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1967
The Story of Austinmer
Norman S. King
Illawarra Historical Society
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King, Norman S., (1967), The Story of Austinmer, Illawarra Historical Society, Wollongong, 53p.
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The Story of Austinmer
Description
Norman S. King, (1967), The Story of Austinmer, Illawarra Historical Society, Wollongong, 53p. Published in
conjunction with the centenary of Austinmer Public School, 1867-1967.
Publisher
Illawarra Historical Society, Wollongong, 53p
This book is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/ihspubs/8
The Story of A U S T I N M E R
by
NORM AN
TH E
S.
KING
Published in con ju n ction
C E N T E N A R Y OF A U S T IN M E R
1867
-
1967
with
P U B LIC
SCH OOL
“Sidmouth” , the old colonial style house standing back
with verandah posts, was built by R. M. Westmacott in
1837. The school was built in 1891. The large house next
to it has been purchased by the Dept, of Education. It
was built in 1905.
■
The beach during carnival time at Austinmer.
The Story
of
AUSTINM ER
IN CO RPO RATING
THE C E N TE N A R Y OF AU STIN M ER
PUBLIC SCHOOL
1867 - 1967
BY
NORM AN S. KING
P A ST -PR ESID E N T
1L L A W A R R A HISTORICAL SO C IET Y
Author of:
“ H istory o f A u stin m er”
“ R obert M arsh W estm acott in Illaw arra”
“ Cornelius O’ Brien, Pioneer o f B ulli”
P apers:
“ A u stralia’s F irst
S olicitor”
“ A u stralia’s F irst F a rm er”
1
THE STORY OF AUSTINMER
by
Norman S. King, J.P.
E A R L Y D A Y S OF D IS C O V E R Y .
It was a brigh t A p ril day in the year o f 1770 and a
light north-easterly breeze, com ing in o f f the sea, was fill­
ing the sails o f the barque “ E N D E A V O U R ” m ovin g her
slow ly north along the coast o f a new land w hich, those
on board, had discovered eight days earlier on the 20th
o f that m onth and w hich no w hite man had ever looked
upon before.
She w as a trim ship o f 370 tons com m anded by Cap­
tain James Cook w ho had travellin g w ith him Sir Joseph
Banks, B otanist and Fellow o f the R oyal Society, and Dr.
Solander, N aturalist fro m the B ritish Museum, together
w ith a crew o f 41 seamen, 12 m arines, 38 o ffice r s and
scientists, in all num bering 94 persons.
The scientists w ere a party o f astronom ers and m et­
eorologists, jou rn ey in g w ith Cook on a voyage to the Island
o f Tahiti, in the P a cific Ocean fo r the purpose o f “ Observ­
ing the tran sit o f Venus across the fa ce o f the Sun” early
in the year o f 1769.
H is task accom plished, Cook had been ordered to p ro­
ceed w est in order to establish the existence or otherwise,
o f an unknown land m uch spoken o f as “ T E R R A IN C O G ­
N IT O ” . He located the Islands o f N ew Zealand, chartered
them and took them in the name o f G eorge III o f England,
then sailed w est-north-w est eventually com in g in contact
w ith the east coast o f A ustralia, w hich he named N ew
South W ales.
On the particular day m entioned above, the conversa­
tion on board sim m ered w ith excitem en t; an attem pt to
land was to be made. F ires on the land had been seen
the night before and, in the m orn in g natives had been
seen on shore, m ovin g about w ith canoes on the sand.
The sandy shore extended fo r m iles along the coast
and the land w as fla t extending to m ountains in the back ­
ground. The natives knew the area as “ A llow rie” , the h abi­
tat o f the ‘T u raw al’ T ribe, w ho fo r the past tw o days had
discussed the appearance o f the “ W inged M onster” as she
lay becalmed and at the m ercy o f the currents w ithin sight
o f them all. M essengers had been hastened north several
beaches to the ‘T h irrou l’ tribe and all w ere on the look-out
fo r it.
2
In the afternoon, a small w in ged boat left the “ M on­
ster” and m ade fo r the shore. The sh ip’s yaw l had been
low ered and Captain Cook, Joseph Banks, Dr. Solander and
Tupia, a T ahitian native, to be used as an interpreter and
seaman, sailed tow ards the shore. The natives, hidden in
the scrub bord erin g the beach, began calling out to each
other, W oll-o n -g o n g ; W oll-on -gon g ; m eaning “ H ere com es
the m on ster” ; but the su rf was great and, fe a r in g the
capsize o f the cra ft, Cook abandoned the attem pt, returned
to the ship and sailed north. W hen the natives realised
they w ere not com in g ashore, and w ere leaving, w ord was
flashed to the T h irrou l beach natives w ho in turn sent
w ord to their tribesm en at the beach north, w hich w e know
as A ustinm er, that the “ M onster” w as com in g tow ards
them.
The m orn in g had passed and the sun w as well past
being above w hen a shout cam e fro m the headland, W ollon -g on g ! W oll-on -gon g ! as the w hite sails and hull cam e
into view . A s she slow ly sailed past and was gone, fo r m any
o f them it was to be the fir st and last tim e such an event
was to take place. Thus the fir s t w hite men saw and never
m entioned, the small, but now so popular, beach.
T H E CO M IN G OF T H E W H IT E M A N
It is possible that 18 years afterw ards, in 1788, m any
o f the natives w ho had shouted W oll-on -gon g on seeing the
“ E N D E A V O U R ” m ay have seen som e o f the ships o f the
F irst Fleet as they sailed up the coast to B otany Bay. Then,
eight years later, in 1796, an event took place that must
have aroused the interest o f the natives. It w as when
Surgeon G eorge Bass and M idshipm an M atthew Flinders,
and the boy W illiam M artin, w ere being sw ept by coastal
currents past the beach to the area o f the F ive Islands and
Lake Illa w a r r a ; then three days later, the three men landed
on N orth A u stin m er beach to stretch their aching limbs
and get som e m uch needed sleep, a fter being cram ped up
fo r tw o nights in their tiny boat.
A s I sit on m y fr o n t verandah w ritin g, I look directly
down on to the beach and rem ind m yself that it is ju st
like it was w hen those three intrepid adventurers landed
on it, the w aves dashing on the self same rocks in the
self same way, racin g up the beach as they did 170 years
ago and no doubt fo r m illions o f years before.
T hree w eary and tw ice w recked su rvivors fro m a
w recked ship in Bass Strait — all that w ere left o f a
party o f 17 w ho had set out to walk to Sydney fro m the
Cape H ow e region, were, in the year 1797, the next
w hites to traverse the area, only this tim e on land. W illiam
Clarke, su per-cargo o f the w recked “ Sydney C ove” , and
3
tw o other seamen, reached C oalclif, there to discover coal
on the su rface and to actually make a fir e fo r the night
with it. This proved to be the fir s t discovery in the colony.
F ollow in g C larke’s discovery, the only activity in the
Bulli area (and Bulli or “ B oulie” extended from Stanwell
Park to Mt. K eira) was the cutting o f cedar w hich abound­
ed on the m ountain slopes, and it w as possibly 20 years
before w hites w ere again seen at N orth Bulli. The natives
by this tim e would be quite used to seeing w hites in the
area, fo r cedar getters w ere operatin g as early as 1805
nearer W ollon gon g and w here it could be shipped away.
T H E F IR S T S E T T L E R S
In 1815, the fir s t cattle w ere driven over land and
m ountain fro m near L iverpool to w hat was know n as the
F ive Islands D istrict surrounding Lake Illaw arra. These
cattle m ust have been brought dow n betw een Bulli and
B rokers N ose m ountain as the c liffs at N orth Bulli would
have been too precipitous. H ow ever, a track dow n the
c liffs w as discovered at W om barra. D enm ark Street leads
up to it. Surveyor, James Meehan, describes it in his field
book 119, g iv in g m easurem ents fr o m the descent to W ollon ­
gong. A n Irish im m igrant named Cornelius O’ Brien,* who
m igrated to the A pp in D istrict in 1815, obtained a grant
o f 300 acres in 1821 w here Bulli is now established and,
by that tim e, tracks w ere probably leading to the beaches
north o f his holding. A lthough his house w as called the
“ Sentinel o f the N orth ” , one can easily visualise picnic
parties travellin g along the track leading to the delightful
glen and beach o f N orth Bulli. O f course, W ollon gon g was
not in existence then, but considerable land had been
taken up and agricultural pursuits w ere bein g carried on.
O’ B rien h im self cultivated 90 acres and depastured cattle.
®“ Cornelius O’Brien, Pioneer of B u lli” , by N. S. King
Published by the Illaw arra H istorical Society
A U S T IN M E R ’S F IR S T S E T T L E R
A s the years sped by, m ore settlers cam e to take up
land and start cultivating and raisin g cattle. Shipyards
w ere built, a w haling station established, flou r mills and
cedar-gettin g gave em ploym ent to m any. V ast areas w eer
granted to em inent people, so that a class o f landlords
sprang up, em ploying convicts fo rce d on them by the
governm ent, som etim es in considerable num bers, f o r w hich
provision had to be m ade fo r housing and m aintenance.
Treatm ent w as som etim es harsh. Chained up at n igh t and
often beaten, the con vict was looked upon as a v ery low
4
specim en o f hum anity and had to bow and d o ff his hat or
cap w hen he cam e into the presence o f his m aster.
A n d so, by the early thirties, the population had grow n
to such an extent that the settlem ent near the tin y har­
bour w as laid out and o fficia lly named W ollongong. A lso at
this tim e G overnor Bourke paid a visit to the area accom ­
panied by his A ide-de-C am p, Captain R obert M arsh W estm acott. He, W estm acott, w as so im pressed w ith the vast
holdings o f these gen try and the lordly m anner they ex ­
hibited, that he thought he w anted to have a part in it
all, so, w hen he returned to Sydney, he resigned his o fficia l
positions and applied fo r a gran t o f land in the Illaw arra
to becom e a settler.
He m ade the acquaintance o f Cornelius O ’B rien and
jou rn eyed to his prop erty to discuss the purchase o f three
properties held by him and at the same tim e obtain his
opinion o f land to the north fo r the purpose o f cultivation.
P robably they visited the area and agreed that it was suit­
able, fo r W estm acott applied fo r and w as granted 300
acres w here A ustinm er ultim ately becam e established.
This was in 1836 and by the next year he had con ­
structed a com m odious house w hich he nam ed “ Sidm outh”
a fter the tow n in Devon, E ngland, w here he w as born.
The gran t extended fro m the lane behind M oore Street on
the south to M axw ell R oad fro m the sea to the cliffs . The
deeds o f all the properties in that area bear the name o f
R. M. W estm acott as the grantee o f the land. That area
was know n as “ Sidm outh” fo r m any years.
In the “ H IS T O R Y O F A U S T IN M E R ” by N. S. King,
the life and activities o f R. M. W estm acott are fu lly de­
scribed, but he had such a bearing on the developm ent o f
the W ollon gon g area that it will be interesting to note some
o f his activities.
He was delighted w ith his grant, the terrain, its suit­
ability fo r cultivation, its plenteous w ater supply, its fo r e ­
shores o f sandy beaches, its gentle slopes and stretches o f
level areas, and its arcadian glens and idyllic w ater courses.
T o this m an o f artistic tastes and high social standing, it
was a B ohem ian Paradise .
He selected a level site in the glen w here the creek
ran dow n to the beach, fo r the site o f his house, w here it
stood fo r nearly 90 years, being dem olished in the 1920s
and replaced by the presen t house built by Captain Y ou n g
w ho named it “ R athm ines” . The cedar, so freely used in the
old house and w hich w as so readily at hand w hen it was
built, was used to a certain extent in the new on e; but
most o f it w as used to build a house in A squith Street
fo r the captain ’s old batm an, T om m y R ooney.
B y the m iddle o f 1837, he w as able to b rin g his w ife
and tw o sons to the finished house and settle in fo r their
5
home. H e was allotted a certain num ber o f con vict labour­
ers w ith his grant and w ith these, quickly cleared the land
fo r his house and cultivation.
W estm acott w as an am bitious man. He becam e a c­
quainted w ith men like H enry Osborne, Jam es Spearing,
John Buckland, Charles T h rosby Smith, John Plunkett,
landlords o f vast acreages, in com parison w ith which, his
300 acres was like a small paddock. They w ere men o f
lordly demesne and their outw ard dem eanour proclaim ed
them as such. W estm acott brought land north and south o f
his grant, m ainly as investm ents, but he burnt his fin gers,
as w ill be seen later. In 1839 he w as instrum ental in
startin g a steam ship com pany as w ell as a coal mine, p ro v ­
ing he w as a m an o f initiative and progress. In the same
year he had a visitor in the person o f Lady Franklin, w ife
o f the g overn or o f Tasm ania, w ho w as m aking an overland
trip fro m P ort Phillip to Sydney. She form ed a very high
opinion o f him. She says, “ He is the person, perhaps, we
have liked the best on our to u r ; kind, energetic, sincere
and active. He has bought land at 5 /- per acre tw o years
ago and can now get £5 and £6 fo r it. He has adopted
this country as his ow n and is rapidly g row in g rich .”
One could im agine that the m ain topics o f conversa­
tion w ere the steam ship com pany and the coal m in e; the
fo rm e r being an established fa c t and the latter in the
process o f form ation . Had W estm acott kept to his original
intention o f fa rm in g and raisin g blood stock, he would have
achieved the riches Lady F ranklin fo re sa w fo r h im ; but
no, he m ust dabble in public a ffa ir s and speculative com ­
panies w ith dire results. In 1843, one reads in court files,
that his estate w as surrendered and placed under seques­
tration. One thing rem ains as a m onum ent to his enterprise,
the present Bulli Pass. He discovered and surveyed a track
that led to the top o f the escarpm ent and w hich was known
as “ W estm acott’s P ass” .
EARLY SETTLERS
1843-1866
James Hicks.
Jam es H icks m ust have been one o f the original
settlers. His grant o f 50 acres adjoin ed tw o o f W estm a­
cott’s blocks w hich he had purchased fr o m O’Brien. These
could have been at W oonona. H ow ever, when W estm acott’s
estate at N orth Bulli, “ Sidm outh” , w as sold in 1843, it
was acquired by James H icks w ho m oved into it w ith his
fam ily.
There w ere tw o boys, H enry Thom as and R ichard, and
some girls. The H icks farm ed the land near the house and
founded an orchard on the higher ground tow ards the
cliffs . Jam es H icks subdivided the 300 acres he took over
fro m W estm acott into fa rm and orchard lots o f 40 acres
brin gin g fam ilies to the area w ith the sole o b ject o f creat­
ing farm s and orchards. The earliest o f these fam ilies w ere
the F ords, the C arricks, the Dalys, the M itchells, the
Maddens, and the H opewells. The F ords g rew oranges, the
C arricks grapes and apples; the D alys vegetables and fr u it ;
the M addens, M itchells, and H opew ells carried on farm in g.
The low er and flat areas w ere given to fa rm in g, while the
orchards extended into the hillsides. B y 1860, there were
also the Pow ells and the G eraghtys and the K ennedys, and
the M cPhees.
The Kennedy Family.
Jam es Kennedy, w ith his w ife and fiv e children, a boy
and fo u r girls, came fro m Yallah and occupied a g ra n t o f
land m ade to Joseph R oberts o f 160 acres, a d join in g W estm acott’s gran t on the south. The prop erty extended from
the sea on the east to the m ountains on the w est and
from W estm acotts on the north to F lan n agan’s creek on
the south. The land had a sloping paddock back fro m M oore
Street and then rose steeply to a high hill w hich is still
called K ennedy’s Hill. The house was built on the eastern
end o f the slope and the rem ainder carried on as a dairy
farm , supplying the district w ith m ilk and cream and eggs
from their poultry.
In 1867, James, w ith three others, w as elected as a
P atron on a Board to establish a school under the N ational
Education Board, at N orth Bulli, and, a fter considerable
negotiations, w as successful in having it started.
On the death o f the parents, the fa rm was run by the
son Patsy, and the g ir ls ; the latter m aking the butter as
well as helping in the field, sow in g corn and cutting the
lucerne. They w ere very retirin g people, but kind and
generous. D evout Catholics, they w ere know n to walk to
W ollon gon g along the beaches to M ass in the m orn in g and
walk back again, eight miles each w ay. W hen asked by the
priest w hy he did not get a buggy, Patsy said, “ I’d get
rheum atism sitting in it.” N one o f them ever m arried, and
Patsy, in his 80s in 1905, w as gored by a bull and killed,
leaving the girls to handle their a ffa irs, but, being totally
unfitted fo r such a charge, the church had to com e to their
aid, and Father Dunne o f the Bulli Charge, and M r. M or­
ton, m anager o f the E xcelsior Mine, took over the control
o f the estate. It w as fou n d that the deeds o f the prop erty
had never been tran sferred and w ere still in the fa th e r’s
name, causing m uch delay in the fin alisin g o f the a ffa irs
o f the estate. The prop erty w as sold f o r £3000 and the
girls provided fo r in T hirroul. The subdivision o f the land
and the sale next year created quite a stir in the real
estate w orld. Slade and B row n o f Sydney, bought the
property, advertised fre e rail tickets to A ustinm er on the
day o f the sale, attractin g hundreds o f people and selling
70 o f the 112 blocks offered . It w as a notable day fo r A u s­
tinm er, the com m encem ent o f a tourist district that devel­
oped into a fashionable seaside and health resort. The
Kennedys had been there fo r 65 years.
R evertin g to the 60s, one can easily im agine what
e ffe ct the passing o f the years had on the fam ilies. All
had num erous children and by that tim e m arriages between
them would be plentiful. L ook in g through the list that has
been supplied to me, it would entail pages o f p rin tin g to
detail all o f them, but, no doubt, descendants still live
in the district w ho know their relation to these early
settlers.
S T A R T IN G T H E SCH OOL
B y 1866, there w ere 35 to 40 children in the district
o f school age. The fa c t that no school existed to educate
them w as a m atter o f grave concern am ongst the parents.
A s well, a m ine had been opened and a saw m ill established
at Bulli, about tw o m iles distant, and w here m ore children
w ere not receivin g education.
A t a public m eeting held at N orth Bulli, it w as decided
to apply to the N ational Board o f E ducation fo r the
establishm ent o f a school at N orth Bulli, elect a Board o f
Patrons, erect a school house, and appoint a teacher.
A ccord in gly fo u r men w ere elected, nam ely Charles Powell,
Jam es H icks, C. G eraghty, and D onald M cPhee. Mr. J.
H icks granted a site o f one acre and built a suitable
building 20’ x 12’ fo r a school, and a teacher. Mr. W . F.
K in g was appointed, com m encing on 4th June, 1866.
D u ring the year o f 1866 the Public School A ct changed the
system o f education and on the 30th June o f that year,
an application was m ade to tra n sfer fro m the N ational
System to the Public School System, w hich was granted on
6th A pril, 1867.
The Centenary o f w hich is hereby incorporated.
8
CENTENARY OF AUSTINMER
PUBLIC SCHOOL
1867 to 1967
E A R L Y SC H O O LIN G
Up to 1848, the only schools recognised b y the g o v ­
ernm ent w ere the church schools, and up to 1888 the only
church recognised w as the Church o f E ngland.
F rom 1838, denom inational schools w ere recognised
and govern m en t assisted. A R om an Catholic school was
started in W ollon gon g in 1838, and a P resbyterian school
was opened in Jam beroo in 1842, and a num ber o f private
schools sp ran g up in the Illaw arra, particu larly in the 50s.
P rio r to this and b efore the fir s t national school
was established, education in N .S.W . w as under the con ­
trol o f the Trustees fo r the Church and School Lands.
This w orked out so badly that G overnor B ourke (18321837) and his council took m atters out o f their hands
and decided to establish a N ational System o f Education,
based on the system then existin g in Ireland. T o this the
churches stron gly objected, sending protests fr o m all parts
o f N .S.W . One stron gly w orded petition fro m W ollongong,
signed by the Rev. M. D. Meares, and 126 parishioners,
was sent to the Council exp ressin g:
“ G reat alarm and dissatisfaction about the proposal o f
the N .S.W . Council to establish a system o f education
w hich w ill either abolish that w hich has existed in this
colony since its fou n dation or w ill im pose upon your
petitioners a charge fo r the support o f w hich they
are not able to a ffo r d .”
H ow ever, the Council w ent on w ith its p roject, but,
ow in g to the protests, the N ational School System w as not
introduced into N .S.W . until 1848. W hen the system was
introduced, P atrons w ere appointed in each district to
organise the m ovem ent and to give the teachers as much
help and encouragem ent as they could. They had also to
induce the residents to provide a school building and pay
one third o f the cost and had also to arrange fo r a supply
o f teachers.
Side by side w ith N ational Schools w ere the denom ­
inational schools w hich also received governm ent aid.
The N ational Schools becam e the P ublic Schools at the
begin n in g o f 1867. The A ct tra n sfe rrin g them passed P a r­
liam ent in 1866. W hen the E ducation Bill w as b efore P a r­
liament, m eetings w ere held at W ollon gong and Dapto,
attended by representatives o f both N ational and D enom ­
inational schools. They urged com pulsory attendance be­
tween seven and 13 years o f age, and that schools should
be non-sectarian, but one hour a day school be set apart
fo r religious instruction by clerg y m en ; inspectors to be
appointed only fro m am ong teach ers; the m inim um salary
to be £150 per annum.
The transition did not make m uch d ifferen ce in the
system s. The same readers and scriptu re books w ere used.
Schools still had the same long desks, the same slates and
pencils — m ost unhygienic — the same school fees and
the same inadequate provision o f light and air, the same
long school room s w here three, fo u r and fiv e classes w ere
taught side by side, one teached com peting w ith another
while g iv in g lessons. It is w on derfu l that under such c ir ­
cum stances such excellent w ork w as done in so m any cases.
Some outstanding exam ples w ere Sir W illiam Cullen,
Sir G eorge Fuller, Sir Joseph C arruthers and Sir Denison
M iller, all fro m the coastal area.
In 1880, State aid w as w ith draw n fro m denom ina­
tional schools, the charge o f 6d. per week w as reduced to
3d. and eventually abolished.
10
THE STORY OF THE NORTH BULLI
PUBLIC SCHOOL — 1867 -1895
renamed
Austinmer Public School — 1895 - 1967
By N. S. King
This story, being published in con ju n ction w ith the
“ Centenary o f A u stin m er Public School” in corporates e x ­
tracts taken fro m the “ H istorical A ccou n t o f A ustinm er
School” prepared by the D ivision o f R esearch and Plan­
ning, D epartm ent o f Education o f N ew South W ales.
The D epartm en t’s account visualises a ‘P rivate School’
as the fir s t school established at N orth Bulli. M y researches
indicate a school under the N ational System o f E ducation
w hich w as in operation until 1866, w hen an A c t o f P a r­
liam ent know n as the Public School A ct, w as passed, as
stated previously.
A Local Board o f Patrons had been elected, a school
built, a teacher appointed and billeted and teaching m ater­
ials obtained in accordance w ith N ational School require­
ments.
M y conclusions are based on researches into the A r ch ­
ives o f the M itchell L ib ra ry and the fa cilities o f the Public
L ibrary, and I have follow ed the “ F o re w o rd ” “ E arly
Sch oolin g” w ith m y version and then given the D epart­
m ent’s account o f their opening.
W ith the transition o f the N ational System o f E duca­
tion to the Public School System in N .S.W . in the year
1866, m any o f the schools operatin g under the form er
system , applied to to be tra n sferred to the Public School
System and w here districts w ere unprovided w ith the
means o f having their children educated, applied fo r a
school to be established.
A m on g the fo rm e r w as the N ational School established
at N orth Bulli. This w as a rural d istrict o f farm ers, orchardists, dairym en and vineyardists w ho had been estab­
lished fo r m any years. They had elected a Board o f
Patrons o f fo u r, to com ply w ith the N ational B oard ’s
requirem ents, nam ely, Charles Pow ell, Jam es H icks, C.
G eraghty and Donald M cPhee, provided and furnished a
school house and appointed a teacher in the person o f F.
W . K ing, a trainee at the W orcester D iocesan T rain in g
il
College, Salsley, E ngland. The school had been established
a fe w m onths when the Public School A c t w as passed and
the Local B oard decided that it would apply to have the
school tra n sferred to the Public School System . A new
B oard, the P ublic School B oard, w as elected early in M arch
1867, and an application w as m ade on 8th M arch, 1867 to
have the new B oard approved by the C ouncil o f Education,
as f o llo w s :
The Secretary,
Council o f Education.
Nth. Bulli,
8th M arch, 1867.
Sir,
In accordance w ith the P ublic School A c t o f 1866,
Clause 22, I beg to subm it fo r you r approval the names
o f the fo llo w in g gentlem en w ho have been elected by
general consent, to act in the capacity o f a Local Public
School B oard fo r the school at N orth Bulli and w ho have
given consent to act as a Public School B oard fo r the
P ublic School here i f approved by the C ouncil o f Education.
Nam e
M r.
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
Residence
Jam es K ennedy
Jam es H icks
Charles Pow ell
Donald M cPhee
Nth.
Nth.
Nth.
Nth.
Bulli
Bulli
Bulli
Bulli
Denomination
R.C.
C. o f E.
W es.
Pres.
I am,
Y ou r Obedient Servant,
J A M E S H IC K S.
P rio r to this application, on June 30th, 1866, Mr. K ing
w rote to the Secretary o f the Council o f Education, W .
W ilkins, as f o llo w s :
“ Y ou r name, bein g the only one w ith w hich I am
acquainted as being in connexion [sic] w ith the N ational
E ducation B oard, I have taken the liberty o f w ritin g to
you fo r a copy o f the rules to be observed, in b rin gin g a
school under the control o f the N ational Board. In this d is­
trict a school-house has been erected, and duties carried
on fo r this last six m onths, w ith an average attendance
o f 30 scholars, and it is the desire o f the residents at
large to b rin g it under the control o f the N ational Board
as soon as possible. F or this purpose we w ant a cop y o f
12
the aforem en tion ed rules, that w e m ay set about this,
con form ab ly w ith the same. N o doubt Sir, w hat I am
now asking is beyond you r departm ent, but i f you would
make this case an exception and cause a cop y o f the
rules to be forw ard ed , you w ould con fer a very great fa v ­
ou r.”
Mr. K in g w as applyin g fo r rules o f proced ure fo r
tra n sfe rrin g their N ational School to a P ublic School fo r
on 27th October, 1866, the B oard o f P atrons m ade a form al
application f o r the establishm ent o f a P ublic School.
F ollow in g H icks’ letter o f 8th M arch, 1867, n otifyin g
the B oard o f the election o f a Public School B oard, Mr.
King, on the 17th o f the same m onth, sent this le tte r :
To the Secretary, Council o f Education, S Y D N E Y .
D ear Sir, In fo rw a rd in g the “ A b stra ct o f S alary” and
Deing uncertain as to w hat rate o f salary you w ill be pleas­
ed to aw ard me, I beg, m ost respectfu lly through the
m edium o f the Local B oard, to call y ou r attention to the
follo w in g fa c t s : 1. That I have conducted this school to
the satisfaction o f the Local B oard since June 4th, 1866,
during w hich tim e I have received no salary whatever,
altho’ a quarterly return fo r quarter ending D ecem ber
29th, 1866, w as forw a rd ed to the L A T E N ational Board.
He states his train in g and fo rw a rd s a testim onial.
TO T H IS L E T T E R A M EM O W A S A T T A C H E D B Y T H E
S E C R E T A R Y O F T H E C O U N C IL O F E D U C A T IO N , M R.
W IL K IN S , TO T H E S E N IO R IN S P E C T O R , T. G A R D ­
IN E R , “ F O R Y O U R R E P O R T . I F E A R T H IS SCH OOL
H A S B E E N O M IT T E D FR O M T H E L IS T , NO S A L A R Y
H A V IN G Y E T B E E N P A ID TO T H E T E A C H E R ” .
This w as im m ediately rectified by the new ly form ed
C ouncil o f Education, p rov in g that it w as a departm ental
school. H ow ever it started to operate as a Public School
on 6th A pril, 1867, fo r accordin g to the “ G overnm ent
Gazette” , V ol. 1, pp. 912, His E xcellency the G overnor,
w ith the advice o f the E xecutive Council, directs it to be
n otified fo r general in form ation , that in accordance w ith
the 22nd section o f the Public Schools A ct o f 1866, the
underm entioned gentlem en have been appointed to form
the Local School B oard at Nth. Bulli, nam ing the fou r
gentlem en b efore m entioned. It is fro m that date that it
operated as a P ublic School.
13
THE DEPARTM ENT OF EDUCATION’S
ACCOUNT OF THE STARTING OF THE
NORTH BULLI PUBLIC SCHOOL
1867 to 1875
The fir s t m ove tow ards the establishm ent o f a public
school at A ustinm er, then known by the name o f N orth
Bulli, was made on 30th June, 1866. The teacher o f a
private school operatin g in the village, M r. F rederick King,
w rote to the Secretary o f the B oard o f N ational Education
Mr. W illiam W ilkins, as fo llo w s :
“ Y ou r name being the only one w ith w hich I am
acquainted as bein g in connexion [sic] w ith the ‘N ational
E ducational B oard’ I have taken the liberty o f w ritin g to
you fo r a copy o f the Rules to be observed, in b rin g in g a
school under the control o f the ‘N ational B oard ’ . In this
district a school-house has been erected, and duties carried
on fo r this last six weeks, w ith an average attendance o f
30 scholars and it is the desire o f the residents at large
to b rin g it under the control o f the ‘N ational B oard ’ as
soon as possible. F or this purpose w e w ant a copy o f the
aforem entioned rules, that we m ay set about this, con ­
form a b ly w ith the same. N o doubt Sir, w hat I n ow am
asking is beyond your departm ent but i f you would make
this case an exception, and cause a copy o f the Rules to be
forw a rded , you would co n fe r a very great fa v o u r.”
The necessary form s w ere subsequently forw a rd ed to
Mr. K in g and on 27th O ctober, 1866, a form al application
fo r the establishm ent o f a public school was m ade by
Messrs. Charles Pow ell, Jam es H icks, G. G eraghty and
Donald M cPhee. It was stated that a school was already in
operation w ith an enrolm ent o f seventeen boys and sixteen
girls. M r. F rederick K in g w as the teacher. Classes w ere
being conducted in a w ooden one-room building, m easuring
12 feet by 20 feet, w hich was ow ned by Mr. Jam es Hicks.
A lthough the school w as p rogressin g satisfactorily, the
residents w ished to see it aligned w ith the B oard o f
N ational Education and urged that the school be estab­
lished as soon as possible.
B efore the B oard could m ake a decision on the m atter,
however, the fo llo w in g letter w as received fr o m the Sec­
retary o f the Local Board, M r. H enry Hicks, p oin tin g out
14
fu rth er reasons w hy the school should be established. He
w rote:
. I beg m ost respectfu lly to call you r attention to
the fo llo w in g f a c t s :
“ 1st That the need o f a school in this district m ay
be in ferred fr o m the fa c t that it w as erected and has
been m aintain fo r a period o f nearly six m onths at the
expense o f the inhabitants o f the said district w ho are fo r
the m ost part ‘ Free Selectors’ in volvin g upon them selves an
expense w hich clearly proves that there is not a school
w ithin available distance.
“ 2nd That it is centrally situated as its site w as fix ed
by general consent at a public m eeting held fo r that p u r­
pose and is attended by children fro m a distance o f not
less than 2 f m iles either w ay.
“ 3rd That ‘Local P atron s’ can vouch that it w ill be
a perm anent a ffa ir and fa r fro m deterioratin g in point o f
num bers continually increasing.
“ Itth That should a school fa il to be established in
this particular locality at least a dozen fam ilies w ill be
wholly deprived o f available means o f education.
“5th That upon carefu l consideration o f the practical
w ork in g o f the school the ‘Local P atron s’ can conscientionsly recom m end it as in all points m eeeting the necessity o f
the neighbourhood.
“ 6th It has been conducted on a plan strictly national
avoiding anything o f a sectarian nature, the teacher con ­
fin in g h im self to the text o f the Irish N ational School
B ooks and is controlled by a ‘Local B oard’ representing the
fo u r ch ie f religious denom inations elected by the inhabi­
tants at large and taught by a teacher w ho has givgn
every satisfa ction in points o f e fficie n cy and character and
w ho w ill w ithout doubt sa tisfy the requirem ents o f the
Board.
“ Should the Com m issioners o f N ational E ducation not
feel inclined to recognise our school and grant a salary to
the teacher we trust that they w ill at least m ake us a
grant o f books so much needed, and any fu rth er advice
upon the su bject would be m ost thankfully received.”
A s a result o f this letter and the previous form al ap­
plication, Mr. Senior Inspector G ardiner was sent to in­
vestigate the possibility o f establishing a school. H is report
o f 20th N ocem ber is given b elow :
“ M y in form ation is not detailed enough to enable me
to give a com plete report upon this application, as the
m ovem ent is not quite sim ilar to that initiated som e tim e
15
ago by the M essrs. Som m erville, and in referen ce to w hich
I collected fu ll data. The present school includes a pop u ­
lation fa rth er north — as well as some o f the form er
applican ts; and the prop erty has a d iffe re n t ow nership.
The proposed school how ever is situated at least seven
m iles fro m a N ational school, and fo u r m iles to the north ­
w ard o f the E piscopal school at W onoona. I am aw are
o f no public school w ithin three miles. The people, fo r
w hose ben efit it is intended, live ch iefly north o f the
Bulli Pass — and fro m the last appearance presented by
the cleared district fa cin g the ocean. I see no reason to
doubt that the m inim um num ber o f th irty can be sustained.
“ 2. The building is tolerably accessible, is erected o f
slabs, and stands on an acre o f ground adjacen t to the
high road, but is not enclosed. It is ow ned b y Mr. H icks
Senior, and as fa r as I can ascertain, the P atrons have
full control over it. It is new ly built.
“ 3. M r. K ing, the teacher, is unm arried. He was
fo rm e rly a Pupil Teacher in the Shoreditch School —
B ren tw ood-E ssex, and is described as having given satis­
fa ction to his em ployers. He has also a fla tterin g recom ­
m endation fro m M r. W . Johnston o f Clarence T ow n.
I
cannot discover that he has been previously teaching in
the C olon y; and o f his abilities, personally I know nothing.
4.
The Instruction w ill be the same as in Vested
N ational S ch o o ls; the teacher is aw are that he w ill have
to subm it to e x a m in a tion ; and the P atrons engage to con­
fo rm to the Regulations o f the Board.
“ 5. T w o things are quite clear as regards this m atter
— nam ely — on account o f the com paratively isolated
ch aracter o f the locality, there is su fficien t encouragem ent
fo r the establishm ent o f a N ational S c h o o l; and fro m its
position, it can in no w ay in terfere w ith the W onoona D e­
nom inational School. I do not th erefore apprehend that
there can be any d ifficu lty in extending aid p rovision ally.”
The In spector’s recom m endation w as approved and
aid granted to the proposed N ational School. F rom this
date onw ards som e con fu sion arises in the records, but on
17th M arch, 1867, the teacher, M r. K ing, reported that he
had not yet received any salary. This w as im m ediately
rectified by the newly form ed Council o f E ducation and
N orth Bulli com m enced to operate as a P ublic School
either tow ards the end o f M arch or the beginning o f
A pril, 1867. (E n d o f D epartm ent o f E ducation’s accou n t).
N ow that the school w as firm ly established the next
m ove was to have the school house enlarged, 35 to 40 pupils
w ere enrolled and the building was only 20 by 12 feet. It
had been built by Mr. J. H icks on land he owned, and fu r ­
nished by the N orth Bulli people, w ithout any assistance
fro m the Council.
On 18th October, 1867, an application fo r assistance
to enlarge the building w as made.
James H icks o ffe re d
to give an acre o f land, the present building and fu r n i­
ture to be handed over to the D epartm ent. Inspector
H u ffe r reported that the application should be granted.
The site w as central and suitable but the ground should
not be less than tw o acres.
J. H icks rose to the occa ­
sion and o ffe re d tw o acres at £15 per acre.
On N ovem ­
ber 9th the Council accepted the o ffe r and on the 16th
called fo r a description o f the land so that a conveyance
could be prepared. Inspector H u ffe r suggested that M r.
Hicks em ploy a su rveyor or M r. K in g i f thought preferable.
Then a spanner was th row n into the w orks. On 5th
F ebruary, 1868, Bulli residents applied fo r a school to
be built in that area. D espite objection fr o m both N orth
Bulli and W oon ona School B oards, stating that attendances
would be a ffected (a very serious m atter as w ill be seen
la ter), Inspector H u ffe r recom m ended that a school should
be built. On 30th M ay, 1868, tw o additional m em bers w ere
elected to the Board, M essrs. G oodrich and H. T. Hicks.
Inspector H u ffe r approved o f them and they w ere appoint­
ed on 3rd June. M eanw hile plans and sp ecification s w ere
being prepared by the D epartm ent’s architect and they
w ere subm itted on 27th October. Tenders w ere called and
that o f S. E. B lom field fo r £212 w as recom m ended but the
Council o f E ducation quibbled about the amount. The exact
w ords w e r e : “ The Council decided that the tender w as in
excess o f the am ount to be spent on the school” and the
Board (L o ca l) requested certain alterations be effected .
This w as done and fresh tenders called. A m on g the item s
to be deleted w ere the spouting and the tank.
B y this tim e, the school at Bulli w as in the course o f
constru ction and the N orth Bulli people envisaged a con­
siderable dim inution o f pupils and, as they w ere liable fo r
one third o f the cost o f a building, held a m eeting and
drafted a petition requesting prom p t action to w ithdraw
the building o f a new school at N orth Bulli. P atrick
Kennedy, son o f the Jam es Kennedy on the Board, headed
a list o f 13 petitioners. The B oard, how ever, proceeded
w ith the p r o je ct and on 19th F ebruary, 1869, Jam es H icks
w rote requesting the construction o f the school b efore the
w inter. On 22nd F ebru ary the tra n sfer w as com pleted.
By his tim e the attendance at the school dwindled to less
than 30 pupils and in accordance w ith departm ental regu ­
lations, the salary o f the teacher w as reduced. So on 28th
A p ril F. W . K in g applied fo r a prom otion to a b igg er
school. Inspector H u ffe r recognised K in g ’ s abilities and
17
recom m ended him as being capable o f a higher sch ool; so
on 3rd Septem ber, 1869, he w as appointed to R ose Valley
School and on the 4th resigned fr o m N orth Bulli.
On 13th Septem ber, Mr. W illiam W o od ford w as re ­
com m ended and tran sferred fr o m E ast M aitland to N orth
Bulli on a salary o f £84 per annum. H is fir s t action on
reaching his destination w as to report that he had lost
his cheque and to have it stopped at the bank. It w as re­
covered later.
The fresh tenders fo r the new school and residence
w ere considered and J. R aw n sley’s one o f £150 w as accept­
ed. W ith the com in g o f M r. W ood ford , the B oard was
in form ed that the school fees w ere to be increased to 1 /per w eek fo r the fir s t m em ber o f the fa m ily and 6d fo r
North Bulli School and Teacher’s Residence.
[Drawn from a description in the M itchell L ib rary.]
any others. This created fu rth er anim osity tow ards the
Council and a vigorou s protest w as lodged, w hich declared
that it was beyond the people o f the district and w as ulti­
m ately reduced to 6d fo r the fir s t tw o and 3d fo r any others.
By 12th M arch, R aw nsley w as considered incapable
o f com pletin g the school buildings and the Board disch arg­
ed h im ; it bein g fin ish ed by R ichard H icks fo r £48.
Saturday, 6th M ay, w as a great day fo r the small com ­
m unity. The school w as to be opened. Inspector H u ffer
cam e dow n by steam er especially to p erform the cerem ony.
A fte r the opening all adjourned to the Headland, w here the
18
H icks B rothers, in fr o n t o f w hose fa rm and house it was
built, entertained the ga th erin g to a picnic.
D espite the new building, the attendance was not up
to the required num ber and M r. W o o d fo r d ’s salary w as in
danger o f bein g reduced. He had applied fo r an increase o f
£12 because he had m a rrie d ; so the tw o w ere earnin g £96
per year. H e had tw ice requested to be tran sferred, but it
was not until D ecem ber that his pleas bore fru it. The
school w as closed until 12th F ebru ary, 1870, w hen M r.
A lex Cam pbell w as placed in charge. A s the num ber o f
scholars only num bered less than 20, A le x ’s salary w as in
the region o f £48, but he received no salary fro m 12th
F ebru ary to 26th A pril, but probab ly it w as m ade up later.
He asked leave to get m arried and it w as granted.
He
claim ed £60, but w as granted £36 plus £12 fo r his w ife ;
fortu n ately there w as a house residence.
A lex had to plead fo r his salary m onth a fter m onth
not to be reduced. A t the end o f the year M r. Campbell was
tran sferred and the school closed.
A M iss R ichardson took over and her salary w as fix ed
at £36, but it cam e under consideration fo r it to be reduced.
The Inspector w r o t e : “ I f this teach er’s rem uneration really
exceeds no m ore than £36 per year, I think that her case
is Pitiable, that the Council should have NO teacher under
any circum stances, so m iserably paid .”
I f ever there w as a need fo r a T each ers’ Federation,
it was then. A t Miss R ich ardson ’s resignation the school
records are vague until Miss A lexina M cK enzie’s appoint­
m ent in 1877. There is no m ention o f her in the D epart­
m ent’s H istory, but M iss M cK enzie com es w ithin livin g
m em ory, fo r M rs. E. M organ, now livin g at Petersham and
92 years o f age, w as taught by Miss M cK enzie fro m 1883
to 1885. She had a slight hunch back, but despite her de­
form ity, she w as a strict disciplinarian. She travelled each
weekend on horseback to W ollongong, boardin g w ith the
H ick ’s fa m ily during the week. W hen she assumed control,
N orth Bulli was a very small com m unity, consisting o f
farm ers and orchardists. H ow ever she w as there when
surveyors and geologists began prospectin g fo r coal fo r a
coal m ining com pany, and to locate a suitable site fo r a
mine. W hen it was ultim ately decided upon and a com pany
form ed to m ine, m iners and m ine operators began to
arrive and settle, brin gin g with them fam ilies w hich
swelled her classes. The building o f the railw ay also
brough t w ork ers w ith their fam ilies so that by 1885 the
num ber had increased to such proportion s, she w as unable
to handle them and retired. The num ber enrolled w as 88
w ith an average attendance o f 75. One w onders i f her
salary w as increased in proportion .
19
M r. W illiam Cane was appointed to take her place,
but he was a sick m an and died a fe w m onths later. M r.
L aw filled his place, evidently relievin g M r. Cane, fo r the
D epartm ent does not m ention him. M rs. M organ states
that he w as an excellent teacher w ith possibly a degree. M r.
A n drew Fuller cam e in 1886 and rem ained until 1897. Mrs.
Fuller acted as sew ing m istress. A ssistance w as granted to
M r. Fuller, M aster John M illw ard bein g appointed as pupil
teacher. He w as replaced by M r. A lec A rtis a fe w months
later. M r. Fuller w as high respected and w ielded a great
A bove: North Bulli School, built 1891, renamed Austinmer
1895
Below: The School in 1967.
20
influence in the com m unity. In M rs. A k h u rst’s recollec­
tions she m entions this.
M r. A lec H am ilton, o f Dural,
rem em bered him w ith respect.
Some o f the pupils at the school in the period o f 1884
to 1890 w e r e :
B O Y S — G eorge and H a rry H icks, Charles Powell,
Jack and G eorge Green, Jack, Tom and M ichael Deegan,
and cousins Tom and M ick Deegan, D ick and D ave H owie,
H arry H aber ley, George, W ill and B ertie Green, W ill M il­
ler, Sidney and W ill Jones, W ill C arrick, Jam es Peck, Sam
Reid, Ted and W ill M edellheim, W ill W onnocott, A lec
H am ilton, P at and Chris Deegan.
G I R L S : A nnie Green, Maude Deegan, M aggie and
M ary Collins, A gn es F ord, Sarah M iller, Isabell and Row ena
Starr, M ary C arick, Lizzie and M aggy C urry, E m ily M ed­
ellheim, Ida, A nnie and B eatrice D eFlon, Ellen and M ary
Sweeney, Blanche and Ilse W onnocott.
A school poem o f that p e r io d :
Charlie Powell.
Caught a fow l.
Jim m y Peck.
Screw ed its neck.
Jim m y Reid
Had a feed.
Sidney Jones.
Picked the bones.
These
Sw een ey).
are
the
m em ories
of
M rs.
M organ
(E llen
A N E W SCH OO L
In 1891 the old slab school w as demolished. F rom
the “ Illaw arra M ercu ry” , 12th M a r c h : “ W e learn fr o m F.
W oodw ard, M .P., that he is in receipt o f a com m unication
fro m the D epartm ent o f P ublic Instruction, acquainting
him that an advertisem ent in vitin g tenders fo r the w ork in
connection w ith the proposed erection o f a public school
building at N orth Bulli, had been forw a rd ed fo r insertion
in the local papers. The building is to be o f brick, it having
been fou n d that the w hite ant pest is so destructive to
w ooden buildings, that the D epartm ent is averse to erect­
ing structures o f that m aterial. The building at N orth
Bulli is so badly infested, fea rs have been entertained by
some o f the residents that it w ill com pletely collapse and
cause a tragedy. There is now a prospect o f a superior and
m ore suitable building bein g provided w ithin a short tim e.”
The school-house and the residence w ere separated
21
being about 100 yards apart. The latter w as quite com m o­
dious, havin g fiv e room s, a pan try and kitchen, w hile the
school w as one long room , divided by an archw ay, 24ft.
one side o f the arch and 15ft. on the other, by 20ft. wide.
See M rs. G lossop’s recollections.
The com pletion o f the railw ay and the rem oval o f the
w orkers brou gh t a reduction in the pupils, so about 1890
the attendance w as reduced to half, b rin g in g about the
w ithdraw al o f the pupil teacher, no other than M aster John
Clowes. John Clowes eventually becam e headm aster o f
S carborough school and ultim ately a storekeeper in A u s­
tinm er, and a Councillor o f the Bulli Shire.
The new prem ises w ere occupied in January o f 1892;
the school ground enlarged, and in 1895 the name changed
fro m N orth Bulli to A ustinm er. D u rin g that period, the
m ine w orked less and less, strikes and stoppages caused
the m iners to seek w ork elsewhere until in 1896 it closed
dow n altogether and A u stin m er becam e a g h ost tow n. The
attendance fell alm ost to zero and in 1899 it w as closed fo r
a sh ort period.
The closin g o f the school aroused the residents to action
and fam ilies w ith children, even o f kin dergarten age, and
in nearby T h irrou l and Coledale, w ere induced to send
their children to school, brin gin g about its opening before
the year under M rs. Sarah Carroll.
She rem ained until 1908 and m any old residents re ­
m em ber her. Jam es W alker follow ed her but only rem ain ­
ed fo r 18 m onths, when M r. Jethro Clark w as appointed,
but he only stayed tw o y e a rs; then M r. J. C. G rant took
over and rem ained fo r eight years.
M r. G rant saw the com m encem ent and the develop­
m ent o f A ustinm er as a sum m er resort and assisted the
newly form ed P rogress A ssociation by allow ing its m eet­
ings to be held on the prem ises. He w as also called upon by
the A ssociation to m easure and check the calculations o f the
con tra ctor fo r the excavation o f the rock pool at 8 /per cubic yard. The w a r period also w as one o f activity
fo r him.
A lexander W heatley w as the next appointm ent to last
fo r fo u r years. M iss B u rrow (M rs. A s h cr o ft) and Miss
O’ Neil (M rs. G lossop) w orked w ith him and spoke highly
o f him.
The school all this tim e w as one large room divided
by an arch, testin g the teach er’s patience w hen try in g to
teach. W hen M r. T reglaw n cam e in 1924, he quickly had
this altered by having a partition installed, separating the
tw o room s. M rs. Glossop describes the im provem ent in her
recollections.
A n d so, over the next 30 years, eight teachers ruled
over the operations o f the school, each one brin gin g his
22
personality to bear upon the people o f today w ho are
utilising the know ledge gained fr o m their w ork.
In 1927 a third brick classroom was added to the tw o
room s erected in 1891, sa tisfyin g the school’s accom m oda­
tion needs fo r a num ber o f years. A sw am py area in the
playground was the source o f m uch agitation, but it was
eventually reclaim ed when retain in g walls and fen ces w ere
The Girl’s Playground.
erected, banks terraced, and grassed, playing areas levelled
and extensive drainage w ork com pleted.
School population began to increase in the post w ar
years. Betw een 1952 and 1962 it increased fro m 160 to
260 and in 1966 reached 295.
A ccom m odation difficu lties w ere experienced in 1958,
fo u r o f the fiv e teachers having classes o f 50 to 58 pupils.
T o overcom e this, a m odern classroom block o f three in fant
classes, a new toilet and shelter block, headm aster’s o ffice ,
storeroom , septic system , and concrete pavin g fo r an as­
sem bly area, w ere provided.
T H E B A T T L E FO R T H E C A N T E E N
A t this tim e the provision o f a school canteen had been
anticipated, and an area on the w estern boundary had been
left unpaved fo r this purpose. H ow ever, in July, 1959, the
P. and C. A ssociation was in form ed that the canteen would
be placed elsewhere. This led to a dispute betw een the
M inister f o r E ducation and the school P. and C. A ssocia ­
tion, a dispute that w as to be given State-w ide publicity.
23
N ew spapers o f 15th July, 1959, reported that the P.
and C. A ssociation “ believed the location had been ch an g­
ed because it would have im peded the view o f a householder
livin g near the sch ool” . (S.C . A d v ertiser.)
F ollow in g a threat by the P. and C. A ssociation to
boycott the school, the A ssociation w as advised on 9th A u g ­
ust o f the M inister’s instruction that it be disbanded.
T w o days later new spapers reported the M inister as
sayin g that the letter disbanding the A ssociation had been
sent prem atu rely ow in g to a m isunderstanding in his
D epartm ent.
On 17th A u gu st the instruction w as w ithdraw n and
the P. and C. A ssociation w as perm itted to operate again.
The issue w as fu rth er com plicated by the statem ent o f a
Sydney new spaper that it had been given a photographed
cop y o f a docum ent in the E ducation D epartm ent over
a signature w hich the M inister could not id en tify as his
own and this docum ent directed the disbanding o f A u stin ­
m er P. and C. A ssociation.
T his was follow ed by the tem porary suspension o f a
Sydney o ffic e r o f the D epartm ent o f E ducation and a
Public Service Board enquiry into the leakage o f in form a ­
tion to a new spaper.
T h o’ the files on the “ tuckshop” storm have not been
released, the school now has a m odern w ell-equipped can­
teen on an agreed site, sta ffed fiv e days a w eek by volun­
tary w orkers.
In 1963, an additional classroom , library, P rin cip a l’s
o ffic e and w aitin g room in brick veneer w ere provided,
playing areas fu rth er im proved and a concrete park ing
area provided.
F uture extension is being provided fo r by the pu r­
chase o f “ T or G arda” adjoin in g the school ground on the
south.
24
L IS T OF P R IN C IP A L T E A C H E R S
Name
Date Appointed
f3 0 /6 /1 8 6 6 N ational School
6 /4 /1 8 6 7 Public School
1 3 /9 /1 8 6 9
2 7 /1 /1 8 7 2
/1 /1 8 7 3
1875 to 1877
/1 0 /1 8 7 7
3 1 /1 2 /1 8 8 5
2 8 /9 /1 8 8 6
1 6 /4 /1 8 9 7
8 /1 2 /1 8 9 9
2 7 /8 /1 9 0 8
1 /2 /1 9 1 0
2 9 /7 /1 9 1 2
2 1 /5 /1 9 2 0
2 6 /6 /1 9 2 4
F rederick W . K in g
W illiam W o o d fo rd
A lexan der Campbell
Miss D eborah R ichardson
U nknow n or Closed
Miss A lexin a M cKenzie
W illiam Cane
A n d rew Fuller
W illiam G. M asters
M rs. Sarah Carroll
James W alker
Jethro Clark
J. C. Grant
A lexan der W heatley
John T reglaw n
W . W . N ew ell and A lison
Fairley, relieving
A rth u r D avey
G eorge Y ates
Stanley Butts w orth
Donald D ’A lton
John P. Jones
H orace F ord
8 /1 2 /1 9 3 2
1 2 /1 2 /1 9 3 5
3 /2 /1 9 4 8
3 1 /1 /1 9 5 0
6 /2 /1 9 5 3
1 /2 /1 9 5 5
The additions during M r. F o r d ’s regim e o f a library,
P rin cip a l’s o ffice , w aiting room and extra classroom , to­
gether w ith im provem ents o f the playing areas, has made
A ustin m er school one o f the m ost up-to-date in its area.
RECOLLECTIONS
M RS. E. M O R G A N (E llen Sw eeney)
Now living in Petersham at the age of 92.
Ellen attended the N orth Bulli School in 1883 at the
age o f seven years, school starting tim e o f those days. The
school at that period w as the old slab w ooden one built in
1869-70, w ith a firepla ce on the southern side and the
doorw ay on the w estern end and fo u r w indow s.
M iss A lexin a M cKenzie w as the M istress in charge
until 1885. She w as a slight hunchback, but despite her
deform ity, she w as a strict disciplinarian and the w hip
she wielded w as responsible fo r the order she m aintained.
If any o f the boys m erited punishm ent, she would hold
them and apply the w hip to their legs and buttocks.
One boy, M udgee Evans, took violent exception to this
25
treatm ent on one occasion and kicked her on the shin, tore
him self clear and bolted fo r his life never to return. A t
the tim e the railw ay w as being constructed and som e o f
the navvies w ere a pretty rough crew and their boys w ere
cast in the same mould.
W hen M iss M cK enzie left, M r. W m . Cane w as ap ­
pointed but he w as a sick m an and died a fter a fe w m onths.
Mr. L aw filled the gap until M r. A n drew Fuller took charge.
Mr. Law w as a good teacher. H e w as only a you n g man, a
university student, I think. H e w as able to im part his k n ow ­
ledge so clearly that you could understand it and rem em ber
it. A ctually he w as only relieving until a headm aster was
appointed. He told m y m other that he considered I was a
very sm art pupil. The D epartm ent m akes no m ention o f
him in their records.
M r. A n d rew Fuller cam e in 1886. I w as a pupil o f
his fo r tw o years when I w ent to the Convent at Bulli.
Mr. Fuller w ould never cane a girl, but stood them in the
fireplace. M any tim es I’ve counted the bricks in the back
o f it.
[M rs. M organ supplied the names o f the pupils at
the school in 1888, fro m m em ory.]
MR. A L E X A N D E R H A M IL T O N
He w r o t e :
I w as very interested in you r letter recalling some o f
the incidents o f old N orth Bulli School. I can only rem em ­
ber A n d rew Fuller, the headm aster o f those days. I think
it w as only a one-teacher school as I cannot rem em ber any
pupil teachers. (A pupil teacher cam e a fter he w en t to
T h irrou l School.)
G eorge and H a rry Green w ere sch olars; I think Matt
Green w as th eir fath er. I w as very pally w ith the Green
boys, w hen they lived at N orth Bulli. I also knew the
Jones fam ily. Sid Jones was the m ine m anager’s son. He
was a boy w e all looked up to. M r. Jones organised a
rescue party to go into the m ine w hen the great explosion
took place at Bulli, w hich I rem em ber quite well. A total
o f 81 m iners lost their lives.
A n oth er incident I rem em ber w as the w reck o f the
collier “ W aratah ” . W e w ere in school w hen it happened
and had a th rillin g tim e w atching the men being rescued
from the ship.
(See W reck o f the “ W aratah” , page 31).
A n uncle, Jack H am ilton, a one tim e C am bridge pupil,
but w ho ran aw ay to sea at 13 years o f age, and w ho later
was m ixed up in the M aori W ar, lived w ith us and taught
me maths, and other tricks o f navigation. He w as keen
on education and when the population increased he decided
23
that it would be better if I w as drafted into the Robinsvale
School (T h ir ro u l), so I becam e a pupil there.
The 90s hit everyone. M y fath er, a fa rm er, decided he
had had enough o f labour troubles, packed up and w e all
w ent to B athurst. W e w ere in the coast area fo r about fo u r
y e a rs; happy days fo r kids, but tough fo r parents. The
years that follow ed w ere poverty-stricken.
M RS. A C K H U R S T (G ertrude W ebb)
Living in Thirroul, at 80 years of age
A lthough G ertrude lived in T hirroul, she w as sent to
the N orth Bulli School because her fa th er knew M r. Fuller,
the headm aster, and thought that he w ould im part goodness
as well as know ledge. E very m orn in g, at the com m encem ent
o f the school day, all the pupils had to repeat the “ Golden
Rule” : ‘D o unto others as you w ould have them do unto
you ’ . “ I’ve never forg otten it” , M rs. A ck h urst says, “ and I
think it would be a good idea i f it w ere done toda y.” She
w as seven years o f age when she started, w hich w as the
age at w hich children started school in those days.
She rem em bers B ert Green being at the school when
she was there. H e becam e established in W ollon gon g as a
new sagent and bookseller. (T h e business is still operating
in W ollon gon g.) The year w as 1893 when she started and
the school had only been built a year before.
It w as a nice brick school and w as called N orth Bulli.
It was 1895 w hen it w as changed to A ustinm er. Mr. W ebb
w as a storekeeper on the M ain Road, T hirroul, and sup­
plied m any o f the fo lk in the district, am ongst w hom w ere
the Kennedys o f A ustinm er. M rs. A ck h u rst rem em bers
the “ D airy on the H ill” and the K ennedy fa m ily o f fo u r
girls and a brother. The girls used to m ilk the cow s, churn
the butter, help on the fa rm sow in g the m aize and cutting
the lucerne, etc., and the brother looked a fter the cow s.
T hey w ere the kindliest o f people and gave you a
w arm w elcom e w hen you visited them. The chairs w ere
dusted b efo re you sat on th e m ; the best china w as brought
out and dusted also, although they didn’t need it. You
w ere given cream w ith the cakes and plenty o f milk.
M rs. A ck h urst rem em bers the tragedy o f the brother
being gored by a bull and his fu n eral passing the door.
M RS. A . L. A S H C R O F T (M iss A . L. B u rrow )
School Teacher — 1920
F rom the early days o f the F irst W orld W ar and
through the 1920s the name o f A ileen L. B u rrow was very
well know n to the school children o f that period. N ot only
fo r the enchanting children’s stories she w rote and w hich
27
w ere published, but also fo r the extrem ely delicately drawn
illustrations, phantasm al, one could describe them, that
w ere the outcom e o f her handiw ork.
E ven to this day, the m ention o f her nam e recalls w ith
pleasure to the m iddle-aged, the thrill and en joym en t e x ­
perienced at reading “ The Quest o f the C row n Jew els” ,
“ The A dventures o f M elaleuca” , “ The M agic Shell” , “ The
L ittle Shepherd” , to m ention a fe w o f them.
M iss B u rrow relates her association w ith the delights
and pleasures o f A ustinm er, back in 1912, when she and
her m other spent a holiday at one o f the guest houses,
resulting in her m other purchasing a block o f land and
havin g a house erected, actually tak ing possession o f it
b efore it w as finished. They had com e fro m the N ew
E ngland district w here Miss B u rrow taught at a private
school at A rm idale fo r som e tim e and then at The New
England G irls’ School, w here they w ere short o f teachers.
This w as in the early days o f the F irst W orld W ar at
w hich tim e the E ducation D epartm ent w as seeking teach­
ers.
R etu rn ing to A ustinm er, she applied fo r a position as
teacher, w as interview ed by M r. M cClelland, the D irec­
tor o f Education, then w ent before the B oard, w as a c­
cepted and directed to report to the H eadm aster at Bulli
School.
This w as a new experien ce; she had never taught in
a public school and being the only other teacher besides
the H eadm aster, she w as left alone w ith boisterous children.
The e ffe c t w as disastrous, so m uch so, that the H eadm aster
arranged fo r her to be tra n sferred to T hirroul School
w here there w ere other teachers. She w as there fo r fou r
years when she w as tra n sferred to A u stinm er School to
assist M r. W heatley, teach in g 1st and 2nd classes. In 1921
an A rb o r D ay was held when trees w ere planted by A u s­
tinm er residents. She planted one fo r her m other, but
they w ere eventually chopped down. She resigned in 1922.
M RS. H. R. G LOSSO P (M iss L. O’N iell)
M iss O ’ N iell’s fir s t im pressions o f the conditions at
A ustinm er School in 1922 m ade her w on der w hether child­
ren could be taught at all. The building consisted o f one
large room w ith an archw ay in the middle, dividing it into
tw o com partm ents, the higher classes on one side and the
infan ts and low er classes on the other. Lessons had to be
given w ithin the hearing o f other classes and when it cam e
to sin gin g or repetition exercises, teach ing the classes not
so engaged becam e alm ost hopeless. D espite it all, they
carried on.
28
In her own w ords she said, “ I thought it w as a fu n n y
little school, com in g fro m well established schools as I did.
Y ou would be teaching here and there w as no partition at
all, and it w as dreadful. Y ou w ould be try in g to teach
sin gin g or vice versa and o f course the noise w ould be
colossal and you would put up w ith it. N ot like the
teachers o f today. They don’t put up w ith anything. Y ou
would put up w ith that and didn’t think anything o f it :
but still it w as all right. The children w ere a nice type.
Mr. W heatley, w ho w as the H eadm aster, w as a gentlem an,
m aking m y stay very enjoyable.
Mr. W heatley left soon a fter m y com in g to A ustinm er.
He w as at retirin g age and w as tra n sferred to H ornsby.
M r. T reglow n took his place. He very soon took action to
have a partition installed and w hen it becam e an accom ­
plished fa ct, the im provem ent w as w on derfu l and the room s
w ere extended.
P reviously, I used to take the children outside to have
a little quiet. There w ere no sh e d s; there w a sn ’t anything
really. The fir s t shed w as built w hile I w as there. P ortion
o f the playground was a sw am py quagm ire and the P. and
C. A ssociation w ere petition in g to have it filled in and
added to the playground.
I join ed the P. and C. A ssociation as a teacher and
we w ere agitatin g fo r the D epartm ent to buy the land
fro n tin g A llen Street, so as to m ake a righ t o f w ay to
brin g the children fro m that street instead o f fr o m the
m ain ro a d w a y ; also w here extensions could be made later
on, but the G overnm ent w as not interested and the op p or­
tunity lost.
M iss O ’ Niell cam e fro m the N orth -W est o f N .S.W .
and had been teach in g at M ungindi on the Queensland
border. She w as tran sferred to F a iry M eadow and fro m
there to A ustinm er, w here she taught fo r three years,
m eeting and m aking m any friends.
M r. H erbert Glossop o f A ustinm er w as one o f them,
and when she returned to M oree to teach there, he o ffe re d
his hand in m arriage, the w eddin g taking place at M oree
six m onths later. In the m eantim e he had a house built in
W igram R oad and M rs. Glossop cam e to it as a bride.
W ig ra m R oad in those days w as an unmade street,
m ore like a bush track w ith tree roots and ju ttin g rocks,
together w ith w ashed out ruts extending across it. A
prim itive fo o tb rid g e crossed the creek, preventing vehicles
fro m gettin g th rough to B oyce Avenue. Later, o f course,
the creek w as piped and a roadw ay constructed. There w ere
only three houses, “ O linda” (G illie s), “ T ip p era ry ” (Sedgew ick s), and “ Jollim ont” (H u n ts).
“ A fte r I was m arried, fo r m any years I w as the secre­
tary o f the P. and C. A ssociation and president later on,
29
and w e w ere still petition in g to get the ground filled in and
it w as fin a lly granted.
W hen 1 cam e down here, Mr. Glossop had his own
business and ran it fro m the fa m ily house w ith an o ffic e
and a garage, w here he kept his m aterials. Then he opened
a shop at T hirroul, then later on w ent to W ollon gon g and
form ed a com pany, w hich is now a large con cern .”
T here w ere tw o children, W illiam , born 1930 and A n ­
thony 1936. M r. Glossop died in 1960.
CONTINUATION OF STORY
The discovery o f coal and the opening of! mines,
changed the w hole attitude o f the people o f the Illaw arra,
w here wheat, m aize, and potatoes, etc., w ere grow n, and
milk, butter and cheese w ere produced. The m ines gradu ­
ally took over, p rov id in g em ploym ent fo r and b rin gin g
thousands o f new settlers to the district.
B y 1870 m ines w ere opened fr o m W ollon gon g to Bulli
and du rin g the 70’s, surveyors and geologists w ere actively
engaged prospectin g fo r coal in the N orth Bulli area. In
1884 a com pany w as form ed called the “ N orth Illaw arra
Coal C o.” and started m in in g operations at N orth Bulli
(A u stin m er) and by 1886 was p rod u cin g coal. D u ring that
period, the site o f the m ine w as selected by a Mr. D. M ores­
by. a colliery m anager fro m Y orksh ire, England, and on
1 8 /1 1 /8 4 , the Illaw arra M ercury states that the tug
“ D espatch” w as taking soundings o f f H ick ’s P oint in con ­
nection w ith the je tty intended to be erected there.
A fe w general rem arks con cern in g this g igan tic com ­
pany w ill be o f interest. Com m encing w ith a capital o f
£150,000, an am ount equal to £1,000,000 today, it absorbed
a com pany w hich had been floated a fe w years earlier fo r
the purpose o f m in in g coal and the land it had acquired
at N orth Bulli, and then proceeded to purchase land north
o f this area until it ow ned practically the whole o f the area
fro m N orth Bulli to O tford. The landed prop erty em braced
6000 acres, m uch o f it bein g the G.W . A llen ’s estate.
W herever land w as available, it w as purchased. E ighty
acres at N orth Bulli w ere purchased at £40 per acre. On
the sea coast the com pany ow ned all sea fron ta g es (except
C o a lcliff C o.’s p rop erty) fro m N orth Bulli to north o f Ot­
fo r d Hill (B ald H ill). The Illaw arra railw ay runs through
the w hole o f the prop erty (in all eight m iles). 150 acres
w ere resum ed f o r w hich £26,000 was paid as com pensation,
so they could easily pay £40 an acre f o r any they bought.
A total o f £80,000 was invested in the purchase o f its
prin cely property. In the com pan y’s operations, tunnelling,
m achinery, buildings, sawm ill, w aggons, etc., etc., £40,000
w as spent. F rom the m ine, above A squith Strret, to the
30
jetty , erected at the north side o f H ick ’ s P oint is a railw ay,
4’8^” gauge, one mile in length. In regard to the je tty itself,
it is 860 feet in length, the tim ber used being fro m the
com pan y’s p rop erty and the planking bein g sawn at the mill
referred to. A new departure w as used in its construction,
each pile being placed over a stron g 3ft. iron bar em bedded
3ft. in the rock and iron banded at the base. (T h e bars
can still be seen ). Instead o f piles, fo u r heavy concrete
cylinders, h avin g their fou n dation s deeply laid in the rock,
supported the outer end o f the jetty . B y con stru ctin g the
je tty them selves, the com pany saved £30,000. The low est
tender fo r its construction w as £40,000, w hereas it cost
£10,000, under the supervision o f M r. W alter Kerle, C.E.,
and only took eight m onths to construct. It was ready fo r
operation on 1st January, 1887. The m ine railw ay had
been in use fo r some m onths p rio r to this em ploying a
pow erfu l locom otive and 50 7-ton w aggons. The m ine w as in
fu ll w ork in g order at that date.
THE W RECK OF THE W A R A T A H
Only six m onths a fter the je tty w ent into operation,
on June 7th, 1887, an event took place that created great
excitem ent am ong the populace o f N orth Bulli, lively in ­
terest in the district and consternation to the directors o f
the com pany. The collier “ W aratah ” o f 550 tons, chartered
by the com pany and under the control o f Capt. M cCauley,
bein g h alf loaded (400 to n s), was being m oved to load the
other half, when a southerly buster sprang up (accord in g
to one on the spot and still alive) causing her to drag her
anchor breakin g a m oorin g rope w hich fou led the propeller,
disabling her and causing her to d rift. N othing could be
done fo r her. The w ind increased and she drifted tow ards
the beach passing over a reef o f rocks w hich tore a hole
in her side. A ttem pts w ere m ade to tow her o f f by the
“ Illaroo” , a Bulli tug, but to no avail.
M rs. M organ rem em bers the incident. She says, “ There
was great excitem ent, it being in the e v en in g ; bells w ere
rin gin g and flares lighted, everybody w aitin g fo r the tu g ;
gettin g the crew o ff, by rig g in g a heavy rope to the shore
fro m the ship and using a coal basket to b rin g a m an and
his belongings one at a tim e until the 14 on board w ere
safely ashore. A t low tide she w as lyin g high and dry on
the rocks 300 yards north o f the jetty . A ram p was run
up to the deck and used to clam ber aboard.”
T H E S T O R Y O F T H E B O IL E R
The ship w as eventually salvaged and the parts sold,
one bein g the boiler. It w as placed on the rocks near the
c liff and sold to fo u r m em bers o f the com pany, headed
by Jack F ord, driver o f the locom otive, each con trib u tin g
£5, and bu yin g it fo r £20. They in turn sold it fo r £100
w ith the proviso that they should deliver it. Team s o f
horses w ere used, then bullock team s w ere attached to it,
but neither could m ove it. So there it rem ains still, to be
seen near the site o f the old je tty . U nfortunately, scrapiron m erchants started cutting it up w ith acetylene torches,
until stopped by the police. W ith such an historical back­
ground it has becom e a tou rist attraction.
The fish erm en ’s boatsheds along the beach fro n t near
the je tty have alw ays been a source o f curiosity. A re they
used by p rofession al fish erm en ? W hen do they g o out
fish in g ? D o they sell the fis h ? These are questions often
asked. The boats belong to the local residents w ho g o out
when tim e and conditions allow. O ften they b rin g m ore
than they require and readily dispose o f them to their
advantage.
It’s quite an excitin g tim e to w atch a boat
com e rom pin g in before a fa v o u rin g breeze under sail and
the catch later unloaded on the beach w hen the boat is
hauled ashore.
T he settlem ent at that tim e, was on the fla t w here the
service station is now, opposite the hotel. The m ine w o rk ­
shops and sawm ill w ere located there and the stores and
boardin g houses w ere in that vicin ity. The you n g fa rm in g
people le ft the farm s and sought em ploym ent on the rail­
w ay w orks and w ith the m ines w here the pay w as much
higher. The fa rm lands also w ere being taken over by
the m in in g com pany. O rchardist, J. Powell, son o f the
School B oard Pow ell, sold his orchard o f 80 acres fo r £40
per acre (£ 3 2 0 0 ), w hich his fa th er probab ly bought f o r £5
per a cre ; and so the fa rm s gradually disappeared.
THE COMING OF THE R A IL W A Y
The railw ay w as being constructed betw een C lifton
and W ollon gon g at the same tim e as the m ine w as being
brou gh t into operation. Som e 300 m en w ere em ployed at
the m ine and quite a large num ber o f railw ay men cam ped
near the settlement. These m en had th eir tents and huts,
gettin g th eir meals at the boardin g houses kept f o r that
purpose. The m iners built houses on land ow ned by the
com pany, p a y in g 1 /- per w eek rent. A large store, con ­
ducted by Jerem iah M oria rty and Thom as W all, and later
by W . W on nocott, supplied the com m unity and the boarding
houses w ith supplies that had to be brought by sea to W ol­
lon gon g and carted to N orth Bulli.
32
B oardin g houses w ere conducted by M ichael Deegan
and M rs. Sweeney. D eegan had been blinded at a quarry
at M ogo, but his w ife and fa m ily carried on the business.
Thom as D eegan w as the uncle and his sister Ethel is the
m other o f M r. R ex Conner, the F ederal M em ber fo r Cun­
ningham . The Sweeney fa m ily produced another M .P. in
J. T. Sw eeney, late M em ber fo r Bulli.
Austinmer Railway Station. New Year’s Day, 1912.
I " June, 1887, the section o f the railw ay fro m C lifton
to W ollon gon g was opened. This section had been con ­
structed w hile the tunnels at H elensburgh and O tford w ere
being com pleted, con n ectin g w ith W aterfall and Clifton.
Until they w ere finished, coaches ran con nectin g the two,
but the bugbear w as the drag uphill at Stanwell Park
w here the passengers had to alight and w alk up. The clift
road w as used.
“ The day o f the open in g w as a m em orable one,” w rites
Mrs. M organ, w ho w as a girl o f 11 at the time. “ W e rode
in open trucks, everybody ca rryin g fla gs and calling out ‘A
m ile a m inute’ , ‘A penny a ride’ .” Y ou n g and old had free
rides and there w as great excitem ent.
There was no platform at N ortn Bulli at first, but on
October, 1887, the “ Illaw arra M ercu ry” stated , “ W e learn
fro m M r. W oodw ard, M .P., that it is defin itely settled that
33
a railw ay p latform w ill be erected at the N orth Bulli tank .”
The name had been changed fro m N orth Bulli to A u stermere, but Sir John L eckey’s estate at M oss Vale w as known
by the same name, and som e con fu sion arose. So in 1887
the name w as changed to Austinm ere, linking the name
o f H enry Austin, one o f the three directors on the board
o f the Illaw arra M ining Co. W hen the pla tform w as built,
the name A ustinm ere w as placed on it, leaving the ‘ E ’ o ff.
The fir s t station m aster was M r. M cD onald, but w hen the
mine closed dow n it cam e under the con trol o f T hirroul.
W hen you w anted to catch the train, you held up a fla g fo r
it to stop, and when you got to C lifton, you g ot out and
bought you r ticket. The carriages in those days w ere called
“ box ca rria ges” ; they w ere divided by a partition h alf w ay
up and you could stand up and converse w ith the passen­
gers in the next com partm ent. The pad din g w as anything
but com fortable.
TRANSFER OF THE SETTLEMENT
W ith the railw ay in operation, the building o f a plat­
form and the erection o f houses fo r the m iners by the
com pany on the w estern side o f the line, the settlement
near the je tty w as gradually tra n sferred tow ards the rail­
w ay. The strip o f land leading fro m the station to the
m ain road w as form ed into a road w ith land on each side
w hich was ultim ately sold in lots o f 33 fo o t fron ta g es and
depths o f 100 ft.
The southern side w as ow ned by J. S. K irton, m anager
o f the E xcelsior m ine, T hirroul, and it has been stated that
he o ffe re d the lot to M r. J. C o ffe y fo r £90, but he refused
it. E vidently M r. J. C. Jones bought some o f it because
w hen the Church o f England proposed to build a church,
several blocks w ere donated by M essrs. K irton and Jones.
The balance w as sold by H. F. Cotterell o f Bulli, tel. No. 1,
as the A u stin m er Estate.
B y 1888 a hotel, a hall (C en ten n ial), cottage, a butch­
er’s shop, a g rocery store, a barber etc., had been establish­
ed in M oore Street.
The Centennial Hall w as built to com m em orate the
Centenary o f the Colony. It was opened by Mr. J. C. Jones,
w ho said that it w as a m uch needed hall and com plim ented
the prop rietor f o r his enterprise. He w elcom ed the audience
to that, the fir s t entertainm ent in A ustinm er. The p ro ­
gram m e was provided by local talent and fru it w as distri­
buted. M r. Geo. F arley presided at the piano.
“ The Illaw arra M ercu ry” , 9 /1 /9 0 , states that w ork at
the m ine w as greatly reduced, men refused cavilling, the
34
norm al system in use at other mines, but N orth Bulli mine
would not allow it and disputes arose, the m en refu sin g to
w ork under any other conditions except balloting.
The m ine becam e idle and then closed down. J. C. Jones
took up the m anagem ent o f Mt. K eira m ine. A lthough
attem pts w ere m ade to reopen it they w ere never succssful
and the m ine closed altogether.
Strikes w ere prevalent in all m ines, police and even
m ilitary bein g brou gh t in. One am using incident can be
related: One o f the Sweeney boys, Ted, a six fo o te r and
about 14 stone, was presented w ith a box o f theatrical
props, by the m other o f the school teacher, Cane. A m on g
these w as a policem an’s ou tfit. D u ring the strike, he donned
the rig-ou t and walked up tow ards a grou p o f the strikers
near the hotel. W hen they saw him com ing, they all made
them selves scarce by retreatin g into the pub. He then
w ent back home, changed his clothes and w ent back to the
hotel to be told that a new cop, as big as a house, was on
the jo b and to w atch out fo r him.
R iots broke out when men w ere brou ght on the jo b
from Sydney. The m iners would m eet them at the jetty.
The new com ers w ere unaware a strike w as on when signed
up and refu sed to start when m ade aw are o f the situation.
The police w ere there to protect the new arrivals, so
causing the riots.
A rio t at Bulli m ight be m entioned. M en w ere landed
at the je tty (B u lli) and loaded on to coal trucks. W hen
the engine and trucks reached Bulli crossin g o f the main
road, they w ere m et by the m iners and their w ives and
children. They stood on the rails, one w om an lying down
on the track. W hen the police sergeant tried to rem ove
them, they w ent fo r him. He drew his revolver and backed
tow ards the engine. It w as reversed and the “ B lacklegs”
w ere taken back to the ship.
MINERS LEAVE AND MUCH
HARDSHIP EXPERIENCED
M uch hardship was su ffered and as there was no w ork,
three o f the Sw eeney boys, J. T., E dw ard and M ichael,
packed their sw ags, clim bed the rought track up to the
cliffs , then up the rope ladder to Sublim e P oint and set
out to seek w ork on the railw ay at Lapstone, w here the
cutting w as bein g made.
They walked all the w ay, through A p p in , Cam pbelltow n and M ulgoa to Penrith, and then to Lapstone, w here
35
they rem ained several m onths, but on resum ption o f w ork
at the m ine, they returned.
The m ine m anagem ent w as changed on resum ption,
but it only lasted f o r a couple o f years and closed down. W .
Cam pbell took over fro m Jones, and then J. M itchell, but
it never recovered fu lly, w ork bein g interm ittent.
The
w eather also held up operations. C olliers w ere unable to
berth and coal could not be loaded. Som etim es they would
be out there fo r a week. E verybod y w ould anxiously aw ait
the b low in g o f the w histle, one long blast fo r w ork, and
three short ones f o r no w ork.
M iners le ft and w ent to Camp Creek (H elen bu rg h ).
Others w en t to B roken Hill. A u stin m er becam e deserted.
The houses built by the com pany fo r the m iners w ere sold
and rem ov ed ; tw o w ere bought by M r. Ball w ho rebuilt
them on the m ain road. M r. Sharpies o f the Bulli Hotel
also bought tw o and rebuilt them in Cam pbell St., W oonona.
Mr. C o ffe y was in M oore Street. A n th on y Cram had
a sto re ; also W ebsters, but w hen the m ine closed they left.
T hose that rem ained w ere the Sweeneys, the H allidays, the
C offey s, the Roddens. The Cahills cam e later, and a few
others.
A t the turn o f the century there w as very little activity
at A ustinm er. The railw ay was a single t r a c k ; there w as a
AU S T IN M E R IN 1910
The remains of the jetty can he seen and the house back
from the street on the left is “ Sidmouth” erected in 1887.
36
sidin g with a crossin g at the Sydney e n d ; gates and a gate­
k eeper; no hotel, no church, the school closed tem porarily.
T he post o ffic e w as at the end o f the pla tform and the
gate-keeper w as the post m istress as well.
She was M iss M ary Owen w ho m arried M r. J. Cahill,
the gan ger in charge o f a section o f the line at A ustinm er,
and w ho is still alive, livin g w ith her fa m ily at A ustinm er.
Postal com m unication had been established at N orth
Bulli on 1st M ay, 1887. The o ffic e w as near the je tty on
land ow ned by the Coal Com pany, but a request w as m ade
shortly afterw a rds to m ove it to A u stin m er w hich was
granted.
A n th on y C ram ’ s store w as selected as the o ffic e w hich
w as opened on 1st M arch, 1888. In 1889 A ustinm er w as
prosperou s w ith 300 m en w ork in g at the m ine, but slack­
ness o f trade in the next year reduced business so that
the store was closed and the post o ffic e passed to J. C.
Jones, ow ner o f the prem ises and w as then m oved to the
railw ay station.
In 1892 it w ent back to the m ain street, but in 1897
the post m aster at Bulli reported that A ustinm er w as pracically deserted and the post only averaged one letter a
day. In 1907 the post o ffic e was still operating at the station
where an o ffic e had been built.
By 1916 the o ffic e w as again in the m ain street attach­
ed to H. Y o u n g ’s store and conducted by M iss Hurley.
V isitors and residents o f that period w ell rem em ber Miss
H urley. Y ou had to call fo r you r m ain m orn in g and even­
ing. She knew all the people o f the district and quickly
knew the names o f visitors staying f o r a fortn ig h t or so.
In those days, a letter posted in Sydney in the m orning
could be collected in the evening a quarter o f an hour a fter
the train arrived at 5.15. Y ou would w alk into the o ffice
and she’d say “ N o m ail fo r K in g ” or vice-versa. I rem em ­
ber her saying to m e one day, “ Y ou like m usic Mr. K in g,”
k n ow in g that I w as in the m usic business. “ Y es,” I said.
“ W ell, here’s a band,” she said, handing m e a rubber band.
M y reply was, “ Y o u ’re stretching it a bit aren’t you Miss
H u rle y ?”
She built brick prem ises h a lf w ay dow n M oore Street
w here the post o ffic e w as conducted until 1966, w hen it
w as m oved to the corn er opposite the station.
37
THE CHURCHES
A s I said, at the turn o f the century there was no
church in A ustinm er. A bou t 1902, a M r. and M rs. W allace
came, not m any years a fter a rrivin g in A ustralia fro m
England, to live in A ustinm er. M rs. W allace, fin d in g that
there w as no church o f any description in the village, set
about havin g services at her home.
F in din g that the people o f all denom inations welcom ed
and attended the service, she scuggested that they should
build a little church. The idea w as taken up, subscription
lists draw n up, m eetings held and w ith in fo u r or fiv e
m onths, a neat little church had been built and services
held w eekly instead o f once a m onth. The land w as donated
(as stated earlier, by J. C. Jones and J. S. K irto n ), w hich
was a great help, as was help in fetes, bazaars, and street
stalls. P rotestants and Catholics w orked together to achieve
their objective.
One little incident is w orth m entioning. M rs. W allace,
when collectin g m oney to build the little church, m et Mr.
Patsy K ennedy in the street. M r. K. w as fon d o f a chat
and rem arked, “ I hear that you are try in g to g et an
A n glican Church in A ustinm er (he w as an R .C .), but you
never will, w ith the fe w people here.” M rs. W allace replied,
“ Oh yes w e w ill M r. Kennedy. Please do not discourage
me. O f course, at present, it w ill not be possible to build a
large brick church like the R.C.s do, but I feel sure we
shall soon be able to build a tem porary church suitable
fo r the present and perhaps in years, i f A ustinm er grow s,
we w ill be able to have a large brick one.”
M r. K ennedy then said, “ W ell, let me know when you
start to build and I w ill give you a su bscrip tion ,” w hich
he did.
A n d thus started the church know n as “ A ll Saints”
w hich has served the A n glican com m unity fo r over 60
years and though added to, the “ Little Church that never
would be bu ilt” , still stands proudly w here it w as fir s t
erected. Clergym en, benefactors, organists, lay preachers,
and helpers have com e and gone but always the spiritual
u plift has been m aintained. The present rector, the Rev.
R. R. Gibson, Th.L., was inducted on 6th May, 1958.
The M ethodist Church held services in the S u rf Club­
house in 1921 and in the same year, the fou n dation stone
o f the neat brick church in M oore Street was laid by Mrs.
P. N. Slade, on 3rd D ecem ber. The building w as com pleted
at a cost o f £850 and opened on 7th January, 1922, b y the
Rev. C. J. P rescott. A m em orial fen ce and gates to F lt./L t.
Ivor H. M eggitt, R .A .F ., killed in action on 27th D ecem ber,
1940, w ere erected in 1956.
38
“ All Saints” C. of E., Austinmer. Erected 1904.
Methodist Church, Austinmer. Erected 1921.
39
THE PROGRESS ASSOCIATION
It took the people o f A ustinm er seven years a fter the
sale o f the land that brou gh t it into prom inence as a
seaside and health resort to realise that the seafron t was
in je o p a rd y o f being lost, as the land between the South
Coast R oad and the high w ater m ark o f the beach was
held by private ow ners and could have been sold fo r
bu ildin g purposes.
Subdivisions w ere held in 1910, 1913, and 1914, con­
tiguous to the beach, by the com pany, and, no doubt, it was
quite prepared to dispose o f this land also. H ad this hap­
pened A ustinm er w ould have had houses w here the p rom ­
enade and park in g area n ow exist.
F ortunately, it was recognised by some o f the residents
that this could happen, especially as land w as being eagerly
sought by visitors fo r holiday purposes.
A m eeting w as called fo r Saturday, 3rd January, 1914,
and was held on the beach. Judge F. S. B oyce w as elected
to the ch air and declared the m eeting open. A rchdeacon
H aviland m oved and M r. G. Cram seconded, “ That the
residents and ratepayers o f A ustinm er request the Bulli
Shire C ouncil to secure, by resum ption, as a site fo r a
park and prom enade the strip o f land fa c in g the foreshores
o f A ustinm er and to levy a special rate on the 1914 valua­
tion upon the local rateable p rop erty fo r the said pu rp ose.”
D iscussion arose and the m eeting was adjourned fo r
discussion to the fo llo w in g Saturday at the same place at
8 p.m.
A t this m eeting, attended by the President o f Bulli
Shire, M r. J. K irton , and C ouncillor Cotterill, Mr. P. N.
Slade m oved an am endm ent to the m otion o f A rchdeacon
H aviland, seconded by M r. J. Y ou n g, “ That a deputation be
sent to M essrs. A llen & Allen, ow ners o f the land, to make
the best arrangem ents possible fo r the resum ption o f the
foresh ores.”
C ouncillor K irton, G. W allace, J. Y oung, P. W . Slade,
J. S. A dam and the chairm an, F. C. B oyce, w ere appointed
as a deputation. It w as then m oved by C. W . Stirlin g and
seconded by R. C. F orsyth and carried, “ That this m eeting
fo rm itself into a P rogress A ssociation, w ith pow er to add
to its num ber” . The follow in g w ere then ele cte d : President,
S. J. V id le r; hon. secretary, E. J. W illiam s; hon. treasurer,
G. L a m b ; com m ittee, M essrs. W icks, D. W . Lett, J. C offey ,
W . H alliday, Grant, E. H. Ferguson, A . Scheidler.
It w as recognised there w as m uch to do to provide
fa cilities fo r the ever-increasing num ber o f residents and
visitors to the area such as excavatin g a sw im m ing pool fo r
children, secu rin g additional up-to-date dressing sheds fo r
adults, plan tin g o f shade trees, p rov id in g seats and at the
40
suggestion o f Judge F. S. B oyce, that a lifesaver be ap­
pointed fo r the beach during the holidays. A ction w as at
once taken to ca rry out this suggestion, and Mr. A . Clarke,
a local man, w as appointed at a salary o f £3 per w eek on
Moore Street, Austinmer, 1912.
the 17th January, 1914. Tw elve days later it was placed on
record that the lifesaver Clarke saved the life o f a visitor
to the beach.
The appointm ent o f a perm anent lifesaver w as the
fir s t appointm ent o f its kind in N .S.W . T o do this the su rf
club started in 1909 w as absorbed by the P rogress A sso­
ciation.
A letter fro m A llen & Allen subm itted a subdivision plan
o f 1330 feet o f beach land fro n tin g the m ain road fo r £1
per foot.
This w as considered too high, and an o ffe r o f £500
was m ade and subsequently paid by the Bulli Shire.
D uplication o f the railw ay line was under considera­
tion at this tim e and the A .P .A . w as v ery anxious that
the p latform be lengthened and the new one be built o f
brick, but despite their e ffo r ts it was built o f tim ber. The
G overnm ent refused to resum e the foresh ores beyond the
point o f the old jetty, and the Postal D epartm ent refused
a postal delivery, “ It does not ju s tify the appointm ent o f
a letter c a rrie r” . A track to Sublime P oin t was ultim ately
made leading to a ladder at the c liff-fa ce .
A t the fir s t annual m eeting, held in the P ublic School,
Judge Edm unds m oved that “ A ll the m em bers o f the com ­
mittee be re-elected and thanked f o r the capable m anner
in w hich they carried out their duties.” The m otion was
carried unanim ously. The com m ittee elected w a s : Presdent,
S. J. V id le r; hon. secretary, H. F a lco n er; hon. treasurer,
G. L a m b ; M essrs. Cram, Carey, C o ffe y , Clarke, F. Farey,
Garrett, H obbs, H aw kins, D. M. Lett, J. D. Lett, Langdon, Law rence, Scheidler, Strachan, and Rev. Dent.
These w ere the fir s t activities o f the A ssociation
and these w ere the type o f progressive m en o ffe r in g their
services to m aintain a high standard o f am enities and ad­
vance the interests o f the com m unity. The A .P .A . w ith
m any changes o f personnel carried out innum erable p ro ­
jects fo r the betterm ent o f A ustinm er.
THE LIFESAVING CLUB
The fir s t lifesavin g club w as form ed at a m eeting held
at the “ O utlook” Guest House on 20th October, 1909, when
Mr. A insley, p rop rietor o f the guest house, w as elected
president, S. W alker, vice-p resid en t; F. H. V ernon, hon.
se c r e ta r y ; A . J. Hines, hon. tr e a su r e r ; and J. L u ff and
G. W allace, com m itteem en. Those gentlem en laid the fo u n ­
dation o f life saving on A u stin m er beach.
In 1914, the new ly form ed A u stin m er P rogress A sso­
ciation absorbed the L.S. club to allow it to appoint a
perm anent lifesaver. The paym ent o f £3 a week and house
rent fre e du rin g the sum m er season w as beyond the re­
sources o f the club. M r. Les Clarke, w as appointed and had
the honour o f bein g the fir s t perm anently em ployed lifesaver in N .S.W .
Austinmer lifesaving Squad — Champions 1928-1931
L .-R .: Back — J. Cahill (capt.), R. Robson, J. Parkes, G.
Ross, D. Warden, V. Cox. Front— W. Redfern, W . Fenton.
42
The aim o f ali lifesavers is to pass the exam fo r the
B ronze M edallion and in the next year, 1915, three m em ­
bers travelled to Sydney and successfully passed the R oyal
L ife S ociety’s M edallion. M uch enthusiasm w as displayed
when it was announced and a social evening w as arranged
to congratulate them and their travellin g expenses w ere
generously paid fo r by Judge Edm unds and M r. V idler.
Other m em bers stated that they w ould train f o r it. This
prom ise w as fu lfilled fo r over the period fro m 1915 to 1962,
no less than 213 B ronze Medals have been aw arded to
A ustinm er boys. A dded to this 34 have received Instruc­
tors’ C ertificates, and 24 Q u alifyin g C ertificates.
A m ove w as m ade to request the Bulli Shire Council
to provide a lifesaver fo r the Christm as period as the
A ssociation had supplied one fo r tw o years, but ow in g to
P atriotic Funds, w ere not able to m eet the expense o f one.
E vidently the Shire Council rejectd the request fo r at the
next com m ittee m eeting o f the A ssociation, nom inations
fo r a lifesaver w ere called and M r. N . Strachan w as elect­
ed. He held the position each year fo r several years.
The club w as reform ed and a ffilia ted w ith the S u rf
Bathers A ssociation this year and an innovation o f tw o
lady beach inspectors to look after the ladies’ dressing
sheds, w as put into operation.
Boys o f 10 and 11 at this period, w ho so eagerly
learnt to “ sh oot” the “ cu rlers” becam e the cham pions o f
A u stin m er’s “ splendid years” fr o m 1922 to 1932. M r. Jack
Cahill becam e the outstanding m em ber o f that period. He
was not only a m em ber o f the State and Illaw arra cham ­
pions, but w as fo r 17 years E xam iner in C hief o f the
Illaw arra B ranch o f the S.L.S.A . o f A ustralia, and was
made a life m em ber o f that A ssociation.
B ranch trophies w on by the c lu b : 1927-1930 — M c­
Cauley C u p ; 1928 — D unlop-Perdriau C u p ; 1928-1931 ■
—
Rathane Cup (5 years point score) ; 1931-1932 — fo u r ju n ­
ior cu p s; R. & R. fro m 1931-41, six seconds and three
thirds ; senior open, 1931-32, first, second, th ird ; ju n ior,
first.
The outstanding p erform ers w ere J. Cahill (c a p t.), J.
M cGuire, F. Robson, J. Parkes, G. Ross, D. W arden, V.
and B ob M ettam. A . Pitm an, as president and secretary
in the 30’s did a grand job .
A u stin m er w ere Illaw arra Prem iers in 1928, 1929,
1930 and 1931, and cham pionship representatives at State
carnivals, com in g second in the State cham pionships at
Bondi Beach in 1928.
G eorge Luck has been perm anent lifesaver at A u stin ­
m er since 1960.
43
THE BOWLING CLUB
PLAY
AT
A U S T IN M E R B E G A N
P R IV A T E G R E E N
ON A
A lthough a bow lin g club had been suggested by the
A ustin m er P rogress A ssociation in 1922 and a site fo r the
green selected on the beach fron t, it was not until 1930
that action was actually taken to fo r m a club.
M r. Don Lett, an A ustinm er builder, conceived the
idea o f con vertin g tw o tennis courts into a bow lin g green
and fo rm in g a club.
M eetings w ere held, a club (lim ited to 20 m em bers)
was form ed and M r. Lett agreed to put dow n and m aintain
a fo u r-rin k green.
Only 18 m em bers could be m ustered, and the fir s t o f­
ficia ls w ere T om H ope, presid en t; E. M cQ uiggan, hon.
secretary, and E dgar P rim rose, Treasurer.
A s none o f the men had played bow ls before, they felt
it desirable to get a know ledge o f the gam e and practise
while the green w as bein g constructed.
It w as decided that when the green w as ready, a B
Pennant side would be entered in the then South Coast
Tablelands B ow lin g A ssociation.
This m eant travelling as fa r south as N ow ra and west
to M oss V ale and Camden. Cars in those days w ere scarce
but three could be enlisted fo r long distances and the re­
quired num ber o f players squeezed into them.
B y 1930-31, m em bers showed the b en efit o f their ex ­
perience, and in 1932-33 won their ow n section o f the B
pennants. They next w ent south and w on th ere; then over
to B ow ral and w on again.
The fo u r skips w ere T. H ope, D. Lett, H. Clark and
R. Ricketts.
W inners o f other country zones had to be m et in
Sydney, w here they beat M usw ellbrook in the m orn in g and
Taree in the aftern oon at Petersham , to reach the final.
N ext day, at N orth Sydney, A ustinm er, am id great
excitem ent, defeated Roseville by one shot, to take the
State B Pennant.
D u ring these o fficia l matches, H ope’s fou r, w hich in ­
cluded Ben H eather, E rn P rim rose and W . Barnes, did not
lose a m atch. They played 33, w on 32, and drew one —
surely a record. H ope also w on the D istrict Singles Cham­
pionship.
F ollow in g a disagreem ent w ith Lett in 1934, the club
made an e ffo r t to obtain its ow n green and, at a m eeting
in the School o f A rts, a new club w as form ed w ith the
name o f A u stin m er T ow n B ow lin g Club.
44
H ope continued as president w ith Bill Sm arden as
secretary and N. L o n g sta ff as treasurer.
O btaining a site fo r a green w as a problem , but R.
Davies, an estate agent and a club m em ber, a fter con ­
siderable bargain in g w ith the A llen E state people, obtain­
ed a block w ith a fron ta g e o f 200 feet, w iden in g to 340 at
the rear, fo r £200.
W. Barnes, T. Hope, E. Primrose, B. Heather, undefeated
in B Pennants 1933 to 1935, played 33 matches, won 32,
and drew one.
A t fir s t glance, the idea o f a bow lin g green on the
site seemed fan tastic. The old m ine railw ay ran across the
land w hich w as covered w ith blackberries and trees and
sloped appreciably tow ards the back.
B y voluntary labour and outside aid, the land was
cleared and a w all 4ft. to 6ft. high w as erected across the
fron t.
A loan o f £600 w as arranged w ith the bank and £100
each fro m W alter L inton and M r. Stephens.
A club house was built by voluntary labor w ith F red
F arey, D ou g G ribble and Lionel Black the m ain w orkers.
In the m iddle o f 1936 the clubhouse w as finished, the
fir s t m eeting in the room s w as held, and o ffice r s fo r 193637 w ere elected.
Finance w as always a problem fo r the executive and
45
in 1937, despite its illegality, a “ fr u it m achine” w as in ­
stalled. The fir s t year it returned £600, and ended the
fin an cial w orries o f the club.
The year o f 1937-38 saw the club again w in the
C ountry B Pennant, beating N ew castle at P etersham ; but
they w ere beaten by V ictoria Park fo r State honours. The
skips then w ere T. Hope, B. H eather, R. Clark and R.
Y oung.
The o fficia l opening o f the club on 5th N ovem ber,
1939, was p erform ed by State President, P ercy Pidgeon.
W hile T. Hope, B. H eather, H. Clark, R. Y oung, W.
Barnes, R. Davies, w ere the outstanding players in the
late thirties and early forties, those w ho have stood out
over the last 10 years or so are A . E. (F r e d ) Lew is, A.
Tuck, C. W rench, J. Clark, A. H eather, H. Neal, F. J.
Buttel, D. M agee, and D. Nance.
T om Hope, the clu b’s fir s t life m em ber, w as president
fo r 13 years fro m 1930 to 1942 and again in 1945-46.
F red Johnson was next to him in service as president,
having held the o ffic e fo r six years, and was later made
a life m em ber.
H ope is also the club’s singles cham pionship recordholder, having w on the title fro m 1930 to 1937 and again
in 1947-48.
H ow ever, Ben H eather, another life m em ber, can beat
his break o f 10 years between w in n in g the club singles.
H eather w on in 1938, 1941 and 1942, and again after a
lapse o f 13 years in 1955.
John Barnes, a life m em ber, and past president o f
the Illaw arra D istrict, holds the record fo r long service
as secretary, 11 y e a rs; this bettered the record o f Bill
Sm ardon o f seven years. Other life m em bers are R. Davies,
W. W ard, L. Black and H arry Mettam.
The fiftie s saw great progress at the club, a new
bar, a green keeper’s house purchased, a liquor licence ob­
tained, flood lights installed, and in the sixties another
green o f fo u r rinks and the extension o f the entertaining
quarters m aking a vast im provem ent to the clubhouse.
C. W rench w on the D istrict Cham pionship in 195556, A . L ew is in 1959-60, 63-64, and 66-67, and the D istrict
T riples with H. Neal and A . Tuck in 1966-67. President,
F. T. G alwey has held that position fo r fo u r years, 196367, while J. E. James has been secretary fro m 1962-67.
46
THE RED CROSS SOCIETY
W ith the outbreak o f the F irst W orld W ar, the wom en
folk o f A ustinm er rallied to the cause by holding a m eeting
at M rs. B ran ch ’s house and fo rm in g a R ed Cross Society.
M rs. B ranch w as elected president, M iss P ringle secretary
and M rs. B u rrow treasurer.
W ork w as im m ediately started on the m aking o f g a r­
ments, k n ittin g o f sox, m ittens and m u fflers, every w om an
o f the small com m unity tak ing her part.
Stalls w ere set up on the beach, fu n ds being accum u­
lated fro m collections and sale o f hom e-m ade con fection s
together w ith fetes and special days.
The Society continued a fter the w ar and w hen the
second w orld w ar broke out they w ere geared to take im ­
m ediate action. M rs. W ay w as president, M rs. B row n
secretary, and M rs. B u rrow still treasurer.
Later, a shop w as opened on the m ain road, but, p rov ­
ing too small, a larger one w as opened and is still operat­
ing in M oore Street, the present executive being Mrs.
Rowe, president, M rs. Bunn, secretary, and M rs. M cQuire,
treasurer.
The rostered shop attendants are M isses M itchell and
M cC arthy, M esdames H. Glossop, A . Glossop, Heather,
Austin, M agee, Dudeney, and M urphy.
An outstanding Red Cross incident during the w ar
was the picture o f the A ustinm er-born navy rating, J. A .
Mettam , on the poster exhibited in every post o ffic e in
Australia fo r the Lady G ow rie A ppeal to aid the sick and
wounded.
He was the son o f M r. and M rs. H. C. M ettam, both o f
whom are so well known and rem em bered fo r their parish
church w ork and Red Cross activities.
AUSTINMER R.S.L. ASSOCIATION
The A ustinm er Sub-branch o f the R eturned Soldiers’
A ssociation w as form ed in A pril, 1931, the fir s t m eeting
being held in the garage on the corn er o f M oore Street
and the M ain Road. The lack o f halls in the district made
it necessary to hold m eetings in the shed on the beach
and in m em bers’ homes.
The fir s t president w as T. Freem an and then fo llo w ­
ed J. Tate, G. Fenton, R. Robeson, T. Brooks, F. Cooper,
J. M cCabe, G. Johnson, R. M unro, J. Summers, D. T im ­
mins, G. Beckett, B. H ibbard, R. Oners, and D. Tim m ins.
In 1934 the old School o f A rts building w as purchased
g iv in g the club a m eeting place and a hall to hold functions.
47
D u rin g the fir st fiv e years servicem en from W oonona to
C lifton w ere adm itted as m em bers. N o dig ger in need
was refused assistance and no ch arity has been turned
away. A ll the men in the local district enlisting fo r W orld
W ar II w ere given g ifts o f wallets and handkerchiefs and
all men retu rnin g w ere welcom ed.
A t first, the Council refused to allow the club the
use o f the beach reserve to hold carnivals to raise funds,
so they had to be held on private land and vacant allot­
ments, but during the w ar they w ere given perm ission.
In 1953 the old School o f A rts w as dem olished and a
new building erected. The building w as considered very
m odern but additions and additional buildings in 1956, 1960
and 1966 have m ade the club one o f the m ost com plete
in the W ollon gon g area.
The year o f 1967 sees D. T im m ins still president and J.
M cG uire secretary.
THE LIONS CLUB
E arly in 1959 Mr. H. F rew o f A ustinm er, an old
A pexian, in con ju n ction with W ollongong Lions Club
m em ber, D. Longbottom , conceived the idea that a club
a club should be form ed in A u stin m er and w ith this in
mind a m eeting w as convened, to be held at M r. F rew ’s
residence in the G rove in A pril.
The president, M r. H. B row n, fir s t vice-president,
M r. D. M cG uire, and Mr. D. Longbottom , o f the W ollon­
g on g Club, attended, w hile those fr o m A u stinm er w ere H.
Frew , J. H opkins, F. D ouglas, E. Curtis, B. Husbands,
H. F ord, and G. Sorrell, w ho w ere addressed by President
B row n.
It w as decided to hold another m eeting at the same
address early in M ay and those present w ere delegated to
in terview residents to becom e m em bers and invite them
to the m eeting. This m eeting w as well attended, and it
was decided to form a club and that another m eeting be
held in a fortn igh t. A t this m eeting the attendance num­
bered betw een 25 and 30 and M r. H. F rew was elected
president, E. Curtis secretary and H. F ord treasurer, the
fo llo w in g m eeting to be held at Headlands H otel on 11th
June.
A t this m eeting a board o f directors was elected as
fo llo w s : F irst vice-president, G eorge S orrell; second vicepresident, Joe H opk in s; th ird vice-president, R on Marsh,
w ith Kev. G rew and R ic T urner in the other positions.
M eetings w ere to be held at the same place on alternate
Tuesdays instead o f Thursdays.
A t the m eeting on 23rd June, tw o directors w ere
elected, D. Greenhalgh and D. M cK innon, and at the m eet­
ing on 1st Septem ber, D. K in g and J. D ouglass w ere added
as directors.
Charter N igh t w as held at the R ex Hotel, Thirroul,
on 29th Septem ber, 1959. The ch arter m em bers, besides
those m entioned, w ere G. Adam s, G. Bruhn, F. B row n, W .
Brow n, L. Carlon, T. E lkington, W . Glossop, B. H usbands,
C. M atterson Jnr., V. O’ Connell, L. Ryan, A . Sharm an, J.
Stew art, B. Swan, E. W ay, H. W heeler, E. Turner, E.
W hittaker and the chairm an, V. Lew is.
The presentation w as delivered by sponsoring W ollon­
g o n g ’s president, D erek M cGuire, and accepted by president,
Ham ie F rew , and the P resentation o f the C harter was
carried out by the D istrict G overnor, E ra Ireland, and
accepted by the president.
A m on g the guests w as H is W orsh ip the M ayor, Aid.
A. Squires, w ho responded to the toast o f “ W elcom e to the
Guests.” The greatest gath erin g o f L ions m em bers ever
assem bled in the W ollon gon g D istrict cam e fro m all parts
o f the State to attend the C harter Presentation.
A m on g the m any p rojects carried out, the m ost out­
standing w ere the Senior Citizens’ Centre at T hirroul, the
rem oval and re-erection o f a w eatherboard house fro m
M oore Street to H ill Street, A ustinm er, and the fu rn ish in g
o f it, to be used by aged citizens selected by other clubs.
F rom 1964 to 1966 assistance has been given to o r­
ganisations such as Sm ith Fam ily, United A b orig in es’ Mis
sion, Bulli Hospital^ Spastic Centre, Scouts, Greenacre
W orkshop, S u rf Clubs, International R efu gee A ppeal, and
R oyal Blind Society as well as fam ilies in distress.
P residents fro m 1960: J. H opkins, A . E. Sharm an, K.
Raw son, E. Blain, H. F rew , B. B ro w n ; and 1966, K. M ar­
shall, w ith R. M arsh, R. Ryan and C. Sheppard, vicepresidents.
49
SIXTY YEARS AGO
A t the turn o f the century, a fter the closing o f the
mine, A ustinm er was practically a gh ost tow n. The post
m aster at Bulli had reported that the post only averaged
one letter a day and the school fo r a short period, was
closed.
The fam ilies left w ere the Sweeneys, H allidays, Deegans, Roddens, Kennedys, Cahills, C offey s, Jones and the
W allaces cam e later.
The great land sale o f 1906 brought an in flu x o f new
people and by 1910 m any new houses w ere built and
A u stin m er w as assum ing the role o f a popular and fa sh ­
ionable seaside resort.
M rs. W alker (C harlotte H allida y), now living in T h ir­
roul, and nearing 80, rem em bers such names as Judge
W hite, Judge Backhouse, Judge Boyce, Judge Edmunds,
S olicitors Lynton, Stephenson, and Salenger, Captain
Y oung, Captain Blandy, The H ennings, Biddulph, and sis­
ters in “ Sidm outh” (v ery E n g lish ), the B ranch fam ily.
The H enning holding consisted o f 13 acres w hich was
subdivided and sold in 1913, fo rm in g the delightful “ G rove”
area, and H ennings Lane.
The old house w as used by the lifesavers as a gym na­
sium until it was purchased by Captain Y oung, demolished
and replaced w ith a com m odious dw elling and named
“ Rathane” .
In 1910 the fir st subdivision o f the Allen Estate fo r m ­
ing A llen and A u stin m er streets, w as sold.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
The Cheadle fam ily fro m T h irrou l cam e in 1911— Mrs.
Sweeney (H ilda C headle), A ustinm er, M rs. Y ou n g (M olly)
o f T hirroul, and tw o boys, George and A rthur. Both en­
listed in 1914 w a r and G eorge w as killed. M rs. Cheadle
unveiled the W ar M em orial at the beach. M rs. Cheadle’s
brother, A lec M athers, w as the fir s t m an to enlist from
A ustinm er and the 152nd fro m N .S.W .
M rs. Sw eeney rem em bers the com in g in 1912 o f the
Letts, Burnetts, Fareys, Careys, Shaws, G reggs (S ir N or­
man la ter), A ndersons (the D avid Cup player J. O .), the
Larcom bes, Dr. Fisher, Gillies, K ing, R oberts and P itt­
mans, m any o f w hom still live in A ustinm er.
In 1913, the second subdivision o f the A llen Estate
fo rm in g T oxteth A venue and W igram Road w as sold. In
each case practically every lot w as sold on the day o f the
sale, such w as the dem and fo r land in the area. M r. Gillies,
50
a fter m any refusals by the Council, installed the fir s t
septic system. His grandsons, Alan and D on K ing, sons o f
the w riter, have given devoted service to the w elfare o f
the district. Alan as ch ief health inspector, and Don as
teacher at A ustinm er and Bellam bi schools.
AUSTINMER TODAY
W ith a population approach in g 3000, A u stin m er’s con ­
fin ed area o f approxim ately one square mile, has alm ost
reached saturation point.
In the area betw een the railw ay line and the fo r e ­
shores, practically no building land exists. It never devel­
oped as a tow nship. The m ain shopping area o f fiv e shops
is at the beach.M r. Chas M atterson conducted the newsagency and served the com m unity fo r m any years. His
w ar-tim e in ju ries w ere very troublesom e in later years
and when he sold the business, the citizens gave him a
fu n ction o f appreciation that will be rem em bered fo r years.
Small shops elsewhere are very few . The tow nship o f
Thirroul, since the advent o f the m otor car, supplies the
people’s needs.
The beach, w hich is w ithin fiv e m inutes’ walk fro m
any part, and one h ou r’s drive fro m Sydney, is extrem ely
popular. Since the building o f the prom enade, and picnic
and park in g area, its popularity has becom e State w ide and
over the holiday periods crow ds o f 5000 and m ore are
usual.
Only eight m iles fro m W ollongong, it has becom e a
pleasant residential area and com m uters have rail and
frequ en t bus tran sp ort when not using their ow n cars.
Good guest houses and num erous holiday flats and
cottages exist, but early application f o r accom m odation is
necessary.
51
ACKN O W LED G EM EN TS
—
To the L ibrarian and S ta ffs o f the M itchell and
Public L ib ra rie s; the Research Dept, o f the Dept,
o f Education, N .S .W .; the H eadm aster, A ustinm er
Public S ch ool; the Presidents o f the R.S.L. Club,
the Lions Club, the B ow lin g C lub; M r. J. C ahill,
S u rf L ife Saving A ssocia tion ; M rs. Cahill S n r .;
M rs. E. M orga n ; Mr. T. H op e; Mr. R. D avies; Mr.
H. M ettam, and Mr. W illiam Bayley, the author
extends his sincere thanks.
52
PUPILS
ATTENDING
AU STIN M ER
SCHOOL —
1913
Back Row, left to right:
J. Curran, W. Pitm an, N. Jones, T. H ow ard, D. Strachan,
J. Sweeney, W . B radbury.
Second R ow :
E. Sweeney, M. Carey, A. Strachan, I. Sweeney, L. Cur­
ran, G. Tredell, E. B radbury, V. V eron.
Third Row :
(U n k n o w n ), (U n k n ow n ), (U n k n ow n ), H. Cheadle, M.
Cheadle, N. H owie, N. H obbs, (U n k n ow n ), V . Hobbs,
A . Strachan.
Front Row:
A. Pitm an, It. Sneider, C. Jones, J. H obbs, R. G riffith s,
D. Jones.
Teacher:
Mr. James Grant
Information per A. G. Pitm an.