A Few More Characters

I thought I would share stories from a presentation I made of a few more colourful characters from Campbelltown over the years:

The first character is Cordelia Weils Love Larken. She was born on 21 June 1859 in Campbelltown. Cordelia never married.

According to one local who I interviewed around 15 years ago, Cordelia "was certainly mentally affected." She explained that she would walk around the streets dressed in black, wearing big hat and always carried an umbrella. My interviewee continued recalling her: We were children then and we would say “Good morning Princess Cordelia” that was wonderful but if anyone said “Hi Cordy” she would go for them with her umbrella. Everyone would know her.”

Further research revealed that sadly children would regularly throw rocks on her roof.

Cordelia died on 17 March 1929 aged 69 at Balmain. She is buried in St Peter’s Churchyard, Campbelltown.

One of the town’s great characters from the past was Arthur William (Bill or Billy) North. He was born in Campbelltown and lived in a now demolished weatherboard house at 15 Lithgow Street. He was a baker and then a railway fettler. He was assistant bellringer at St Peter’s Church for 18 years.

Billy was Campbelltown’s man to go to if you needed help around the house. He had the motto “while you’re looking for it, I’ve got it”.

He was short, of nuggety build, about 173cms and had great physical strength. He was pleasant and had rapid speech.

He married Alice Richardson and they had one child Enid. Bill died on 27 March 1958, aged 79.

There are a couple of stories I gathered about Billy. From one local “We used to have wood stoves. When we got a new load of wood, we would hear this person walking in our yard at night. We would look out and it would be Bill. He would get an armload of wood that had just been delivered to us. He would then go up the road and sell it to someone for five bob. Then, when they got a load of wood, he would do the same to them. He would get an armload from them and come down and sell it to my mum. They all knew that he was doing it.

One day he got arrested for riding his pushbike backwards down Queen Street. When he went to court a couple of days later on a charge of being drunk and disorderly, the magistrate looked at him and said, "if you can ride a pushbike backwards down the main street you’re not drunk!" So, they let it go!

Father and son Gus and Hal O’Donnell originated from Minto. They were remembered as quite well- built fellows. Hal, the son, was born on 18 March 1932 to Augustine James (Gus) O'Donnell and Mary Gladys Morgan. A local described them like this: “The father would have been in his late 50s with a white moustache, and the son would probably have been in his late 20s. They had these two beautiful big horses, and they used to ride up Campbelltown’s main street usually on a Saturday morning. They would ride up side by side. I used to think who are you and what are you doing. They had a property at Minto and used to ride their horses from Campbelltown to Minto. Where they started from, I don’t know. I never saw them coming, only going. Their name was O’Donnell. That’s all I know. I was fascinated by them. They never galloped, they just walked the horses up the main street as much as to say here I am, look at me.”

Both Gus and Hal spent a lot of time sitting in a sulky outside Lacks hotel and would always raise their hats when a lady walked past.

Hal had a stock float and played polocrosse.

They lived at “Nirvana” in Minto. Gus was dairy farming off Badgally Road in 1944. Hall had a dairy at Minto on Campbelltown road just north of Raby road, right opposite Redfern road.

Hal rode at local shows and gymkhanas. James Henry "Hal" O'Donnell passed away on 21 November 1966 in Bowral. His father Gus died at Campbelltown in 1960.

Written by Andrew Allen

Remembering Marie and Kevin

Campbelltown lost two of its finest and much-loved citizens in last month. Both were active members of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society, providing a valuable source of information and stories about our city's past.

Kevin Rixon was born at Milby Hospital in Campbelltown on 15 April 1943. He was raised in Warby Street next to Campbelltown Showground. After leaving school he worked on the local milkrun and then found work on the Mount Erin property. In those days Campbelltown had around 70 farms of various sizes, compared to today's total of one remaining dairy farm. He married local girl Margaret Confeggi. In later years he was involved with the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society and was a regular helping out at Glenalvon in Lithgow Street. One of his hobbies was bushwalking, particularly in the bush around Wedderburn. Kevin passed away on the 24th October.

Marie Holmes was born in the small Queensland town of Baralaba on 4 June 1942. She met her husband Brian in Queensland before they moved to their home in St John's Road, Bradbury. Marie was a schoolteacher, including at St Thomas More Primary School. She was also involved with the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society, where she performed the role of research officer. She has written numerous local history publications. Marie passed away on 23rd October.

Farewell to two friends and much-loved members of the Campbelltown community.

Kevin is pictured on the left with me on the right

                                                            

 Marie Holmes

Written by Andrew Allen

Jill of All Trades

 Annie Maria Kershler was born in 1881 at Mount Gilead, the daughter of John Kershler and Annie Oxley. Apart from a few years living at Randwick in her early childhood, she spent most of her life in the Campbelltown District. Her father John Kershler married at Campbelltown in 1879 and later took over the licence of the Federal Hotel in 1901. However, he lived most of his life in Mosman.

One of Annie's many talents were as a dressmaker. She operated a dressmaker shop in Queen Street next to the Club Hotel. A photograph taken in 1912 shows Annie and her staff posing outside the premises. Her skills extended to making and designing the uniforms of the Campbelltown-Camden Brass Band. 

The dressmaking making business in Queen Street. Annie is in the dark dress at the left. (Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

In 1914, she married Percy Marlow at Mosman. Percy, the son of a former Alderman CJ Marlow, also served on Campbelltown Council, including three terms spanning the 1920s to the 1950s. As mayoress, Annie provided constant support to her husband with his mayoral duties. However, her terms as mayoress formed only a small part of her community contribution. Annie was very proficient with a rifle and won several prizes for her shooting. This was an interest she shared with husband Percy. She was President of the Campbelltown Ladies Miniature Rifle Club. Further, she was president of the Freemason's Benevolent Institute Ladies' Auxillary. 

The Campbelltown Rifle Club. Annie is in the centre of the photograph.

Annie was also treasurer of the Ladies Social Committee of the Campbelltown Bowling Club. She would later be elected as 'Patroness' of the Campbelltown Women's Bowling Club. Her contribution to Campbelltown's Centenary celebrations, alongside her husband, was also significant.

Campbelltown Centenary Celebrations Committee at the showground in 1920. Annie is in the white dress in the back row. (Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Another organisation she supported was Legacy, training debutants for their Ball. She also worked for Red Cross, CWA, The Crippled Children's Hospital and was a Life Member of both Camden Hospital and the Institute for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. She was on the committee for the AH&I Society and Patroness of a number of groups. But wait there's more! Annie also worked towards the establishment of the Memorial School of Arts in Campbelltown and was active in war committees!  

Annie with Campbelltown Public School principal Alan Allen on stage at the Town Hall

One of the talents Annie was known for was for her driving. She was one of the first women in town to own her own car. The Daily Telegraph wrote an article about her, describing how she knew her traffic laws by heart. It went on to describe how "In her car Mrs Marlow has toured to all parts of the State. The ease with which she manipulates the wheel has brought Sydney close to her own hometown."

Annie Marlow died on 6 July 1957. She was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery on the corner of Moore and Broughton Streets. A pulpit honouring Annie was donated to the newly renovated Presbyterian Church in 1958. Her husband Percy died in 1971. They had lived in the same house at 7 Cordeaux Street since they were married in 1914.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

FOWLER, Verlie

Federation and Beyond: The Marlow Collection

In Grist Mills: Journal of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society, Vol. 19, No. 3

Campbelltown News, 21st October 1952, p1

Daily Telegraph, 18 July 1928, p20

Glenquarie Shopping Centre - for the people

 

Glenquarie Shopping Centre turns 50 this month.

Opened on the 29th September 1975 by N.S.W Premier Tom Lewis, the shopping centre is named as a portmanteau of Glenfield and Macquarie Fields. Uniquely, it was developed solely by the council instead of private enterprise. The seventies had seen a period of massive growth in the region and planners were trying to meet the needs of families moving in.

Deputy Town Clerk, Bruce McDonald had the idea to turn idle council owned land into a productive venture. A shopping centre would be able to provide a range of services and community facilities the community needed, hedge against rate increases and generate an income for the ratepayers of Campbelltown with an expected 14% return! He presented the idea in 1970 when the ground on which the centre stands was virgin bushland.

Following the retirement of H.J. Daley in 1973 Bruce became the new Town Clerk and re-invigorated the proposal saying "whilst the scope of the proposal is something new to the council... we are convinced we have the management capacity to successfully undertake the scheme.” 

Artists impression of the shopping centre

A committee comprising Mayor (Bob Barton), Deputy Mayor (Gordon Fetterplace), Town Clerk (Bruce McDonald), Deputy (Ron Streater) and property officer Ian Henry supervised architectural designs, construction, negotiation with tenants, coordination and promotion. The tender was won by Max Cooper & Sons who took possession of the site in March 1974.

Originally to be completed by the end of the year, wet weather and industrial action pushed back the project.

This early construction image shows its original logo. The sign was designed to be a laid-back letter “G”  and symbolized the relaxed and pleasant shopping in store for customers.

A major supermarket was not part of the original planning but housing programs in the area had been accelerated so Coles New World and Franklins were added to the already planned convenience stores.

3 1/2 acres of beautification were needed around the centre during its construction. 37,000 metres of turf were rolled out, 450 trees and shrubs were planted by local Grahame Baxter and his employees who sourced all plants from his nursery at Kentlyn. Grahame was also responsible for Landscaping Ingleburn RSL and Bradbury school.

Amongst some of the first tenants were Leo's milk bar, a hardware store, newsagency, toys & hobbies, dry cleaners, T.A.B, Willis’s cakes, doctor and dentists surgeries, Chinese restaurant, a bank, the Housing Commission of N.S.W, “women's boutique” and a branch library in a storefront number 5.

Throughout it's opening week a darts competition was held to win a trip for two to Melbourne! Though we’re not sure who won.

Advertising for the opening in 1975 embracing the idea

 that the centre was entirely for residents.

Searching for Mary

Sometimes our research at the library gets us nowhere and we need to call on our knowledgeable History Buff readers for help. Finding information about Mary Doherty and her untimely death is another example. The enquiry originated with a question about the naming of Mary Doherty Reserve in Ruse.

There is little we know. Apparently, Mary died after visiting the Etchells family on the other side of the river to where she lived. She was supposedly at Etchell's property because the river had flooded. Mary was later buried on the Etchell's property. Her family's home wasn't far from today's Mary Doherty Reserve at the corner of Acacia Avenue and Tumut Street. Mary was only 16. There is no date of death and nothing about when she was born. This brief information comes from the Geographic Names Board records.

After an extensive search of various records, we have found very little about Mary Doherty. A search of electoral records reveal that there is a strong possibility that her parents were Robert and Margaret Doherty, who lived on Hansen's Road, East Minto in 1930. This would have been close to the Etchells house who lived in the East Minto vicinity, but still some distance from Mary Doherty Park, where it is claimed she lived close to. There are also questions about which river it is referring to if the visit to Etchells was on the other side of the river to where she was living. There is no river between East Minto and Ruse.

Please let us know in the comments if you have any knowledge of Mary Doherty.

Mary Doherty Reserve in Ruse. This place is a great spot for bird watchers.

 

Early Queen Street Photos

Most of Campbelltown Library's earliest images are of Queen Street. They all date back to the early 1870s. It's hard to imagine a main street without cars and traffic lights. They are replaced with horses, dung and serenity. I have included brief descriptions of each of these photographs, some of which there is plentiful information and others not so.

Photo date: 1870

Patrick's Inn pictured on the right was built about 1842 and licensed to Anne Byrne. Not long after it was changed to the Coach and Horses Inn and later known as Hammond's Grammar School. By 1860 it was used as a School of Arts. Prominent pioneer John Hurley lived there from the 1870s and he died in the building in 1882. By then it was known as Alpha House. In later years it became a private school run by Miss Whittingham. Alpha House was demolished in 1938 to make way for the Good Intent Hotel.

Photo date: 1870

This building was located at 158 Queen Street, opposite Patrick Street. It was owned by John Bray and operated by John Boag from 1863 and later Henry Rose from 1868, until he was replaced in January 1870. The building combined the post office with living quarters. It served as a post office until 1881 when the lack of space became an issue, and a new post office was constructed in Queen Street further south. The building was the newspaper printing office in the 1890s and later Annie Marlow's dressmaking business. 

Photo date: 1870

Doyle Henty & Co. Auctioneers was located a couple of doors north of Alpha House. The building was made from weatherboard with shingles on the roof. The business became insolvent in 1879. Today it would stand about where the entrance to Campbelltown Mall is located in Queen Street.

Photo date: 1871

The Railway Hotel was built about 1850 by the Doyle family. The hotel was named this because of the anticipation that the new railway line would result in increased patronage. This never eventuated. It was known as Doyle's Railway Hotel up until at least 1896. The Meredith family owned it from 1921. From 1943 it was owned by JL Froggatt and known as "Bonito". This building and the surrounding colonial group were restored in the 1960s and saved from demolition.

Photo date: 1871

This image was taken by William Boag in 1871 and is one of a number of Campbelltown shots taken by this photographer in the same year. The characteristics of the image indicate that this is from that period. The library's description for the photo claims that it shows Barney Bugden's Blacksmith. Barney was born in 1884 and didn't come to Campbelltown until he was aged 21, where he started work as a blacksmith. He went into partnership with a man named Phillips a few years later when he was aged 24. Their blacksmith shop was in Queen Street. Therefore, it is impossible that this photo is of Barney Blacksmith's shop. It could possibly be of the same shop as Barney's but much earlier than his partnership. The men are unidentified.

Photo date:1871

Mrs Hickey ran a store in Queen Street at this time. Records reveal the shop would have been located around the vicinity of today's car wash opposite KFC in southern Queen Street.

Photo date: 1871

The Forbes Hotel was built in 1827 by Daniel Cooper and named after the Chief Justice who presided at the first Circuit Court held in the Campbelltown district. It had nine bedrooms, two parlours, a tap room, bar and cellar. In 1901 it was refurbished and became the Federal Hotel. It was located at the corner of Queen and Railway Streets and demolished in 1984.

Photo date: 1875

The main street of Campbelltown looking north. On the left is Alpha House. The Railway Hotel and the other colonial terraces are opposite. The building visible on the left in the distance at the time was the Family Hotel. It was leased to James Campbell by owner John Hurley and became the Bank of NSW in 1878. It remained in operation until 1943.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

More Than Bricks and Mortar: Remembering Campbelltown's Lost Buildings by Andrew Allen 2018

Queen Street Terraces, Campbelltown: Historical Investigation by Carol Liston 1990

Demolished Heritage Buildings of Campbelltown, A Joint Project of Campbelltown-Airds Historical Society and Campbelltown City Council, November 2005

 

Farewell Hurley Street

The day has arrived. After serving our wonderful Campbelltown community from our Hurley Street building for over 34 years, today we open for the last time at this location. 

All our staff feel an amazing connection with our patrons and regard it a privilege to form a significant part of many of your lives. We love what we do and value your support over the many years we've been here. We will continue to care and provide a place where you can come and be informed, entertained, and engaged. Even if it's simply to escape the heat or cold, you are always welcome at any of our libraries.

There are exciting times around the corner! On Monday, 4 August 2025, HJ Daley Library will re-open at our new premises at Downtown Plaza in Queen Street. We hope to see all our regular faces again, plus many more new ones!

Here are some photographs taken throughout the 34 years at our HJ Daley Library in Hurley Street.

The vacant block prior to construction

Ready to open in 1991

The library in recent times

Written by Andrew Allen

Farewell Robert

Campbelltown was saddened to learn of the passing of Dr Robert Close in January this year. I had the privilege of meeting Robert a couple of times when he visited the library, and I was amazed at his knowledge and enthusiasm for koalas. He struck me as a calm and gentle man; characteristics I know would have been on display when dealing with our precious koala population.

Robert was a leading wildlife activist and conservationist, particularly for our koalas. The protection of these animals in South Western Sydney was what he was most renowned for, and his tireless work provided significant benefits for these koalas.

Over nearly 40 years, he gathered vital data that revealed a healthy, thriving koala population in Campbelltown. In 1992 small radio transmitter collars were fitted to selective koalas at random, that allowed Robert to accurately track their movements.

Robert wrote regularly for the local newspapers and his column Mac Koala featured weekly in the Macarthur Advertiser until 2013. These articles and other newspaper clippings are kept in the library's local studies collection and provide a wealth of information for researchers.

Vale Robert Close.

Minto School of Arts

Journey to any town in Australia and there is a good chance you will find a school of arts. They became popular in Sydney in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with about 140 established. They were also known as Mechanics Institutes. The School of Arts were originally established by volunteers as independent community organisations, assisted by a small government subsidy.

On Saturday 21 December 1901, Minto celebrated the opening of their School of Arts building. It was completed the previous September and an excited community celebrated with a concert and social. The build-up to the opening was enormous and the Hon. John Kidd was chosen to officially open the building. The program for the night included Miss Cookson's version of singing "The One-Legged Goose", and a rendition of the comic song "The Chinaman", by Mr Craft. One can only wonder about the lyrics of this version! The Chairman Mr Skerritt officially opened the building in the undisclosed absence of Mr Kidd.

The Minto School of Arts became an important social and cultural institution for much of the twentieth century. Over the years it was home to dances, bazaars, and meetings, and would serve the community as a library for a time.

Photographs in the library's collection show it still standing in 1993. Today the site at 6 Surrey Street is occupied by the Minto Community Hall.

The School of Arts in 1993 (Norm Campbell Collection, Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Members of Minto Show Community dressed as chorus girls at Minto School of Arts (l to r. Joe Hawkes; Jack Hadden; Bob Saunders; Allan Mitcherson; unidentified; John Rays and Roy Thomas) c.1953-54

The School of Arts in 1990 (Norm Campbell Collection, Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society)

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Campbelltown Herald, 8 January 1902

Freyne, Catherine 2010

The School of Arts Movement

In Dictionary of Sydney

A Colourful Surprise

Undoubtedly, one of the most exciting discoveries from Campbelltown Library's Great Australian Dream Project from earlier this year was this photograph above of Tom Cooper's famous colourful house at Menangle Park. Donated by Barbara Edney and taken by Max Keegan, this low quality but very significant image shows Tom Cooper's "Eye Stopper" in all its wonderful glory. Tom's house has been written about in two previous History Buff posts and covered in an episode of the library's Curious Campbelltown, so we were thrilled to at last to see what it looked like. 

Tom Cooper was an eccentric character that lived in a tin shanty on his property at Racecourse Avenue at Menangle Park. His neighbour Melva Thomas wrote an article about Tom in the Literary Review in the 1960s. She described how he was ordered to demolish the shanty by Council. He then built a new home at the same location. Tom loved bright colours, and this led to his new home being brightly painted in a variety of gawdy colours. The house became a kind of tourist attraction and people would gaze and take photographs from passing trains on the adjacent train line. 

Following his death in 1968, the new owners removed the colours to a more mundane single finish. This photo below taken by Barbara Edney shows the house in 1972. Taken from the same angle as the above photo that showed the house in bright colours, the house no longer attracts any attention.

The view in 2024 is very different. The house has since undergone major alterations and barely resembles the original structure (and colour)!

Thank you to Barbara Edney for sharing her photographs.

Written by Andrew Allen

Isaac's Bible

On 25 April 1809 Isaac Nichols, an emancipated convict, was appointed as Postmaster, a position that authorised him to board ships and receive letters and parcels addressed to people within the colony. This was a very important position that Isaac held. Letters were the only way for the convicts, settlers and officials of the new colony to maintain a connection with Britain. Ships were mobbed by people searching for letters and parcels. Compare this with today, where communication is instant and accessing news is only a quick mobile phone search away.

Isaac Nichols was born on 29 July 1770 at Calne, Wiltshire, England. At the age of 21 he was found guilty of stealing and sentenced to seven years transportation. Isaac arrived in Port Jackson on the notorious Second Fleet on 16 October 1791. It was his demonstration of sobriety and honesty that convinced Governor Hunter to employ him as Chief Overseer of convicts in Sydney. At the completion of his sentence, Isaac was granted land in the Concorde district and in the following years he was to acquire more land, leading to him becoming a wealthy businessman.

As postmaster, Isaac collected the incoming mail and published a list of people who had received mail in the Sydney Gazette. He hand-delivered mail to the wealthiest people in the colony. He did this until his death in November 1819.

It was through Isaac's son that the link to Campbelltown was established. His son Charles attended the school in the building known as Meehan's Castle. It was run by Rev. Thomas Reddall and was an exclusive boarding school for boys. Charles attended St Peter's Church and was their first musician, by playing the flute to lead the singing.

It was through a chance discovery in Trove that I learnt about how Isaac Nichols' bible came to be in the possession of St Peter's Church. In 1933, Isaac's great granddaughter and parishioner Violet Ida Nichols presented the bible to the church. Unmarried and wanting a safe home for the bible, Violet chose the church as the most appropriate place. It was presented on the church's 110th anniversary.

The bible dates to 1812 and is leather-bound with steel engravings. It is in remarkably good condition for its age, following restoration by the State Library in 1998 for the church's 175th anniversary. The bible was central to a re-enactment by Australia Post in 2009 of the first mail delivery to NSW. It was put on display in a glass case at Campbelltown Post Office. Isaac's bible and another bible used in St Peter's Church from its opening year, form an impressive collection in the church's archives.

Isaac Nichols' 1812 bible

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/first-post-office#:~:text=On 23 June 1810 Governor,that read 'Sydney NSW'.

Letter written by Violet Nichols to St Peter's Anglican Church 1933

Macarthur Chronicle, 1 September 2009, p4

School's Early Troubles

It was believed that the construction of a new bridge over the Georges River would increase the demand for land and therefore result in an increase of the population around Wedderburn. In the decade before, many settlers had cleared the bushland for planting of orchards and farms, although at the time that land was being set aside for a school in the early 1890s, there were still not enough students. Wedderburn School opened in 1896 on a two-acre block of land granted by the Government.

Following its opening, the school encountered problems. The Campbelltown Herald reported "Travellers along the Wedderburn Road have often been surprised, and sometimes amused, to have that once uninviting structure - the Wedderburn School- pointed out as the building set aside for educational purposes. Its wooden walls, unpainted and stained by all sorts of weather, and its galvanised iron roof presented anything but a charming appearance to the passers-by".

Dwindling student numbers were another problem faced by the school in the early years. In 1916, enrolment had dropped to just 14, with eight under school age. The parents were fighting to keep the school opened and to make the necessary repairs. The neighbouring Campbelltown South School took the furniture from Wedderburn School thinking that it was closed! They were immediately asked to return it. In 1919 the school was described as "in a disgusting state".

Termites were a real menace. They were so bad that one teacher had to stand or sit on one of the children's desks, because her chair had been eaten by termites, and there were no other chairs available. Problems with termites persisted in the following years, with continual repairs carried out. They were still around in 1928, after the school was reopened after being closed from 1921 to 1924. An inspection found the old building to be "riddled every inch by white ants and beyond repair". Solutions were sought but within four years the school again needed repairs as the white ant capping was found to be defective.

The present weatherboard building was moved there in 1936 from Nepean Dam. It also needed repairs due to termite infestation. In 1956, the school closed as a provisional school and opened as a public school. The school finally closed in 1976. Today the site is used by WestWords, a Western Sydney centre for writing, as a writer's retreat.

Above is the weatherboard building moved to the school in 1936 (photo courtesy of Marie Holmes)

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

"Wedderburn" by Marie Holmes

In Grist Mills: Journal of Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society

Vol. 10, No. 2, April 1997 pp 26-48

Campbelltown Herald, 7 December 1898, p2

Campbelltown News, 22 October 1937, p2

HOLMES, Marie 2012

A Scrapbook of History: stories of the Macarthur District 

Campbelltown: Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society

Springfield House (Amaroo)

Campbelltown Library's recent Great Australian Dream Project resulted in many interesting photographs as entries for the competition. This post will cover a building named Springfield House and a subsequent post will describe another exciting entry of a house that has a "colourful" history.

The magnificent Springfield House was built in 1962 by Harry Springfield, who sold it a year later to Lend Lease Corporation. The house, which won an architectural award, was situated on 75 acres of land, somewhere near the end of Fitzgibbon Lane in today's Rosemeadow. Originally named "Amaroo" (purportedly indigenous for a 'beautiful place'), at the time of construction it was in an isolated paddock. The closest surrounding developed lands at the time were Bradbury and the original Campbelltown Golf Course. The Springfields ran beef cattle and grew various crops.

 After "Amaroo" was sold by Harry in 1963, Lend Lease was able to strike up a deal which allowed Harry and his family to live there for about 18 years until it was sold. The Springfields loved living there. Harry expressed to a local newspaper that "I have had the pleasure of bringing up most of my family in it".

The two-story house had 3 bedrooms and a study that could be converted into a fourth bedroom. It had a large 'rumpus' room downstairs, billiard room and an indoor lanai garden with a small in-ground fishpond room. There were spectacular views on the horizon of the Sydney CBD buildings and even of Mt Victoria in the Blue Mountains.

After the Springfields moved to Menangle Park, the building was used as a community arts centre. It opened in 1983 with a spectacular bonfire. (not to burn the place down!) With the threat of resumption by the State Planning and Environment Department, the house was sold and owned by various entities including Lend Lease and the Department of Housing. It fell into dis-repair after severe vandalism and a fire caused by suspected arson in early 1990 led to its demolition.

The photographs of the house below were all entries in the Great Australian Dream Project and were supplied by Barry Springfield. The project aimed at recording various types of architecture from the period 1920-1979 in the Campbelltown area. Other houses entered for the project can be found on Campbelltown Library's website or by visiting Great Australian Dream Project - Campbelltown City Council

West wing of "Amaroo" AKA Springfield House while under construction. The view is looking at the upstairs kitchen and loungeroom and verandah. The lower ground double garage is alongside the indoor lanai room. The house is nearly completed with trees and lawns yest to be established. (Barry Springfield Collection)

 

Ring, ring why don't you give me a call?

We don't often get reminders of how stark progress is but an article from 1961 brought home how far telecommunications have come. 

J.D. Morgan of the Ingle Store, Stanley Road, Ingleburn organized a petition to request another public telephone in Ingleburn. The only phone box in town was on the eastern side of the railway line and often had a long queue. 50 signatories signed the document noting that with the railway gates closed at frequent intervals valuable time would be lost in emergencies by anyone on that side of the track. 

It was perhaps an opportune time for the request, as the Postmaster General's Department were active that year placing telephone repeater stations from Glenfield to Menangle. These were concrete bunkers, the size of a garden shed, amplifying signals through coaxial cables from Sydney to Melbourne and providing hundreds of telephone channels simultaneously! Described as bullet proof, the stations actually needed to be as "buildings like these in country districts are often targets for disappointed hunters and youths with rifles."  

The trial of a public telephone in a private house occurred in Campbelltown but was deemed to have ended unsatisfactorily. No further information was given but it might be guessed at.

Those with private phone lines didn't always have ease of access either. In 1923, during the very early days of telecommunication, Ald Graham wanted Ingleburn to have its own telephone exchange siting the fact Glenfield had one! The Post Master General wrote to say a continuous telephone service could not be granted for Ingleburn unless the public was prepared to pay a salary for an official. Alternatively, a "slot machine" connected with the Liverpool exchange could be arranged. The proposal was accepted by Graham and Luff and whatever a slot machine entailed was installed.

The situation was somewhat better in 1927, an exchange had been created at Ingleburn and customers even asked for the exchange to stay open later than six. The local postmaster proposed to remain open until 8 o'clock with the exception of weekends and holidays. He would do this for an annual sum of 52 pounds instead of the current 39. There was some kerfuffle in communications between all parties involved but subscribers offered to pay a pound extra each and the extra hours were added.

...until 1932 when the PMG stated the sum of 2/1 was due from council on the debit incurred for the extended hours and the service had been suspended. It was resumed when subscribers were debited half-yearly instead of the local postmaster himself collecting the fee individually.

The circumstances with the existing eastern telephone box was bright though in 1935 when Alderman Naylor successfully lobbied to get the telephone booth illuminated with electric light. 

From the forties on, the placing of public telephones seems to be a see-sawing of requests and approvals between the public, PMG and the council for small parcels of land on which to put the boxes. A variety of reasons were forwarded. A t-intersection sign was erected on Redfern Road after a number of car accidents were claimed to be unreported due to the lack of a telephone in the vicinity. 

But was J.D. Morgan of the Ingle Store and his supporters successful in a public phone west of the tracks?  

In the council minutes of 11/4/1962 a request by the PMG for a telephone at the corner of Stanley Road and Memorial Avenue was approved. And there's still one there today.

By Michael Sullivan

References

 

“Another public Phone wanted” 14 1961 IBN News p 12

“Ingleburn Council” Trove 12 Feb 1932 p8 

“Local Districts Play Part in Big intercity telephone Expansion” Macarthur Advertiser February 5 1960. p.1

“PMG said there are no funds to extend hours” C.I.N May 20 1932

Lighted phonebox -31 May 1935 

“Own telephone exchange in Ingleburn 2 Mar 1923

“Continuous service” 1 June 1923

Trove CIN -14 Jan 1927.

Menangle Park Silos

Chances are you have noticed that the silos at Menangle Park have sadly been demolished to make way for the new development. These silos stood undisturbed in the vacant paddocks on the Thomas Vardy Estate for many years. They were a testament to Campbelltown's farming days and the importance that agriculture once played in the area. It was hoped that they would be retained and perhaps integrated into parklands as part of the new suburb. Alas, this wasn't to be. A report published shortly before development started wrote of the significance: "The proposed removal of the silos in the southern portion will have a greater than minor heritage impact." "Although the silos are not listed on any statutory registers, they are important to the local area as evidence of dairying in the Campbelltown district, and dairying practices in the 1930s." "They are examples of a standard concrete silo design promoted by the NSW Government Department of Agriculture during the 1930s Depression as structures associated with the NSW Government unemployment relief scheme of that period." "Consideration should be given to partial retention of the silos for interpretational purposes."

One person who was sympathetic towards saving the silos was Cr Warren Morrison. In 2018 he said, "It would be perfect timing as we head towards the Campbelltown bicentennial in 2020 to try to preserve our history wherever possible". "The silos can be seen from the Hume Highway, and they are a visible reminder of our past as an agricultural region". Another proposed project that never eventuated was the establishment of a Military Memorial Precinct in the vicinity of the silos. It was envisaged that the silos could be restored and painted with WW1 graphics.

Unlike the iconic silos on Appin Road, I have been unable to find much information on the Menangle Park silos. There are references on Trove to silos in the Menangle area, but it is unclear if they are the silos on the Vardy Estate. The estate property was originally granted to Thomas Byrne in 1812. Thomas Vardy later became owner of the land about 1840. The property appears to have operated as a dairy farm in the twentieth century and, along with the information about the unemployment relief scheme of the 1930s, helps date the silos to that period.

I came across a photograph taken around the 1960s of the silos and an adjacent house. Also included below is one of a similar view taken in 2020 and three years before demolition.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Menangle Park Land Release Area Volume 1

South West Voice, 9 October 2018

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

Inspector McMillan

Frank McMillan left his mark on the community by serving with distinction in the NSW Police Force. He further left his mark in the sporting world by producing an outstanding rugby league player in son Frank Junior. Frank Senior was a popular bloke in town and his sudden passing left Campbelltown in shock.

Franklin Cutbush McMillan was born on 15 August 1868 at Mount Lydia Farm, Uralla, in the New England area. He entered the Police Force at the age of 21, with the old Belmore Police Barracks where Central Station is now his first posting. Not long after in 1892, he was sent to keep order at Broken Hill when the miner's strike broke out. He also spent time at other remote locations such as Wilcannia and White Cliffs.

He quickly worked his way up to 1st Class Sergeant where he was stationed at Parramatta. He then received a transfer to Campbelltown in 1917 after a "splendidly representative gathering" at Jubilee Hall in Parramatta. Their loss was Campbelltown's gain.

After spending some years in Campbelltown as an Inspector, Frank was then transferred to Bourke and then Young. Huge farewells followed in both towns again. In his Young farewell they called him "one of the grandest gentlemen in the service. Duty first and pleasure afterwards was the lesson he always taught younger policeman.

In 1927 Frank McMillan retired from the police force and made his way back to Campbelltown. This indicated his affection for the town and what must have been enjoyable years experienced here.

Frank Cutbush McMillan (Photo from Michelle Delaney Collection)

Frank was the father of an Australian rugby league player and coach by the same name. Nicknamed "Skinny", Frank McMillan was a full-back and played nine tests between 1929 and 1934, two as captain. He has been named as one of Australia's finest players. He played for Western Suburbs and captain-coached them to the 1934 premiership. He was the first coach of the newly formed Parramatta club in 1947. Sport appears to have run in the family. Frank senior was a bowls enthusiast and very good player.

Frank McMillan (Photo from Michelle Delaney Collection)

Frank senior died on 28 April 1932 after suffering a heart attack at his home on the corner of Moore and Cordeaux Streets. He was aged 63 and was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery. 

Class of 1902

Campbelltown Library was thrilled to recently receive a donation of a photograph of Ingleburn Public School taken around 1902. This wonderful gem was found in a Lifeline store in a northern Sydney suburb. Unfortunately, almost all of the children are unidentified. However, a name can be put to two of the students. Malcolm McInnes is identified as the boy 2nd from right in the back row and Alan Buchanan McInnes is the boy with the white-collar 2nd from right in the second back row. The photo was taken by A.R. Brown.

Some interesting features of the photo include the hats worn by the teachers in the back row, which were typical of the time. Some of the students also have their hats by their side or on the ground in front of them. A few of the younger children have moved as the photo was taken, resulting in the usual blur. How disappointed their parents must have been. However, the detail that attracted my attention the most was the gun that the young boy 7th from the right in the front row appears to be holding! I have blown the image up and I am convinced it's a gun. No wonder the boy to his left appears nervous! I will stand corrected on this.

The McInnes brothers Alan and Malcolm lived all or most of their lives at Ingleburn. A year before the photo was taken, 8-year-old Alan had suffered painful injuries when he fell from his father's cart. The wheel ran over his head, but he made a full recovery. Alan married Mary Asher in 1925 and died at his home "Iona" in 1967 aged 75. Malcolm died in 1961 aged 71. He appears to have lived most of his life in Chester Road. Both brothers are buried in Denham Court Cemetery.

Thank you to Maria Richards for this generous donation.

Written by Andrew Allen 

Update

My colleague assures me that it's definitely a toy gun!

Update 2

I have just become aware that Malcolm McInnes senior was an alderman on Ingleburn Council and built and lived in the well-known stone cottage on Chester Road, Ingleburn.

The stone cottage with an unidentified boy at the front (possibly one of the McInnes brothers) c. 1904

Alderman Malcolm McInnes, father of the boys in the photo. He died in 1917.

 

Aero Estate

An early housing estate in the area was Aero Estate at Ingleburn. The estate, situated on the western side of the railway line, was also known as Blomfield Estate. The Blomfields were descendants of Captain Richard Brooks of nearby Denham Court. Richard's daughter Christiana married Thomas Blomfield. 

The vacant paddocks were subdivided in the 1920s and marketed as Aero Estate later in the decade. Information about the sales appeared in Sydney newspapers in early 1927. In the Daily Telegraph of 12 March 1927, the following notice appeared under the heading of Subdivisions: Six Estates Offering- Today's Sales and under Ingleburn "Today, at 3pm, Peach Bros. will offer at public auction, on the ground, 850 acres of choice residential and farm land, fronting the main Southern Road and the railway, at Ingleburn. The land for sale is known as the Aero Estate, and is subdivided into one, three, five and acre farmlets, in addition to a number of home sites". Advertisements the next month boasted it was "right at station" and buyers could choose between one, three and five acre lots from 30 pounds.

In 1939 Aero Road, which ran through the estate, became the first road in Ingleburn to be sealed. It was sealed for army purposes from the Military Camp to the railway station.

The estate continued to be developed into the late 1950s. In late 1969 Council announced plans to rezone the entire area light industry. All hell broke loose. Protests and petitions were the order of the day. Local residents who were living the dream on the estate were about to have their lives turned upside down. However, residents were eventually victorious, and the plan was dropped. Only a decade later Council overruled objections and approved light industry.

Aero Road was blocked off and became a minor road. In 1987 a new road bridge over the railway connected with Williamson Road. The level crossing closed, and Old Aero Road was renamed MacDonald Road, in honour of early landholders.

How Aero Estate and road got its name is confusing. According to locals Arthur and Jean Hounslow, around the First World War years when aviation was in its infancy, students from Sydney University used to travel there to use grass sledges. They then started using gliders and once they got used to it, they would sit in the glider and have it projected and come down over the flats over Ingleburn. However, according to Margaret Firth in her 1977 oral history interview, an early model aeroplane landed in a property named Moorland where the estate was later developed. A man and a woman had flown the plane and either a mechanical fault or lack of fuel forced them to land in the paddock. A huge crowd gathered, with "people coming from miles around".

An undated photo of Aero Road below the twin bridges from the freeway (Copyright NSW Main Roads 1929-1984)

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Margaret Firth oral history interview held at Campbelltown Library 23 November 1977

Arthur and Jean Hounslow oral history interview held at Campbelltown Library 23 May 2013

McGill, Jeff et al Campbelltown's Streets and Suburbs: How and why they got their names 1995

Daily Telegraph, 12 March 1927, p10

Kerr, David, Old Ingleburn in Grist Mills: Journal of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society, Vol 21. No.1, March 2008