghost Cycles in Waminda Avenue.

However, it was his appearance at the Fisher's Ghost Festivals on his penny-farthing that made him famous. His son John made the comment that "his last race on that bike was at Randwick Racecourse in 1995 when he finished third in an exhibition race at age 80."

I had the pleasure to meet Jack at his home in Mittagong when I interviewed his wife Lily in 2010. They were married for 69 years.

Jack passed away at a Bundanoon nursing home in 2011 aged 96 years.

Jack Hepher on a penny-farthing bicycle in parade in Queen Street during 2nd weekend of sesquicentenary celebrations, 1970 (Hugh Bairnsfather Collection)  

  Jack Hepher (left) & his father Charles Hepher (right) outside their bicycle store in Queen Street, Campbelltown in 1934

Written by Andrew Allen

Campbelltown's Day of Horror: the Richardson-Lack Massacre

Campbelltown is famous as the murder scene of Fred Fisher in 1826, however the 1849 murder of three people and the ferocious attack on another was one of the most brutal ever seen, not only in Campbelltown, but the entire colony. The murders appear to have been forgotten by the town as if it wanted to erase the whole episode from its collective memory. With the help of Trove and the research of Alan Jarman, a descendant of the victims, I have attempted to recount the story of one of Campbelltown's most infamous events.

At 4.00am on the morning of January 20, 1849 James Richardson murdered his wife Elizabeth and step-daughter Sarah Sophia Lack. He also murdered Sarah Sophia's infant child and attacked her 4 year old niece Sarah Lack who, although she survived, was left with terrible injuries. Newspaper reports of the day and official documents from State Records help build a picture of what happened.

James Richardson had been married to Elizabeth for a number of years. She had been married twice before: firstly to a John Frazier and then to Robert Lack. James Richardson was her third husband. Elizabeth and James had an unhappy marriage and for about 6 weeks had been living apart. During their separation James became jealous due to a number of persons visiting his wife and children. For a succession of nights he had kept a watch on the cottage.

Richardson had decided to go to Adelaide on the day of the murders, probably to get away from his troubles but changed his mind. On the morning of January 20 he stated that he'd been watching the house armed with a gun-barrel when a man was let in by his wife. After hearing conversations from inside that made his blood boil he broke open the door of the house with an axe that he had retrieved. According to the Sydney Morning Herald report he "struck at the man with the gun-barrel; that the man struggled with him and threw him down, and took the gun-barrel from him and ran away with it".

Elizabeth Richardson, Sarah Sophia Lack and her infant were killed instantly with the axe. Four year old Sarah Lack had her head stove in by a heavy candlestick that Richardson had brought with him. She survived the attack but was to suffer both physically and mentally for the rest of her life.

Richardson quickly buried the murder weapons in a nearby paddock. Then at about 4.30am he went to the house of the Chief Constable of Campbelltown and gave himself up. After locking Richardson up the policeman proceeded to James Graham's house and together they proceeded to the scene of the murder. Receiving no answer to their calls, they went in and saw two women and a child lying dead, and a great quantity of blood about the floor. They later located another 4 year old girl with a large wound behind the left ear.

An inquest was held at 3 o'clock that same afternoon with a jury of twelve. After seven hours of investigation, a verdict of wilful murder was recorded against James Richardson. He was then committed for trial at the Criminal Court in Sydney.

James Richardson was executed on the morning of Monday May 7, 1849 at Darlinghurst Gaol. He was described in Bell's Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer as a "slight-built mild-looking man, about 5 foot 2 inches in height, and always had an irreproachable character up to the time of the murder for which he committed".

It appears however from witness statements that Richardson's character was questionable. A local man John Keighran, who was foreman of the jury on the inquest, gave a character description in a letter. He refers to comments made by a Thomas Rixon who mentions that he had taken liberties with his step-daughter Sarah when she was 14 years old. There is also a theory passed on through the generations that the infant belonging to Sarah Sophia was in fact James Richardson's child. Perhaps it was this inappropriate behaviour that caused the conflict between Elizabeth and her husband? It was reported that Sarah Sophia Lack screamed to Richardson "please don't hurt me on account of the baby".

The story of the man entering the house is debatable. Was Richardson lurking because of his wife's infidelities, or because if he wanted to see if young Sarah was entertaining other men?

Elizabeth, Sarah Sophia Lack and her infant child were all buried in St Peter's cemetery in unmarked graves. Four year old Sarah Lack lived a long life despite the scarring from the events of that morning.

Using original drawings made by the Chief Constable, Alan Jarman was able to accurately pinpoint the exact locations of the sites involved. The stone cottage where the murders took place was located where the front garden of today's Campbelltown Council Civic Centre is located. There is also a drawing made of the cottage that shows where each body was found.

Thanks to Alan Jarman for sharing his research with me.

This is the scene of the murders today in front of Campbelltown Council's Civic Centre.

Update: After further advice from Alan Jarman this site above is the exact spot where the murders occurred.

This is the plan of the cottage where the murders took place made by Chief Constable McAdam (click on the image for a larger version)

Written by Andrew Allen

Zap Kapow!#@

The time is July 1987, the place Blaxland Road and the Batmobile, the original vintage car from the 1960’s Batman TV show sits being serviced at a Campbelltown smash repairs shop.

Having been damaged in transit from Hollywood the car is due to tour the nation’s shopping centres but needs urgent attention to its interior, bodywork and electrical system.  Holy hub caps Batman! Who could carry out such work? Various businesses along Blaxland Road are called into service.

A ‘spokesman’ for one business said there was Twenty-five hours of work which needed doing in two.

Six metres long, weighing two tonnes and powered by a V8 engine there is no word about whether any work was done to the Bat-ram, Bat-ray or Bat-phone.

Photo Courtesy of Campbelltown-Macarthur Advertiser.

Written by M. Sullivan from the sources:

Macarthur Advertiser July 1 1987 p9

Macarthur Chronicle July 1987