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

Disappearing Street

Howe Street in the Campbelltown CBD once ran from Broughton Street to Cordeaux Street. The part of Howe Street that once ran from Browne Street to Cordeaux Street is now part of Mawson Park.

The closure certainly didn't happen overnight. St Peter's Anglican Church first sent a request to Campbelltown Council in June 1962 to consider closing the street from the bowling club to Cordeaux Street. Council investigated the costs and sought feedback from the public. The only negative response came from a J. Moore who complained that it was too close to the main shopping centre and would reduce valuable parking. So council approved the proposal subject to the church providing an area for parking adjacent the bowling club.

For reasons unclear, the project stalled for most of the 1960s. It did reappear in council minutes in 1965, after the proposal was listed in the Government Gazette. The Minister for Lands was of the opinion that "it was expedient to close that section of Howe Street, Campbelltown, separating "Mawson Park" reserve for public recreation." Objections were again sought and a notice placed in the local media. It appears nobody objected this time. Still, it was 1968 before things started to move. Towards the end of 1968 a draft agreement for a six foot strip of St Peter's Church land for car parking opposite the bowling club was drawn up. In July 1969 the resubmission of the proposal was received. It aimed at having the work completed before the bicentenary celebrations in April 1970. Council approved the proposal.

The park was extended and more car parking space was made available in Cordeaux Street. The street was blocked off and grass planted for a public reserve. It was hoped that the warmer summer conditions would aid in the growing of the grass. The work was completed in early 1970. A number of houses in Cordeaux Street, including Lysaght's "Rosangeles" on the corner of Cordeaux and Oxley Streets, were demolished for extra parking.

An undated photograph of Billy Rixon in Howe Street. This is long before the street was closed off from Browne Street. In the background are numbers 7 and 9 Cordeaux Street. Number 9 belonged to Dr Mawson.

The road closed in late 1969. (Campbelltown and Ingleburn News)

 

Written by Andrew Allen

 

 

 

 

Percy and Lionel: Two Local Heroes

Last Sunday marked the Centenary of the Armistice. The ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra was very moving, but no more than the deeply moving ceremony at St Patrick's College for Girls last Friday. A number of stories of soldier's experiences in the Great War were told by the students of St Pats, who had family connections to soldiers, and many a tear was shed. The girls did their school proud. They inspired me to do some research into some of the area's own soldiers and I came across two brothers whose story I had previously been unaware of. Most of their story comes from Lauren Hokin's comprehensive book "ANZACS of Macarthur".

Percy McDonald was 26 when he enlisted in the AIF. He was living in Atchinson Road, Macquarie Fields. Percy was joined by his brother Lionel, who signed up the following day. They both left Sydney on the 8th of October 1915. Things started to go wrong immediately after they arrived in Egypt, when Percy was admitted to hospital with mumps. In June the following year their battalion proceeded from Egypt to the Western Front in France. Shortly after arriving in the frontlines, they participated in action during the horrific Battle of Fromelles. Tragedy was to strike between the 19th and 20th July when Lionel was reported missing in action. Despite his brother's disappearance, Percy had to continue with his duty. Percy and his family hoped against hope for any news. Percy survived Fromelles and by August 1916 had been promoted to Sergeant. Sickness was to follow, including hydrocele and later hospitalization from a hernia from an undescended testicle. On the 4th of May, he was sent back to Australia for home service. He was later considered medically unfit and discharged in August 1917.

Percy McDonald (National Archives of Australia

Percy returned with his new bride to the Ingleburn area. They lived in a house in Fawcett Street, Glenfield named Tillicoultry. At the time, the McDonalds received news that a Court of Enquiry had concluded that Lionel was killed in action in July 1916. Witnesses stated that they had seen him lying dead in the German first line trench. This resulted in years of correspondence and paperwork that had to be filled out and forwarded to the army and other institutions. In 1921 Percy contacted the army and requested that all correspondence be sent to him, as it was "opening old wounds" and he feared for his father's health.

Percy decided to take up arms again in the Second World War! His twin brother Ernest signed up in 1942 and Percy joined him a week later. He was appointed Lieutenant of the 11th NSW Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps. He resigned the following year.

Percy was a keen artist and his unique drawings and paintings were often seen on exhibition. He passed away on the 18th of May 1964. The location of Lionel's remains are unknown.

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

HOLKIN, Lauren 2016
ANZACS of Macarthur: the men and women who served in The First World War
Campbelltown: Veterans Recreation Centre

Avoca Vale Public School

Occasionally I come across information that I was completely unaware of- just when I think I knew everything about Campbelltown there is to know! When researching an enquiry for someone, I discovered there was a school in the area named Avoca Park Public School. This school operated for a very brief period. It was established in 1881 and closed down about 1910. So where was it? Further research revealed that it was situated next to Kilbride homestead, today part of Kilbride Nursing Home in Rosemeadow. A parish map in our collection shows where the school was located: between Appin Road and the water race that ran close to Kilbride.

Amazingly, a search of our photograph collection resulted in a photograph of this school! Taken in about 1909, the faded and grainy image shows a group of children from a different age. A time when the world seemed more innocent. When the pace of life moved so much slower. When World War I had not yet arrived to scar and destroy families from throughout Campbelltown and the country. In front of the photograph are a couple of straw hats and perhaps a cap. I wonder what lives these innocent children were to have?

A search of the Government Gazette on Trove revealed some of the teachers at the school. A Mr Walsh moved there in 1885, followed by John Bath, Miss Crouch, Miss Dash, Miss O'Reilly and Miss McManus in 1908. The children are unidentified, although it is possible that a Haydon girl (later Mrs Jackson) is in the photo. An alderman on Campbelltown Council by the name of Roy Fitzgibbon also attended the school.

Nothing remains of the school today.

Written by Andrew Allen

The Good Intent

Earlier this year I wrote a brief article for the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society's newsletter 'The Kernel' on the Hotel Good Intent. Below is the full article.

The Good Intent opened its doors to the public on March 24, 1939. It was built on the site of Alpha House which was demolished the previous year. The license was transferred in the names of Mr and Mrs Kerr from the nearby Commonwealth Hotel to the Good Intent.

Aubrey John Raymond, better known as “Titus” Oates, became the licensee of the Good Intent after winning the lottery. “Titus” seems to have been a divisive personality in the town. Many enjoyed his company and regarded him as a generous man. Others are less complementary. Whatever the views, no one could doubt his courage as a pilot. During the 1949 coal miner’s strike, he would go a on a “beer barn-storming mission” flying his Comper Swift, to ensure the beer supply at the Good Intent was kept flowing! He would fly as far as Adelaide locating supplies for the hotel. In 1954 “Titus” sold the Good Intent hotel, in order to enter television production and film making.

 

 

The Good Intent was one of the more popular pubs in Campbelltown during its existence, especially on Sundays. It was a two-story brick building at the front and had three levels at the rear. A large car park was situated on the southern side of the building. The pub was set on a large block of land and included a brick shed, living quarters and a large garden at the rear. In 1973 a drive-in bottle shop was added.

The hotel closed its doors for the last time on April 17^th, 1982. This was an unpopular decision and many regulars defied the demolition signs on the hotel doors and arrived for their usual drink on the Sunday morning- the day of the demolition. They were eventually coaxed out of the bar by a security guard. It was demolished to make way for Campbelltown Mall.

 

 

Written by Andrew Allen

Jack Crawford

Jack Crawford was a famous Australian tennis player from the 1930s. He is perhaps remembered best for almost winning the grand slam in 1933. He lost the US Open, the last slam for the year, after tiring in his match against Englishman Fred Perry, which he led by two sets to one. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 1997. Jack was known to have taken a shot of whiskey between sets if the game was tense. He was Queen Mary's favourite player.

 

Jack Crawford rolling his sleeves down in a match because of the cold (State Library of NSW)

Jack Crawford had connections to Ingleburn. His wife Marjorie Cox, also a tennis player and a State representative, came from Ingleburn. After his heroics in 1933, Jack and Marjorie returned to Australia and, needing time for relaxation after an exhausting schedule, spent some time at Ingleburn with her parents to recover. In early November the following year, Jack played in an exhibition match at the newly opened Ingleburn tennis courts in Memorial Park.

Jack Crawford died on 10 September 1991 and is buried with Marjorie at Denham Court Cemetery.

 

Jack and Marjorie's grave in Denham Court Cemetery

 

 

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources: KERR, David

               Old Ingleburn

               In Grist Mills: Journal of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society

               Vol. 21, No. 1, March 2008

 

Wikipedia