Christmas in Campbelltown- 100 Years Ago

The festive season in Australia in 1924 was threatened by the waterfront disputes that had developed through the year. Luckily for Campbelltown, the disputes had minimum impact on Christmas. The Campbelltown News reported a week before the big day what various businesses offered for the community. Most of them had decorated their shop windows with their usual enthusiasm and Christmas spirit. Besides decorations, each business also displayed their Christmas goodies, which was typical for the time. Some notable standouts included:

Solomon Brothers- This firm stood on the southeast corner of Queen and Dumaresq Streets. The Solomons had taken over the business from Percy Marlow five years earlier. They had 5 windows to show off their products.

Solomon's Store c.1928

Winton and Ireland- this shop was located in Railway Street. They were grocers, ironmongers and produce merchants, where their three windows displayed an exceptional range of crockery and Christmas fruits. They were anticipating a 'heavy rush during the coming week'.

C and E Nicod- had recently specialised in electrical ware and pictures. The paper described these pictures as making splendid presents. I can only speculate on what they mean by 'pictures'. Perhaps it was associated with the new phenomenon of electricity and displaying some type of pictures with a glow! Or maybe it was related to moving pictures? I would love to read theories from anyone.

Reeve's Emporium- This iconic business was known for its Christmas decorations. H.S. Reeve had an emporium on the corner of Patrick and Queen Streets, which was built around the turn of the century. Reeve described his toy department as the headquarters of Father Christmas. The shops range that year was described as most surprising (I think they mean it was good). What an exciting shop it would have been for children!

Reeve's Emporium is the building in the background of this photo

Miss M Keller- This shop was on the southern corner of Queen and Patrick Streets on the opposite corner to Reeve's Emporium. This was also an exciting shop- for all ages, especially those that loved chocolates and ice cream. It was the place to buy a box of chocolates for ant sweet tooth that Christmas.

The Model Bakery- Mr W.J. Boweher had recently opened up his new bakery on the southeast corner of Queen and Broughton Streets. He installed a three-bag oven capable of turning out three bags of flour in bread every 3 and a half hours. He was ready for the Christmas rush by baking buns, cakes and pastry.

C.J. Storey's Furniture Shop- was located near the town hall. His idea of a perfect gift included a perambulator, go-cart, or an easy comfortable chair. What a simpler world it was back then!

And finally, Charles Tripp's garage business on the southeast corner of Dumaresq and Queen Streets. Charles was a fanatical fan of the early wireless. That year he encouraged people to listen to a wireless set if the weather was unfavourable. He was only too keen to demonstrate this new technology and help you "listen-in".

Charles Tripp (photo courtesy of Marie Goodsell)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our History Buff readers!

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Campbelltown News. Friday 19 December 1924, page 1

Joseph and Mary

I have been reading an interesting account of a convict ship that arrived in the colony in 1829. A Cargo of Women: Susannah Watson and the Convicts of the Princess Royal by Babette Smith is a gripping account of the lives of the women convicts aboard the 'Princess Royal'. The book outlines the dire poverty these women endured in England and how it contributed to each woman's fate. Many of the women dreaded the journey and destination they were about to encounter, but others welcomed the opportunity and regarded it as a means to escape their desperate situations. Although much of the focus is on a female convict named Susannah Watson, it touches on most or all of the convicts. One such woman is Mary Ann Taylor.

Mary Ann, found guilty of highway robbery, was a dairymaid from Wiltshire and had been assigned straight from the ship's arrival in 1829 to Campbelltown and Reverend Thomas Reddall. It did not take her long to find a man in the male dominated tiny settlement. Joseph Giles was assigned to landowner William Howe of Glenlee Estate. Glenlee homestead, built before Joseph was assigned there, still stands proudly on land between Campbelltown and Menangle. Joseph Giles was also born in Wiltshire, in the village of Salisbury around 1800. A Protestant, he arrived in the Colony on board the Marquis of Hastings in 1826 as a convict. The work Joseph did for Howe included gardening and dairy farming. An indication of the good character of Joseph and Mary is revealed in the recommendations supplied by Reddall and Howe. Rev. Redall said that Mary Ann 'has conducted herself tolerably well since she has been in my family', while William Howe, supporting Giles, said he 'has been in my employ since his arrival in the Colony and has conducted himself in a proper manner. I consent to his marriage and undertake to receive them both into my service.' Joseph and Mary stayed with him until Joseph obtained a ticket-of-leave at the end of 1834.

Glenlee homestead taken in 1980

Babette Smith provided an insight into the long journey Mary Ann experienced on the 'Princess Royal'. Despite most of her fellow passengers coping well with a particularly warm day on the voyage, according to the surgeon's log, Mary Ann found the heat on the ship oppressive and collapsed after helping to clean the lower deck. Surgeon Wilson found her lying on her berth and red in the face. Two weeks later, she sat for too long on the upper deck and dramatically fainted into a delirious fever.

Following Joseph's ticket-of-leave, the couple moved to the Stonequarry district (today's Picton) and Joseph worked there as a stockkeeper. They later moved back to Campbelltown where Joseph became a police constable. This was not uncommon for convicts to be employed as policemen. However, Joseph was caught stealing a hat in February 1838, despite his recent successes. He was sentenced to an iron gang for 12 months and lost his ticket-of-leave. Mary Ann was left to support herself and her young daughter Sarah without their cattle which were forfeited to the Crown.

Again, Joseph displayed good behaviour and the major in charge of the stockade at Campbelltown recommended a remission of his sentence. He was later described as a quiet and laborious man, well- spoken by his superiors. He later obtained another ticket-of-leave and Mary Ann joined him in the Liverpool area. Joseph died in 1847 at Denham Court. Mary Ann later married a William Banford the following year at Denham Court. They had no children. Despite a considerable search, I am unable to be sure what became of Mary Ann. It is also unclear what happened to William Banford.

I ran a cemetery tour last September at Denham Court Cemetery. I explained that the oldest grave with a headstone in the cemetery belonged to a Joseph Giles. The very weathered stone stood on the edge of the church yard, as it has done for 177 years. It was only after reading about and researching his wife Mary Ann in the last week that I realised the connection.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

SMITH, Babette

A Cargo of Women: Susannah Watson and the Convicts of the Princess Royal

Campbelltown Pioneer Register