Reverend Canon William Stack

William Canon Stack was born in Ireland, eldest son of Rev. Edward Stack, a clergyman in the United Church of England and Ireland, and his wife Tempe Bagot. William was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and was ordained in Ireland.

Reverend Canon William Stack and his wife emigrated to Australia, arriving on the 31^st October 1837 on the ‘Andromache”, taking up an appointment on January 1^st at West Maitland Anglican Church. He was then transferred to St Peter’s Campbelltown in about 1847, where he remained until June 1855, when he was transferred to Balmain. The Stack’s had 13 children.

William was described as having a manly character, earnest in the cause of religion, frank and genial manners, and universally beloved and respected. To all classes he was peculiarly courteous and gentle, yet remarkably firm and fearless where conscientious scruples had to be maintained. He was the first clergyman advanced to the dignity of the title Canon ‘by the suffrages of his brethren’.

Reverend Stack is pictured in the middle row on the right.

For 32 years he fulfilled the duties of his profession in New South Wales. He was constantly moving among his congregation, and visiting the poor and the afflicted. On Sunday June 11^th, he preached on the words “I have glorified thee on Earth, I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do.”. The following day, June 12^th, he and Mrs Stack embarked on a trip to visit their son in Walgett, who had met with an accident that threatened to prove fatal. Early on the morning of Tuesday 13^th, an accident occurred when the wheels of the coach in which they were travelling went into a rut, and the coachman was thrown from the coach. The horses took fright and bolted, and Mr Stack, in an endeavour to seize the reins, was also thrown off. The coach passed over him and crushed him beyond any surgical aid. At the Coroner’s Inquest held on 14^th June, 1871 at Murrurrundi, a verdict was given of ‘died of injuries accidentally received’. His body was brought to Balmain for a funeral service, and then taken for burial at Campbelltown.

Tragedy came to the Stack family when their two infant daughters died. The church burial register recorded: Tempe Stack, 2 years 8 months died 1 June 1852 and Olivia Bagot Stack 4 years 4 months died 17 August 1852. A tablet in memory of the children was placed in the church on 20 December 1852, on petition of the churchwardens. The story passed down by parishioners is that the little girls drowned in the well beside the old parsonage, but, by the two different dates on the register, it was either two separate accidents or one of the babies must have lingered for several weeks. The parsonage, built slightly to the south of the present rectory, was built around 1840 and demolished around 1887.

During his time at Campbelltown, another daughter died and was interred at St Peter’s with Tempe and Olivia, and a son died whilst he was at Balmain and was returned to St Peter’s for burial. With his last words, Reverend William Stack requested to be buried at St Peter’s. His wife Mary lived to the age of 83 and was also buried at St Peter’s.

Reverend Stack's monument in St Peter's Anglican Cemetery

 

 Written by Andrew Allen

KO'd by his Uncle

It's summer time again and many of us will head to the beach, pool or one of our local waterways. Unfortunately hazards come with swimming, like drowning, being stung by blue bottles, swallowing nasty pathogens or...being knocked out by your uncle!!

One stifling hot day in early January 1966, a family were spending a relaxing and fun picnic at the Georges River at Macquarie Fields. Twelve year old Mark Payne from Goulburn was swimming in the river, when all of a sudden his uncle fell on him from a tall tree above the river. The uncle had climbed the tree on the eastern side of the river bank in order to put up a swing. As he bent forward to adjust a rope, he lost his footing and fell directly on to his nephew.

Mark lost consciousness, was pulled from the water, and a member of the party set off to call an ambulance. The ambulance soon arrived together with two policeman from Ingleburn. On arrival, they stripped to their underclothes and swam with a floatable stretcher to the far side of the river where an unconscious Mark was lying. He was brought back to the other side of the river bank.

At Liverpool Hospital, an examination revealed he had sustained a fracture at the base of his skull. He was reported to be still in a serious condition at the end of the next week. No further reports in the weeks after the accident could be found. I wonder did Mark recover and I wonder, in the days and even years that followed, what the relationship between Mark and his uncle, R. Bowerman of Sefton, was like? Perhaps someone out there knows or knew them?

In an interesting sidebar, the two policeman involved in the rescue had to be taken to hospital to treat severe and large blisters on their feet. The barefoot constables had to walk over searing black sand at midday after swimming to the boy.

Beach area on the Georges River at Macquarie Fields taken in 1999 by Stan Brabender

Written by Andrew Allen