History Trivia

Calling all history buffs! Campbelltown City Council Library is celebrating this year’s History Week with a history trivia night at HJ Daley Library on Wednesday September 10 at 6pm. Great prizes to be won and light refreshments will be served. There will be a maximum of 6 people for each team. 

The cost is $10 per person. Bookings are essential on 4645 4436. 

The library is also hosting a display featuring Campbelltown during the war years from 1914 to 1918. Based on this year’s theme of “The Great War” it will feature photographs of Campbelltown during the First World War years as well as personal letters, diaries and other war related memorabilia. The display will capture what life was like for those at the home front. 

 

The library is looking for objects that could be included in our display. This could be clothes, homewares, farming equipment, photographs or every day items from the 1914-1918 period in Campbelltown. In addition to items from the home front, we are also requesting war related memorabillia such as diaries, letters or photographs that could be included in the display.

If you have any items that you would like to lend the library for the display, please contact the library on 4645 4431.

The exhibition will run from September 6 to 14 at H.J. Daley Library.

For more information contact the Local Information Librarian at Campbelltown Library on 4645 4431.

The Jolly Miller

 

 

The Jolly Miller Hotel was built in the late 1840s at the southern end of Queen Street opposite Kendall’s Mill. The hotel was opened by George Fieldhouse who had followed his convict father to New South Wales in 1828. George’s two sons William and Edwin Hallett opened a general store next to the hotel in 1853. This building, which later became the offices for the Campbelltown and Ingleburn News, is still standing opposite McDonald’s restaurant in Queen Street.

George Fieldhouse was the licensee of the Jolly Miller until his death in 1880. An interesting side story regarding George Fieldhouse concerns a visitor to the town in the same year as George’s death. The traveller, a Frederick E Sawyer, noticed George sitting in front of the inn and began to quiz him about his knowledge of Fisher’s Ghost and to show him the spot “immortalized in story, where the ghost of Fisher made its appearance”. To his astonishment Fieldhouse stated most emphatically that there never was a Fisher’s  Ghost  or any other ghost in Campbelltown, at any time or in any place, or under any circumstances! He knew all the parties connected to the story.

 

The Southern end of Queen Street showing Fieldhouse's Store and the Commonwealth Hotel (formerly Jolly Miller Inn) on the right. (Photo courtesy Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society).

After the death of George Fieldhouse the license to the inn passed through a number of hands for the next twenty years. In 1891 it was run by Elizabeth Cooper, Meyer in 1894 and Charles Stanley from 1896 to 1899 and William Day was the proprietor in 1900. That year the application to renew the license was opposed as the inspector ruled that it was not up to the requirements of the Act. The standard of accommodation was not such as the Act provided for. It was deemed “old and unsuitable for present requirements, the sanitary arrangements, ventilation and drainage not being up to date.” The improvements were made and in February 1901 the new proprietor Fred Mulholland applied successfully for a name change and the hotel became the Commonwealth Hotel. A new name and improvements heralded a new beginning for the old hotel.

The hotel was often the scene of various inquests in the early days. Examples of this include the inquest into Elizabeth Walsh’s death written about in my previous blog post. The hotel was in the news in 1904 when a man named Thomas Griffiths committed suicide in a paddock at the rear of the hotel. Thomas was living on the premises at the time.

In 1909 architect Alfred R. Payten designed alterations and additions to the Commonwealth Hotel.

The hotel licenses continued to change hands after the turn of the century with Henry Bridgeland, Helen Hutchison, Mr Reidy and John Williamson owning the hotel between 1912 and 1919. In 1917 Helen Hutchison was taken by surprise when an inspector fined her for remaining open past the allotted hours. A patron was also fined for assaulting and insulting the inspector when he forced the pub to close.

By the 1930s the Commonwealth Hotel was being promoted as the ‘First and Last’ and ‘19^th Hole’- the house where sports meet. The license was transferred to the newly erected Good Intent Hotel in 1939 and the premises were converted to residential use known as the Commonwealth Flats. The building was demolished in the early 1960s. The site today is a vacant block next to the now Macarthur Legal Centre.

Photograph showing the much altered Commonwealth Flats next to Fieldhouse's Store in the early 1960s just before the flats were demolished. (Alex Goodsell Collection).

Written by Andrew Allen

Elizabeth Walsh

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

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

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

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

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

Friends of The Manse

The Presbyterian Manse at 32 Lithgow Street, Campbelltown has been home to Macarthur Diversity Services Initiative (MDSI) since 2008. The building is in urgent need of repairs and the costs for this far exceed the financial resources the MDSI can afford. In June this year MDSI established Friends of The Manse to help and maintain the heritage listed aged care facility. Although repairs and maintenance have been carried out by MDSI, The Manse still requires much more conservation work to be done. You can help by becoming a member and receiving a regular newsletter. Membership is open to individuals and organisations. The aim is to have 200 members by December 2014. More information can be obtained by contacting 4627 1188 or by emailing maureen@mdsi.org.au

The Manse was built in 1882. It's a grand two storey building next to the Presbyteran Church in Lithgow Street.

Unidentified people on the verandah of The Manse around 1900.


Written by Andrew Allen

Dr Mawson

William Mawson was not quite four years old when he came from England, with his parents Robert and Margaret Mawson and his younger brother Douglas, in 1884. The house where the Mawson family settled was in Plumpton. William and Douglas were educated at Woodstock (later Plumpton) Public School, Forest Lodge Superior Public School and Fort Street Model Public School. In their youth, both William and Douglas sang in the choir of St Andrew’s Cathedral.

William entered the Faculty of Medicine at Sydney University graduating with honours in 1904. He then became Resident Medical Officer at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. After his residency he practiced in Gundagai from 1906. Dr Mawson brought the first X-ray to be used in country NSW.

Dr William Mawson married Miss Jessie Louise Oliver Davis in 1905. They had three children Robert Windram (Bobbie), Dorothy and Jeanne.

It is recorded that Dr Mawson came to Campbellown in 1908/1909. At this time Dr Mawson was offering honorary medical attendance and assistance to the community. The Campbelltown Bed Endowment and local Relief Fund Committee was formed in 1909 because Dr Mawson wanted to be able to provide free medicines to the needy. Fundraising was ongoing and enabled the Committee to endow a bed at Camden Cottage Hospital and the Campbelltown Cot at Renwick Hospital, Ashfield.  He continued to provide free medical services for those in financial difficulties. Dr Mawson was a member of the British Medical Association and Captain of the A.A.M.C. Reserve.

Dr Mawson bought the medical practice of Dr Dight who was a tenant of Glenalvon in Lithgow Street, Campbelltown in January 1910.  He built ‘Mulwaree’, a house and surgery in Cordeaux Street opposite St Peter’s Anglican Church in 1913.

Dr Mawson and his wife were very active community members. He was a member of the St Peter’s Anglican Church Committee and choirmaster at the church. He was both President and a Trustee of the Campbelltown School of Arts, President of Campbelltown Orchestral and Musical Society and Campbelltown Rifle Club.  Other activities included Vice President of both Campbelltown Agricultural Society and Campbelltown Wallaby Football Club and he was the conductor of Campbelltown Choral Society. Singing was his greatest love.  Dr Mawson was also a lover of animals.  He was particularly fond of a retired trotting horse, named ‘Man Friday’, who was given to Dr Mawson to pull his buggy. The vets had said that ‘Man Friday’ would never race again until the Doctor said that the horse had travelled from Campbelltown to Wollongong in 35 minutes! ‘Man Friday’ was returned to racing and won many more races.

Dr Mawson owned the Millhouse in southern Queen Street and had it converted to the Milby Private Hospital in 1925. Macquarie Theatre was owned by Dr Mawson, some of the sandstock bricks from the mill were reused in the construction of the theatre in 1926. It is said that the doctor wanted to provide a place for the youth of Campbelltown to have fun. The theatre was also used for jazz and old time dancing classes, ballet classes, balls, school speech nights, dance and euchre parties, variety concerts and even auction sales. Dr Mawson lent the Macquarie Theatre free of charge for charitable fund-raising purposes. The Ambulance Benefit night in December 1929, for example, was in support of the Liverpool and District Ambulance which served a vast area of Western Sydney including Campbelltown.

Dr Mawson was held in high esteem amongst the community. His services and contributions to the town must have been unselfish and kind. Full of compassion and drive to achieve the corner stones that communities are made of.

Mawson Park was named in honour of Dr William Mawson in 1937. Included were a pergola, shelter shed and entrance to the park. Two plaques were erected on the pergola: one engraved with ‘Commemorative pergola to William Mawson Esq., M.B. Ch.M’ the other with ‘Erected by the citizens of Campbelltown in appreciation’.

Sadly, in February 1931, Dr Mawson suffered a stroke and was unable to continue his practice. Therefore he retired and a social event at the Town Hall on the 24^th July 1931 was held in honour of Dr Mawson and his wife.

Late in November of 1936 news came that Dr Mawson was a patient in Gloucester House, R.P.A. Hospital.

Dr William Mawson passed away at his then home in Turramurra on 4^th June 1939. He is buried in St Peter’s Anglican Cemetery, Campbelltown.

By Cathy Mitford

Crowds gathered to witness the unveiling of the memorial to Dr William Mawson in Mawson Park, Campbelltown 1929-30.

 

Grist Mills Vol.15 No.2  July 2002.      History of  Mawson Park.  By E.J.McBarron