Campbelltown City Library Celebrates History Week 2012

Campbelltown City Library will be celebrating the History Council of New South Wales' History Week from September 8-16. The theme this year is Threads: they wore what?  which is designed to explore the history of clothing and the impact that fashion makes on society.

Throughout the week a display of historical photographs of uniforms worn by people from Campbelltown will be presented along with an exhibition of historical garments from the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society collection from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The photograph above is of a group of nurses from a Campbelltown Hospital immediately following the First World War. The hospital is probably that which was located in Lithgow Street that preceeded Milby Hospital where the old Fisher's Ghost Restaurant is located.

In addition to these displays, Dr Vicki Karaminas, an Associate Professor at the University of Technology in the School of Design, will be presenting a talk about "Men's Fashion in Australia from Colonial Times" at HJ Daley Library. The talk is free and will commence at 1:00pm on Tuesday 11 September. Bookings are essential on 4645 4436.

Chamberlain Street Then and Now

These photographs of Chamberlain Street, Campbelltown were taken from approximately the same position. The black and white image was taken in 1941 and the colour in August 2012. The only landmark I had to line up the comparison with was the cottage on the right hand side in the 1941 photograph today partially hidden by trees (click on the colour image for a larger and clearer view). Another clue to the location was that the photograph was donated by the Bentley family who lived in a now demolished house at number 19 just out of the picture on the right. The people in the 1941 photograph are unidentified.

Written by Andrew Allen

Saturn's Rings

One of the more unusual constructions built in Campbelltown is the Universal Power House or Saturn's Rings perched high on a hill in the suburb of Eschol Park. Saturn's Rings was built by a Polish immigrant from Ingleburn named Stefan Dzwonnik. Construction began around 1979 and continued for some years after that. At the time the building was regarded as one of the most spectacular in New South Wales with a limitless, panoramic view of the surrounding countryside.

So what was the purpose of this unique building? Stefan Dzwonnik had plans for it to be the mecca for a world-wide movement directed toward a better life on Earth. It was intended to become the home of him and his family; and the "power house" of his proposed Universal Power World Society.

The unique design of the house was based on the rings of the planet Saturn and comprised three concentric units. The largest on the top level was to provide living quarters for the family. The two lower levels were for the society.

Dzwonnik wrote a book around the time of construction called "The Universal Life Challenge". It discussed the Universal Power philosophy and outlined the aims and objectives of the society such as engaging in cultural and sporting activities and promotion of truth, love and peace.

Saturn's Rings was never completed.  When its frame used to be visible on the skyline, people would contemplate what is was, often mistaking it for a casino! It still sits on the hill at Eschol Park now virtually obliterated from public view by trees.  My research leads me to believe that Stefan Dzwonnik moved from the area and is now living on the Far South Coast of New South Wales.

The Universal Power House or Saturn's Rings still under construction in November 1985. (Richard Lawrance Collection. Campbelltown City Library)

Update

Stefan Dzwonnik died in 2018
 

Written by Andrew Allen

Arthur Hill

Arthur Samuel Hill was born locally in 1893. A Leumeah signwriter, he enlisted in the 33rd Batallion in June 1917. On the 3rd of April 1918 at Villers-Bretonneaux in France, he was brushing his clothes when a shell landed close to him and wounded him in the thigh and shoulder. He was taken to the aid post 200 yards away but Arthur's life could not be saved and he died of his wounds two days later. His mate Private England described him as "a very nice chap about 22 or 23, dark." Private Hill was one of the many Campbelltown soldiers never to return from an overseas war. He was buried at St Sever Cemetery at Rouen in France.

Written by Andrew Allen

Charles Kerry Photographs

The library's online historic photographs collection "Our Past in Pictures" contains a number of photographs taken by Kerry and Jones of George Street, Sydney. These are all dated 1886 indicating that a visit to the Campbelltown area was made by someone from their photographic studio that year.

Charles Henry Kerry was born at Bombala, New South Wales in 1857. He began his career as a photographer in about 1875, working for the Sydney portrait photographer, A.H. Lamartiniere. By 1884, Kerry had taken over the business and had his studio at 308 George Street, Sydney. Lamartinere absconded with Kerry's small capital but Kerry stayed on, and in partnership with C. D. Jones, built the small studio into the colony's largest photographic organization.

Kerry was later appointed official photographer to the Governor of New South Wales, Lord Carrington. In addition to his portrait work, Kerry took on a number of government commissions, including travelling through New South Wales to photograph Aboriginal peoples, their camps and corroborees and taking detailed interior views of Jenolan Caves. Kerry and Jones later became Kerry and Co. He retired in 1913 to take up mining and died in 1928 at his home in Neutral Bay.

The Kerry and Jones photographs in our collection are all sepia photographs. Some are taken of the Gilead property on Appin Road, including the windmill. Others include distant shots of Campbelltown taken from Terrys Hill and recognisable landmarks of the area from the time such as St Peter's Church of England and the cattle tank.

One of the Kerry and Jones images taken in 1886 of Mount Gilead farm buildings with the windmill in the distance.

Do you have any old photographs of the Campbelltown area? Please contact the library if you are interested in sharing them with us as we are interested in donations or the chance to copy them for our collection.

Written by Andrew Allen

How they used to treat snake bites!

From the Australian Town and Country Journal dated 2nd November, 1872:

Campbelltown. Wednesday. "Today, a man named Edward Barrett, while lifting a sheet of bark, was bitten in the finger by a black snake. After lacerating the wound, he galloped into town, a distance of three miles, where Mr. J. Egan sucked the wound, and accidentally swallowed some of the poison. Barnett is much better, but Mr. Egan is in a very dangerous state."

Snakes have a long history of terrorising Campbelltown folk. This one was caught around 1920 at Denham Court by Fred Asher and John McDonald.

Written by Andrew Allen

Mrs Hickey's General Store

One of the earliest photographs the library has in its collection is this one taken in 1871 of Mrs Hickey's general store. The building was built of weatherboard with a shingled roof. The rear annex was of brick and rough stone set in a mortar matrix, probably of sand and lime with or without cement. In the shop window you can see various bottles, vases and jars. Other items that Mrs Hickey sold included cutlery, pottery, garden tools, farm products, linen, clothing, pots and pans, lamps and lanterns.

If you look closely at the photograph you can see the absence of guttering. Rain drops from the roof created shallow trenches along the frontage to the verandah and from all accounts meant mud was everywhere in wet weather. A foot scraper would've been essential!

Also note the cat sunning itself on the road. A reminder of the placid life of that time so long ago.

Mrs Hickey's quaint little shop was situated 50 metres south of the Queen Street and Bradbury Avenue intersection on the western side of Queen Street. This places it in the vicinity of where the car wash is located.

Source:

"Buildings of Yore in Campbelltown" by Eddie McBarron
In Grist Mills  Vol.3, No.3, July 1986

Written by Andrew Allen