Taken too soon

The baby in the photograph above, taken in 1922, is Alan Ernest Ross, the eldest of four children born to Arthur and Beatrice Ross (nee Longhurst). The Ross family lived at "Noreuil" on Waminda Avenue which was, at the time, part of the Soldier's Settlement, featured in our previous History Buff article. The old cottage, now extended, still stands and is located at 151 Waminda Avenue.

Born in 1921 at Nurse Newbury's private hospital at Campbelltown, Alan was a bright and happy boy that everyone loved. He attended the local public school and was in the Boy Scouts. No doubt he would've loved exploring the country surrounding the Ross' six acre block of land on their poultry farm.

Resources at the library claim that Alan developed an illness that baffled the medical profession. He was only 10 years old and spent many weeks receiving treatment at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, including blood transfusions from his father. His condition deteriorated and he was brought back home. He passed away at the family home some two weeks later on 25 July, 1932.

I received a visit last week from Alan's great nephew's wife Bronwyn Ross. She explained that Alan died from leukemia. Bronwyn generously donated a copy of the photograph above as well as Alan's brother Philip Harcourt Ross and his wife Beatrice.

Alan Ernest Ross was included in my tour of the Methodist Congregational Cemetery earlier this month. I believed that Alan and his parent's grave were always unmarked, however Bronwyn informed me there was a headstone for all of them, until they were vandalized. The location of the graves are known to the family and it is hoped that one day a marker will again be placed on their graves.

Beatrice Ross died in 1942. Her husband Arthur died on 25 July, 1952, coincidentally 20 years to the day after his son Alan.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

VINCENT, Liz 1998
Tales of Old Campbelltown

Waminda - The Soldiers' Settlement

The rehabilitation of returned servicemen posed enormous problems. Many returned servicemen required medical attention, others could not follow their pre-war occupations due to health issues, and many had had no training in skilled work before they enlisted. Many returned with the strong hope of settling on the land.

The States and Commonwealth combined in a land settlement scheme financed by the Commonwealth and controlled by the States, who were to obtain the necessary land. The settler was given money for equipment, but had to pay back this sum plus the purchase price of the land, plus interest. Although the scheme was launched with enthusiasm, it was to prove disastrous for many settlers.

At Campbelltown, the dairy farming estate known as “Cransley”, owned by Mr Thomas Houghton, was purchased by the government, and was cut into 36 poultry farms and two administration blocks. Each farm was of an average area of 7 acres, and included a three bedroom weatherboard house, feed shed, egg packing and incubator shed, and brooder. A basic flock of laying hens and fertile eggs was provided. The principal thoroughfare was appropriately named Waminda Avenue – ‘Waminda’ meaning comrade.

View of Soldiers' Settlement, Waminda Avenue, Campbelltown

Soldiers desiring priority in the selection of the blocks had to apply in writing to the Director of Soldiers’ Settlement Lands. The soldiers and their families began to move into their farms in about June 1919, but through bad organisation, many did not receive their breeding stock until after the end of the breeding season. Another setback was a defect in the design of one of the incubators. The initial years were hard and although the farmers got over the worst part of the season in September 1921, the winter of 1922 brought them down so much that they had to ask for assistance, which although it was given, was not sufficient. The inexperienced farmers were not prepared for the setback.  In 1922 an enquiry was held into the Settlement, which found that Government mismanagement had not helped, nor the fact that this class of farming did not suit this part of the country. Although the men were “triers” their initiative was not encouraged, and during the Depression years, many farmers were forced to give up their holdings, and have their places taken by more returned men, or take up other jobs and run their farms as a sideline.

A few were successful despite the odds, (see blog about Cransley and Bill Price), and in fact continued to flourish as poultry farms up until the land was released for residential development in 1959.

In 1960, the Campbelltown Ingleburn News headlined “The end of an era”, with the closing down of the last poultry farm in the Soldiers’ Settlement.

Written by Claire Lynch

Sources: Local History Pamphlet Files, Campbelltown Library

Happiness at Last

 

Ruby Etchells photographed while at Teacher's College around 1908

Ruby Etchells was only a young child when her mother Nellie passed away from blood poisoning or septicaemia in 1894. The family lived on a farm near the remote settlement of Eckersley. Nellie was brought to Campbelltown on the back of a cart to get medical attention but died before she could be helped.

This tragedy crushed young Ruby. She and her brother Harry were taken from their farm as children and brought to live in Campbelltown with relatives. For years Ruby pined for her mother. She was often in trouble for being late to school because she would visit the cemetery and sit near where she believed her mum had been buried. She was heard to say "Why did you go, why did you leave me?"

She and Harry had become close after their mother died, obviously sharing and understanding the sadness that both were experiencing. When Harry enlisted in 1914, Ruby felt more alone than ever and was devastated by his death at Ypres in 1917. For more about Harry's death and Ruby's reaction, please read my previous blog post at http://campbelltown-library.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Etchells%20William%20Henry

After the war, Ruby decided to travel to France to visit her brother's grave. On the sea voyage over she met a man named Jack Matthews, who managed a coconut plantation on the Solomon Islands. A romance resulted and they married. After so many years of sadness Ruby's life had turned around. They continued to live in the Solomon Islands before returning to Australia and settling at Wahroonga in Sydney.

Update

Last week I came across the transcription of an interview of Ruby Matthews done in 1976. She had returned to the area for the first time since she left. Her age at the time of the interview would've been about 86.

The scene of the interview was Eckersley and Ruby was trying to find the remains of the old house where she lived as a girl. A garden and fruit trees were all that remained. She goes on to describe how she was four when her mother died. After her death, she lived with her grandmother. When her grandmother died, she lived with an aunt, who lived in a house at 19 Queen Street, where Clinton's Motors was located until recently.

Ruby went teaching at Wangi Wangi, near Lake Macquarie before visiting her brother's grave in France. Her children included one boy named Stanley and three girls.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

McGill, Jeff  2001
Campbelltown and World War One 1914-1918

Bob Etchells Interview, 9 April 2015

William Lyttle King

William Lyttle King, known as Bill, was born in the Campbelltown area in 1894. He attended Minto Public School where his father was stationmaster at Minto Railway Station. He later went to Sydney Boy's High School and then to Sydney University where he studied Economics and Business. It was clear from early in life that he would be a high academic achiever. William would go on to achieve honours at university.

It was during his study at the University of Sydney, aged 22, that William enlisted for the First World War and joined the Australian Flying Corp. He trained as a pilot and soon became Lieutenant and trained with the 4th Squadron based in England. He soon became involved in action with his squadron in Northern France. Here at a small place called Savy, and after flying for a month over the battlefield, William's plane crashed. It was not shot down by the enemy but crashed due to aircraft failure. He received multiple injuries including a fractured arm, smashed teeth and multiple contrusions when he crashed 300 feet to the ground. William lay severely injured and for several days lay unconscious in a French hospital. He returned to Australia in early 1918 and spent some time in Sydney's Garrison Hospital, trying to regain the proper use of his right arm.

When the war was over, William completed his studies in law and married his true love Annette Cook. She was the daughter of a recent Australian Prime Minister Sir Joseph Cook.

On the night of April 6, 1925 William was staying with his sister Mrs Ryder in Oxley Street in Campbelltown. He spoke to Sam Bursill across the road and then decided to go for a walk before returning to his sister's house.

William's mutilated body was found next morning on the railway line somewhere between Campbelltown and Leumeah. To some it seemed that it was a mystery as to how it happened. Was it an accident? How could such a person with what seemed such a promising future take his own life. To others though, it was obvious that William was suffering mentally as a result of the war. There are reports that he had recently suffered a nervous breakdown. He was only 31.

William Lyttle King was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery at Campbelltown. His remains and headstone were removed to another part of the cemetery when the Moore Oxley bypass was constructed in the 1980s. William's life was featured in my cemetery tour of the Presbyterian Cemetery last week. In attendance was his great great niece Mackenzie King who supplied much of the information on him.

A tour of the Methodist Congregational Cemetery at Campbelltown will happen this Thursday, May 12 at 11am. Enquiries and bookings can be made on 46454431.

Written by Andrew Allen