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

Cransley

Tucked away amongst the trees at 104 Waminda Avenue, Campbelltown is a neat little State Heritage listed cottage named "Cransley". The house seems to be built around 1882, although some sources date it to 1890. John Knight, one of the first Campbelltown alderman, bought the land in 1881 and built the house, so 1882 would seem the likely year.

The cottage is constructed of sandstone with a slate roof and has an unobtrusive and well designed verandah to the one side. It has been described as a typical "Hunter's Hill" type of house.

The original occupier of the land was Michael Wholohan who received a 50 acre grant which he held from 1821 to 1844.  After his death, the land was willed to his brother Daniel followed by other family members before being sold to Benjamin Warby in 1859. It then passed through a number of hands including John Knight in 1881. In 1918, the Government purchased the Cransley Estate as a soldiers resettlement scheme and the 391 acres was divided into 44 small farms with Cransley being the manager's residence while the project got underway.

In 1921, Bill Price settled on Cransley and ran a poultry farm until World War 2. On his return from war he established a nursery and became well known in the area as a very able nurseryman. A 1949 newspaper advertisement talks about the variety of trees, shrubs and roses for sale. In 1965, Price surrendered 11 of the original 12 acres and kept one for the nursery. On his retirement he subdivided the acre and gave part of it to Campbelltown Council to be used as a park which is now known as Cransley Reserve.

On Bill Price's death in 1976, the property passed to his widow and son who then sold the property at auction to Alice Minut. Alice developed the house as a craft centre and built a pottery at the rear. In 1982, it was sold at auction and again in 1994.

The photograph above is of Cransley in 1982. Today the house is partly hidden behind well established trees. (Verlie Fowler Collection).

Written by Andrew Allen

Skeleton in the Creek

It's Friday the 18th of June 1920 and Alexander Crowe, a World War One digger, is chopping wood on his farm at the Soldier Settlement near Campbelltown. Crowe's block was on the far eastern boundary of the settlement with a creek running through the rugged portion. As he was chopping wood he saw a curved shape bone lying on the ground. After curiously scouting the ground in the vicinity and much to his horror, found a human skeleton partially dressed in men's clothing lying in the dry creek bed. The police were immediately notified and they began to identify the skeleton.

Initial newspaper reports before identification described the scene. They wrote that the nature of the bones indicated that the man was in the prime of his life when he died. They theorised that the man could have stumbled over the bank of the creek and lain there without attracting assistance. The right knee was dislocated it was also noticed.

Early reports also suggested that the body had been there for around 12 months. Also in the creek bed were six bottles of vanilla essence, three pennies and four half pennies plus some cordial bottles. Police however initially had little to go on to identify the body.

Dr Mawson of Campbelltown then examined the remains. He was of the opinion that they were lying exposed for at least six months, and were those of a young man between 5ft 9in and 5ft 10in high. Several bones were missing and the doctor believed that they were taken by wild dogs.

News of the discovery reached Victor Thompson of Parramatta. He was quickly on the scene and was convinced that the skeleton was of his father Nathaniel.

Sixty year old Nathaniel Thompson lived in Landers Street, Redfern and worked as a cordial maker. He had recently lost a son and was greatly affected by this. One day in February that year he had set out to visit his mother's grave in Liverpool. Before he had left the family gave him three pennies and four half-pennies to take with him. Being a great walker he had decided to walk the journey but became lost as night approached. The Campbelltown Herald went on to explain that "the place where the deceased was found would give every reason to believe that an accident happened, and the death was due to exposure". Further adding support to the son's belief that this was his father was a distinctive broken tooth and a newly soled boot.

This was all I could locate on this story. I find it strange that Nathaniel Thompson would stray as far as the Soldier Settlement at Campbelltown on his way from Redfern to Liverpool.

                         Soldier Settlement, Waminda Avenue, Campbelltown


Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

VINCENT, Liz 1994
Tales of Old Macarthur Country
Picton: Liz Vincent

Bathurst Times, Monday 21 June 1920

Campbelltown Herald Friday 25 June 1920