Royal Australian Historical Society Conference

 Please see details below for this year's RAHS Conference in Campbelltown

Windows into Local History

Campbelltown Catholic Club, 26–27 October 2024

Local history, with its intimate view of the past, is a key to understanding the interconnectedness of history at all levels. It reveals how global and national events have shaped local communities and how local events have contributed to the Australian story.

The 2024 RAHS History Conference will be a fantastic opportunity to engage with local history and discover what it can reveal about your community. The conference will take place in Campbelltown, on the traditional lands of the Dharawal People. It is the perfect site for our conference as the region’s rich tapestry of heritage sites, landmarks, and festivals reflects the development and diversity of NSW. The annual Fisher’s Ghost Festival also provides a unique window into how Australians engage with local legends and folklore over time.

We are sure you will enjoy the RAHS Conference program and exploring Campbelltown’s museums and historical sites. 

A native of Campbelltown.

 In a prison cell attached to the historic Hartley Courthouse is carved the words “Michael Lynch a native of Campbelltown” on the door, and on the wall “M. Lynch aged 15 years & 8 months. Aug 12th 1877. Who was this Michael Lynch of Campbelltown and why was he in a cell so far from home and at such a young age? I decided to investigate Michael’s life and was lucky to find a wealth of information about him. 
Michael’s parents were assisted immigrants Thomas and Margaret Lynch. Natives of Tipperary, they had arrived in New South Wales in 1858. Thomas was a farm labourer, and neither could read or write. Their eldest daughter born in 1855 in Ireland did not come with them, she may have died as an infant, but they were accompanied by their next child, Alicia, born in 1856. It would appear that the Lynches came to Campbelltown fairly quickly, as their next child, Ann, was born in Campbelltown in 1858. Ann was followed by James in 1860, Michael in 1862, Thomas in 1865 and Patrick in 1872, all born in Campbelltown. 
At age 12 Michael was placed on board the “Vernon”, a reformatory for boys. Previously a merchant vessel, the Vernon was anchored at Cockatoo Island from 1871 onwards. It housed about 100 boys who were given academic lessons and taught nautical and industrial skills. 

The "Vernon"

Why was Michael sent here? His intake record of 21st April 1875 states “loitering about the streets and public places in Campbelltown in the colony of NSW in no ostensible lawful occupation, and sleeping in the open air”. His mother stated that he had been to school but not made much progress, he was mischievous and dishonest but had good health. His parents were unable to give him much support, they had little themselves and a large family. He was then described as “a cruel dishonest bad boy indeed”. I can’t help but feel sorry for this 12 year old lad.

 On leaving the Vernon, boys were either apprenticed, found employment or sent to situations in the country. It would appear Michael was apprenticed to a man named Morris Lynch of Little Hartley. In July 1877 we next hear of Michael having absconded from his apprenticeship with Morris. Here we gain a physical description of him. About 16 year of age, stout build, 4’9’’ tall (I think this was an error, he was later described as being 5’7” tall), round face, sandy hair cut short, dressed in black coat, black felt hat, moleskin trousers and Blucher boots. A warrant was issued for his arrest by the Hartley bench. Michael had fled to Campbelltown where he was arrested and remanded to Hartley Court House. It was during this time Michael made his mark on the cell wall and door.  I’m unsure of Michael’s eventual fate for this incident, but unfortunately it set him on a path of petty crimes. 

In 1879 he was suspected of damaging a mowing machine belonging to Joseph Terry of Campbelltown and stealing the tools belonging to said machine.  Although being named in the newspaper no warrant was issued. He was then charged with stealing a saddle the same year and sentenced to 9 months hard labour for Horse Stealing. At Bathurst in 1880 he was tried for horse stealing and sentenced  to 12 months hard labour and a concurrent 18 months for another incident of Horse Stealing. No lesson was learnt as Michael was then charged with Forgery and Uttering in Cooma in 1881. This means creating and circulating false documents. For this he was sentenced to 3 years hard labour for each of the three incidents to be served concurrently.

Michael's photo from his prison records.

I’m happy to say that things then began to improve. Michael returned to Campbelltown and married a woman named Mary Cahill in 1891. Mary was working at the time for Miss Hurley of Queen Street. She had had a son already whose father was not named on his birth certificate. She and Michael married in St John’s and went to live at Quirindi for three years where they became parents of Katherine in 1892, and Johanna in 1894. On returning to the Campbelltown area the family moved to a cottage in Menangle. In 1895 son Thomas was born, and the same year Michael again found himself involved with the law, this time on the right side! He was working as a railway fettler and sadly discovered the body of a young woman at the bottom of an embankment about 10 feet from the rails. An open finding was found at the inquest, but no suspicious circumstances were found. The incident was reported widely in the newspapers. Michael and Mary’s last child was born in 1897, Patrick Michael, who would sadly die the same year aged 9 months.

Michael in later years.

Michael built a home at North Menangle and the couple lived there for many years. The home was relocated to Menangle Park. Michael continued to work as a railway fettler until around the late 30s/early 40s. Mary passed away in 1944, and Michael in 1948, still living in the Cummins Road Menangle Park house. Both he and Mary are buried in St John’s Cemetery Campbelltown with their infant son, as are Michael’s parents and a number of other members of the family. 

Written by Claire Lynch (no relation!)

Sources -  Trove, Ancestry, NSW BDM, https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/entity/nautical-school-ship-vernon/

Oh no! Not traffic lights!

In December 1977 the question of whether Campbelltown needed traffic lights was a hot topic. The idea absolutely horrified some residents, with such comments as “Sydney is saturated with these electronic monstrosities” and “let’s not get carried away with the traffic light installations”. There was no stopping progress however, and the lights were given the go-ahead.

The lights were to be situated at the intersections of Queen and Railway Streets, and Queen and Dumaresq Streets. They were installed by the Department of Main Roads and ancillary work such as kerbing and guttering was undertaken by council. On Thursday 8^th June 1978 an electrical engineer made final checks on the system and at the end of June the lights became active.

Intersection of Dumaresq and Queen Sts.circa 1970 prior to traffic lights.
Geoff Eves Collection, Campbelltown City Library

It’s hard to imagine a Queen Street today without traffic lights, but those original locations are still the only traffic lights along the main drag of Queen Street, from Allman Street to Railway Street!

Written by Claire Lynch

Sources - Campbelltown Ingleburn News.

The Rising Sun

There was an inn in Campbelltown, they called The Rising Sun. Not sure if it was the ruin of many a young boy, but the inn itself appears to have had a short life. Many of Campbelltown's early inns had a fleeting existence. Names such as the Sussex Arms, The Welcome Inn and the Hope Inn have disappeared into the mists of time with very few people now knowing their whereabouts. Often roughly built, many succumbed to fire or other natural disasters. Others endured a slow death, perhaps due to changing importance of previously main roads or thoroughfares or development of settlements away from the inn's location. Many, like The Rising Sun, have left little or no trace of their being.

What do we know about The Rising Sun? According to local historian of the early twentieth century J.P. McGuanne, the inn was located on the corner of George and Dumaresq Streets, on 36 and one quarter perches, and that Benjamin Davies/Davis held the licence in 1836. Dumaresq Street now ends at Hurley Park, well short of the intersection with George Street. It has been that way since the development of Hurley Park. Little else is known of the inn, apart from a valuable notice in Trove from the Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser of 3 June 1837. Under the heading of a "Valuable Freehold Property at Campbelltown" the notice continues" The Rising Sun public house, substantially brick-built with verandah front, containing nine rooms and spacious brick-built Stabling and Kitchen; a substantial brick-built House nearly finished, suitable for a wholesale and retail Store; and a substantial weather-boarded House, Verandah front, floored, glazed, and plastered, now occupied as a Butcher's Shop; the whole will be put up and sold in one lot by J. Blackman and Co., on Monday 5th day of June, 1837, at twelve o'clock precisely, on the Premises, at Campbelltown.

Licensee Benjamin Davies went through difficult times from 1836 to 1838. In 1836, he was forced to sell all his stock, mostly haberdashery, at an auction. A few months later he went into business with a man named James Lacy. However, all stock from this partnership was sold five months later again at auction. Then came the above notice of The Rising Sun and other blocks of surrounding land being sold. The next month saw a notice in the newspaper to Benjamin's creditors and then in 1838 a Supreme Court notice to sell all property known as Davies Premises.

However, according to McGuanne in 1920, the hotel was a successful venture. He wrote in his work "A Centenary of Campbelltown" that "Whoever was the last licensee has left so many thousands of empty bottles stowed away in bags on the verandah, that we have concordant evidence of a good business been done". Does this mean the hotel was still around in McGuanne's time or was this passed on from earlier days? The answer is unclear as no maps or photographs of it exist.

No other records can be found. I walked past the site of the inn a couple of days ago. The site is now located in Hurley Park and of course nothing remains. There is no indication that anything was ever there. I was puzzled about why it was here in the first place. To my knowledge, there was very little settlement at this part of the village in the 1830s and no major thoroughfare where traffic would pass through. Perhaps it was built with an idea to relieve the thirst of the weary builders of the newly proposed reservoir in Allman Street? The plot of ground for the reservoir was provided by Governor Bourke in 1833 and work started in 1838. One day more information might come to light.

Approximate site of The Rising Sun Hotel

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

McGuanne J.P. 1920

A Centenary of Campbelltown

The Australian 2 June 1837

The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, Thursday 1 June 1837

Scandals

Who remembers Scandals Nightclub? Do you remember the soggy alcohol-soaked carpet and how it squelched when you walked on it? Many of you who grew up in the 1980s in Campbelltown probably do. It was the one place in town that you could enjoy an upmarket meal, go to see live entertainment or dance the night away until the wee small hours. The venue had a short but memorable history.

Scandals occupied the old club house for the gold course that is now Park Central. The golf course closed down in 1978 and the club house lay vacant and vandalised for about two years. It had been leased to a number of owners but suffered from the hooligan element in town. When the new club house was built in Glen Alpine, this old club house kept its restaurant licence.

The club house is visible in the background of this photo of the old golf course. The image was taken in 1965-1975 by Geoff Eaves.

An occupant of the club house was Luke's Disco with the accompanying restaurant. Luke's opened in the late 1970s. Some locals remember climbing up the poles in the disco until the owners started putting grease on them to prevent this. 

At the end of 1981 the club was renovated by Scandals International Restaurants, costing $250,000 and taking eight months to complete. The club opened in September 1982 with a charity opening and funds going to Campbelltown and Ingleburn Lions clubs. The Who's Who of Campbelltown attended, enjoying dinner, drinks and an international fashion parade. A showband named Zippitty Do Dah also performed. The place was a hit with locals, with its flash seafood restaurant, function rooms, bars and cabaret room. The new car park called hold up to 320 cars. The city now had a nightlife!

In early 1984 the club changed its name to Rio's. This name change was brief, and it reverted back to Scandals by the middle of the same year and now had a licence to operate until 3am.

By 1987, after a few black marks to its name, the club was now owned by Fred and Michael Dudak. The Dudak's retained the supper club menu until 2.30am which meant guests didn't need to leave and come back again to dance.

The club attracted many famous acts over the years. These included: Pseudo Echo, Duran Duran and La Bouche. There are also fond memories of Jamie Drury taking his clothes off!

The building closed down around 1989 and it was destroyed by fire soon after. The owners attempted to retrieve the wine from the cellar but to no avail. It was the end of an era.

Do you have memories of Scandals? We would also welcome photographs.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Campbelltown Ingleburn News 11 May 1982, p4 and 13 September 1982

Living it Rough

Former Campbelltown resident Ron Foster sure did it tough in his early days living in Campbelltown. In an interview he did with Campbelltown Library in 1983, Ron described some of the places he lived in. Survived is probably a more appropriate word than lived.

Ron moved to Campbelltown with his family in 1931 aged 12. They came from Sutherland where work was difficult to find during the Great Depression and where Ron's father was on the dole and was unable to pay the rent. The Foster's took up a 12-acre block at South Campbelltown. Ron's father got work with Campbelltown Council in an arrangement where they worked so many weeks in a month, in replace of receiving dole payments. The family lived below where the rubbish tip was located at South Campbelltown. It was described by Ron as "very very rough" and a place where you 'existed' and lived the best way you could. The first place the Foster's lived in was nothing more than a tin shed. Ron further described it this way: "The fireplace consisted of one of those square galvanised iron tanks you know what they call ship tanks." The photograph below gives you some idea of what it was like. The water tank at the side of the 'house' was used as a bedroom!

Campbelltown City Library. Local Studies Collection (Keith Longhurst Collection). The boy in the photo is unidentified.

After a while the family built a slab hut on the 12-acre block. It was so small that Ron had to sleep in a tent. It had a kitchen at one end and a bedroom at the other where Ron's father slept while Ron slept in the tent! The two rooms were partitioned off with bags and nothing else. They had a stove and a stone fireplace. The hut had a corrugated iron roof and a floor made from stone from the bush with a skin of cement over it. Imagine living like this through a cold Campbelltown winter.

Ron was 12 when he moved to Campbelltown and 13 when he left the tiny Campbelltown South school (this building is now Kentlyn Public School). After working in different jobs around the town, including Tom Frost's dairy which included land where the current HJ Daley Library is, Ron got work on a farm at Eschol Park. Living conditions here were not much better. For ten bob ($1) a week, Ron was given a wooden stretcher to sleep on with no mattress or blankets! He eventually acquired a horse rug with another horse rug over him. All he had to eat was a plate of porridge for breakfast every morning and plum jam with bread for dinner. Work was seven days a week. How difficult it must have been living in those times.

Ron Foster died in August 1984, only one year after his interview.

Written by Andrew Allen

Life Savers in Campbelltown

 

It's fascinating to read what was considered newsworthy exactly one hundred years ago and compare how it would rate in today's world.  According to the Campbelltown News from the day, this unique advertising promotion attracted "great interest on the part of all who saw it". The visit was from an advertising automobile described as having a unique "stunt" body. The automobile was actually a truck with an extensive frame that fitted a large tubular body. On the body was a reproduction of a roll of Pep-o-mint life savers, described as the candy mint with the hole. The reproduction covered the shape, colouring and lettering of a life saver packet. The car stopped at Campbelltown on its way to Melbourne. Our town was one of a number along the principal highways of the country that the trucks would stop at. A million samples of life savers were given away by a few other trucks that travelled all over Australia at the time. The sketch above shows what the truck would have looked like. Kind of hilarious but way ahead of its time!

Life Savers Sweets Co. Ltd launched Life Savers in 1922 with a series of display advertisements in major papers in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria with a professionally executed campaign. The special promotional vehicle like the one that visited Campbelltown and constructed by the distributors, continued the promotion in 1924.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Campbelltown News, Friday 6 June 1924, page 7

https://australianfoodtimeline.com.au