Hairdressing to Health Foods

A recent request for information regarding a particular building in Campbelltown led me to discover some information about a former resident as well as the building he occupied.

Born in 1842, Francis Joseph married wife Mary McMahon in 1885, and then came to Campbelltown in 1886, wasting no time setting up in business as a hairdresser and tobacconist on Queen Street.

It would appear that four children were born to the Josephs during their time in Campbelltown.

Frank operated out of the same building for just over 12 years, but then, it seems, moved into a brand new building in 1900, on the corner of Queen Street, and Sewer Lane (later to become Dumaresq Street).


F. Joseph Hairdresser and Tobacconist on the side of the building right in the
 centre of the photo. (Photo c1900 Campbelltown City Library)



Frank must have been a bit of a character, as his advertisements in the paper often took the form of poetry, with such entertaining stanzas as

“ Who is it when you’re old and grey

Takes the snow of age away

And makes you jolly, young, and gay,

FRANK JOSEPH”

The Joseph family stayed in Campbelltown until 2nd May 1907 when Frank and his family moved from the district. He was given a farewell at Edmonson’s Railway Hotel, where he was presented with a gift by a number of residents as a token of their esteem and respect. 

The census of 1913 shows Frank Joseph living in Leichardt, and in 1916 he died. I was unable to trace any further information about his family after leaving Campbelltown. Over the years other businesses operated in the store, including Mort Clissold's barber shop (before he moved further up Queen Street to Atherstone). During the 1960s and '70s a health food was operated here by Daphne and Colin Hendrie. It's street address was 237 Queen Street.

The Health & Bulk Foods store sometime between 1971 and 1977.
Photo - CAHS

 It, along with its neighbors, was finally demolished in 1977 and is now the site of David Wilson Chemist.

237 Queen St was demolished with it's neighbours in 1977.
Photo - Trevor Richardson Collection, Campbelltown City Library

Thanks to Julianne, daughter of Daphne and Colin Hendrie, who spent a lot of her childhood in this building.
Written by Claire Lynch


Sources
Trove
Our Past in Pictures
Norm Campbell
Grist Mills Vol.31 No.1
1974 Phone Directory





"Via Crucis" at Maryfields

Maryfields Franciscan Novitiate celebrated its first “Via Crucis” or “Way of the Cross” on Good Friday in 1936. The service depicts Christ’s journey to Calvary, and consists of the 14 stations of the cross, culminating in the preaching of the Passion sermon from the final station.
It was believed to be the first open air celebration of the Via Crucis in Australia, following examples from Europe and the United States.
Special railway timetables were put in place to transport pilgrims coming in from the city, as well as police to control traffic and the NRMA to supervise parking arrangements for the many vehicles expected. St Johns Ambulance were also on hand. The railway stop was at “Rudd’s Gate” on the Campbelltown Camden line, immediately opposite the entrance to Maryfields.
A special choir of 200 St Vincent de Paul brothers was formed for the singing of the “Stabat Mater” – a 13th Century Christian hymn to Mary, depicting her suffering at Christ’s suffering. The choir also accompanied the priest from station to station and modest Australian hardwood crosses marked ‘the way’
On the day itself, reportedly more than 30,000 people were in attendance, and many newspapers spoke of the “remarkable religious fervour amid unforgettable scenes that were displayed at the pilgrimage of ‘Via Crucis’ in the picturesque grounds of the Franciscan Novitiate at Maryfields, Campbelltown."


The Franciscan monks with the wooden crosses in 1936.
Photo: Franciscan Provincial Office Collection
 (Local Studies Collection. Campbelltown City Library)

In the year following, with the support of the local community and various Catholic groups, the Franciscans imported a set of 14 French statues for the 14 stations and installed them with water features and gardens. In view of the numbers from the previous year, the Railway Department constructed a new 500 foot long platform. It was estimated that the crowd was even bigger than that of 1936. In 1938, the name “Rudd’s Gate” of the railway platform was changed to “Maryfields”.
Over the years, with the closing of the Campbelltown-Camden railway in 1963, and the relocation of the Novitiate in 1983, numbers dwindled. In 1990, after two years of cancellations due to bad weather, the Stations were no longer held on Good Friday.
Since 2000, there has been a resurgence of interest, and in 2010, more than 2000 people observed Good Friday at Maryfields. The following year the Friars marked the 75th Anniversary of the first “Via Crucis” at Maryfields.


Written by Claire Lynch


Sources
Trove
Campbelltown Clippings by Jeff McGill
Macarthur Chronicle 26.4.2011