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In January 1879 the Postmaster General had taken steps to
procure a suitable block of land in Manilla to build a Post Office. In 1889 a
tender was accepted from T.J. Bowen for £1148 ($2296). Additions were made in
1898 and 1908. A manual telephone exchange was added in 1923 and the Manilla
Street façade changed in the 1960s. I find it hard to believe the facade was changed so dramatically, rather than preserve historical significance.
In 1872 a mail contract was let to Wilkinson and Bowden to
convey mail twice weekly by coach from Tamworth to Warialda via Manilla. Prior
to 1872 the mail was conveyed on horseback. Country mail services started in
September 1899 from Manilla to New Mexico and Hobden and in 1901 to Lowrey,
Glendon via Halls Creek and Mundowey and to Chapman's on the upper Namoi River.
All country roads and by-roads were serviced by mail contractors. Wilkinson's
mail coach made its last trip to Warialda on December 3, 1906. Since 1872 it
had regularly passed through Manilla and Barraba on its bi-weekly trip to
Warialda.
During the two World Wars, 1914 to 1918 and 1939 to 1945, thousands
of letters to and from the troops passing through the Post Office. On July 12th
1967, Manilla was given its postcode 2346.
On July 1st, 1975 the Postmaster Generals Department was disbanded
and Australia Post and Telecom Australia were raised in its place but
activities at Manilla Post office continued as before. The Post Office has now
been privatised and as well as its traditional mail business, it now has a
strong retail business. During these transitions, the original architectural counter
was dismantled leaving a stark modernized clinical appearance.
A meeting was held in the Town Hall and after much discussion it was decided to form the Manilla Historical Society. On the night a challenge was issued by Jack Maxwell (father of Jim), who said if he donated $100 would at least 9 others do the same. The challenge was taken up giving the committee a seeding bank account.
A small Committee was formed to investigate the possibility of setting
up a small Museum. A shop previously Noel Simpson's
Chemist Shop was their first venue. The society quickly outgrew this venue. The society
fought hard to get the Old Council Chambers in Stafford
Street which was unsuccessful, but instead settled on Royce Cottage in Manilla Street, which is the oldest building in the Main Street. The building was restored with the aid of
a RED Scheme Grant (To help regional unemployed people). The Grant finished in 1974, and the present Museum was established.
With the help of many people over the years, including the
former Manilla Shire Council and currently Tamworth Regional Council the
Society is still doing what it was set up for - keeping as much of Manilla’s History as possible. This can only be done by the generosity of families who share their history with others.
In 2022 on the June Long Weekend, 11th to 13th June, the Manilla Historical Society held a birthday party, called “Back to Manilla” celebrations, with 2 objectives: One to invite former residents back to Manilla to meet up with other former residents and two, also in doing so, to collect more history.
On the June Long weekend in 2022, the Manilla Vintage Machinery Group held their Annual Machinery Rally in Manilla and turned back the clock in Historic Manilla NSW. The Vintage Machinery Rally is planned each year on the June Long Weekend.
In our house in River Street, we had nearly 8 feet of water in the house, causing destruction of much of our possessions. We were watching the large flow of water in the Namoi River across the road and hoped it wouldn't get higher.
Then we watched as the water slowly made its way along the side of the road and moved into our yard. My parents went inside to stand as much as they could on solid furniture while I stayed outside and put most of the outside garden chairs and other items on top of our small shed.
My mother came outside with all
the family photo albums and other priceless possessions and put them in the
car. I was directed to drive the car towards the back lane and drive the car to
higher ground while they finished what they could inside. They eventually waded
out towards the lane and reached higher ground. It was to no avail. The water
just came so fast and so high and swamped our house and River street homes and
beyond.
As fast as it rose it decreased quickly also. We, and the rest of River Street residents, arrived the next morning to view the destruction. Four inches of mud in the house and all over our possessions. As my mother opened the back door and moved inside she burst into tears. Almost 10 years of hard work was now ruined. The backyard shed was gone, the chook run, the bird aviary, the vege garden, everything.... and even my prized Phantom comic collection! It was noticed the house had moved on the foundations and fortunately stayed put. One house was washed away.
When word was out the Dam would be completed the local water skiers got together a few working bees and started to cut down a number of gum trees in a large area, and burn them. It was also a good opportunity for many to cut up wood for the fires at home.
It was at this stage the Water Ski Gardens were named. When the Dam filled there was a large area free of trees. In the early stage’s logs appeared on the surface and had to be removed. Didn't want to take the chance of a broken ski, or even a foot or leg. The Water Ski Gardens are located 20 klms from Manilla on the Rushes Creek Road.
In the 1950s Rushes Creek road was a virtual dirt track in many stages, so precautions had to be taken to protect the boats on trailers. It was a time when inboard timber ski boats ruled the waters.
Water Skiing at Keepit > "Growing Up In Manilla in the 1950s-1960s." (Link)
The Scouting Organisation is a voluntary movement and its leadership is based on the willingness of highly motivated men and women at local level to dedicate themselves to the service of young people.
While attending Cubs and Scouts in the 1950s at Manilla my leaders were Jack Harding, George Harley and Mady deSmid.
Three dedicated individuals that devoted many hours, and were an integral part of the further development of young boys and teenagers in Manilla.
I look back now with appreciation. Without their involvement and guidance many of the young boys in Manilla would have missed out on this opportunity, and the experiences in life they taught. (Pics: Manilla Scout Hall, and George and Mady with a group of Manilla Scouts and Cubs)
The Manilla River Walk is a relaxing and naturally peaceful walk from either of two points: Start under the Bridge (1) or head down Market St, adjacent to the Manilla Museum (2). Both walks take you to the Junction of the Namoi and Manilla Rivers and towards Higgins Bridge, just below the Showground. At the junction, in 1853, George Veness built a slab hut, store and inn, sited on the bank. He established the first postal service at “The Junction” and named the town Manilla, when the postal service was set up in 1856. A plaque at the timber arch, at the top of the path, marks the 150 year anniversary of Manilla’s founding.
Higgins Bridge area has some nice fishing and swimming spots. Not much water when these pictures were taken.
Although one could assess this
story about Manilla as nostalgic and a journey down memory lane, it is
distinctly more. The processes for this story were born a few decades ago. At
that particular time, I had no idea the extent of a collaboration with My-Self
had in store for later years. It was a steady growth. A steady growth of
experiences that foreshadowed the meaning behind an impetus to sit and write.
Experience did manifest this dual
nature of life within myself, but without also sitting and contemplating what
meaning the experiences have upon ones-Self, we cannot derive any benefit for
our lives. This takes focus and intent, which in turn requires the knowledge for
Self to be consciously aware of our life holistically.
This also takes an awareness outside
what we see in society and an awareness and curiosity to ask the question, “Is
there something else?” There is. If we don’t ask this question within our-Self
we fall short of understanding who we really are. Not a clone of what society
expects of you, but an entity that participates in the formation of your
True-Self. Away from the abnormal influences of society.
No matter what our circumstances
are when growing up, whether they are good or bad, we need to penetrate our
psyche to enable an articulate observation of our-Selves during that life, and
also the years that follow. With this we find the meaning of our existence.
Without understanding our
childhood, we fall short of understanding our life as an adult.
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The Englert’s lived in three homes while in Manilla. The second is an historic brick cottage built in the late 19th century.
George was an accomplished musician who led the Holy Trinity Church of England choir at Manilla. The 1912 photograph (in the picture) shows George as choirmaster, with daughter Guerle.
George was an important contributor to the Manilla NSW “Odd Fellows” Lodge.
Odd Fellows is an international fraternity consisting of lodges first documented in 1730 in London. Odd Fellows promote philanthropy, the ethic of reciprocity and charity.
The Odd Fellows started as a way to care for their members in a time when there were no systems in place to insure one’s welfare, health or job protection. Back in the early days, insurance companies and government programs that provided sick and death benefits did not actually exist. Sickness or death of a breadwinner frequently meant poverty and the responsibility of burial depended on the family.
Forensic Scientist, Principal Researcher on The Forrest Project.
Thomas John is thought he constructed E.G. Royce's own house, which now houses the Manilla Museum and is listed on the Register of the National Estate.
Thomas John was sufficiently important in the community to be elected to Manilla's first Municipal Council in 1901.
Thomas John Bowen was a son of Martin Bowen and Elizabeth Seage (1834-1910). Martin Bowen had been tried in Kilkenny Ireland as a 16-year-old illiterate for "feloniously killing a sheep". Sentenced to transportation for life he arrived in Sydney on board the ship St. Vincent in January 1837. Martin was given his Ticket of Leave in 1847 and a conditional pardon in 1853. He was assigned to the Australian Agricultural Company at Port Stephens, established in the early days of the colony as a land development company with the assistance of a land grant from the British Parliament's Crown Grant of 1,000,000 acres in the area. Sometime later Martin found his way to Bathurst where he met Elizabeth Seage. They married in 1850, first living in Evans Plain near Bathurst before settling in the Dubbo/Trangie area.
Thomas John’s wife, Roseanna ("Rose Ann") Allingham, came from a well-established family. The first Allinghams arrived in Australia in 1841 from Ireland (like Thomas John's own ancestors), with the family spread throughout country NSW over the next few decades. Thomas John and Rose Ann were married in 1886 and had six children, including Thomas James, his eldest boy in 1887. Thomas John is buried in a joint grave at Gunnedah with his grand-daughter, Marie Therese as the two died within a few months of each other in 1920. Thomas John Bowen 1855-1920.
Thomas James Bowen (Thomas John’s son) married Mary Veronica in September 1914. They had three children, the first of whom, Marie Therese, died as an infant in 1920. Sometime soon after that death the couple appear to have moved from Gunnedah NSW to Sydney, where Patricia was born a year later. Thomas James was a builder, like his father. He may have had early success but family tradition is that he suffered badly financially during the 1930s Depression.
Mary died in Sydney in 1942 and the next year Thomas James remarried, to Katherine Kennedy. By the late 1950s Thomas and Katherine were living at 11 Arthur St, Moss Vale where his daughter Patricia would visit, along with grandchildren Margaret and Katherine Robinson.
Margaret remembers her grandfather as rather severe person, a view she believes that her mother also shared. But she also remembers that Thomas James was a keen handyman, with his Moss Vale home littered with various hobby projects on which he would be working. Thomas James died in 1961.
The first Show was held in March 1932 with over 5,000 people attending on the first day. After the success of the first event, the Agricultural Society built a pavilion and a number of other buildings and yards at the Showground.
During the 1920s and 1930s the merino flock sheep ewe competitions, conducted by the Upper Manilla Agricultural Bureau, the Manilla agricultural show and the Manilla ram sales, all encouraged local farmers to develop more scientific breeding programs. On Tuesday 3rd July 1928, 25,000 sheep were yarded for auction by V. J Byrnes, Stock and Station Agent, Manilla NSW.
Like the sheep industry, the cattle industry also benefited from the development of more scientific breeding programs.
Manilla became a major centre for stock sales, and the best-known stock and station agent in town was V. J. Byrnes, who began as an agent in 1913. In 1935 Byrnes established his own sale yards in Manilla and built up one of the largest one-man businesses in Australia. In 1939 Manilla was described as the premier stock selling centre in the north of New South Wales, and Byrne’s sale yards as the largest and most up-to-date set of stock yards north of Sydney. Three-quarters of a million sheep were sold there between March and December 1939, a record for any one office in Australia, outside the capital cities.
The Agricultural Show continues to be a major event in the Manilla social calendar. In addition to the annual show the Agricultural Society has organised regular field wheat and fodder conservation competitions.
Almost 100 years after that first game, women were making international history by participating the first World Cup in the sport in England, with seven teams competing. Both at home and abroad, women were establishing themselves as pioneers on the pitch, creating a style of play that would change how men approached the game.
Mr Wells told ABC Sydney, “Women invented round-arm bowling and they did this out of sheer necessity because of their crinoline skirts. They couldn't bowl underarm in the early 1800s like the rest of the men were because they simply couldn't negotiate the width of their skirts. A woman by the name of Christina Wiles, of Kent, in 1807 bowled round-arm deliveries to her brother, starting a specific style which would overtake the underarm bowling style which dominated. They discovered that, in doing that, they could get a bit more purchase on the ball, and they could make the ball move off the wicket, and so the men copied them."
In 1931, the Australian Women’s Cricket Council (AWCC) was formed to promote and support the sport. The first international women’s cricket team to visit Australia was the English team, invited to tour in the summer of 1934-35, to play a series against an Australian team captained by Margaret Peden.
Three Test matches were played against Australia and one against New Zealand – the first ever women’s Test matches. Although the English women had to pay their own way out, the newly-formed Australian Women’s Cricket Council (AWCC), sponsored the tour, paying all in-country costs and retaining match profits. Betty Archdale, captain of the English team, was praised in the press for being a fair and professional player.
The first time a team of Australian women toured overseas was in 1937. The Australian team had to raise their own funds to travel to England for the tour. Proceeds from many Australian matches during 1936 went to the Australian Team Fund.
Under captain Margaret Peden, the Australian team arrived in England in May 1937. The rules of the tour were strict: no woman was permitted to smoke or drink, or be accompanied by a husband or companion.
The team played matches all over England, including three Tests, of which England won two. The women were not permitted to play on the grounds at Lords, (until the mid-1970s), but another famous cricketing ground was opened to the women – The Oval – where they attracted a crowd of over six thousand.
One of the longest-serving players and administrators for women’s cricket in New South Wales during this period was Lorna Thomas. Thomas retired as a cricketer in the late 1950s after a long career playing district and interstate matches. In 1960 she took up team management and went on to manage five international teams including four overseas tours. In 1978, after almost a lifetime's involvement with women's cricket, she retired from her position as manager of the NSW and Australian teams. She was awarded an MBE for services to cricket and was made a life member of Women's Cricket Australia.
In 1958 Australian cricketer Betty Wilson, was inducted into the International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame, made history for both genders by making the first ever century by any Test player while also taking 10 wickets in the same test. The very first World Cup was an all-women's affair in England in 1973. It predated the men's first World Cup by two years.
* The Men’s Manilla Cricket Club became the Manilla Cricket Association in 1901. The Association fielded teams against Tamworth, Barraba, Upper Manilla, Wongo Creek and Halls Creek and participated in interclub matches as far afield as Newcastle, Uralla, Armidale, lnverell and Guyra.
In February 1901 the Attunga team visited Manilla to play a return match against Manilla. The Manilla team included: Dight, Telfer, Kennedy, Priest, Bignall, Brady, Allen, Hall, Ellis, Hartley and Simpson.
During September 1911 the Manilla Cricket Association held its Annual Meeting at the Mechanics Institute. Present were Messrs. W. M. Trenerry (chair), W. D. Hartley (secretary), F. Moore, H. Gurton, A. C. Veness, A. E. Moore, C. K. Vincent, and Dr. Catchlove. The Annual Report showed the season was successful both from a financial situation and cricket also. There were five teams participating and Mr. A. J. Teller's trophy, for the most sportsmanlike player in the competition, was won by Mr. C. Norris, captain of the Klori team. Praise was given to the Klori cricketers for the way in which they carried out their engagements during the season. Mr. Trenerry's trophy for the highest individual score in matches played under the association was won by Mr. A. M. Gabriel, of the Albion Club, who scored 140 not out.
Scout Groups started in Australia in 1908. In 1909, Major Chuck of the New South Wales Forces, and the Scout Master for the Tamworth District, came to Manilla Public School to swear in the 1st Manilla Boy Scout Troop. In 1953 The Scout Association of Australia became an independent Member of the World Scout Conference.
In the 1950s, the Principles of Scouting, as identified by the Founder, Lord Baden-Powel, are that man should serve God, act in consideration to the needs of others, and develop and use his abilities to the betterment of himself, his family and the community of which he lives, so that they can take a constructive place in society as responsible citizens.
As a young Cub you commit to a Promise and the Cub Law. The Cub Promise is: “On my honour I promise that I will do my best, to do my duty to God and to the Queen, to help other people, and to keep the Cub Law.” The Cub Law is: “A Cub is loyal and obedient, and does not give in to himself.” Fairly straightforward directions to move yourself forward in life with a responsibility to yourself and others around you.
As a Cub, and after following a well-devised program suited to your level of development, a Cub progresses in life towards being a Scout, at about age eleven. As a young boy our life is generally play, work and experiences. Cub activities surrounded this development in life and are in the spirit of make believe. They are games played to develop a Cub’s character without the Cub being conscious of the underlying reasons of why they participate in these activities.
Cubs speak of a Jungle atmosphere and this is wrapped up with the life and adventure of Mowgli, Akela, Kaa and others taken from Rudyard Kipling’s stories. Akela (also called The Lone Wolf or Big Wolf) is a fictional character in Rudyard Kipling's stories. Cub Leaders are known by the name Akela.
The handshake and three finger salute are valuable as it gives the Cub a sense of brotherhood. The left handshake was formulated after Captain Baden-Powell entered the capital city of the Ashanti people. The chief explained, “In my country the bravest of the brave shake with the left hand.”
It appears the people in the photograph are Arthur Bell and his son, and the girl in the boat is Christine Unsworth.
A number of Manilla residents owned ski boats, including Ron Wilson, the local milkman.
Christine arrived in Manilla with other young teenagers from Sydney on an exchange program between the Manilla Servicemen’s Club and the Hurlstone Park Servicemen’s Club. Each person was billeted with a family in Manilla and provided with bus trips to country attractions not normally experienced in Sydney – like shearing sheds. Likewise, the Manilla teenagers were taken to centres around Sydney that they had not experienced before – like the Zoo. It was a successful program for all involved and all relished in this informative program.
Arthur Bell and his family lived in Southbrook and owned a Land rover and an inboard ski boat. A number of young children sat in the back on metal top side seating while travelling out to Keepit for Water Skiing. A bumpy ride on unsealed country roads with no seatbelts.
The bottom two photographs were taken water skiing in the river area before Keepit Dam filled up and before the Water Ski Gardens were created.
The Namoi River flows adjacent to Manilla township and along Rushes Creek Road for approximately 20 kilometres to the Dowe National Park. Construction of Keepit dam began in 1939 but was halted in 1941 due to WWII. Work on the dam restarted in 1946 and was completed in 1960. When Keepit Dam was built the water from the Namoi was banked up and created a vast amount of water in this area, equal to the size of Sydney Harbour (425,000 ml) and has a catchment area of 5,829 square kilometres.
Previous to the dam being built, there was sufficient water in some river areas to enjoy water-skiing between the willow and gum trees growing on the banks. To reach this area required a drive out along the Rushes Creek Road, where much of this road was a dirt track.
As construction of the Dam progressed in the 1950s, it was an opportunity to build what is now called, The Ski Gardens. Working bees were organised to cut down and clear all the trees in a large area. The dam was built, the river flowed, and the dam gradually filled up. The Ski-Gardens were now a reality.
This era portrayed a country life with memories of Manilla Public School and warm bottles of milk at recess, where we hoped it didn’t get too hot by the time recess arrived, while it stood in the open under the pepper corn tree. It was, but we would forget the taste at lunch time, via a fresh tasty meat pie with sauce from the Bignall store across the road. A time where only the bravest (or?) would take on Noel Sing in a boxing match - and still lose. A time when Noel Watts was a one-man-dynamite on the rugby league field and won games single handedly. While not forgetting Tony Bull, who always excelled with proficient speeches at assembly.
Chubby Checkers twist arrived and was attempted at the school social - many failed - but there was always the stomp, because it was simple. The Fox Trot tied your feet in knots not to mention your head, and the Barn Dance produced up close opportunities for everyone.
The city kids were hip and cool coming to Manilla with the exchange program, and couldn’t understand why we didn’t wear shoes and why we didn’t have a B/W TV. While in Sydney there were so many cars one bloke from Manilla thought it was a never-ending funeral procession. Because most of us had never seen a line of cars that long in Manilla – except for a funeral.
The Beatles arrived with their first album and their hit “Love Me Do.” A female teacher brought her vinyl album to class one day, because she didn’t know who was who on the cover. We did.
He was one of the first patrons of the Returned Soldiers' League, and held the office until his death. Mr. Kennedy was a committee man and director of Manilla Hospital since its establishment in 1905. He was Treasurer of the first committee, which was formed in 1905. During his years of association with the hospital, Mr. Kennedy was chairman for several terms.
He was associated with the Mechanics' Institute, and was Secretary from 1901 to 1911.
John Duncan was the principal of the firm of John D. Kennedy and Sons, solicitors, of Manilla, where he had practised for over 50 years. He was a noted authority on land matter and practised as a solicitor for 57 years. He was also the District Coroner at Manilla for many years.
Although not a committeeman of Manilla Show Society, Mr. Kennedy was patron of it over the last 13 years of his life, and was one of the prime movers in the formation of the annual exhibition. He was also patron of the Manilla Bowling Club since its inception in 1935.
John Duncan was an active member of the Presbyterian Church, and had been closely associated with its affairs and had been one of the foundation members of the church. John Duncan had achieved the honour of being appointed an Elder.
At the funeral service, held in the Presbyterian Church, the Rev. J. Mitchell referred to John Duncan as a “pillar of the church,” and made special mention of the part he had played in the work of the church. Representatives of all sections of the community attended the service. They included directors of the Hospital Board, Municipal and Shire Council members, business men, Bowling Club members, Masonic Lodge members, and Ex-Servicemen. It was mentioned his death would mean a big loss to most organisations and committees in Manilla.
In excess of 300 people attended the funeral and there were about 150 persons who could not be accommodated in the tiny church, who listened to the service through the doors and windows.
The Mayor of Manilla (Mr G. F. B. Grills) said that Mr. Kennedy was one of the town's most public-minded citizens. His advice on legal and personal matters was always sought by townspeople. He was held in high regard by the residents of the town.
Mr Kennedy is survived by two sons, Mr. Allan K. Kennedy (Tamworth) and Mr Donald H. Kennedy (Manilla).
The Marriage of Mr J. D. Kennedy and Miss Ruby Hartley:
Mr John D. Kennedy was married to Miss Ruby Hartley on the 17th August 1901. Ruby was the youngest daughter of Mr. D. Hartley of Manilla. The event aroused a large amount of interest, due to the factor the bride-groom is such a prominent member in the public life of Manilla, and that the bride is a native of Manilla, and a direct descendant of the oldest family in the town – George Veness 1823-1895.
The church was densely packed on the occasion, with a large number of persons occupying the porch, while others were forced to remain in the church yard. The interior of the building had been beautified by the arrangement of a large wedding bell above the spot where the young couple stood, with large white streamers stretching from the bell to the adjacent walls.
The choir, of which the bride was a leading member, rendered appropriate music during the ceremony, which was conducted by the Rev. P. Norman (Presbyterian Minister of Scone), assisted by the Rev. W. J. Walker. The bride was given away by her father, and was attended by Miss Matheson (cousin) and Miss Kennedy (sister of the bride groom.)
The bride's dress was composed of white figured silk, chiffon, and lace trimmings. She wore a veil and wreath of orange blossoms, and carried a shower bouquet of choice white flowers. Miss Matheson wore a costume of dove-coloured French voile and silk, with guipure lace with ribbon trimmings. She carried a bouquet of pink roses. Miss Kennedy was attired in white silk and lace, trimmed with blue silk, with white hat to match. She also carried a bouquet of pink roses. Each bridesmaid wore a gold brooch, a gift of the bride groom. Mr. Frank S. Mackenzie acted as best man. A very pretty occasion was provided at the conclusion of the ceremony: with the wedding-bell aloft, rose leaves descended from the interior on man and wife beneath.
A private wedding breakfast was served at the residence of the bride's parents.
“First and foremost among Manilla’s pioneers were the Baldwins - Otto and his nephew Charles.” A.R. MacLeod.
Baldwin Family - Durham Court is a 1352acre (547ha) property located just four kilometres outside of Manilla on the banks of the Namoi River. Durham Court has been held by the Baldwin family since 1848 until it was sold in 2016.
Edwin (Charles) Baldwin (1829-1906), pastoralist, was born on 12 October 1829, at Wilberforce, NSW. He married Mary Ann Crowley (1837-1872) on the 10th June 1856. In 1875 he married Mary Ann Gorrick (1840-1932).
Edwin (Charles) is the son of Edwin Baldwin (1805-1868), farmer and grazier, and his wife Alice, née Clarke. His grandfather, Henry Baldwin, was of Welsh descent and had arrived at Sydney in the Admiral Barrington in October 1791. He settled on the Hawkesbury River at Wilberforce and by diligent farming, husbandry of livestock and purchase of farms at Kurrajong and on the Hunter River, built up an estate worth more than £5000 (Today: $1+million) which he left to his family when he died on 6 June 1843.
Edwin (Snr) son, Otto, was amongst the first to take stock across the Liverpool Range, where as a squatter he was dispossessed when Warrah was granted to the Australian Agricultural Co. in 1833. With his brother Otto, then squatted near Manilla, where his run, Diniwarindi, covered 30,720 acres (12,432 ha) in 1848. In 1858 ownership of Dinnawirindi was transferred to Charles.
On the 10 June 1856 Edwin (Charles) married Mary Ann, daughter of John Crowley. They had three sons and six daughters. He had built a new homestead, imported the highest quality furniture and had also acquired an expensive new carriage.
The family had a terrifying experience when the Diniwarindi homestead was swept away by flood in 1864. Rain fell constantly and the Namoi floodwater was rising ominously. Charles realized that he and his family were in dire peril as the water had already entered the house. He put his eight children, his wife and two female domestic staff in a boat but because of the swirling water and its battering logs, other timber, and flood debris, and being a constant danger in the darkness, he chose to tie the boat to the back porch of the house and wait until the morning light. The flood continued to rise. At first light he set off and row to safety, half a mile away. As soon as the boat and its passengers had drawn clear, the house collapsed and was swept away. It was a narrow escape.
Although the family narrowly escaped with their lives, there was little food. Mary Anne’s health was greatly affected by these events and she never recovered from this tragedy and died aged 35 in February 1872 leaving eight young children.
On 13 April 1875 Charles married Mary Ann, daughter of Isaac Gorrick. They had three sons and two daughters. A large new homestead, on the opposite northern side of the Namoi River, was built in 1876, where in 1885 the property name was changed to Durham Court.
In 1899 Charles celebrated his golden jubilee of living at Durham Court. At least five of the staff had been employees for 40 years and many had been born there.
Charles Baldwin died on 25 November 1906 aged 77, at his residence, and was buried in the Church of England cemetery at Manilla NSW.
Edwin (Charles) is the father of Emily Dowe, Eva Baldwin, Jessie Baldwin, Grace Baldwin, Otto Baldwin and 10 others. Edwin (Charles) is the brother of Henry Baldwin, Alice Baker, Elizabeth Baldwin-Dight and Harriet Baldwin, and the half-brother of William Frederick Baldwin, William Baldwin, George Rowland Baldwin and John Harbourne.
Early progressive years: Edwin (Charles) went to Diniwarindi as a young man of nineteen, yet from sixteen years of age, he was taught stock trade by his uncle Otto, the son of Harvest Baldwin, who soon moved to Singleton and left Charles to manage the run. Charles reigned for nearly 60 years at Durham Court.
His most outstanding characteristic was his love of high-class stock. He bought high quality Australian cattle, imported many pedigree bulls from England to improve his herds and won high repute for the Durham Court Shorthorn stud. He also imported blood horses and established a stud. It became his special interest and he was founder and patron of the Manilla Race Club. Horses bred at Durham Court won such prominent races as the St Leger, Epsom, and Sydney Cup. Havoc was one of his most successful sires.
Baldwin was prepared to pay high prices to acquire fine horses. The stallion Machine Gun, was bought for nearly 1000 guineas just before Baldwin's death, and was sold in 1908 for 1500 guineas (Today: $3.5million). His thoroughbreds and Shorthorn cattle had a marked effect on the standard of Australian stock.
Charles had been specializing in the breeding of Durham cattle (Shorthorn) and the skills he displayed had made Durham Court a leading stud in Australia. The magnitude of this breeding programme is illustrated by the sales. In 1882 in one sale alone, Charles sold a line of 157 bulls to "Warroo" in Qld.
Edwin (Charles) had a retiring disposition and a keen sense of humour. He was severe in his criticisms but shrewd in his perception of human nature. He was also generous in supporting worthy causes. He made donations to various churches. In 1892 he subscribed £50 (Today: $5,000) towards the building of the first Church of England in Manilla and gave £500 to Tamworth Hospital for the establishment of an operating theatre in 1901 (Today: $50,000). He was also a justice of the peace.
After his death in 1906, Durham Court was auctioned in 1908, and parts of it were bought by members of the family. The homestead section became the residence of Otto Francis Baldwin (Snr).
Otto Francis (Snr) married Beatrice Alice Grady (1912-1992) on 4 April 1934, in Manilla and they had three children, Judith Mary (1937-1938), Charles Peter (1935-1955) and Otto Francis (Jnr) (1939-2016).
Durham Court is described as a heritage landmark of the Manilla district; draped in a rich history which includes the renowned Durham Court Shorthorn and Thoroughbred studs. The property remains an iconic piece of northern New South Wales pastoral history.
Otto Francis Baldwin (Snr) passed away on 15 Aug 1975 aged 74 years.
The Historic and Heritage Manilla NSW Holy Trinity Church -
Incorporating - * Confirmation - * The Cuerindi Memorial Tower - * Cannon and
John Quayle - * Cuerindi History and the * Hall and Allen families.
The Baptistery and the Cuerindi Memorial Tower were a gift
from the Allen family of Cuerindi, in memory of their father and mother.
In 1938 the foundation stone for the western end and tower
was laid by Bishop Moyes. A tube was placed at the back of the tablet
containing a script, two copies of the Manilla Express, a copy of the Tamworth
Leader and an order of service for the day.
On February 19th, 1939 the Cuerindi Memorial Tower and the
western end were dedicated by Sir Charles Rosenthal. Sir Charles Rosenthal
(1875-1954) was an architect, soldier and musician, and joined the Australian
Imperial Force in August 1914 and sailed with the first convoy as
lieutenant-colonel commanding the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade. The Manilla Park
displays captured guns from the 33rd Battalion on the Western Front in the
Great War 1914-1918.
The first stage of the Memorial Tower was built by Walter
Jackson, and the second stage completed by W.C. Grantham.
The History of Cuerindi:
The Hall Family of Cuerindi originated as one of the
founding 12 inhabitants of the new town of Manilla (The Junction). Together
with the Allen Family they are established pioneers within the Manilla
Historical culture of time and with other pioneers, influenced life and times
during this period.
The Hall family established “Cuerindi Run” in the early
1830's. By 1862 the town population could almost be counted on both hands.
“Cuerindi Run” is approximately 10 klms north of Manilla.
The following details are a summary of the Hall Family from
Cuerindi. A future post will show more complete details regarding the Hall
Family.
Maria Adelaide (Davey) Hall (1840-1916) was born on 19
December 1840, when her father was 30 and her mother Hanastatia Sarah (formally
Byrnes) was also 30. Maria married Matthew Hall (1830-1891) in 1861 at age 20,
while Matthew was 30 years of age. They had twelve children during their
marriage. Maria’s mother-in-law, Frances, was also living on the property and
on hand to assist with the birth of Maria’s second child. Maria and Matthew
were married for 30 years.
Maria’s father, Benjamin Robert, died just three years after
Maria was born. Her mother, Hanastatia Sarah (Ann) Byrnes, died in Manilla in
1864 aged 54 years.
The marriage of Maria and Matthew was performed on the
property and accorded to the rites of the Church of Scotland by minister John
Morison. The witnesses were Frederick R. Rogers and Elizabeth Davey (Maria's
sister). The wedding was registered in the District of Tamworth Register by
John MacDonald, registrar.
Matthew and Maria’s early residency at Manilla initially
comprised of a group of timber slab buildings on the eastern bank of the Namoi
River just below the junction of the Namoi with Halls Creek. This spot is now a
little north west and down from where the modern-day homestead of Namoi Park is
located.
North Cuerindi Estate originally comprised of 20,100 acres.
This changed in 1909 when the estate was subdivided into 28 settlement areas of
200 to 2300 acres. Ten of these blocks have a Namoi River frontage.
The Allen Family of Cuerindi:
Richard Duke Allen (1846-1903) came to Manilla in 1876 to
manage “Cuerindi.” In 1902 Richard became the sole owner of the station and
also of “Springfield.” Richard married
Emma Harriet Abbott and had 11 children in 26 years while residing at Cuerindi.
Most of the children continued their residency at Cuerindi and/or within the
Manilla district.
One of Richard and Emma’s children, Agnes Polke Allen
(1887-1962), was born when her father was 40, and her mother, Emma, was 33.
While residing at Curerindi, Agnes married Austin George Veness (1898-1965
Manilla) in Manilla in 1936, when she was 49 years old. Austin George died in
Manilla in 1965 just three years after Agnes died. They had no known children.
The extended Allen family of eleven children have had a long
association with Cuerindi and Manilla district. Their donation towards the
Cuerindi Tower at the Holy Trinity Church in Manilla is a mark of reverence for
church, family and Manilla as a whole. This contribution marked an historical
milestone for the Allen family and also Cuerindi’s history.
During the 1960s, Cannon (James Orry) Quayle lived at
Manilla with his wife (Mabel Anna) and officiated the church services at the
Holy Trinity Church in Manilla NSW.
Cannon (James Orry) Quayle is the father of John Quayle, a
rugby league player, who found success in Sydney first as an NRL player and
then an administrator. John was known as "Cannon" and grew up in
Manilla NSW and played all his junior league at the local club. In 1968 John
joined Easts and was a second rower. He played 51 first grade games for the
Roosters and played in the 1972 grand final. After the 1972 grand final John
switched to Parramatta in 1973 and played 57 first grade games for the Eels
from 1973 to 1976. While he was at Parramatta, he played 2 games for NSW and 3
tests for Australia.
John married a local Manilla girl, Diane Todd, in 1968.
Confirmation at the Holy Trinity Church (see picture): On
the 25th November 1962 a large number of younger congregation members were
Confirmed into the Holy Trinity Church. Confirmation indicates one's deepening
relationship with God. It marks the point in the Christian journey at which
participants affirm their faith and their intention to live a life of committed
discipleship. Confirmation is the doctrine and ethos of the Anglican Church.
There have been recent attempts to disband the structural
historic interior of the Holy Trinity. It must be remembered preserving our
Cultural, Heritage and Historic Past is an important contributor to our Future,
as if we don't, the Future has no basis from where our Contemplation is
derived.
Contemplation with the Past is our direct link to our Stable
Future. Without this we fall short of knowing Ourselves. It is important the
History and Heritage, internally and externally, is preserved at the Holy
Trinity Church in Manilla to reflect our Souls of Peace, and in turn preserve
the History of Manilla NSW. Please support this endeavour to Save the
historical significance of the Holy Trinity Church, and also Manilla as a
whole.
Pioneer Settlers of Manilla NSW Australia
Prior to the pioneer settlers in Manilla, exploration
parties were prominent in exploring land in the Manilla District. In 1818 John
Oxley crosses the Peel River, 30km south-east of Manilla, where today Oxley’s
Anchor is located near Hallsville, on the road to Tamworth. In 1823, another
exploration party, led by Allan Cunningham, discovers and names Pandora’s Pass
over the Liverpool Range, and continues north, crossing the Namoi River. In
1827 Allan passes through the district again on his way north. A year later,
1828, Thomas Mitchell travels the Namoi River.
During the early years of the 1830s Major Nunn is sent north
by Australia’s Colonial Administrator to quell alleged problems with the
Aboriginal people. He arrives with 23 mounted police. The local tribe of
Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay people are ambushed by Nunn’s party at the Namoi River and
they scatter into the bush.
In the late 1830s the Pringle Family take up land around
Somerton and Bective. Somerton is located 24 klms south of Manilla. Bective is
located just west of Attunga.
A short time later Teamsters and Carriers ferry goods from
the Hunter district, through goldfield settlements and cattle stations,
travelling north towards Manilla.
The first known pioneer settler in Manilla was George Veness
(1823-1895) who arrived in Australia in the 1840s and settled in Manilla in the
1850s. He selects land at the junction of the Manilla and Namoi Rivers and sets
up a store and wine shop. George, with wife Sarah and son John, established the
store to supply stranded travellers with goods and services at their
campground. This led towards town settlement. During this period John George
Rideout builds a boarding house on the northern side of the Namoi River.
The population of Manilla was 50 in the 1860s and grew to
888 by 1901. (Upper Manilla 381)
George gave Manilla its name, as Manilla was previously
named Manellae (1842). The pioneers in the Manilla district (men and women)
laid the foundation for its rural industries and its commercial and business
undertakings. They spent long hours labouring and often were short of food.
Starvation was a constant concern during the colony’s first few years.
During the 1860s Arthur Dewhurst maps out Manilla streets
and names them after his family, his chainman (surveyor), his home town, and
himself.
The first free settlers to Australia arrived aboard the
Bellona in early 1793. To encourage free settlement among the less wealthy, the
British colonial government began to pay the transportation costs for many
migrants in the early 1800s. In the 1830s and 1840s the British public and the
Australian colonists grew critical of the British practice of shipping convicts
to Australia. This ended in the 1850s.
During the late 1800s electricity supply was caught up in
political debate on the federal constitution. However, progress succeeded and
by 1906 there were 46 electric light and power stations in Australia. The first
lighting company was formed in Melbourne in the 1880s. In the late 1800s,
Tamworth, with a population of 5,800 in 1901, switched to arc (an electric arc
across two electrodes) and incandescent (emitting light as a result of being
heated) lighting. Electric light installation arrived in Manilla in 1913.
A reminder that sewage installation in Manilla didn’t arrive
in the main town until 1953, Southbrook 1965 and North Manilla 2000.
Without any modern facilities available today, the pioneers
of Manilla District certainly fostered a desire for self-development during the
early years. We owe them a sense of reverence (deep respect) for the life we
have today in Manilla Country.
With less than ideal conditions during the early to the late
1800s, many new settlers occupied land in the Upper Manilla and Upper Namoi
Valleys. The land settlers were industrious men, improving their land, and also
commenced producing wheat. By 1865 the number of settlers established in the
Upper Manilla valley included Nixon, Bowman, Barling, Costelloe, Cameron,
Iliffe, Hall, Byrnes and more.
Thomas Bowman selected 1,868 acres of land in Upper Manilla
at Woodville and over the years steadily increased his holdings to over 12,000
acres. Purchasing 1,280 acres from North Cuerindi Station and 1,400 acres from
Manilla Station. He also acquired the Borah Farm, Springfield and Wimbourne
properties and runs at Tarpoly Creek and Tarpoly. Thomas became a well-known
breeder of merino sheep and shorthorn cattle and was one of the first in the
district to grow wheat.
Thomas’s brother Edward selected “Buena Vista” in 1870,
moving his wife Emma (nee Collins) and young family from the Hunter Valley,
after he had established a home. Buena Vista remained in the Bowman family for
almost a century until it was sold in 1964.
John Nixon (1849-1932) and his brother George settled in
Upper Manilla in 1870. Like the Bowmans, they had travelled widely through
north-western NSW with their bullock teams and noted the fine country of the
Upper Manilla Valley. John selected a block of 70 acres at Upper Manilla, at
the junction of Oakey Creek and the Manilla River, which he named Oakhampton,
while George selected land at the mouth of Borah Creek, where he built “The
Pines” homestead. John Nixon ran the store at Upper Manilla for many years with
the help of his sister Mary Ann. John married Mary Jane Hall in 1892 and had
one son.
John and Mary’s son Adam (1898-1945) went on to develop the
family property, Oakhampton, enlarging his land holdings, establishing a
well-known Hereford stud, and breeding Clydesdale horses for show and for use
on the property. Adam Nixon had diverse interests, involving himself in many
community activities. During his time at Oakhampton, he was President of the
Farmers and Settlers Association, a member of the Manilla Show Committee from
its inception, a member of the Graziers Association and the North-West
Irrigation League and a Councillor of the Royal Agricultural Society. He
strongly supported the development of medical services in Manilla, furnishing
the children’s ward in Manilla Hospital when it opened in 1937. Adam married
Dorothy Brooks Stocker in 1926 and had six children.
James Costelloe came to Glen Riddle Station in Upper Manilla
in 1862, where he worked for seven years before selecting land in the area. His
son Thomas Costelloe was one of the first to occupy land in the New Mexico
district. New Mexico is 15klms west of Manilla.
Patrick Byrnes (1840-1914), a native of County Galway,
Ireland, settled in Upper Manilla in 1868 on a property he named “Moss Vale”.
Patrick married Catherine Kilkelly in 1880 and had four children.
A number of other selectors first came to the Manilla
district as station hands on large stations such as Durham Court, Keepit,
Manilla and Glen Riddle, then selected land. These included Richard Cummins,
who was employed at Durham Court from 1851, and William Smith, who was also
employed at Durham Court from 1865. Both went on to acquire their own
properties in the district.
Charles Baldwin of Durham Court purchased 339 acres to the
west of Manilla at the price of £1 ($150 today) an acre, while at the same sale
several acres of land within the surveyed boundary at North Manilla sold for £8
an acre ($1200 today).
From the 1860s to the turn of the century Manilla grew apace
with this development. From a population of 50 in 1866 it grew to 888 by 1901.
Sheep production increased with this closer settlement and
wool became the major industry of the Manilla district. Regular streams of
horse and bullock teams loaded with wool bales passed through Manilla on their
way to the rail head in Tamworth. John Nixon, at Oakhampton Station, had 9,000
sheep to be shorn and was short of shearers.
One of the larger stations was Bective Station. During the
1900 season 100,000 sheep were shorn there. Bective Station is located just
west of Attunga.
During 1907 over 13,000 bales of wool passed through Manilla
Railway Station, with much of it coming from the Barraba district. In 1907
Manilla topped the prices at the Sydney wool sales, selling at approx. 14
shillings per pound. (Today: $80.00 per pound or $40 per kg)
Wool from Manilla continued to command high prices, and
during the boom period of the early 1950s sold for as much as 300 pence per
pound. (Today: $90 per pound or $45 per kg)
In 2022-2023 wool production in Australia is worth $3.5
billion. China continues to be the largest buyer of Australian raw wool, buying
79% of all wool exports. In 2021 fine wool growers commanded above $25 per kg.
Australia produces around 25 per cent of greasy wool sold on the world market
and is regarded as among the world’s best. NSW produces the greatest volume of
wool, followed by Vic, WA and SA. In 2021-22, 71.6 million sheep were shorn in
Australia.
Manilla Post Office NSW, and the developing Telegraph
Communication.
The telegraph line was one of the great engineering feats of
19th-century Australia and probably the most significant milestone in the
history of telegraphy in Australia.
The requirements of nineteenth century telegraphy meant the
Overland Telegraph Line initially required repeater stations every 250-300kms
to boost the signal. The repeater stations contained two power sources -- the
line was powered by Meidinger cells - a variation of Daniell cells, as well as
Leclanche cells, for the local equipment. The repeater stations had a staff of
four to six, including a station master, telegraphists and linesmen. Later
Aboriginal people used the ceramic conductors to fashion spear heads and
cutting tools.
A Daniell cell is the best example of a galvanic cell which
converts chemical energy into electrical energy. A Leclanche cell is a battery
invented by Georges Lechlanche, which contains an electrolytic solution, a
cathode and an anode. A cathode is a negatively charged electrode by which
electrons enter an electrical device. The opposite of anode.
The private Melbourne Telephone Exchange Company opened
Australia's first telephone exchange in the 1880s. Around 7,757 calls were
handled in 1884.
Government-operated post office and telegraph networks - the
largest parts of the bureaucracy - were combined into a single department in
each colony on the model of the UK Post Office: South Australia in 1869,
Victoria in 1870, Queensland in 1880 and New South Wales in 1893.
At Federation (1901), the colonial networks (staff,
switches, wires, handsets, buildings etc.) were transferred to the Commonwealth
Postmaster-General's Department responsible for domestic postal, telephone and,
telegraph services becoming the responsibility of the first Postmaster-General
(PMG). With 16,000 staff (and assets of over £6 million-Today $700 million) the
PMG accounted for 80% of the new federal bureaucracy.
Public phones were available in a handful of post offices.
Subscriber telephones were initially restricted to major businesses, government
agencies, institutions and wealthier residences. Eight million telegrams were
sent that year over 43,000 miles of line.
The first Post Office in Manilla was established in the
1850s. This was followed by the Manilla Post Office building in the 1880s,
additions followed in the 1890s, and then 1908 and 1923.
In the 1880s a telegraph line had been erected as far as
Manilla and almost to Barraba. The telegraph line necessitated the services of
a telegraph operator and a resident postal officer. Mr Edward Dane was
appointed to the position. He was Manilla's first recognised official
postmaster. The Post Office was situated in Manilla Street, a timber building
near Mackenzie’s store.
Prior to the present position of Manilla’s Post Office, it
was located in Upper Manilla in the 1870s. Miss Nixon was in charge of the post
office since it was established in the district, and then transferred to Mrs.
Johnson. This was met with disapproval by the residents and a meeting was held
at Messrs. Nixon's new house with the object of the meeting to protest against
the action of the Postmaster-General in refusing to comply with the wishes of
the residents. Two petitions were sent to the Postmaster-General, urging upon
him the necessity of cancelling Mrs. Johnson's appointment, but no notice was
taken of them.
In the late 1870s the Postmaster General had taken steps to
procure a suitable block of land in Manilla to build a Post Office. In the late
1800s a tender was accepted from T.J. Bowen for £1148 (Today $140,000).
Additions were made in 1898 and 1908. A manual telephone exchange was added in
1923 and the Manilla Street façade changed in the 1960s.
In the 1870s a mail contract was let to Wilkinson and Bowden
to convey mail twice weekly by coach from Tamworth to Warialda via Manilla.
Prior to this the mail was conveyed on horseback. Country mail services started
in the late 1800s from Manilla to New Mexico (just west of Manilla) and Hobden
(North of Upper Manilla) and in 1901 to Lowrey, Glendon via Halls Creek and
Mundowey (25klms east of Manilla) and to Chapman's on the upper Namoi River.
All country roads and by-roads were serviced by mail contractors. Wilkinson's
mail coach made its last trip to Warialda in December 1906. Since 1872 it had
regularly passed through Manilla and Barraba on its bi-weekly trip to Warialda.
During the two World Wars, 1914 to 1918 and 1939 to 1945,
thousands of letters to and from the troops passed through the Post Office.
During the 1930s Mr. John Albun Colls (1873-1946), and the
head assistant, Mr C. N. Woods were in charge of the Post Office. During the 1940s, Mr E.T. Sparks, a Senior
Postal Officer, was in charge.
In July 1967, Manilla was given its postcode (2346) and
eight years later in July 1975 the Postmaster Generals Department (PMG) was
disbanded and Australia Post and Telecom Australia came into being. Activities
at Manilla Post office continued as before. Today the Post Office is now
privatised as well as its traditional mail business and has a strong retail
business. During these transitions, the original historical architectural
counter was dismantled, rather than retained, leaving a stark modernized clinical
interior appearance.
During the early 1900s to mid-years, a considerable number
of employees were employed by the PMG and Telecom (later changed to Australia
Post and Telstra).
Prior to the widespread use of automatic telephones for
immediate communication today, people would use a telegram form to write out a
telegram. This message would cost a certain amount per word to send. The
message was transmitted from one post office to another, initially by morse
code, through telegraph wires but later by telephone and teleprinter. The
transmitted message was then written out, or typed on a typewriter, and
hand-delivered to the addressee by a messenger on a bicycle.
Morse telegraphy during the 1900s required a Morse
qualification before employment at the PMG.
Telegrams were first used in Australia from 1858 when
Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide were linked by telegraph lines. The use of
telegrams peaked during the 1950s, but declined after this due to the
increasing number of telephones in both businesses and homes across Australia
in the late 1960s-early 1970s.
Before the transition to automatic phones, telephonists were
employed by the PMG, whose job was to answer the phone for a business or other
organization (see main picture). Telephone users would pick up their phone at
home, where it connected immediately to the switchboard. The telephonist would
answer, “Number, please?” The caller would say the number and the telephonist
would reply, “Hold the line please” as she expertly removed and inserted jack
plugs to connect the call. If the number was on the operator’s switchboard,
they would connect the call by plugging the ringing cable into the relevant
jack. If not, they would transfer the call to the correct exchange in another
town, where another operator would be able to connect the caller. As the
network expanded, suddenly there was a new employment opportunity for women.
One that gave them some economic independence and an identity outside the home.
The rapid increase in demand for telephones and reliable
connections posed a problem for the telephone companies. More lines meant more
switchboard operators which was an expense they were keen to control. As fast
as the telephonist worked, operators could be overwhelmed by the volume of
calls at busy times, leaving callers queuing for a line.
In smaller neighbourhoods, the switchboard might be operated
by a single individual. The village PMG employee’s ability to listen in on
private conversations (strictly forbidden but difficult to prevent) soon taught
phone users to be careful what they said.
By the early 1970s, STD (subscriber trunk dialling) had
arrived and gradually the manual switchboard telephone exchanges were phased
out, replaced by automatic exchanges.
Prior to the early 1970s, teleprint operators were employed
by the PMG to send telegrams to other Post Offices in Australia. Teleprinter
operators were required to type efficiently, free from errors, with a speed in
excess of 40 words per minute. They gained this experience, and other
qualifications, by attending a training course in Sydney over a period of
months. The typed telegram would arrive at the required Post Office and
delivered by pushbike to the resident or business. This was standard practice
during the 1960s.
During these times mail was delivered by pushbike. The
postman was required to blow his whistle at each residence. This was much to
the annoyance of the resident’s angry pet dog, who attacked the postman as he
left the mail. The event was reported to the Postmaster at the Post Office. A
letter was sent to the resident asking him to chain the dog up or keep him
locked inside the yard. This was ignored frequently leaving the postman to fend
for himself.
Manilla was undergoing substantial growth during the period
of the 1950s-1960s. Employment was abundant, where residents felt a sense of
achievement and personal growth.
Harry M Miller (1934-2018) – Dunmore Stud and Showbiz
Promoter – Halls Creek Manilla NSW Australia.
The late Harry M. Miller was best known as a legendary music
promoter and agent to the stars, but in rural Australia, it was his work in the
cattle arena that gained him a reputation.
He was instrumental in introducing the Simmental breed of
cattle to Australia in the 1970s.
Miller purchased Dunmore Stud Halls Creek, Manilla NSW in
1971, the same year he met veterinarian Wendy Paul, whom he married the
following year. Halls Creek is located approximately 20 minutes east of
Manilla. Dunmore was originally established in 1902 by Mungo Park, with Miller
only the second of the families to have lived and worked it.
Mungo Park (1878-1966) is the son of Adam Park (1837–1926)
who settled in the Manilla District in the 1860s and (firstly) purchased acres
at Glen Barra, Watsons Creek. Watsons Creek is located a little further east of
Halls Creek. Adam Park is one of our major pioneer settlers in the Manilla
district during the 1800s. Adam’s life and family, are documented in detail
within a future post for Manilla Memories and the Manilla NSW Blogspot. It is a
fascinating and compelling story of diversity and hardship that led Adam
towards his ultimate established success in Australia.
Miller and his wife Wendy established one of the largest and
most reputable Simmental studs in the country until its sale in 1990, and
capably assisted by managers Paul Quigley and Peter McWilliam. This sale event
attracted buyers from across the country and set a record at the time for any
dispersal sale in Australia. Dunmore, situated at Halls Creek, has five
kilometres of river frontage on the Namoi, and is just 15 minutes from Manilla
and reported as a 3,800-hectare rural property, with a six-bedroom 1902
Federation era homestead.
Richard (Dick) Vincent OA, the inaugural president of the
Australian Simmental Breeders Association (ASBA), remembers Miller as a high
achiever. Mr Vincent was also an early breeder of Simmental helping to
establish the breed with his stud Hamelin Park at Williams in Western
Australia.
"If you said the word street sense you would think of
Harry Miller because he was a great achiever," Mr Vincent said. "He
was a very resilient character; he had a pretty good dry wit but he was a
survivor and he had a great deal of street sense. Initially Harry did a hell of
a lot for the Simmental Association. His connections with Germany were
invaluable and, all our success at Hamelin Park Stud is due to two Dunmore
bulls I bought from him, and they were real game changers. He could see
opportunity and he could seize on it, and he could see the Simmental breed had
something to offer and achieved a lot for the breed."
Renowned cattle breeder Peter Howarth OAM from Wombramurra
Black Simmentals at Nundle, 100 kilometres from Dunmore Stud, said he knew
Miller quite well in the early days.
"He was the real founder of bringing the Simmental
breed into Australia," he said. For Harry to get the cattle here he had to
actually buy the cattle in Germany and then transport them to New Zealand where
he collected the heifers in embryo transplant. He actually brought those
heifers into Australia. Eventually from those 13 in embryo transplant, he bred
over 300 calves."
Mr Howarth said that Harry, with a great team supporting him
at Dunmore, was responsible for putting the Simmental breed on the map.
“He had a chap from New Zealand called Peter McWilliam who
was the stud master, and Millers wife Wendy, who was a vet, and Harry on
promotions. They did a great job of not only promoting Dunmore Manilla NSW but
also promoting the Simmental breed," Mr Howard said.
Mr Howarth said Dunmore had the biggest sale of the
Simmental breed every year.
"In the 1970s they were showing cattle in three states
of Australia, and in 1988 they bred a bull called Dunmore London Times and this
bull was the Supreme Champion at Rockhampton Beef Week in 1988. Interestingly
enough only two months ago Wendy and her daughter, Harry's daughter, were
invited back to Rockhampton Beef Week to celebrate 30 years of the foundation
of that event. Harry was so passionate about the Simmental breed that he even
encouraged TV presenter Graham Kennedy and celebrity chef Peter Russell Clarke
to start their own studs. That was Harry. He could talk people into most
things," Mr Howarth said.
"But overall, he had a great desire to improve the
genetics for the beef breed industry in Australia, and he certainly achieved
that. He really did love the land, he loved cattle and most people don't know
that because of his success in other areas. He was also very good at managing
people and having the right people working for him, and he didn't mind spending
the dollars to get the best. He was very fair but he was tough."
Harry also created one of the greatest entrepreneurial
showbiz businesses in Australia.
In his early days Harry began working as a farmhand, joined
the Merchant Navy, sold fry pans in a department store and even sold Holeproof
socks saying, “You have got to have An-Edge.”
Born on 6 January 1934 in New Zealand, Miller grew up in the
Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn. When Miller was two years old his father broke
his spine in a fall. He died six years later.
His first taste of show business was running a “peepshow”
for fellow students – a shoebox with cellophane windows through which he would
wind a comic strip: “I used to charge kids a marble.”
In the late 1950s he established himself as a show business
promoter and entrepreneur and moved to Australia in 1963, where he established
Pan Pacific Productions with Keith and Dennis Wong, from the nightclub
Chequers. Harry had a unique and intrinsic aptitude, coupling chutzpah with
charm, good looks and a keen business sense.
Harry brought many people to Australia: Louis Armstrong, Del
Shannon, the Everly Brothers, Arthur Rubinstein, Herman's Hermits, the Rolling
Stones, the Beach Boys, Judy Garland, Sammy Davis Jr., Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy
Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Chubby Checker, Eartha Kitt and Shirley Bassey. He
represented hundreds of people, as the likes of Alan Jones, Frank and Kerry
Packer, Graham Kennedy, Maggie Tabberer, Lindy Chamberlain, Ita Buttrose, Barry
Humphries, Stuart Wagstaff and Carmen Duncan.
In 1969, Miller discovered 16-year-old American singer
Marcia Hines in Boston, Massachusetts, while casting African-American
performers for the Australian stage version of Hair, which he was producing.
Hines flew to Australia, unaware that she was already six months pregnant, and
Miller acted as her legal guardian in Australia until she turned 21. Miller
went on to produce the Australian productions of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972
and The Rocky Horror Show in 1974, both of which used many of the production
staff from Hair, including director Jim Sharman.
In 1957 Harry married Zoe von Uht, produced a son, Simon,
but it ended in 1962. He married Patricia Mitchell, in 1963, but ended four
years later when she took their two children back to the US. In 1972, after the
death of his mother, Sadie, Miller married 23-year-old vet, Wendy Paul. They
had two daughters, Brook and Lauren. Wendy helped with running both the Harry M
Miller Group and their large Simmental cattle property Dunmore, at Manilla NSW.
In the 1990s Miller met society caterer and businesswoman
Simmone Logue, whom he described in 2010 as “the love of my life”.
He retired in 2009 and handed his business to his daughter,
Lauren.
Harry died in July 2018 at age 84, with his long-term
partner Simmone Logue, daughters Justine, Brook and Lauren, and their mother
Wendy by his side.
Bective Station – South east of Manilla NSW, near Tamworth.
James Fisken Vickery (1876–1956)
James married Jean Frances Husband (1880-1978) when she was
25 years old, on the 19th July 1905. They had three children during their
marriage - Emily Margaret (1906-1990), James Thomas (1908-1989), and Jessie
Frances (1912-1978).
Successive generations of the Vickery family have owned and
operated the well-known Bective district grazing property since 1890. At one
point the property ran 100,000 sheep and were sustaining a 44-stand woolshed.
Mr. James Fisken Vickery is a member of one of the oldest
pastoral families in Australia, and a leading figure in Hereford breeding
circles throughout the Commonwealth. He was born at Bendigo, Vic. and was a son
of the late Mr. James Swanton Vickery, who bought Bective when it was known as
the Robert Pringle Estate.
Robert Pringle: Robert arrived in the Colony (Australia) on
the Denmark Hall (an 1814 merchant ship) in 1824 where Robert was then engaged
by the Australian Agricultural Company. When he first arrived in Australia, he
managed Carrington Park for about six years. Bective was part of an 1822 grant
of 2000 acres to merchant Thomas Horton James.
During this time Robert built up his own flocks and acquired an
extensive land holding “Bective” on the Liverpool Plains, as well as several
other leases of sheep and cattle stations at Liverpool Plains. He purchased
part of the Carrington Park Estate in the mid-1830s. The Liverpool Plains
(Shire) is a large area of land just south east of Manilla NSW.
Robert Pringle married Mabella, the daughter of John Inches
in August 1837. Mabella died in 1860 and Robert at Bective in 1875.
James Fisken went to Bective in 1891, when he was 15 years
of age, and was appointed manager at the age of 18. James had a desire to
succeed, and with personal initiative that developed his diversities, he forged
ahead towards his future successes. With his brother, Stanley, they controlled
the Bective Estate, which became the home of one of the leading Hereford studs
in Australasia. No expense was spared in securing the best stud cattle to
ensure top quality in the Bective stud. They bought the senior champion
Hereford bull at the Sydney Royal Show, South Boorook Brimfleld, in April 1954,
at an Australian record price of 6,700 guineas ($315,000 today).
James Fisken was also a director of Freehold and Leasehold
Lands Pty. Ltd., which controls several leading properties in NSW, including
the well-known Willandra Merino stud, in the Riverina. His other interests were
wide and varied, and the knowledge he acquired from his long association with
pastoral and grazing activities was always available to younger members of the
industry, and particularly to soldier settlers.
At his death James was survived by another brother, Mr.
Arthur Vickery, with large pastoral and business interests. James left a widow,
two daughters, Emily (1906-1990) Boggabri NSW, Jessie (1912-1978) Attunga, NSW,
a son Mr. James Thomas Vickery (1908-1989) of Bodikin, Bellata, NSW and two
sisters, J. Britten and E. Ritchie, who live in Sydney. Bellata NSW has a
population of approximately 800 people and is located 170 kilometres north of
Manilla between Narrabri and Moree NSW.
Bective Post War Settlement: The Returned Soldiers
Settlement Act, 1916 allowed the settlement of returned soldiers on Crown Land.
Bective, became a Soldier Settlement after the First World War. The Daily
Observer, 1918, reported, "Applications could now be received from
returned soldiers for blocks on the Bective Estate subdivision." By
February 1919, 51 applicants had been selected to join the settlement and 40
had taken ownership of their farms. In line with support, developed by many
communities for the Australian Forces, a Bective Patriotic Association was
formed.
He newspaper report continued: “This should relieve the
anxiety of those returned soldiers in the district who had been disturbed by
the disquieting rumour that blocks were being allotted to soldiers in Sydney
without the preliminary notification usual in such cases. Mr. Nesbitt, M.L.A.,
elicited the information from the Minister for Lands that no preferential
certificate had been granted to any settler for any block on the estate. The
Minister also gave the definite assurance that no blocks would be allocated to
soldiers away from the local district. The Minister now announces that returned
soldiers holding qualification certificates under the Returned Soldiers
Settlement Act, may apply to join the group purchase settlement to be
established on the Bective Estate. Applications on the necessary form to be
forwarded to the Director of Soldier Settlement, Sydney, up to November 2nd.”
WWII Soldier Settlement: As the program gathered pace,
Bective was slowly resumed for subdivision, reducing the size of the original
holding to the point where other forms of enterprise needed to be examined to
maintain the viability of the business.
After the Second World War, a large timber Honour Roll
Memorial was constructed. It has a classical pediment at the top and three
carved columns, which frame the two panels on which the names are painted in
alphabetical order. The workmanship demonstrates the skills of a cabinet maker.
The honour roll is now located in the Somerton War Memorial Hall. Somerton is
26 kilometres south west of Manilla between Tamworth and Gunnedah on the Oxley
Highway and has a population of about 400 people.
Lola Gwen Allsopp recalls living at Bective during the
1930s-1940s. She was born on 9th May 1931 at the Bungalow Private Hospital in
Murray Street, Tamworth. The Bungalow
lay near the underpass on Peel Street. She was baptised in the parish of
Manilla on 26th July 1931 at the Church of England Church, with no godparents.
Lola’s father was working for Mr Vickery in about 1935, and
Lola grew up playing with her four older brothers, Francis (Mick), Alan, Donald
and Gordon (Pop). Lola started school at the age of six and brother Gordon
doubled her 3 miles (5klm) to Bective school on his push bike. The teachers
were Mr Bendeich and his wife. Mrs Bendeich mainly taught the girls sewing.
When Gordon left Bective School, Lola rode an old horse named Maudie to school.
Lola moved on to Tamworth High School, situated where East
Tamworth Primary School is today, and finished 3rd form when aged 14. Her best
subjects were science, religion, home duties and sport. After school Lola
stayed home to help her mother until she was 15 years old. They had a big home and a large family to
look after. The chores included housekeeping, tending to the large vegetable
and flower gardens, orchard, and cooking. At the same time Lola attended Tamworth
Technical College to learn dressmaking and tailoring.
Lola finished Technical College in 1950 when she was nearly
19 years old.
Bective, by the late 1960s, had developed a semi-intensive
bull feeding facility to prepare its own and clients’ sale cattle. During a dry
year in 1970, a mob of 100 Hereford steers was added to the pens as a feeding
experiment. Rob Vickery recalls, “We were a little better at it the second
year, than the first. Dudley Lennox, then manager at Anderson’s Byron Bay
abattoir offered us some very good money for grain fed bullocks in 1971, and
the feedlot business grew from there.”
During the onset of the Beef Slump in 1974 the feedlot
closed, but opened again when opportunities started to re-emerge some years
later. A stronger focus on Japan started about 1985, when the Vickery’s bought
a controlling interest in Anvic Meat Exports, operators of the Wingham
abattoir. Wingham abattoir is located north of Newcastle, in the Taree
district.
For many years Bective provided a custom-feeding service for
other clients, as well as feeding cattle it had bred and bought itself. For a
period after the late 1980s, a sizeable portion of the cattle on feed were
designated for Korea, through a joint venture with Korean company, Samsung.
Bective grew in capacity over several stages from 2000 head
to 7000 head, including a major renovation of facilities in 2004. At an
industry level, Rob Vickery played an important financial management role in
the early history of both ALFA (Australian Cattle Feedlot Industry) and one of
its state-based predecessors, the NSW Lot Feeders Association.
He spent long periods during ALFA’s first 30 years as the
organisation’s treasurer, serving until 2001, the same year he was awarded life
membership of ALFA.
Historic Bective Station, was sold in 2022, and became the
centrepiece of AAM Investment Group’s production supply chain in NSW, following
the completion of a walk-in, walk-out sale agreement. The deal will see AAM’s
Diversified Agriculture Fund further expand its portfolio of assets spanning
four Australian states and territories.
Bective Station was owned by just two families since it was
first settled in the early 1800s. The property covers a little over 4000ha and
includes more than 3000 head of cattle, plant and equipment, and irrigation
water licenses, and sold for an estimated $50million, with cattle negotiated
separately.
The acquisition of Bective will take ADAF’s asset value to
more than $600 million across an expanding and diversified geographic footprint
in Australia.
The life of Gwerle Alma Vera Englert (and family) who
arrived with her family in Manilla around 1905.
The Englert family lived in three homes. Their third home
was a double brick home located at 98 River Street (see picture) and was built
for George and his family in 1910. This home sits on 3.7 acreages.
After George left Manilla, it was owned by Sister Greenhalgh
(medical) and used as a private nursing home. A few years later Sister
Greenhalgh left Manilla for the Binnaway Subsidiary Hospital, as a Matron.
Binnaway is a small town located in central western NSW near the larger centre
of Coonabarabran, 35 kilometres to the north. At the monthly meeting of the
Binnaway branch of the United Hospitals Auxiliaries they welcomed Sister
Greenhalgh and presented her with a shoulder posy made by Mrs Pryer.
98 River Street was also lived in and owned by the
proprietors of Adie’s General Store. Later by Manilla’s local Chemist, the
Simpson family, until it was sold in 1999.
In the 1930s Adie’s was known as Adie’s Economic Store where
Miss O’Neil was in charge of the showroom, providing a display including a full
range of lady’s hats, dresses and gloves, together with ladies and children’s
wear. Mr Pollack was in the haberdashery department, while the grocery and
hardware departments were presided over by Messrs McDonald and Flett.
During August 1912 a fire broke out just on closing time.
Fortunately, it was discovered immediately otherwise a serious disaster would
have occurred. All hands with buckets of water and a patent fire extinguisher
put the fire out after a strenuous effort by everyone in attendance.
Manilla’s local chemist, Mr J. E. Simpson operated the
Manilla Pharmacy and was known chiefly as a dispensing chemist and dentist,
where stocks of patent medicines, drugs, soaps, perfumery, sponges etc could be
found within his small shop. In 1901, Mr Simpson was described as an
indispensable member of the community when he installed his business in
commodious and an up-to-date two-story premises next to the Express Office in
Manilla Street.
Audrey (Guerle’s sister) Englert’s understanding is that her
parents were living at 98 River Street when she was born in 1908. Her father
George was an accomplished musician who led the Holy Trinity Church of England
choir at Manilla as choirmaster, and Guerle was an important contributor within
the choir also.
As reported in a previous post, George worked as the head
blacksmith at the H. Baker Foundry. The building sat on the north-west corner
of Manilla and Court Streets until its demolition in the 1940s. He was also an
important contributor to the Manilla NSW “Odd Fellows” Lodge. Odd Fellows is an
international fraternity consisting of lodges first documented in 1730 in
London. Odd Fellows promote philanthropy, the ethic of reciprocity and charity,
and cared for their members in a time when no systems were in place to insure
one’s welfare, health or job protection. Sickness or death of a breadwinner
frequently meant poverty.
After leaving Manilla George ran a motor trimming business
which operated into the 1930s. George’s son Jack Englert was trading as a car
body builder and also opened a car dealership, Jack R Englert and Company,
selling new Fords and used cars. In August 1932 Jack Englert officially became
a Ford dealer.
Gwerle Alma Vera Englert was born in the NSW town of
Quirindi in 1892. She was the second child and first daughter of George Anton
Englert (1865-1939) and Elizabeth Murray Englert (Towns) (1866-1952). She was
also welcomed into this world by her 5-year-old brother Bertie. The Englert’s
moved from Quirindi to Tamworth by 1896 and to Manilla around 1905, where
Gwerle’s youngest sibling, Audrey Phyllis, was born in 1908 - George and
Elizabeth’s 8th child.
In 1911, aged just 19, Gwerle married butcher James Thomas
Martin, age 20 (1891-1923) in Manilla NSW. James was the son of James and
Matilda Martin, born at Drake (near Tenterfield, NSW) in 1891. They lived
together in Manilla where they had four children: James A Martin was born in
1912, Trevor G Martin was born in 1913, and Jack M Martin was born in 1915,
followed by Natalie.
James Thomas Martin had seven sisters and one brother, and
all were born in Hillgrove NSW. Hillgrove is located just east of Armidale.
World War 1 - Bertie Englert: Very early on the morning of
31st May 1918, in the French village of Allonville, two German shells struck
two barns in which members of the Australian 14th Battalion were sleeping.
Seventeen soldiers, including Bertie Englert, were killed instantly. A further
12 died later of their wounds.
Tragedy struck the family on Easter Sunday, 1st April, 1923.
Gwerle, James, their three young sons (aged 7, 9 and 11) and friends, including
local butcher William George Witcom, went for a picnic by the Namoi River at
Manilla near the Geddes woolshed. Around 3.30 in the afternoon, Gwerle’s
husband James, and William Witcom, hopped aboard a narrow rowboat on the river.
Within seconds it had capsized and the two men were in the cold and murky
water. William swam ashore. James was seen to come to the surface, clutch at
the upturned rowboat, and then sink; his arms appearing stiffened. Police were
called. Constable Clark and Dr Thomas arrived within minutes. James’ lifeless
body was dragged from the river by the policeman at 4.10pm. Mouth to mouth
resuscitation was performed without success. James was 31. The tragedy was
witnessed by Gwerle and her three young sons. The subsequent Coronial inquest
found James Martin accidentally drowned following suffocation or heart failure.
On 9th April 1926, three years after the tragedy, Gwerle
placed a memorial notice in the local paper which concluded “inserted by his
loving wife and children, Jim, Trevor, Jack and Natalie”. This would suggest
that at the time of the drowning in 1923, Gwerle was pregnant with their fourth
child, Natalie.
In 1930, at 38 years of age, Gwerle married Denis John Gray,
son of Thomas and Margaret Gray at Burwood NSW. They later lived at 16 Swinson
Street Blacktown. On 26 November 1949, Denis passed away suddenly at the home.
The death notice placed in the newspaper by Gwerle on 28 November 1949
described Denis as the “fond father of Peter, Margaret, Jim, Trevor, Jack and
Natalie”. After Denis’ death, Gwerle and the five children moved to 11 Potts
Street Ryde, NSW, the home of Elizabeth Englert.
Gwerle Alma Vera Englert passed away in NSW in 1978.
Early Pioneer of Manilla - Vincent J Byrnes – (1888-1963)
Vincent James Byrnes was born on 14th August 1888, in
Manilla NSW. His father, James Thomas Byrnes (1853-1924) was 35 and his mother,
Catherine Ann Boland (1856-1932) was 32. Vincent married Mary Charters
(1891-1960) on 15th June 1914 in Barraba NSW. They were the parents of four
children: Brian, Frank (Doctor), Bruce and Claire. Son Brian married Beryl Jean
Owen Cull in 1939, who died in 1977. Brian married Catherine (Kate) in 1979,
and in 1980 Brian received his OAM (Service to Local Government and to the
Community). Brian was a well-respected councillor and Manilla Shire President
for many years. Brian died in 1988.
As testament to Vincent’s prominence in Manilla, Manilla’s
lookout is named after V. J. Byrnes. It has expansive views of the Manilla town
centre and district.
During his teen years, Vincent established his aptitude as a
pastoralist working for his father James. At this stage there were only
approximately 1000 people in the Manilla district. Sheep production increased
during this period and regular bullock teams, loaded with wool bales passed
through the Manilla Railway Station – 13,000 bales in 1907. (about 500 bullock
teams)
James and Vincent were now established pastoralists in the
Manilla District, where Manilla became a major centre for stock sales.
His aptitude and perseverance laid the foundations for his
successes in life, and in 1913, at just 25 years of age, Vincent commenced his
career as pocket book stock and station agent, leading to him becoming the
best-known stock and station agent in town, and progressing to his appointment
as the Mayor of Manilla Shire Council.
In 1935, Vincent established his own sale yards in Manilla
and built up one of the largest one-man businesses in Australia. In 1939
Manilla was described as the premier stock selling centre in the north of NSW,
and Vincent J. Byrne’s sale yards as “the largest and most up-to-date set of
stock yards north of Sydney”.
Three-quarters of a million sheep were sold there between
March and December 1939, a record for any one office in Australia, outside the
capital cities. During the same period 21,000 cattle were sold.
In 1925 the Manilla Municipal Council comprised of: Mayor V. J. Byrnes, C. F. Hayward, Morris,
Stoddart, Kennedy, Wearne, and Veness.
Earlier history: In March 1901 a meeting was organised to
implement a feasibility study for the construction of a road in Upper Manilla,
through the gap, known as “The Inlet.”
James Thomas Byrnes (Vincent’s father), a farmer and
grazier, and resident of the district since 1865, stated he had 3200 acres, of
which he has cultivated 400. He said the average return from the district was
from 15 to 20 bushels to the acre, and as the population was increasing, the
line would help the farming industry considerably.
They wanted the best market and quickest facility to get
produce away. The line did not pass through his holding and if it did, he would
give his land free. He had ridden through the Inlet gap, and could not see any
difficulty in making a road, which would slope in the direction of Upper
Manilla. About £400 or £500 (Today $60,000) would make a road to bring a
reasonable load through. The road from New Mexico would be shorter to Upper
Manilla, through the gap, than the road to Manilla at present. (New Mexico is a
large parcel of land adjacent east of Manilla and approximately 102 square
kilometres in size)
About 900 or 1000 acres of his land was cultivable. James
was eight miles from Manilla, and would avail himself of the Upper Manilla line
if built. This being the whole of the evidence, the Chairman promised to get an
expert opinion on the cost of making a road through the gap, known as "The
Inlet."
In May 1945, Vincent Byrnes, was re-elected president of the
Stock and Station Agents' Association of NSW, at the annual dinner of the
association in Sydney. Tributes were paid by members to the work done by Mr.
Byrnes.
In January 1953, Vincent was gored by a bullock at the
Manilla saleyards. He had got down into a pen of bullocks, and one of the
beasts gored him. He sustained a fractured rib and superficial abrasions and
suffered shock, and was admitted to Manilla Hospital, where his condition was
reported satisfactory.
Vincent J. Byrnes, was a leader in his field and represented
significant fortitude for growth in Manilla and Australia as a whole. He is
remembered as one of the many Local Identities as Important Pioneers involved
in the Future Development within the District of Manilla NSW Australia.
** As a testament to Vincent’s high community standing in
Manilla, THE LAND NEWSPAPER, on Friday 15th 1937, wrote a distinguished
two-page article featuring the opening of the new V. J. Byrnes saleyards in
Manilla.
(Headline) BEST IN THE NORTH. NEW SALEYARDS CAN ACCOMMODATE
50,000 SHEEP
The new saleyards at Manilla were officially opened on
Friday last. By far the best in the north, they are comparable with, the most
up-to-date country saleyards in the State. Convenient, efficient, and
serviceable, they are capable of accommodating 45,000 to 50,000 sheep and about
1,600 cattle. Following the official opening, 40,000 sheep were submitted for
sale, and of these 37,000 were sold under the hammer. The yarding was easily a
record for the North.
More than 1,000 people attended the official opening
ceremony and the sales. They came by plane, train, motor car, motor lorry, and
omnibus, while quite a few local people either walked or travelled by
horse-drawn vehicles to the yards. An exceptionally big gathering for a town
the size of Manilla and for a function of this kind. Those who fore gathered
witnessed what can be regarded as a milestone in the progress of one of NSW's
wealthiest pastoral towns.
(Headline) THE OFFICIAL OPENING. The hundreds of people who
attended the official opening included the district's leading pastoralists,
business men, and officials. There were no fewer than five shire presidents,
the mayor of Manilla, police superintendent, and other departmental officials,
not to forget prominent graziers. Cr. Mungo Park, president of Mandowa Shire
Council, declared “the saleyards officially opened.” He detailed the events
leading up to their establishment, and emphasized that they were the same as
public saleyards, although established by Mr. V. J. Byrnes, stock and station
agent, of Manilla.
Other stock and station agents, he said, could sell at the
new saleyards as well as Mr. Byrnes. "I think we now have the best yards
in the North," he added, amid applause. He warmly complimented Mr Byrnes
for his enterprise and public spirit. Other speakers, including the mayor of
Manilla, the chairman of the Tamworth P.P. Board, and Mr. Thompson, M.H.R.
added their congratulations, as did those gathered by giving three hearty
cheers for Mr Byrnes.
(Headline) THE OLD MANILLA SALEYARDS AND THE NEW. The old
saleyards at Manilla were established about 33 years ago shortly after the town
was incorporated as a municipality. They were built to accommodate only 2,000
sheep, and they were provided with only one drafting race - a single race.
From the outset business at the saleyards expanded steadily,
and soon they were inadequate to cope, with requirements. They were patched up
and added, from time to time, but finally they became so obsolete and caused
such great inconvenience, that the erection of new saleyards became absolutely
essential. About five years ago
overtures to 50,000 sheep, and about 1,600 cattle, the proper authorities for
the provision of better facilities were commenced, but year after year passed
without anything satisfactory being done. Eventually Mr. Byrnes undertook to do
the work himself. The new saleyards are a monument to his initiative.
(Headline) BEST IN THE NORTH. They are easily the best in
the north. Provision has been made for accommodating between 45,000 and 50,000
sheep, and about 1,600 cattle.
The yards, which exceed 300 in number, have been planned and
built with great forethought. No space has been wasted, but at the same time
there can be no cramping. On the contrary, every consideration has been given
to freedom and facility of movement.
No fewer than 10 lanes run east to west of the saleyards,
and one runs right through the centre of the yards, north to south. Every yard
has access to a lane, and sheep may be moved quickly without inconvenience.
In size the yards are everything that can be desired,
varying from large receiving yards to small yards which are calculated to meet
the desires of the most fastidious consignor. At strategic points three
drafting yards have been built. These also are of modern design. One will draft
three, one four, and the other five ways. The sides of the races in these
drafting yards are of sawn timber, arid the floor is of concrete, which
eliminates dust or mud. In addition, there is a dosing and mouthing race with a
two-way draft. At a central point an office, linked up with telephone, kiosk,
and care-taker's residence has been built.
(Headline) RESTING PADDOCKS. The welfare of stock is an
important consideration at any saleyards, and it is doubtful if better, or as
good provision, than is now available at Manilla, can be found at any similar
establishment elsewhere in the State.
There are approximately 20 resting paddocks, securely fenced, and nil of
them contiguous to the saleyards and the Namoi River.
(Headline) OCCUPY 400 ACRES. The yards, resting paddocks,
etc, occupy no less than 400 acres. Already - in their unfinished state - they
command favourable comment. When completed they will be something to proudly
boast of. Work yet to be carried out includes provision of a water supply,
construction of a sheep dip, the supply of a two-stand plant for crutching
etc., and the planting of some 200 trees for beautification and practical
purposes.
(Headline) THE MAN WHO MADE THE NEW SALEYARDS POSSIBLE. The
credit for the construction of the new saleyards at Manilla is due to Mr. V. J.
Byrnes, who, during the last quarter of a century, has been a driving force in
the development of the district and has helped more than anybody else to bring
Manilla to the forefront as a sheep centre.
His career provides an interesting story. He is a member of
a family of 10 and the son of Mr. J. Byrnes, who migrated from Ireland some
seventy years ago and selected 40 acres at Upper Manilla. This selection, which
was added to from time to time and became known as "Moss Vale," is
still in the Byrnes family, being occupied by V. J.'s brother, Charlie.
Mr. V. J. Byrnes was educated at St. Joseph's College,
Sydney, and with his school training over, he returned home and worked on his
father's farm for a time.
(Headline) AGENT’S CAREER BEGINS. Mr. Byrnes was ambitious
and before long he blossomed forth as an agent. At first, he operated in his
native district and was what is known as a “pocket book” agent. An agent with
no office. After a while he obtained a horse and sulky and later still, he was
able, on terms, to afford a Ford car and some furniture for an office. In the meantime, he had shifted his seat of
operations from Upper Manilla to Manilla.
All the while Mr. Byrnes' business grew and it was not long
before he found it necessary to secure bigger offices. In the years that
followed he made several changes and ultimately moved into the Commercial
Banking Co’s building, where he still is and which is an ideal office.
(Headline) BIG ONE-MAN BUSINESS. The stock and station
business of V. J. Byrnes is now probably the biggest one-man business of its
kind in Australia. For the 12 months period from June last it is likely that
the firm will sell not fewer than half a million sheep. Many cattle will also
have been handled at the end of that term. Just selling stock is not, however,
Mr. Byrnes' only business. He soon realised that it was most desirable when,
arranging sales, to arrange finance and probably his ideas in this direction
have helped him as much as anything to build up his present huge business. And
this financial policy has been responsible for the rehabilitation of a large
number of men.
(Headline) SOUND BUSINESS. All through, Mr. Byrnes has stuck
to the principle that sound business makes firm friends, and this has paid him
and his clients. He loves a busy life and likes to do things.
(Headline) STICKLER FOR EFFICIENCY AND VALUES GOOD STAFF.
The offices of V. J. Byrnes, of Manilla, are extremely up-to-date. A great
stickler for efficiency and smooth working, Mr. Byrnes has had installed
Telephonette, Dictophone, electric bells and other modern office conveniences.
He recognises, however, that the human element is the '' most important factor
in any business and nobody appreciates more than him the value of a good
staff.” He says that his assistants are as competent as could be found. He particularly
values the services of his assistant manager, Mr. P. C. Woollaston, who has
been associated with him for many years. His son Brian who has now entered the
business and taken out an auctioneer's licence, will, he thinks, also be
successful and a great help.
Remembering these Local Identities were Important Pioneers
involved in the Future Development of Manilla NSW Australia and Australia. They
laid the foundations for Manilla’s future development and their determination
made it possible for our present generation to enjoy and the public amenities
they share.
The Manilla Heritage Museum is located at 171 Manilla Street
and incorporates Royce Cottage, built for G. H. Royce in the late 1800s. The
museum has a vast range of historical memorabilia and archives relating to the
history of Manilla.
Situated next to Royce Cottage is the Yarramanbully School
House, a one teacher school operating from the 1920s. At the rear of the Museum
is the Manilla and District Rural Collection in Alexander Lane, plus a Chinese
Memorial Garden adjacent to the Museum.
Royce Cottage: The Royce family stayed in their cottage
until 1886 after which the building served as general offices until 1889. It
was then used as doctor’s rooms. In 1908 the IXL Bakery was established by Mr
Bates. He extended the house at the rear to include a bakery and kitchen and at
the front to create tea rooms and a shop front. Bakery operations carried on
until the 1960s, after which the building became a private rental residence,
prior to acquisition by the former Manilla Shire Council. It is the oldest
building of its type in Manilla Town.
Main picture: Foundation Members are pictured on the
occasion of the opening of the first Manilla Museum in 1973.
The Manilla Historical Society was incorporated in 1972.
Manilla Heritage Museum is the only Australian site apart from the National
Museum of Australia documenting the ground breaking platypus research by Harry
Burrell.
Royce Cottage, now the Manilla Museum, was opened in 1975.
Today, the Manilla community collection is acknowledged as a significant
archive of Australian Rural Community History. In April 2012, the Rural Museum
extension was officially opened by James Treloar, in appreciation of his
interest in Manilla’s rural history and his financial contribution to the
project.
Since incorporation of the History Group in 1972, Royce
Cottage is now renamed Manilla Heritage Museum. Today, the Manilla Community
Collection is acknowledged as a significant archive of Australian Rural
Community History.
Jim Maxwell recalls the early days:
The Manilla Historical Society was formed from humble
beginnings 50 years ago in 1972, after a small Group requested the then Shire
President Brian Byrnes (OAM) if he would convene a Public Meeting to gauge if
there was enough interest in forming a committee to set up a group to preserve
the History of Manilla and District. So began the Manilla Historical Society.
A meeting was held in the Town Hall and after much
discussion it was decided to form the Manilla Historical Society. On the night
a challenge was issued by Jack Maxwell (father of Jim), who said if he donated
$100 would at least 9 others do the same. The challenge was taken up giving the
committee a seeding bank account.
A small Committee was formed to investigate the possibility
of setting up a small Museum. A shop previously Noel Simpson's Chemist Shop was
their first venue. The society quickly outgrew this venue. The society fought
hard to get the Old Council Chambers in Stafford Street which was unsuccessful,
but instead settled on Royce Cottage in Manilla Street, which is the oldest
building in the Main Street. The building was restored with the aid of a RED
Scheme Grant (To help regional unemployed people). The Grant finished in 1974,
and the present Museum was established.
With the help of many people over the years, including the
former Manilla Shire Council and currently Tamworth Regional Council the
Society is still doing what it was set up for - keeping as much of Manilla’s
History as possible. This can only be done by the generosity of families who
share their history with others, and also the volunteers that donate unlimited
time for the Museum to function in the capacity it was designed for.
In 2022 on the June Long Weekend, 11th to 13th June, the
Manilla Historical Society held a birthday party, called “Back to Manilla”
celebrations, with 2 objectives: One, to invite former residents back to
Manilla to meet up with other former residents and two, also in doing so, to
collect more history.
Yarramanbully School:
The first Yarramanbully one-teacher school (located east
along the Hall’s Creek Road) was built in the early 1900s. Parents of children
on farms located away from the school in town asked for a teacher, to give
lessons in their own community. The farmers then built a one-room primary
school for pupils from Year 1-6.
The second Yarramanbully school was built in 1935, with a
new generation of children. Around six families from the Yarramanbully
community sent their children to school. The families included: McKeon, Berry,
White and Gallagher. The teacher was Miss McRae, followed by Miss Chaffey and
then Miss Sloman.
The families employed the builders Hunt and Lynch of
Tamworth to construct the school, and it opened for classes on 31st July, 1935.
The school remained open until December 1953, by which time all pupils had
moved on to other schools for their secondary education.
The Gallagher family donated the Yarramanbully School
building to the Manilla community for the town's centenary of Public Education
in 1977. Manilla Historical Society volunteers restored the building, which had
been left intact with all its contents on the Gallagher property at the close
of classes in 1953. The school now proudly sits beside the Manilla Museum in
Manilla Street.
Joan Galpin (Gallagher), a pupil at Yarramanbully School
from 1950-1954, recollects these times.
My grandfather, Edward Gallagher, selected land and settled
in the Yarramanbully area in 1893. In 1898 he married Mary Ellen Moore. Their
first child was born in 1899.
There were other settlers in the district. The McKeons, the Mahers and the Balkans also
had young families, and education became a pressing need. Transport consisted
of a horse and cart, and the only available schools were at Attunga which was
12 miles distant, or 16 miles to Manilla. A solution was needed.
In NSW from 1903 parents could apply to the government for a
subsidy to educate their children in places where there were not enough pupils
to run a school. These were subsidised schools, not public schools. I think
there had to be 7 pupils and the parents were responsible for the school
premises and the hiring of a teacher. If a school had been closed, they were
allowed to use that building, but of course this did not apply to our newly
settled locality. The parents cut and sawed timber at “Tarrabah” and carted it
to a location central to all the families where they erected a schoolroom. The
qualification required of the teacher was to be at least 16 years of age and to
have acquired the Intermediate Certificate.
The Government subsidy was the teacher’s wage and varied according to
the number of pupils in attendance. If any were absent her pay was adjusted
lower accordingly. The parents
advertised locally for a teacher, and so was born the Yarramanbully Subsidised
School.
The first teacher was Miss Margaret Ann (Annie) Kelly who
taught from about 1900 to 1906 when she married Charlie Wilkinson, a local
man. Then there was Miss Gertie Cantrell
who stayed for a few years. After that Imelda Morris (who later became Mrs.
Keith Blanch) took over and was followed by Beatrice Gallagher (a former pupil)
who taught till the school closed. The school, not in use, burnt down. And so
ended the first phase of the school’s life.
My father, his brothers and the neighbours of their
generation repeated history. Besides the Gallaghers there were and Mrs. R
Berry, Mr. and Mrs. D McKeon and Mr. and Mrs. Arthur White. Now the next
generation needed education. My mother took on the organization and applied for
the subsidy and advertised in the Northern Daily Leader for a teacher. This time the parents employed the builders
Hunt and Lynch of Tamworth to erect another school on a site not far from the
old one. This school had the modern conveniences of a fire-place, two outdoor
bush toilets and a rainwater tank. The
government supplied benches, desks, a table, a cupboard and a blackboard.
My brother, John, was among the first pupils when classes
began on 31st July 1935. The first teacher was Miss McRae, who only stayed for
a short time. Next was Miss Nancy Chaffey who began in April 1936. She married Dad’s brother, Edward, in
1937. Miss Roma Sloman then taught from
1937 until the school closed in December 1953.
The Yarramanbully school building now sits in the grounds of
Pioneer Park, next to Royce Cottage, Manilla Museum, Manilla Street NSW.
The Hall Families of the Manilla District originated as one
of the founding 12 inhabitants of the new town of Manilla (The Junction) in the
1800s.
The Hall family stretches far and wide across NSW, plus,
their family inter-relationships were in some areas complex. This required
consistent re-chronologizing the aspects, to establish coherency. I have
concentrated on the Manilla district only.
Long before white people lived in the township of Manilla
there were pioneers living on properties around where the town now stands. The
Hall family established one such property, Cuerindi Run (approx. 15klms north
east of Manilla) in 1832. Just 30 years later the town population could almost
be counted on both hands.
Halls Creek was named for the George Hall’s Family, who
established and expanded cattle grazing beyond the Liverpool Ranges in the
early 1830s. One was Cuerindi Run on the Namoi. This Run included sheep and
cattle. The Halls ran around 60,000 cattle and 25,000 sheep by the 1840s.
Another pioneer of the district, David Hartley, was also living on Cuerindi
Run.
Another David Hartley (Snr) was a convict charged with poaching from a noble’s property and arrived in the Colony (Australia) in 1807. He was pardoned in 1811. David Laughton Hartley's (1783-1863) grandson David Hartley (1845-1924) married Emma Veness at Manilla on 11th May 1869. Emma was the daughter of George Veness and wife Mary Sarah (Fegan). George Veness is acknowledged as the founder of Manilla. Their story is documented in more detail in another article/post in the future.
Bordering Cuerindi Run is Halls Creek. Halls Creek is a
large area of land east of Manilla and stretches from Upper Manilla down to
Bendemeer, bordering Watsons Creek on the east and west towards the township of
Manilla. The Liverpool Ranges are south of Manilla.
Hall’s Creek is about 15klms east of Manilla, following the
Halls Creek Road. It is the location of Dunmore Stud where Harry M. Miller was
instrumental in introducing the Simmental breed of cattle to Australia in the
1970s.
Sheep were important to pioneers living in isolated regions
as they provided wool and food. The greasy wool was ideal to create waterproof
and windproof weather seals between gaps that developed between external timber
slabs of their homes. Wool could also be spun, knitted or weaved to create
clothing. While the hide could be tanned for rugs and clothing. Lamb provided
fresh meat.
George Hall (1764-1840) came to the colony (Australia) with
his wife Mary (1769-1827) and four children. They arrived at Sydney Cove on
13th June 1802. In 1803 each family was granted 100 acres of land. George was
well educated, which served him well as a migrant family. Both understood farm
procedures and animal husbandry. George and Mary ended up having 10 children.
One of their great achievements was the introduction of a
new breed of working cattle dog (1832). They were originally called Hall’s
Heelers developing to form the foundation breed for the Australian Cattle Dog.
They are now called Blue Heelers.
When George died by accident in 1840, his estate comprised
of much developed land throughout NSW. George’s family and children were
adventurous and travelled vast distances to achieve their successes. Their
success in the Manilla District included Cuerindi Run Namoi River (55,680
acres) and the adjoining Mundowey Run Namoi River on the east. (Namoi River,
previously Muleurindi) (Manilla River, previously Muneela)
Prior to his death in 1832, his son Thomas Hall (1808-1870),
led a party north across the Liverpool Ranges, onto the Liverpool Plains, and
followed a path previously explored by Allan Cunningham. They reached the
Junction of the Namoi and Manilla Rivers, where Thomas chose to explore
upstream along the Namoi, discovering the rich Upper Namoi Valley. This is
where Thomas established Cuerindi Run (a nest in the hills). This was the
first. They proceeded further upstream and established Mundowey Run, which adjoined
Cuerindi, for Joseph Fleming. Joseph was a nephew of Thomas and a
brother-in-law. These two properties comprised of 107,200 acres of choice
grazing land with protective surrounding hills. Mundowey is located on Halls
Creek Road on the way to Halls Creek.
Thomas eventually left Cuerindi Run and sent his younger
brother Matthew Henry Hall to establish Cuerindi Run. Matthew Henry remained on
Cuerindi Run for some 20 years. Matthew Henry produced a son Matthew in 1830
and they both worked on Cuerindi Run.
Matthew (1830-1891) married Maria Adelaide (Devey)
(1840-1916) in 1861 at age 20, while Matthew was 30 years of age. The marriage
was performed on the property and accorded to the rites of the Church of
Scotland by minister John Morison. The witnesses were Frederick R. Rogers and
Elizabeth Davey (Maria's sister). The wedding was registered in the District of
Tamworth Register by John MacDonald, registrar.
Matthew and Maria’s early residency at Manilla initially
comprised of a group of timber slab buildings on the eastern bank of the Namoi
River just below the junction of the Namoi with Halls Creek. This spot is now a
little north west and down from where the modern-day homestead of Namoi Park is
located.
They had twelve children during their marriage. Maria’s
mother-in-law, Frances was also living on the property to assist with the birth
of Maria’s second child. Maria and Matthew were married for 30 years.
Maria’s father died just three years after Maria was born.
Maria's mother, Hanastatia Sarah (formally Byrnes), and step-father were
occupying the first town dwelling house erected in Manilla.
At Christmas 1862, Maria's family made the journey of about
six miles along the rough bridle path from their home in Manilla to visit
Cuerindi Run. Maria's mother gave her the family bible which Maria's father had
brought to the colony. Maria’s name was recorded on the flyleaf, and underneath
was written “Cuerindi Run - Namoi River 25 Dec 1862. Dob 21st Dec 1840.” Five
days later, on 30th Dec 1862, Maria gave birth to a son, named Rueben Namoi
Hall, and this event was proudly recorded on the face sheet of her newly
acquired family treasure.
In 1864 the great flood descended onto the Manilla District.
Matthew and his men hoistered a large dray by ropes to the branches of a huge
apply tree. Matthew, Maria (with baby Reuben in her arms, and pregnant),
Frances Hartley, David Hartley and others were able to survive the flood by
taking refuge in the dray for two days and nights, suspended above the swirling
waters (a dray is a cart without sides, for delivering heavy loads).
Maria’s mother, step-father and sister Elizabeth were less
fortunate. They were living in their home close by the junction of the Manilla
and Namoi Rivers. During the night, the home and occupants were swept away by
the flood waters, and they all drowned. Mr Fitzgerald’s body was found near
Gunnedah.
In 1848 the returns of the Liverpool Plains Lands Commission
list Matthew Hall, aged 19, a grandson of George Hall, as managing the Cuerindi
Run on the northern bank of the Namoi. Young Matthew would have been among the
first patrons of the store and wineshop set up by George Veness in 1853 at the
junction of the Manilla and Namoi Rivers, only a few miles from the Cuerindi
run.
In 1855 a commissioner’s report records Matthew Hall in
charge of Mundoway with the owner being Thomas Simpson Hall as well as
Cuerindi. Cuerindi being 10 x 8 miles in extent, with 8 horses and 3,842
cattle, whereas being owner-Estate of George Hall.
Matthew Hall died in 1891 after suffering paralysis for
thirteen days. He had last seen his doctor, Dr. Walley, on 29th June, just six
days before he died. This would have been a very hard time for Maria as by
year's end she was left with four sons at home whose ages ranged from seven to
seventeen years, while the remainder of her children had married. Matthew is
buried at the Manilla cemetery.
Matthew Hall only survived his father by just over two and a
half years. Almost exactly one year after Matthew Hall's death the mortgage was
discharged in full, and the following month, on 1st August 1892, Portion 1 was
transferred into the name of Maria Adelaide Hall.
When Matthew died, they owned a property called Highlandale.
In 1908 it was sold and renamed Cora-Lynne by the Fermor family.
Maria, after suffering from Broncho Pneumonia and Asthma for
eight and a half days, died in August 1916.
Reuben Namoi Hall (1862-1919) a child of Matthew and Maria,
married Matilda Mary Hill (1869 - 1943) in 1889, and donated the land for the
cemetery to Manilla. Reuben and Matilda had twelve children.
Another Hall family had connections with the Halls Creek
district. In 1877 John Hall, eldest son of William Hall, a veteran of the
battle of Waterloo, settled with his wife and family on a property they named
“Hallsville” on the Tamworth-Manilla Road. Hallsville is a satellite town of
Tamworth.
Son Robert, married Sarah Quick (1864-1935) and their
daughter Lily married A. R. MacLeod, the editor of the Manilla Express
Newspaper (for a quarter of a century) and author of the book “The
Transformation of Manellae.”
In Hallsville, John Hall donated land opposite his home for
a Methodist church, built in 1894. The town is named after John Hall who came
to the area in 1877 with his wife Jane (née Gulliver) after they were married
in Maitland NSW. John and Jane Hall were instrumental in establishing the
Hallsville Methodist Church in 1894.
During 1878 Hallsville Sunday School was started by John and
Jane Hall in their home. In 1880 a Sunday School picnic was held with 130
people present. In 1894 Rev. C. Graham and his wife went out from Tamworth and
met with the people of Hallsville. As a result, on Empire Day, funds were
raised to build a Church. During August 1894, a committee decided to build the
Church of timber instead of brick, as originally planned and in September,
after a tender was received from Mr Sneesby.
John and Jane are buried in the graveyard behind the church,
now the Hallsville Uniting Church. The church is located on Manilla Road
(Fossickers Way), halfway between Tamworth and Attunga.
Bullock
Trains in the 1800s Transported Goods to the Manilla NSW District and Outback
Australia.
In the early
to mid and beyond 1800s, Bullock trains were teams of oxen that pulled heavy
loads on carts or wagons across the vast and rugged Australian landscape. They
were essential for the development of the colonies, especially in remote areas
where roads and railways were not yet built. Bullock drivers, or bullockies,
were the men who drove these teams with skill and courage. They faced many
challenges and dangers, such as rough terrain, harsh weather, bushrangers, and
hostile natives. They also had to care for their animals, which often became
their loyal companions.
Remembering George
Veness (1823-1895), acknowledged as the founder of Manilla, didn’t settle in
Manilla until the 1850s - at just 30 years of age. While just 10 years later,
the population of Manilla was only 50. In 1856 Manilla is officially named. In 1885 Manilla is proclaimed a Town.
Yet, before
this, in 1832, the Hall family established Cuerindi Run, just north of Manilla.
Bullock Trains thus became an important characteristic towards the development
of Manilla. Our early Pioneers relied on this service.
Bullock
trains were used for various purposes transporting goods across the rough
Australian landscape. The early explorers, Hume and Hovell in 1824 and Charles
Sturt, later in 1828-9, also used bullock teams during their explorations. They
were fundamental to the development of the Australian nation. Bullock teams
pulling drays carried essential food and other supplies to isolated country
areas.
A bullock
(or ox) is a mature, desexed bull. With a characteristically sturdy and quiet
nature, bullocks were easily bred, cheap to feed, easy to train and require
minimal gear and infrastructure in comparison to horses.
Bullock
trains could haul up to three tons of cargo (almost two medium cars) in summer,
and travelled about 15klms per day. It would take at least 30 days to travel
from Sydney to Manilla NSW and more, considering they had to travel over the
Great Dividing Range towards our New England District. For George Veness to
receive goods for his store, he would have used Bullock Trains, bringing essential
food and station supplies to our isolated country areas.
The number
of bullocks in a team ranged from 12 to as many as 30, depending on the load
and the terrain. The bullockies used long whips and verbal commands to control
their teams, and sometimes had the help of a dog and off-siders.
Bullockies
often chose Devon cattle because they were plentiful, hardy, tractable and
readily matched up the team, which was often a source of pride to the owners.
Teams had to be educated to perform their respective tasks, too. The first part
of a bullock’s education began when the bullocky tied two young bullocks
together with two heavy leather collars and a connecting chain. Thus connected,
they were turned out to graze and rest until they accepted the close presence
of their partner.
John Coote
(Snr) and his son John were prominent breeders of Devon cattle on their
property North Querindi Manilla NSW. This story is coming up soon on Manilla
Memories.
Bullock
trains were a common sight in Australia until the late 1800s, when they were
gradually replaced by railways and, as road terrains improved, motor vehicles.
However, some bullock teams continued to operate in the timber industry and on
farms until the 1950s. Bullock trains are remembered for their contribution to
the nation’s growth and prosperity.
On return
trips they transported wheat, wool and timber by drays drawn by teams of
bullocks to shipping ports before the advent of rail. They travelled constantly
across the landscape, servicing the pastoral stations and settlements far from
regional transport hubs and urban centres. Some of the larger stations in
outback Australia maintained their own teams for local use when harvesting and
transporting wool.
A typical
bullocky wore a cabbage tree hat, a twill shirt of that period, moleskin
trousers, blucher boots and carried a long bullock whip which in many instances
he had made. A cabbage tree hat is a wide-brimmed, low-crowned hat woven from
the leaves of the cabbage palm. Moleskin trousers are trousers made from a
heavy and densely woven cotton fabric, while blucher boots are laced boots. A
twill shirt is a shirt with a twill weave in a diagonal pattern.
It takes a
good man to make his entire Bullock team pull together. His eyes have to be
ceaselessly on them. This is where a good dog is of great assistance.
Commencing at the hindmost off-side bullock, the dog will make a bite at his
heel, and then with lightning speed to that of the one in front, following up
to the next along the line, and so on. He then wheels back, dodging dextrously
in and out between the wheels, with only a bare inch or so to spare from being
crushed to death.
A good
bullocky has perfect command over his team. Anybody can drive a horse, but it
is not everybody who can drive bullocks.
Bullock-driving
was seen as a man’s job, but there were some exceptions. Agnes Buntine became
the first female bullocky in Australia, acquiring a bullock team in the 1850s.
Aged in her early 30s, Agnes supported her family, carrying goods from
Melbourne throughout Gippsland. When gold was discovered at Walhalla in 1862,
she was the first to arrive in the town with supplies. The next day she
slaughtered a bullock to feed the miners.
Agnes
Buntine (1822-1896) was a Scottish pastoralist and bullocky. Born in Glasgow,
Scotland as Agnes Davidson, she and her family moved to Australia in 1840. She
became a bullocky there, frequently making trips across different cities to
transport merchandise, and opening two stores. When working as a bullocky, she
wore thick clothing and boots, unlike the clothing of most women at the time,
which saved her life when she was caught in a large bush fire. She was able to
find a safe patch of ground to stay at until the fire ended, and although she
received severe burns from the incident, she survived due to her thick clothing
and boots.
Agnes and
her husband Hugh had six children.
As a
bullocky, Buntine was described as a "steam boiler on horseback" with
"strong, heavy-set, almost masculine features, with her clear, intense
eyes being her most marked attribute.” Agnes had two pistols contained in her
belt and smoked an old black pipe. She retired in 1873 at age 51 and the same
year married Michael Dawe Hallett (2nd marriage), an English farmer who was
aged 29 at the time of their marriage. Agnes was a unique individual, as were
all male Bullockers who travelled the Australian landscape, building our
country centres, just like Manilla NSW Australia.
** Establishing
Bullock Trains in Australia firstly required - The Transportation of Our Pioneers
to Australia.
Pioneers
arriving from England in the 1850s Sydney, were greeted with a bustling English
seaport. Steamships ran between Europe and Australia and mail arrived in 135
days rather than the 275 days it had taken in the early nineteenth century. The
trip, however, from England wasn’t as attractive and it would have been a sigh
of relief they arrived safely.
Before
Steamships, it took three months to travel from Liverpool to Melbourne. The
cheapest ticket, in steerage, below the waterline at the very bottom of the
ship, was risky. Risking one’s life was one obstacle but exposure to unhygienic
conditions was daunting. It was crowded, dark, a lack of air and damp, with
limited sanitation, and with days of total darkness if the weather was bad.
Candles and oil lamps were not permitted in this highly flammable environment.
Limited sanitation and stormy seas often combined to make it dirty and
foul-smelling. Rats, insects, and disease were common problems.
In the
mid-1800s, the Australian continent was only sparsely populated by convicts,
soldiers, and pioneer settlers. Then the British government established the
Emigration Commission which offered assisted migration schemes to NSW and Van
Diemen’s Land for those who could not otherwise have afforded it. Over one
million immigrants (either assisted or unassisted) arrived in Australia from
the United Kingdom during the 1800s.
The promise
of a new and better life was tempting, as the 19th century population explosion
in the UK saw millions living in poverty or, when faced with disaster such as
the Irish potato famine, even starving to death. Emigration was seen as an
opportunity to seek better conditions or a new life, even if it was to a rugged
and somewhat inhospitable country landscape in Australia.
Most of the
first modern migrants to Australia were unwilling arrivals - convicts from
Britain sent to the penal colony of NSW. Until the mid-1800s, the population
was dominated by British and Irish people, but the discovery of gold near
Orange NSW, in 1851, triggered a gold rush that changed the face of Australia.
Between 1851 and 1860, more than 600,000 migrants arrived. Most were from the
UK but around 10 per cent came from elsewhere in Europe and seven per cent from
China.
As a
comparison, between 1945 and 1965 more than two million migrants came to
Australia, where in those early days and country centres like Manilla, sewerage
disposal was relegated to outdoor dunnies away from the house. The full can was
collected each week or fortnight and replaced with an empty can.
DNA evidence
suggests the first people to migrate to the Australian continent most likely
came from South-East Asia between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago, according to the
Immigration Department's official history. Estimates of the size of the
Aboriginal population before European settlement range between 300,000 and 1.5
million with some 600 tribes speaking more than 200 distinct languages.
Today
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people account for 2.8 per cent of the
country's 24 million people.
After
arrival in Sydney in the 1800s, the Pioneers had to travel over the Great
Divide in arduous, rough and hostile environments to reach the New England and the
Manilla District. This is where the Bullockies and Bullock Trains played their
role in developing Manilla NSW District and other centres in Country Australia.
Our
Australian Pioneers were hard workers on the land and it would have taken a strong
sense of fortitude to leave England and forge a life in our rugged countryside
in the 1800s Australia. For them though, it seemed a lot better alternative
than the conditions in England.
These Pioneers
need to be looked upon with a sense of reverence (deep respect). Because of
them we live the life we have today in Manilla, and Country Australia, and the Bullock
Trains, with their Bullockies, played that role within the development of the
Manilla NSW District.
John Coote and Family – Manilla NSW District – 1800s to
1900s
John Coote (1835–1922) was born in Little Bardfield,
Thaxted, Essex, England and died in 1922 at North Cuerindi Manilla NSW. He
arrived in Australia in October 1855.
John married Elizabeth Griffiths (1845-1922) in 1868. They
had nine children together.
Their first born was son John Coote (1869–1948) followed by
daughter Lydia Sarah Coote (1871–1953), George Coote (1873–1952), Charles
William Coote (1875–1964), Thomas Arthur Coote (1877–1954), Alfred Henry Coote
(1880–1895), Emily Mary Coote (1881–1960), Eliza Anne Coote (1885–1965), and daughter
Frances Harriet Coote (1888–1966).
John Coote Jnr (1869-1948) married Theresa Dowdell in 1895
and they had 10 children. One child Albert Ernest (Podge) Coote (1902-1984)
married Linda Vandenberg in Manilla in 1923, and Allen Coote (1917-1988)
married Lucy Cochrane in 1938.
George Coote, son of John and Elizabeth, married Muriel Hill
in 1894 and had 10 children. Daughter Emily Mary married Alexanda Griffiths in
1904, while daughter Eliza Anne married Joseph Abberfield in Manilla in 1908.
One of Eliza and Joseph’s children, Doris May Abberfield (1912-1995) married
Eric Oswald Hinton.
Frances Harriet Coote had one daughter with Thomas Brophy
and married Laurie Bridge (1888-1972). Daughter of Francis and Thomas, Kathleen
Mary Coote (1908-1954) married Allen Gardner in Manilla in 1926 and had one
child, Ivan Gardner (1926-1993).
John (Snr) father John Coote (1802–1861) died in Dunmow
Essex England. John had six brothers and sisters. His mother Sarah Cockshed
(Coote) (1800–1877) died in Essex England.
John’s wife Elizabeth Griffiths (1845–1922) was born in
Paterson NSW and died in “Park Hall” Upper Manilla NSW. Elizabeth had five
brothers and sisters. Before her marriage to John, Eliza worked at the Crown
and Anchor Inn, Morpeth, NSW, (John Sucker family) and stayed until her
marriage in 1868. She became close to the Sucker family and named one of her
children Francis Harriet after the Sucker family connection.
One of John and Elizabeth’s children, John Coote (Jnr)
(1869–1948) from North Cuerindi Manilla, establishes imported Devon Cattle and
Lincoln Sheep in the late 1800s, and with his father’s guidance, became a
prominent breeder of Devon cattle, with a number of Devons in stalls at the
stud stock show in Sydney in 1940. John
had been breeding cattle for over 50 years and his North Cuerindi Stud had been
registered for 20 years.
South Devon were one of the few British breeds to have been
selected for drought purposes as well as for beef and milk. The first
importations into Australia were of milking cows carried on sailing ships.
Several large importations occurred in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The Devon is one of the oldest British breeds of cattle
being gradually standardised in the five south-western counties of England,
where they have been recognised as a distinctive breed for at least two and a
half centuries. The success of the Devon breed in Australia is associated with
the ability to produce top quality beef, both straightbred and as a cross,
under varying climatic conditions.
When the first fleet arrived from England to Sydney Cove on
the 26th of January 1788, they had on board two bulls and seven cows.
Another son of John and Elizabeth, Thomas Arthur Coote
(1877–1954) from Upper Manilla NSW, married Sarah Margaret “Madge” Howlett
(1879-1970) in St Nicholas, Tamworth NSW.
Sarah was employed at Tamworth Base Hospital in 1902. She
trained for 4 plus years in General Nursing at Tamworth Hospital and was valued
by the local doctors of the district, especially around Manilla NSW. They had
five children during their marriage. Madge and her siblings attended the small
state school of Currabubula NSW. Currabubula is just 30klms from Tamworth.
Thomas and Sarah had four children: Donald (1908-1999), Lela
(1909-2006), Doris (1909-2004), Nancy (1911-1986), and Enid (1912-2002).
The family lived at "Fair Mount" just south-east
of 2NU radio tower from about 1913.
Donald married Ebbe Milicent Iliffe on 9th April 1932 in
Manilla, NSW. They had four children in 11 years. Donald died on 13th May 1999
in his hometown at the age of 90. Donald spent most of his working life in
Barraba as a Pharmacist among other activities.
Lela married James Vincent Holmes on 14th July 1943 in
Manilla, NSW. They had one child during their marriage. Doris married Eric
Golden on 15th June 1932 in Manilla NSW (see picture). They had six children in
11 years.
Doris and Eric’s wedding was presented in the Manilla
Express, and an excerpt is below:
A popular wedding was celebrated in St. Michael’s Church
Manilla when Doris, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs T. A. Coote Manilla, was
married to Eric, youngest son of the late Mr William and Mrs Golden of
Armidale. The marriage was conducted by the Rev. Father E. Dignam, M.S.C.,
followed by a Nuptial Mass. The bride was escorted to the alter by her father
and looked charming in a gown of bridal satin. The bride was attended by her
twin sister Lela and Miss Joan Townsend, the bride groom’s niece. Two small train
bearers were also in attendance – Clare Byrnes and Molly Doring. The bridegroom
was attended by Mr John Hardy as best man and his brother Mr A. Golden as
groomsman. Mr J. O’Neill presided the organ, playing the “Wedding March,” and
as the bride entered the church.
Two of Thomas and Sarah’s children, Nancy Clare Coote
(1911–1986) and Enid Madge Cecilia Coote (1912–2002) became Nuns. A nun is a
woman who vows to dedicate her life to God, typically living under vows of
poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent. The
term is often used interchangeably with religious sisters who do take simple
vows but live an active vocation of prayer and charitable work.
Nancy entered St Joseph's novitiate at Singleton on 25th
March, 1930 and was received on 24th September that year. Nancy was awarded a
University Exhibition and a Teachers Scholarship and professed as Sister M
Kostka on 28th September, 1932.
Sister M Kostka (Nancy) taught at Broadmeadow (1932-1933),
St Aloysius' High School (1934-1937), St Catherine's College (1938-1952), with
the exception of 1940 when she and Sister Anselm spent a year at North
Melbourne studying for a B.A. Degree. She also taught at St Aloysius Girls'
High School, Hamilton (1953-1964), Glendale (1965-1967), before returning to
Hamilton (1968-1984). She was known for her mathematical precision when
arranging sport programs for the whole school at Hamilton. In 1977 she was a
resident at the Convent of Mercy, Parry Street, Hamilton, Newcastle NSW.
Her sister, Enid Madge Cecilia Coote (1912–2002) entered the
Novitiate (Convent of Mercy) Singleton NSW on 25th March 1931 and was received
on 24th September 1931. Enid was professed Sister M. Louis on 27th September,
1933 and took as her patron St Louis of France where she was sent to teach
fourth class at Tighe's Hill till Christmas.
Sister M Louis (Enid) taught at Broadmeadow (1934-1935),
Morpeth (1936-1937), St Aloysius (1938-1940), St Catherine's College (1941), St
Aloysius (1942-1952), St Mary's, Muswellbrook (1953-1958) where she was
Superior and Principal. In 1953 she was a resident at St Mary's High School,
Muswellbrook NSW and was the founding principal of St Mary's Girls' High
School. Enrolments grew but the school was closed in 1967 when it was deemed
too expensive to implement the Wyndham Scheme. The Wyndham Scheme was a series
of reforms to secondary education in NSW.
This was followed by teaching at St Aloysius, (1959-1960).
She opened Holy Cross Convent and High School at Glendale in January 1961 and
remained there until 1966 when it was announced that the school would close the
following year.
In 1963 she was a resident at the Convent of Mercy,
Glendale, NSW. Repurposed minor's huts had served as classrooms but, as
enrolments grew, investment in new buildings was required. No funds were
available. The Catholic Education Office closed the high school at the end of
1967.
In 1967 Sister M Louis (Enid) was in a car accident when
returning from Sydney with Sister M Jacinta. Her nose and a finger were broken
and eight ribs were also fractured.
From 1967 she taught at Monte Pio Maitland (1967-1969),
Singleton (1970-1977), Scone (1977-1984). Sister M Louis was forced to retire
due to Illness when she was 72 years old and took up residence at Monte Pio
Maitland NSW in 1968, and died in Singleton in 2002.
The Coote family, as a diverse family unit, are well known
identities within the historical context of Manilla and district, and continue
with their presence around the Manilla District, and will for many years into
the future. Their Manilla presence is also well documented within their “Park Hall”
residence at Upper Manilla.
Other prominent Upper Manilla residents of this time were the Bowmans, Geddes, McIlricks and Gardners.
The CBC Bank in Manilla Street, Manilla NSW.
The first branch opened in Manilla Street in 1888 next to Royce
Cottage. It is reported the new branch was built in Manilla Street 10 years
later (further north) in 1898. In 1924 a new branch was built next to the older
branch (see picture). Manilla’s population in 1891 was 275.
Frank Maundrell was the manager of the CBC Bank in Manilla during
the years 1979-1982.
In the early 1900s the building was owned by the Tamworth
Manager, Mr Robey, who was reluctant on occasions to have necessary maintenance
carried out on the premises. Large cracks were appearing on some walls
including one in the maid’s quarters where a hand could be thrust through. The
maid had to live away from the premises during this time, and this was reported
as inconvenient.
The building was also occupied by the Stock and Station
Agency, V.J. Byrnes Pty. Ltd., who had also bought the building when the new
bank building was completed in 1924. V. J. Byrnes is featured in an early
article/post on this FB page.
Frank Maundrell had a long history working for the CBC Bank.
He was born in 1944 and joined the Bank at Merrylands in 1959. This was
followed by working at a variety of branches throughout NSW.
1959, Merrylands. 1960, Pitt and Bathurst Streets Sydney.
1961, Oxford Street Sydney. 1962, Seven Hills Sydney. 1966, Sydney Head Office.
1972, Petersham Sydney. 1975, Burwood. 1979, Manilla (Manager). 1982, Wee Waa
(Manager). 1986, Scone (Manager).
Following the death of Frank’s wife in 1989, in 1991 he was
the North West NSW Relieving Manager. Frank served in most Branches in New
England and North West NSW. In 1998 he retired
while still in Tamworth.
In 1982 the CBC Bank merged with the National Bank of Australasia to form the National Australia Bank.
Manilla NSW 1898
This picture shows a view of Manilla, in 1898, including the
Commercial Bank, Church, School of Arts, Post Office, Mackenzie's store and Olifant's
Hotel.
The years leading up to the turn of the century saw a
significant development in Manilla. With a population of 144 males and 131
females in 1891 the growth and activity were palpable with the determination of
Manilla’s population to provide services that benefited the community.
One leading the way in 1876, was Mackenzie’s, established by
Mr. Frank Mackenzie, and at his death his son Mr. M. C. Mackenzie took over the
business and built Mackenzie’s store in Manilla in Market Street, opposite
Veness’ Store. By 1878 the telegraph line was completed to Manilla.
The first Post Office in Manilla was established in 1856.
Followed by the Manilla Post Office building in the 1880s, additions followed
in the 1890s, and then 1908 and 1923.
In 1886 the Court House was built, the Methodist Church followed
in 1889, and the Namoi River Bridge work was completed. The Manilla Express was
first published in 1899, and the Commercial Banking Co. of Sydney opens next
door to Royce's House Manilla in 1890. The Catholic Church was built in 1894.
Olifant’s (brick) Hotel was built in 1891, by M. C. Mackenzie.
G. M. Oliphant purchased the building after completion and he called it the
Royal Hotel. In 1898 Oliphant sold the Hotel to James Waddell of Barraba.
By the turn of the century there were four hotels in
Manilla: A single story building, The Royal Hotel; the Imperial Hotel, opened
in June 1900, and the Court House Hotel, opened in December 1900. A second
story was added to the Royal Hotel in the early 1900s, and the Post Office
hotel – named in 1913.
Just 15 minutes south of Manilla, a loophole in the
Licensing Act, allowed Donald Bernard Harris to become the licensee of the
Railway Hotel at Attunga in 1939. He was 17 years of age. Now rebuilt and known
as the Attunga Hotel, the pub at the time traded as the Railway Hotel.
At the turn of the century the first Manilla Municipal
Council were elected in 1901, the Manilla Hospital Opens in 1905, and in 1906,
the Manilla Railway Bridge & Viaduct construction was completed. Manilla’s
future was becoming more secure as the years progressed.
* A number of more detailed articles/stories are ready for
2024. Two of these stories include a detailed growth history of Hotels in
Manilla, plus Mackenzie’s in Manilla, featuring a picture of his store in 1898.
Court House Hotel – Manilla NSW - Growth of Hotels - Stage Coach Development and Transport.
The Court House Hotel was opened in December 1900. Both the
Court House and Imperial Hotel in Manilla were constructed by T. J. Bowen.
T. J. (Thomas John) Bowen was a prominent builder in the
Gunnedah/Manilla/Tamworth region of NSW, and involved in the early development
of these towns. It is reported he first came to the Manilla area about 1884 to
assist G. H. Royce, NSW chief engineer, for the construction of the iron
traffic bridge over the Namoi River (1884-86). Thomas John was sufficiently
important in the community to be elected to Manilla's first Municipal Council
in 1901.
In 1939 a storm blew the roof off the Court House hotel building.
Under the watchful eye of Licensee Mrs Hirschberg, the roof, parapet and
verandah were rebuilt. Prior to this event, in 1934, Wally Rooke paid a record
price of £91 for the publican’s booth at the show on behalf of Mrs. Hirschberg
of the Court House Hotel ($10,000 today). Two years later, Wally Rooke
purchased the Barraba Show Booth rights for Mrs. Hirschberg, for around £80 ($8,000
today).
Although the railway from Manilla to Tamworth was operating
from 1899 there were still Coach Services available. During the 1800s,
coachbuilding was a popular trade in Australia. The company Cobb & Co began
building their own coaches in the 1860s, and workshops were established in
Victoria and NSW. The company grew to
great prominence during these times, carrying passengers and mail to various
Australian regional and remote areas of the Australian outback.
Nowland's Lochinvar Coach services, established in the
1840s, were another manufacturer who developed a major colonial trade and
communication route connecting Newcastle, Maitland, and the developing inland
settlements. Nowland was one of the earliest Royal Mail contractors and
established routes spanning from Maitland to Morpeth (near Maitland),
encompassing the Hunter Valley settlements and inland regions towards Armidale.
Armidale is just east of Manilla.
The Jindera German Wagon was another, which made arduous
treks by wagon in 1867 and 1868. The first wagon was originally used by a
German migrant family who moved to the Jindera district in the Riverina.
It is reported the last coach probably ran on the
Hebel-Goodooga-Brewarrina routes in 1913.
Passage through the country was notoriously uncomfortable
and bushrangers would wait for the coaches on isolated roads to rob the mail
runs. Frederick Wordsworth Ward (1835-1870), known as Captain Thunderbolt,
stuck up the coach between Walcha and Tamworth, whilst also robbing a jeweller
of a large sum of money. William Hill’s Hotel at North Manilla was also
targeted by Ward.
This story/article about Captain Thunderbolt is completed,
and is coming up soon. Also, the history and growth of the Manilla NSW Hotels.
Accommodation and transport throughout NSW, and Manilla,
were key elements in the growth of Manilla. The hotels created a need for
accommodation, and Hotels (pubs) became a growth industry in Manilla. By the
turn of the century there were four hotels in Manilla. Large numbers of farm
workers came to town during the wheat harvest season, to also quench their
thirst, and trade was brisk in the hotels of Manilla.
Wheat harvest was very labour intensive in those days. In
the absence of machinery, large numbers of men were needed to cut a crop in
time (story coming up soon).
The railway (1899) increased rural settlement in Manilla and
caused the wheat industry and Manilla to grow considerably. In 1899 Manilla saw
a very successful season for wheat growing and harvest – an estimated 125,000
bags – causing much wealth to flow into the township. A bag of wheat contained
about 4 bushels (equivalent to 145 litres) which weighed about 240lbs (nearly
110kgs). A heavy weight for one person to manoeuvre. 125,000 bags is equal to nearly
14 million kilograms, or equal to about 9,000 medium size cars - transported
from Manilla in 1899.
There was much discussion dating back to 1883 to reduce the
size of the bags to 200lbs (90kgs). This continued for over 20 years.
Coach travel was not the only choice for many in the 1800s. Walking
and horseback were also popular ways to travel, while bicycles were also popular.
Speedwell was a bicycle manufactured by Bennett & Wood in 1882 in Sydney,
while the Speedwell motorcycle was built in the early 1900s. Alfred Veness
(1870-1951), the son of George Veness (founder of Manilla) sold Speedwell
bicycles and motors in his store in Manilla NSW. This story, with pictures, is
coming up soon.
A trip from Tamworth to Manilla by bicycle would take a
minimum of 4 hours and walking about 10 hours. In 1897 cars had a speed of 10
to 12 miles an hour, which meant it would take about 2 hours travel to Tamworth,
while Stage Coaches would have taken about 4 hours. Tamworth is 44 klms from
Manilla.
The first cars arrived in Australia in the 1890s. The first
were steam driven. By 1914 there were about 37000 cars and trucks in Australia.
Most had been imported from the USA. Holden Brothers began making car bodies in
Australia for an American company in 1917. The first mass produced car in
Australia was the Holden. The first one ran off the assembly line on 29
November 1948 at the factory at Fisherman's Bend, Melbourne.
From Bullock Trains supplying goods and services to NSW and
the Manilla District, tracks started to appear on the NSW map in the 1860s,
which made it easier for travel by coach. These tracks developed into roads, which
then made it possible to travel by car as the 1900s developed.
Growth of Manilla District Country Schools and Colonial
Education 1800s Australia
By the early 1870s a number of pioneer families had settled
in Keepit, forming a nucleus of settlement that rivalled Manilla. Keepit was
the first school in the Manilla district not in Manilla where a full-time
school was built. The school operated as a provisional school until 1880, then
was upgraded to a primary school. When pupil numbers fell at various periods
during the 1890s and early 1900s, the school became either a half-time school
or a provisional school.
At this time the population of Manilla was 160, where a
school was also built in Upper Manilla. There was also a private school on the
corner of Rowan and Strafford Streets Manilla in 1873.
Initially the Upper Manilla school was 4 metres x 9 metres in
size and constructed of split sleepers, a bark roof and bark ceiling. In the
early 1880s many of the slabs had fallen out of the walls, leaving large holes,
allowing wind, sun and rain to enter the school. In the early 1900s it was
replaced. There was also a school located nearby at North Cuerindi.
An application was sent to the Council Government for a
Government teacher in the late 1800s as the number of students increased.
A small Union Church had been built in 1875 at North
Manilla, and in support of their application to the Council of Education for a
government school in their town, the residents of Manilla offered the use of
the Church. Classes were held there from September 1877. There were about 30
children enrolled and were under the charge of John Marshall, appointed to
Manilla as the first public school teacher. Children from the surrounding
properties walked to school or rode their horses along the rough bush tracks.
A request for a larger school resulted in builder S. Lambert
been given the contract at a price of 856 pounds (about $180,000 today). In the
late 1870s a brick school to accommodate 50 pupils and a teacher's residence
was built on the hill at North Manilla. In a far-sighted gesture, a glass time
capsule was placed in the foundations of the building, dated 26th February 1879,
containing the builder’s contract, a description of the laying of the
foundation stone of the building, in the forty second year of the reign of her
most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, and copies of four newspapers: the
Tamworth News, the Tamworth Observer, the Maitland Mercury and the Maitland
Evening News. The capsule was discovered when the building was demolished in
1939.
At the opening celebrations the hotel keeper at North
Manilla, J. T. Flynn, organised a basket picnic for every child in the town and
in the evening 150 people attended. A magic lantern lecture was given by the
postmaster E. Done. Pupil numbers increased steadily and five years later
another classroom was added to the school. (Magic lantern lectures illustrated different
events, including scientific lectures, entertainment, current events
discussion, missionary fundraising, and humanitarian causes)
At this time, school enrolments totalled 112 pupils, with an
average attendance of 87. Classes were held there for 21 years, until the
building could no longer accommodate the growing number of pupils.
From 1879 to 1886, Emily Hely Sampson (nee Hutchinson)
taught at the school. Emily married her brother-in-law Horatio Sampson, after
her sister Harriet died. While her husband studied law, Emily prepared lessons
and taught over 30 children of varying ages and abilities. She also ran the
household, and cared for seven stepchildren in addition to her own three young
children, who were born between 1879 and 1885. When school was over for the day
home chores had to be done - milking cows, washing and ironing, and scrubbing
floors.
The building at North Manilla remained the residence of the Manilla
School Headmaster until 1938 where it was sold and removed. The bricks were
used to build a new home on Crow Mountain road (Crow Mountain Road is 15klms
east of Upper Manilla).
By 1896 the population of Manilla had grown to 650, where
the majority lived on the south side of the river. The location of the north school
was no longer central with the growth of population.
In the late 1890s there was a move for a school in central
Manilla. Local residents lobbied for several years, proposing that the land on
the corner of Court and Arthur Streets be resumed for the site of a new school.
The Department of Education finally agreed to the proposal. Tenders were called
and builder S. Harris was successful, at a price of 1300 pounds (about $240,000
today). This included a weather shed and school fittings. Construction began in
1900. On 26 January 1901 Manilla Public School, with accommodation for 200
pupils, opened in its new central location. Henry Rudd was in charge of the
school with 200 pupils.
The Premier of NSW had been invited to open the school but
Queen Victoria died four days before the event, and a period of national
mourning was declared. All Government functions were cancelled, so the school
was never officially opened.
By 1917 the average student attendance at Manilla School was
230. The school continued to grow as the town of Manilla prospered. From
January 1923 its status was upgraded to a district school, catering for both
primary and secondary school age students. In 1926 considerable additions were
made to accommodate 400 pupils. By 1928 the whole of the association
liabilities was wiped out due to the Manilla community arranging public
functions.
More additions followed in 1933. A domestic science and
manual training block was built, at a cost of 4625 pounds (about $480,000
today) Mr L. Frank was Headmaster in 1935, followed by J. R. Ford (1941), A. R.
Kearns (1943) and F. W. Vere in 1945. By this stage Manilla School had 430
pupils.
By 1958 enrolments at Manilla Public School totalled 542,
the highest on record, and approaches were made to the Department of Education
to build a high school at Manilla. In November 1966 the new secondary school in
Manilla opened, with an initial enrolment of 167 pupils.
In September 1977 a week-long program of celebrations was
held to mark the centenary of public education in Manilla, attended by many
former pupils and teachers. The program opened with a procession through the
town watched by over 3,000 people, and throughout the week a variety of events
were held including fetes, concerts, a combined church service, a bush picnic,
open days at the school, and a centenary ball.
Schools in the Keepit Region: As mentioned earlier, Keepit
was the first school in the Manilla district not in Manilla, and provided much
needed education for children in the Rushes Creek area. Keepit operated half
time with Baldwin School for various periods between 1890 and 1946. From
January 1900 to June 1901 Baldwin School was a provisional school, and from
July 1901 to June 1904 it became a public school. At Keepit, enrolments
stabilised when construction of Keepit Dam commenced (1939), bringing many new
families into the area.
Keepit and Baldwin are located in the Rushes Creek region,
just a few kilometres south west of Manilla.
In November 1919, Baldwin Public School, in conjunction with
the residents of Rushes Creek, arranged a meeting where it was decided to erect
an Honor Roll in the Baldwin Public school. At this time Mr Fuller was the
teacher. This board would contain the name of old pupils of the school and
teachers who served in the Great War. The honour roll is decorated with a
painting of a crossed Australian flag and Union Jack. The roll contains
fourteen names printed in gilt. Four of those listed were teachers, being Messrs
Farrell, Fuller, Gross and Sullivan.
The school children collected the funds for the roll and it
was completed by January 1920. The roll could be viewed in one of the windows
of Messrs M.C. Mackenzie and Sons Ltd in Manilla NSW. The unveiling ceremony
took place on Wednesday 24th March 1920. Reverend W. A. Thompson delivered the
address and the unveiling ceremony was performed by Miss Coote.
Keepit School retained its status as a primary school from
1948 to 1973, when it finally closed. Pupil numbers were boosted by the
building of the Keepit Dam after the second world war, when many construction
workers and their families came to live in the district. Keepit Dam was
completed in 1960.
Another school featured prominently for local residents at
Yarramanbully (located east along the Halls Creek Road). The first
Yarramanbully one teacher school was built in the early 1900s. The second in
1935 and accommodated six families in the Yarramanbully District. The McKeon,
Berry, White and Gallagher families. The teacher was Miss McRae, followed by
Miss Chaffey and then Miss Sloman. The school closed in 1953.
The Yarramanbully School building was officially handed over
to Manilla Historical Society as a museum of education and sits proudly beside
The Manilla Museum in Manilla Street.
* COLONIAL COUNTRY SCHOOL EDUCATION - 1800s AUSTRALIA *
Children in Colonial Australia in the 1800s knew the meaning
of tough. They worked on the land with their parents from a young age, and routinely
shouldered much of the responsibility of family life, particularly if the
working male in the family fell ill or died. The alternative to unemployment
was starving to death, and life was very much closer to the edge. Survival
wasn’t a guarantee. Boys up until the age of six wore dresses for ease of
toilet training, and children were dressed like small adults, with hand me down
clothes from family members.
Many classrooms in the 1800s were badly ventilated, with
children coughing and had respiratory conditions. There were often no toilets
and there was no wash basin. If the classroom was heated, it would be heated by
a coal fire.
School was compulsory for children aged between seven and
14, with a segregated curriculum based on gender - girls were expected to learn
sewing and other craft. Most of these children were required to work - taking
care of other children, doing laundry, helping with farm work or helping in
shops. After sitting in a cold classroom with a fire burning making them cough,
they're exhausted and sick, and when they get home, they have to do all their
chores.
The school object wasn't to make children curious or excited
about learning, it was to teach them morality. In country homes right up to the
early to mid-1900s, many had dirt floors in their kitchen. (Morality:
principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad
behaviour)
Children spent time in copying work from the blackboard, and
often had one workbook for all their subjects. Great emphasis was placed on
neatness where headings showed fancy lettering featured at the top of each
page, together with ornate borders and other decorations.
Children were not permitted to write with their left hand
and some “left-handers” had their left arm tied behind their back. Others were
hit with the cane on their left hand. The style of writing taught was
Copperplate, an ornate style with loops and curves that could be written with
speed.
Discipline was strict and full attention was expected at all
times. Children had to be silent and speak only when asked to and punished for
persistent inattention and moral offences. Giving the students the cane was
permitted. Offences ranged from talking, playing, inattention, idleness,
carelessness, impudence, impertinence and disorder. Children were hit on the
hand, buttocks, and even on the head and shoulders.
Lunch was usually homemade bread or damper with dripping
(animal fat from roasted meat), jam or treacle. Also boiled eggs, cheese, meat
and fruit if available. Food was wrapped in a piece of fabric and later, when
available, newspaper. Often the tank water at the school was undrinkable, in
which case the children would also have to bring a bottle of water to school.
During the early Colonial years of 1788-1810 thirty men and
women have been identified as having taught in NSW schools at least for one
year. Of these thirty a total of seventeen were convicts, four were
missionaries, one was a soldier and the others were free immigrants.
The first school to be organised in the colony of Australia
was a private initiative of Rev. Richard Johnson who appointed two convicts,
Isabella Rosson and William Richardson (first fleeter), as teachers in his
school, beginning in about 1790. (A first fleeter is one of the first settlers
who sailed to Australia from England in 1787)
* Other Schools in the Manilla District, during the 1800s
and 1900s are worthy of mention as they also provided much needed education for
the children in each of these regions.
Schools operated at Milliwindi between 1886 and 1888, at
Hawarden from 1889 to 1933, New Mexico from 1893 to 1938, and at Borah from
1893 to 1896. There were also schools at Wongan Creek (1885 to 1925), Head Vale
(1906 to 1936), Ukolan (1888 to 1928), Tarpoly (1902 to 1903 and 1942 to 1954),
Newry Park (1905 to 1916), Lake Keepit (1875 to 1973), Baldwin (1900 to 1928
and 1935 to 1942) and Giants Den (1885 to 1886).
The first teacher at Wongan Creek School was Mr Sampson and
he lived in the school house, cooking over an open fire.
Head Vale school was known as Corella until October 1925.
The one-room weatherboard school, with verandas on both sides, was built on a two-acre
block. It adjoined a similar sized block on which there were two dirt tennis
courts and a galvanised iron clubhouse. Most children rode ponies to school and
grazed them in the tennis court paddock. Austin Kirk recalls that the tennis
courts were out of bounds to the pupils; presumably the adults thought they
would ruin the surface for their social competition weekends. The school had
one water tank outside, and a fireplace for which the older boys were rostered
to cut wood in winter. (Corella is an area of land just west of Manilla and
Upper Manilla – near Wongo Creek and New Mexico)
Some settlements just west of Manilla, such as Hawarden, New
Mexico, Ukolan (Halls Creek), and Wongo Creek, maintained sufficient
populations to support schools for several decades. As was often the case in
areas with scattered populations, some schools operated half-time, sharing
teachers with neighbouring schools.
Hawarden School, for example, operated half-time with Wongo
Creek school between 1896 and 1897 and half-time with New Mexico school between
1898 and 1901 – the same area.
* Schooling in country Australia and the Manilla district in
the 1800s, was comparable to home life and life in general – it was tough. Life
created an atmosphere of determination to survive. The alternative was hunger
leading to sickness – which many suffered. These times created stoic children
and adults for the basic reason - survival in the country.
(Stoic: a person who can endure pain or hardship without
showing their feelings or complaining)
Preserving and Understanding our Cultural, Heritage and
Historic Past is an important contributor to our Future, as if we don't, the
Future has no basis from where our Contemplation is derived. Contemplation with
the Past is our direct link to our stable future. Without this we fall short of
knowing Ourselves. It is important that History and Heritage, is preserved,
read, and understood as this affects, and reflects, our Souls of Peace, and in
turn preserves a future of understanding for Our-Selves - to Understand Who we Really Are.
A Study of the Relationships between the Hartley, Hall and
Veness Families, and how their Collaboration Developed Manilla NSW during the
Colonial 1800s.
David Hartley (Snr) (1783-1863) arrived in the Colony
(Australia) as a convict on board the ship Duke of Portland on the 27th
July 1807 (age 24). His crime was poaching from a noble’s property. Meaning,
taking something illegally from a British upper social class, who usually
possess a hereditary title. In Australia David was highly respected by those
that knew him. He was assigned to George Hall. George Hall’s family established
the Cuerindi Run (cattle and sheep) run just north of Manilla in about 1832,
followed by the Mundowey Run, just east along the Namoi River. David soon
gained the respect of the patriarch. So much so David was given a pardon in
1811.
David courted the daughter of George Hall’s neighbour and
friend, Captain John Grono. The Grono’s were a highly respected family. David
married Elizabeth Grono (1791-1871) on 30th March 1811. Their first born was a
daughter, Elizabeth, who died as a child. Their second daughter, Frances, was
born on the 5th February 1814 and developed a relationship with
Matthew Henry Hall (Snr), who’s family went on to discover and establish the
area around Upper Manilla in the early 1800s.
Frances (1814-1896) and Matthew Henry Hall (Snr) (1811-1888)
gave birth to a son on the 4th September 1830, and was given the Hall name, and
baptised as Matthew Hall (1830-1891). Frances and Matthew weren’t married. This
family went on to discover the land at North Manilla, and called this area the
Cuerindi Run (cattle and sheep).
France’s mother remarried, and became Mrs Fitzgerald, and in
1858, moved to Manilla from Maitland with her husband and her three children,
Maria, Elizabeth and Robert. Six years later Mr Fitzgerald drowned in the 1864
Manilla flood.
Her other daughter, Catherine had married Thomas Connor (1813-1886)
and they also moved to Manilla in 1858 where they built the first hotel on the
bank of the Namoi River. It opened in 1863 and was inundated in the 1864 flood.
Thomas saved his family by climbing on the roof. Robert Davey, her son, then
worked for Matthew Hall at Cuerindi Run.
Frances Hall (Hartley) (1814-1896) gave birth to a second
son, and she named this son David Hartley (1845-1924), where they both travelled
to Manilla and Cuerindi Run in north Manilla. In 1856, David was only 11 years
old, when he went to live with Matthew Hall on Cuerindi Run and as was
required, helped on the farm. Matthew and David were half-brothers.
* Timeline Summary Update: David Hartley Snr married Elizabeth
in 1811, produced a daughter Frances, who met Matthew Hall (Snr), and produced
a son Matthew Hall, followed by another son, who she named David Hartley (1845-1924).
This family were in the Manilla district before the 1850s.
Whilst on Cuerindi Run, David Hartley met and then married
Emma Veness (1850-1909) at Manilla on 11th May 1869, and Matthew Hall (his
half-brother) was a witness to the wedding.
Emma is the daughter of George Veness (1823-1895), the
founder of Manilla, and his wife Mary Sarah (nee Fegan) (1824-1907). David gave
his occupation as sheep overseer from Hall’s Creek (just east of Manilla). Emma
and David had five children.
The children of Emma and David were: Hilda May (married
Alfred Bailey), Sydney George (married Lillian Williams), Lee Maxwell (married
Thomasina Isobella Thomas), Ruby Lillian (married John D. Kennedy. John was
very prominent in the development of Manilla with the Veness family and other
pioneers, Wilfred David (married Lucy Gibson).
In 1850, when George was 27 years old, his first
occupational training was as a printer, and first went to Barraba NSW (45klms
north) and worked for William McKidd in his store. He later went to Tamworth
and worked in the Public Service for a short time. He then settled at the
Junction of the Namoi and Manilla rivers in 1851, and established his own store
in 1853 - a slab store, wine shop and residence - at The Junction. He was 28
years old.
George and Mary had six children: Emma, John, Annie, Lucy,
Alfred and Sarah.
George Veness is classified as the founder of Manilla (at 28
years of age) when it was then known as Manellae. He gave Manilla its name when
asked by the postal authority for a name for the postal delivery. He became the
first postmaster at the first Post Office in 1856. After the arrival of a
telegraph office in Manilla in 1878, the resident postal officer and
postmaster, Edward Done, was appointed as the official postmaster.
His brothers Charles, Stephen and Daniel followed George to
Manilla. Daniel becomes the first Mayor of Manilla, while George’s son Alfred
becomes the first Town Clerk in the first Manilla Municipal Council in 1901. Both
George and Alfred built stores in Manilla (see picture). A story about Alfred
is coming up soon.
In 1882, George’s brother Stephen was granted a Hotel
Licence for the newly built Junction Hotel in Manilla. The population in
Manilla NSW in 1891 was 275 - 144 Males and 131 Females. Barraba had a
population of 413. By 1900 Manilla’s population was 620.
In 1864, while the residents of Manilla slept, George
Veness’s first store was swept away in the 1864 flood, and four of the town’s
12 residents drowned. 100 years later, in January 1964, another major flood hit
Manilla, following torrential rain in the catchment areas of both the Namoi and
Manilla Rivers. This flood was classified as the worst flood in Manilla’s
history and left behind a trail of devastation. A third of the population of
Manilla had to be evacuated.
George built his second store on the corner of Market and
Namoi Streets where teamsters’ trails (bullock trains) passed his door
travelling north. George built another store on the corner of Manilla and
Market Streets (see picture). This store continued to serve the residents of
Manilla, business people and travellers for sixty years, until 1913. His second
store was demolished in 1906.
Frances Hartley, mother to Matthew and David, lived on
Cuerindi Run until the property was sold, and died on the 27th November 1896.
The death was reported by her son David Hartley. David died on the 17th
February 1924 and lays at rest with his wife Emma (Veness) in the cemetery at
Manilla NSW.
The interesting developments within these life’s events, is
that the Hartley, Hall and Veness families were all intertwined in the
development of the Manilla district from the very beginning. Remembering also, Emma
and David’s daughter married John D. Kennedy, a prominent identity in Manilla
involved in the development of Manilla.
Looking at their early years, they were very young, either
in their teens or 20s, and developed Manilla during this stage of their life. This
requires a certain amount of thought as we could tend to think of them in their
40s and 50s. They weren’t. Plus, they were living in virtual rough uninhabitable
conditions when they arrived in the Manilla district, and had to forge a life
from these conditions. Their only natural water supplies were via rain/river,
no sanitation, and their homes/shelter were meagre timber huts in the early
days.
The Hall family history was dealt within a previous post. There is also a book about the Hall Family at the
Manilla Museum.
Our Life is Developed by Knowledge. Without Knowledge we do
not Grow with Wisdom, and with Our Wisdom, We have a More Knowledgeable
Destination to Understand Our Life Today.
This is an article about George Veness and family, and their
travel from England to Australia, and the conditions of this travel in the mid-1800s.
George Veness (the founder of Manilla) (1823-1895) along
with wife Mary Sarah and son John George, 12 months old, left on the
"Harbinger" on 16th Oct 1848 to travel to the Colony of Australia.
George was 25 years old. His family settled in Manilla in the 1850s. A previous
article was written about George Veness and his family developing Manilla NSW
with other Pioneers like the Hartley and Hall families.
We cannot just say, “They travelled on a sailing ship to
Australia and moved to Manilla in the 1800s.”
There are more serious considerations. The reality is, they were
determined travellers, travelling to the Colony of Australia in sub-standard
conditions, and then had to endure more hardships, and overcome these hardships
with a stoic determination to overcome these hardships.
What was it like to travel to Australia in the early 1800s
and why? Why, was the promise of a new and better life in Australia. It was
tempting, as in the 19th century population explosion in the UK saw millions
living in poverty or, when faced with disaster, such as the Irish potato
famine, they could even starve to death.
SHIP VOYAGES: Voyages were long. Almost 6 months,
uncomfortable and dangerous. Emigrants faced the threat of storms, sickness,
fire, icebergs, and shipwrecks. For passengers in steerage, conditions were
cramped and levels of hygiene poor. Bad weather meant passengers were often
stuck below deck, unable to access their trunks in the hold for clean clothes
or bedding. In bad conditions, many emigrants were stuck in damp, dirty clothes
and bedding for weeks at a time and sanitation was minimal. If female convicts
misbehaved on the ship, they were punished by confining them in the coal hole,
and put on a wooden collar fitted around their neck.
When a heavy storm struck the ship, the water filled the
cabins and convict’s prison area. Travellers were soaked, and the water broke
stern windows, while chests of personal items were floating in water. As the
water rose it instilled a fear of doom by drowning. If you survived, the next
step was to bail out the water over a period of hours.
The convicts were housed below decks and often confined
behind bars, restrained in chains and were only allowed on deck for fresh air
and exercise. Conditions were cramped, and they slept on hammocks. Health was a
major concern. Many suffered from illnesses - scurvy and dysentery - and some
fell overboard and drowned. The hulks were often crammed with individuals
chained together, the pungent scent of unwashed bodies, illness and despair
permeating the atmosphere.
TRAVEL IN AUSTRALIA TOWARDS MANILLA. The road network in NSW
began with simple tracks that were originally built over existing Aboriginal
walking tracks, after the pioneer explorers entered regions not developed. A map of NSW in 1821 shows there are no road
tracks over the Great Dividing Range and no town names. Around the 1850s there
were some road tracks marked on maps from Sydney to the Tamworth area and
beyond, but there is no mention of Manilla on the map.
It wasn’t until the 1860s-1870s where the road, or track
network, made it possible for horse and carts to travel to Manilla. This made
it easier for the Bullock Trains also, to supply goods to the developing
population around the Manilla District. In 1866 Manilla’s population was about
50 and Tamworth about 250.
It wasn’t until the late 1800s that the Great Northern
railway line was constructed to the New England District, and completed in
1888. Prior to the completion there were just tracks for travelling by foot,
horse, carriage and bullock trains, to transport goods up to the Manilla
District.
Travellers faced many challenges and dangers along the way,
such as rough terrain, harsh weather, bushrangers, and hostile natives. They
could travel only about 15klms per day and it would take at least 30 days to
travel from Sydney to Manilla NSW. For George Veness to receive goods for his
store, he would have used Bullock Trains.
In many instances the bullockies (operators) just carried
flour, tea, sugar and salt on their trips, and at the end of the day hunted for
food or fished. Eating mostly kangaroo, echidna, wild duck and possum.
Our Australian Pioneers were hard workers on the land and it
would have taken a stoic sense of fortitude to leave England and forge a life
in our rugged countryside in the 1800s Australia. For them though, it seemed a
lot better alternative than the conditions in England.
This stoic determination was continued by other settlers during
the 1900s also. A continued directive for families to adhere to stoic tenacity,
enabling them to survive, and live in the environment of life they found
themselves in.
Jill Ker Conway’s Memoir “The Road from Coorain,”
encapsulates this ethos during the 1950s, with these words from her book:
"Everyone knew the most important gift to a child was an upbringing which
would toughen him up so as to be stoic and uncomplaining about life's pains and
ready for its reverses." Also, “The important things in life were hard
work, self-sufficiency, physical endurance, and loyalty to one’s mates. When
disaster struck what mattered was unflinching courage and the refusal to
consider despair. The ideal woman was a good manager, and like a man, mock any
signs of weakness or lack of stoicism in her children.”
Reading about the past enables a more enlightened Self, towards
a more understand of Our-Selves. Life today, for many, is spontaneously reactive,
and thus primes the individual psyche towards a limited attention span. Focussed
reading though, enables a growth of wisdom and enlightens the soul for
advancement.
Their first employee was Harry Lane, who stayed employed in the business for 30 years. During this time Harry was regarded as a most respected citizen, involving himself with assistance towards financing Manilla’s district hospital; an active participant in establishing Manilla’s War Memorial; and compiling the list of soldiers whose names appear on the tablet. A sportsman on, and off the field as a committee member - footballer, rifle shooting, cricket and golf - Harry’s participation is acknowledged reverently. Harry also served many years as chairman of the Mechanics Committee.
After purchasing Mr G. Coffin’s well-known business in Gunnedah in the 1930s, Harry left Manilla with his grown-up family.
During 1903 Treloar and Co was dissolved and Henry Stoddart took over the control of this Manilla business. The name was changed to Stoddart and Co. and traded until 1927, when C. F. Hayward entered into partnership with Stoddart. The business then became known as Stoddart and Hayward Pty Ltd – affectionately called "The Corner Firm.”
Henry Stoddart retained an active interest in the store most of his life and died in 1946 aged 84 years. He had also been the Mayor of Manilla for five terms.
In 1952 fire destroyed a major part of the store resulting in 26,000 pounds damage (about $900,000 today).
Stoddard and Hayward was sold to Mr and Mrs Facer in 1969, and just 6 years later the store closed.
* The Palais Theatre (shown left in the picture): The Palais Theatre was constructed by Mr R. Easterman and opened in 1928 with Mr. O. Lindsay as the manager. It was officially opened by the Mayor of Manilla Ald. T. F. Wearne, with upwards of 750 people attending the official opening ceremony.
First class pictures were selected for viewing at the Palais, including “Sorrell and Son.” Providing quality entertainment for the Manilla population. “Sorrell and Son” was released in 1927 with a story line surrounding a decorated war hero, Stephen Sorrell, raising his son Kit alone after his wife deserted them in the boy's infancy.
Bill Harrison, after employment with the NSW Railway, became the Palais’ proprietor, and was well known in Manilla from around the 1950s. During Bill’s time at the Palais, David Ridgewell became a worthy and prominent usher at what was affectionately known as “Bill’s Bughouse.” David’s story is coming up soon. Some of the remembered patrons at this time were Granny Rogers, Mr Munson, with regular patrons the Laws family.
As the 1940s-1950s rolled on Bill always provided the town with many popular movies, including the ever-popular Western movies. Western movies were so popular during this time, 2,700 were made between 1930-1954. And we cannot forget the Palais’ introductory Movie Tone news, followed by a serial at the Saturday afternoon matinee.
Saturday matinee movies were always popular with the school children in Manilla. With Manilla Central School’s 542 pupils in 1958 it almost guaranteed a packed house at the Palais on many occasions.
During the 1950s-1960s we cannot forget popular movies like the Carry-On movies, which were ably assisted in popularity with James Dean, Debbie Reynolds and Tony Curtis. Followed by Marilyn Monroe, The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, The Dambusters and The Nun’s Story. Everyone was scared when Psycho came to town and entered our life.
The Era of Stoddart and Hayward and The Palais will always be remembered by most residents, as these businesses were part of everyday life in Manilla NSW Australia.
Background History: Mr A. R. (Mac) Macleod settled in the Manilla district in 1911, and bought the local Massey-Harris agency. In January 1919 Mac bought the Manilla Express, which he edited from October 1923. He was also an executive-member (1920-39) and president (1933-34) of the New South Wales Country Press Association, and a vice-president (1933-36) of the Australian Provincial Press Association.
Mr A. R. Macleod is also the author of the book titled “The Transformation of Manellae – a History of Manilla,” published in 1949.
Alton married Lily Hall in 1913 and they had three children: Marion Lily, Douglas and Effie Jean. Their daughter Marion married Lindsay Bignall and they both wrote the book called “A History of Manilla 1853-1979,” published in 1980. The grandson of Alton and Lily, and son of Marion and Lindsay Bignall is Ian Bignall, who still resides in Manilla NSW today.
Like his grandparents and parents, Ian continued with important community work in Manilla; involving himself in many committees to facilitate and strengthen the growth of the Manilla community. His leadership within the Save the Manilla Viaduct committee, with Kevin Anderson MP, played an important continuing role in establishing a foundation of support, and ensuring the viaduct was not lost. Together with his important contribution over many years as President of the Manilla Heritage Museum, his leadership assured the History of Manilla is in a secured place for the future.
In recognition of A. R. Macleod’s community service, a Drinking Fountain Monument was erected at the Municipal Chambers in 1934. Mac was also the initiator of the town's sewerage and water schemes, and active in more than a score of community organizations, including the Parents and Citizens’ Association, hospital board, show committee and the Caledonian Society. In 1919 he had been elected to the Manilla Municipal Council and served as an Alderman (1919-21 and 1926-50) and Mayor (1930-34 and 1942-50).
You are able to find a detailed article about Mr Alton Richmond Macleod further up in this section.
* Movement towards construction of the Manilla Street Beautification Development.
In 1932, after discussions regarding the beautification of Manilla Street, the matter was referred to the Council’s Works Committee for investigation and report. This report was submitted in the same year.
It was an ambitious scheme and for a time the Council shelved the report. In 1935 the Council appointed a special committee comprising Ald. A. R. Macleod, J.D. Kennedy and J. Coates to fully investigate the scheme submitted in 1932 and to obtain fresh suggestions if they thought fit. This committee reported in 1936, recommending that the 1932 proposals be carried out in their entirety.
This scheme included the removal of existing pepper trees, the laying down of an eight-foot garden centre to be planted with shrubs, a street clock and tar penetration of the whole street. There was opposition both in and outside the Council to the scheme, but eventually the Council proceeded with the scheme, borrowing 2040 pounds (today $230,000) for the purpose.
The work was carried out in the latter part of 1936 and has produced a picturesque business centre for Manilla. The town clock, purchased from Prouds Ltd., was erected in 1938. It contains notices within a glass enclosure, on each four sides, giving valuable information concerning Manilla’s development over the years. Prouds is an Australian jewellery business founded by William James Proud in Sydney in 1903.
In 2014 the information noted on the clock is:
Bridge erected over Namoi River 1887 - Railway to Manilla 1899-1987 - Electric light installation 1913 - Manilla Street centre gardens established 1932 - Manilla Hospital 1906-2012 - Manilla MPS 2012 - Manellae Lodge 1994 - Memorial Pool 1967 - Town Clock erected 1938. Water Installation: Main town 1934 - North Manilla 1953 - Split Rock Dam 1987. Sewerage Installation: Main Town 1953 - Southbrook 1965 - North Manilla 2000.
Rural Pursuits and Attractions: Wool Sheep Cattle & Poultry Production, Grain Growing, Warrabah National Park, Lake Keepit State Park, Split Rock Dam, Fishing & Fish Hatchery, Bush Walking and River Walk, Paragliding and Hang Gliding, Manilla Historical Museum Royce Cottage, Annual Manilla Show.
First Settlement est. 1858 - Population: 1866 - 50, 1901 - 780, 1938 - 2250, 1978 - 3100, 2016 - 3200. Incorporated as Municipality 23.7.1901 - Mandowa Shire Incorporated 3.6.1906 - Amalgamated to form Manilla Shire Council 1.1.1960 - Amalgamated to form Tamworth Regional Council 17.3.2004.
This is a Story written by David Ridgewell about the Palais
Theatre in Manilla NSW, while he was employed at the Theatre, during the era
1950s-1960s, with Bill Harrison as the Proprietor.
Titled “At The Palais,” David Ridgewell 1988
I remember with great affection and yet some sadness, the
era of the picture show, particularly the Palais and its proprietor, W. P.
Harrison and patrons who attended that was once the centre of activity within
this small community of Manilla.
I remember the love affairs that began and concluded; the
disputes and arguments that seemed to erupt like clockwork within the audience;
the blackouts; the breakdowns; and the boy who always failed to part the
curtains before at least the national anthem had been concluded and the
Movie-Tone News had been running for at least half of its scheduled screening.
But most importantly, I remember and still cherish the warmth of friendship
that evolved from many nights at “Bills Bughouse.”
I speak with some authority because for a period of 14 years
I worked part-time in what we kids felt was the “centre of the universe." The
proprietor, William Plumber Harrison, was a self-made man, smart in intellect,
possessing a great sense of humour and the peculiar habit of wheeling and
dealing in all matters financial. Bill, as we remember, lent himself to all
avenues of the running of the Palais – from mixing the glue to post the posters
promoting next week’s programme, to making sure the kids were prevented from
removing the famous F. W. North soft drink bottle worth threepence on return to
Mac’s Café next door, or undertaking major repairs and renovations on the
machinery that night after night so magically took all to the four corners of
the globe, to outer space or to the excitement of Tarzan in jungle, Hopalong
Cassidy on the plains of the Wild West, or Charleton Heston as Moses opening
the red sea.
No matter how serious the situation may have been in the
smooth running of the Palais, Bill always stated that “a small adjustment is
just required,” even if that small adjustment concerned the complete failure of
the number two projector. Bill Harrison never became flustered; any problem
could be solved, so often to the tune of “cat calls,” “wolf whistles,” or the
phrase “give her a Bex.” Bill soldiered on to make sure that those hundreds of
patrons who paid five shillings for the privilege of sitting upstairs, or two
shillings and sixpence for the “chocolate run” downstairs, achieved their
dreams of faraway places.
The patrons, like Bill himself, were legends. There was
Granny rogers who, for it seemed 100 years, sat in the same seat in the same
row, making things uncomfortable for any other person who managed to take her
position. “Granny,” who loved sixpence each way on every race on the eastern
seaboard, would laugh a hearty laugh during the saddest or most dramatic parts
of the feature film thus resulting in a chain reaction of frivolity throughout
the whole theatre, at a time when perhaps tears would have been much more
appropriate.
Our dear friend, Mrs Munson, loved the pictures and came
almost every night there was a screening; but always insisted on paying only
for the first half in case she decided to go home at interval. However, many
was the time when she would come for the second half and promise to “close her
eyes” for the first half if she could come for the full program and only pay
one shilling threepence.
Then of course, there was the case of the threepenny ice
cream. A most serious dilemma. Bill Worthington expressed the desire to see
Bill Harrison as a matter of great urgency one busy Friday night. It would
appear that Dot Worthington – a most colourful character – attended the
pictures every Friday night. At interval, Mrs Worthing purchased a 3d ice
cream. To husband Bill this was taking the night’s outing just too far, so he
tried to enlist the support of our Bill Harrison to prevent this excessive
splurge of monetary waste. Happily though, Dot Worthington would enjoy the
feature film and that 3d ice cream from McMillan’s for many years after.
It would be almost criminal of me not to mention the Laws
family who undoubtably, would have been amongst the most consistent of patrons
to the Palais. Through foul weather or fine; through draught or flood, every
Wednesday and Saturday night, Mrs Laws, Pod, Glorie, Joyce, Colleen, Arthur,
Keith and Patty would take their usual seats in the middle row of the
downstairs section, to inhale the excitement of the “Jack Holt” serial, the
laughter of “Ma and Pa Kettle,” and the fear of the “Creature from the Black
Lagoon.”
Pod, always neatly attired in a white silk shirt with black
braid, invariably fell asleep before the conclusion of the National Anthem, but
woke precisely at intermission to send the younger members of the family to
purchase one large Red Cola and one packet of Sweet acres Jaffas, not only to
be shared by themselves but by anyone else fortunate enough to be sitting in
that magical middle row. Show-time did present some problems for this lovable
family. Was it to be Wednesday night at the Tamworth show and miss the “Jack
Holt” serial? To the great relief of all concerned, Bill in his generosity,
allowed Mrs Law and Pod to see the serial for sixpence each and then they and
the kids, who were charged threepence, could with great contentment take in the
brilliance of the fireworks on the Tamworth Showground.
If there was a love affair, it too invariably began or ended
at the Palais. Young, old and not so old, it made little difference. For
example, teenagers dared to hold hands or perhaps chance a quick embrace at the
Saturday matinee. The young ladies of the district, dressed in their very best,
every Saturday night, sat on the left-hand side of the projection box, hoping
with great anticipation that the young men, equally well attired, hair shining
with “Brylcreem” “Californian Poppy” would make that courageous move from their
territory, namely the right hand side of the projection box and select one of
the young ladies as their partner for the night’s program and, as fate perhaps
decided, their partner in many a happy marriage. It reminded me of Robert
Taylor as Lancelot receiving from Ava Gardner as Guinevere, her scarf before
the tournament.
Like the case of the 3d ice cream, there was, of course, the
love affair that was more off than it was on, regularly every Tuesday night.
The participants shall remain anonymous, however the patrons to the theatre and
the whole listening audience of radio 2TM, knew exactly from week to week at
what situation this romance was at. This couple, to the best of my knowledge,
never quite sat together – he at the end seat in row 11; she at the other end.
Sometimes she sat in seat one, row 12 and he in seat one, row 14. It would seem
that this Romeo and Juliet were keen music fans and so religiously every Monday
at 1.30pm via the Manilla Hour programme broadcast on 2TM, those budding lovers
dedicated musical items to each other and to the situation of their affair.
One week, for example, her request would perhaps be “When
you are in love, it’s the loveliest night of the year” and his “Love is a Many
Splendoured Thing.” Unfortunately, though, it would appear that Cupid’s arrows
were more often off target than on, when her dedication would be “Your Cheating
Heart” and his “Fools Walk in where Angels Fear to Tread.” Unlike the case of
the 3d ice cream which concluded on a more positive note, this love affair,
like the old Palais itself – simply faded away.
Disputes and arguments go hand in hand with crowds, so the
situation at the Palais was no exception. Regulars had their regular seats. For
example, Granny Rogers always sat in Row 8 seat 1, near the fire exit doors.
Mrs Campbell and Margaret, always in the last row near the Entrance and the
Pevey family on the wooden sets in the very front row. Sometimes unsuspecting
patrons took these ‘sacred’ sites, but were quickly ‘forced’ to re-locate when
confronted by the regulars. Many was the time, especially when the Shows came
to town, that fights would erupt in, out and around the theatre. One example
which comes to mind, was the Saturday night after the Show when the proprietor
entertained Jimmy Sharman and his boxing troupe for the feature film. Seated in
the second row of the “peanut run” was a rough diamond named Teeny, a 16 year
old girl who rode a horse as well as the “stripling from Snowy River” and could
fight at “good” as any man. She immediately challenged the complete troupe to 3
rounds per man from centre stage during a 10 minute breakdown, but was quickly
pacified with one of Reg McMillan’s meat pies, courtesy of Bill.
The proprietor of the Canberra Café, Bill Glitsos, was
selling toffee apples for fourpence each. During one Saturday night’s
intermission a regular picture fan who had recently taken delivery of a new set
of dentures, purchased an “apply on a stick,” however, was unable to utilise
his streamlined teeth on this popular treat. During the coming attraction
highlights, he placed his teeth on the railing of the upstairs section. For
some reason never to be disclosed, they tumbled down. The patron, on finishing
the toffee apple, felt for his “choppers,” but of course they had fallen to the
depths below. He immediately accused the unsuspecting patrons sitting around
and beside him, causing such a commotion that Bill offered – after suspending
the program for 15 minutes – to make and fit another set on Saturday afternoon.
I do believe the same patron is still wearing those dentures made by our Bill.
The ”flicks” brought the world to Manilla and the customers,
so varied in taste, became completely involved in the evening’s entertainment.
In fact, so much so, that fantasy over took reality and so the drama of Susan
Hayward being saved from alcoholism in “I’ll Cry Tomorrow” or Gregory Peck as
“General Custer” slaughtered by “Sitting Bull” at the battle of “Little Big
Horn,” affected so many of those vulnerable patrons for days following the
conclusion of the Saturday evening programme. One notable incident which still
today provokes amusement, was the night the superstar Elizabeth Taylor acted
the role of the poor little rich girl in the film “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” She
couldn’t keep her man, so in desperation this beauty was about to take an
overdose of sleeping tablets in the hope that her love would forgive and
forget. The Palis audience was totally absorbed; in fact the atmosphere was
electric, when from the heart of the theatre, a woman sprang to her feet, babe
in arms and cried: “Don’t do it girl. He’s not worth it – you’ll get over it.”
Instantly the place erupted and as was the procedure during periods of
emergency at the Palais, Bill closed down the machinery, called for an orange
freeze from Mac’s to pacify the distraught woman, a penny ice cream for the
baby and after the customary delay, again to the chants of the proverbial wolf
whistle or cat call, carried on with the nights exciting schedule.
Bill was never backward in being classified as a charitable
fellow and was always to the fore in making the stage at the Palais available
for the drawing of a raffle or perhaps the spinning of a chocolate wheel.
Priscilla Roach, a tireless worker, regularly took advantage of the
proprietor’s hospitality to draw many of her famous thirty-six prize raffles.
One Easter Saturday, before the conclusion of intermission, the crowd was all
anxiously awaiting the commencement of “North to Alaska” starring the Duke himself,
John Wayne, and also waiting with great anticipation, the conclusion of Mrs Roach’s
monster competition. A well-known identity, seconded to draw the lucky numbers,
had promised to be on hand, but at the vital moment could not be located. A
quick search resulted in him being assisted from the saloon of the Courthouse
Hotel to the stage of the theatre. So amongst the cries and yells, jibes and
jahoos, he proceeded to draw the winners from the Cornflakes Box always
provided by the Ready Money Store for these auspicious occasions,
Unfortunately, the 36 prize draw proved far and beyond the limits of his
endurance and so this very intoxicated celebrity, much to the dilemma of all
officials there present on the stage, proceeded to be violently ill directly
into the raffle box. To make the situation much worse, only eight of the 36
tickets had been declared. Bill raced to the stage to announce to the restless
public that he would guarantee the clean-up of the cornflake box and all
contents and that the competition would be finalised in the beer garden of the
“top pub” on Easter afternoon. The guest of honour was caried from the stage
and again under the direction of our Bill, was left to recover in the orchestra
pit.
Empire night always presented a great headache for the management,
but for the audience, great fun. “Red double bungers” were the flavour of the
day and when these ran out, “throwdowns” were brought into action. Like
clockwork, the bungers would be usually thrown from the alley-ways of the old
building, either through the swinging fibro windows or the fire exit doors.
Instantly Bill sprang to the front of the theatre, the “throwdowns” would
explode at the back. Poor Bill, Empire Night was almost beyond him,
unfortunately. The night the sky rocket screeched through the theatre was
indeed exciting. The movie had been dreary. The picture show appeared to be
engulfed in stationary smoke – almost an indoor fog – and the smell of sulphur
was intense. All was quiet, so I presume the supply of red double bungers and
throwdowns had been exhausted when the skyrocket left it’s launching pad, in
this case an empty bottle of what was once the most delicious of drinks,
Sparkling Cocktail, at precisely 10.15pm. Heading from the back stalls of
upstairs, the rocket soared through the air towards the screen, recently
introduced into Cinemascope form. What a sight! Gold and green stars cascading
into the audience below, quickly followed by several loud explosions and then
again, another series of stars, this time in the most brilliant shade of
scarlet. Strangely, as if by remote control, the missile veered from its course
– the centre of the screen – where at that very moment the Desert Fox was
holding the leading lady in a passionate embrace in the movie, “The Desert Song.”
Making a turn of 90 degrees, this flaming projectile went straight through one
of Bill’s famous spinning fibro windows with the most thunderous of crashes.
Yes, Bill certainly must have agonised over this one night of the year.
Before concluding this most amusing collection of what is
just a brief insight into the Palais, of Bill and so many of his patrons, it is
of interest to remember the music which was played before the start of the
programme, at the intermission and the conclusion. “Mac the Knife,” “Moonlight
and Roses,” and “The Blackboard of my Heart” played continuously, session after
session for at least 20 years.
The commercial slides, courtesy of Chas. E. Blank, too
proved most interesting. “Coorey for Hosiery” was shown in its original form
for 35 years. The slide unfortunately had been cracked in two in 1949, but
Bill, not to be one to spend money on trivia, stuck it together with an
original role of Bear Tape, which made this most famous of slides, when flashed
onto the screen, even more outstanding. Another was “J. Priestley for Quality
Watch Repairs.” Mr Priestley came to the theatre every Friday night, always
attired in an overcoat and felt hat during both summer and winter. He came, it
appeared, only to see his slide, so once it was displayed, he quickly left.
Yes, I do remember the bitter cold and sweltering heat of
this old building. The bursting of the paper bags. The rolling of the bottles
and the throwing of the Jaffas. The Sipple boys, young Bill, the twins, Keith
and Jeff, Ivan, David and the baby brother, Barry, always first in line for a
ticket, dressed in their very best and not a shoe amongst them. The
overpowering odour of Bill’s home-made disinfectant. The torches that never
worked. Hanah Ghys reminding us all of “Madame Defarge” from Dickens classic “A
Tale of Two Cities,” who knitted as the nobility were brought to the
guillotine, so our Hannah knitted as she so faithfully sold the tickets night
after night, illuminated by the magnificence of a ten-watt lightbulb. And, who
could forget the great piles of rubbish that seemed to engulf the whole theatre
after each session.
How fortunate I feel I have been, to have witnessed all
this, as I and thousands more, looked in on an era that has now passed into the
mists of “Yes, I do remember!”
(c) David Ridgewell 1988
The Post Office Hotel – Manilla NSW Australia
This Article is a Lead Up Article towards the Main Article, which
is: The History and Growth of Hotels in the Manilla
District.
The Post Office Hotel: In 1882 Stephen Veness (the brother
of George Veness) was granted a hotel licence and built the first hotel on the
south side of the Namoi River, the Junction Hotel, on the corner of Strafford
and Manilla streets. Two years later he sold it to Mr. W. Smart, who disposed
of it to W. Sinden in 1887.
In 1902 the Junction Hotel was destroyed by fire, and
immediately rebuilt as a two-story building, by the present proprietor, F. J.
Swain, who died of a heart attack in 1904 aged 36 years. His wife carried on
the business.
Daniel Costelloe, with his brother Michael, arrived in Upper
Manilla from Ireland in 1901 and Daniel came to the Junction Hotel in 1911, and
became a popular figure in hotel and sporting life in Manilla. He was a
prominent footballer and supporter and eventually sold the Junction Hotel to
James Corrigan in 1913. Corrigan was a farmer from New Mexico (just west of
Manilla) and his mother had already held a wine licence at Keepit, 35 years
before. Keepit is just west of Manilla.
Corrigan placed the hotel licence with A. G. Windsor who
just 6 months earlier had been acting Postmaster at Manilla. It was not long
before Windsor went back to the post-office department. While in the Junction
Hotel he changed the name to the Post Office Hotel.
In 1915 Henry Grady, a police officer, resigned from the
police force and purchased the Post Office Hotel. He retained ownership until
1946, where his son John. H. Grady successfully carried on the operation of the
hotel. Len Ridgewell was the Proprietor of the Post Office Hotel in 1942.
Ward (Captain Thunderbolt) was initially well known for
escaping from a prison island. After escaping, he became the longest operating
bushranger in Australian history. He robbed all the usual targets for
bushrangers - pubs, post offices, lone travellers, and more. Hiding out in
caves and behind other bush objects, he emerged to rob many unsuspecting
travellers. Eventually, Captain Thunderbolt was shot dead by authorities in
1870, after he ignored people’s advice to flee the area. He became something of
a folk hero, and his legend lives on in the Manilla District NSW.
Fred Ward is the son of Michael Ward who arrived in
Australia in 1815 as a convict, along with his wife Sophia. Fred spent his
first decade at Windsor, attending St Matthew's Church of England school. However,
similar to some of his elder siblings, he later reported that he could read but
not write. Like most rural workers of the time, Fred was functionally
illiterate.
In the mid-1840s, when he was around 10 years of age, Fred's
parents relocated to Maitland, west of Newcastle, where his father Michael died
in 1859 and Sophia, his mother, in 1874. Fred had spent time learning bush skills from
his elder brothers as he was employed, at the age of eleven, as a
"generally useful hand" by the owners of Aberbaldie station in the
New England district. The New England district is in three divisions. The
western with towns: Moree, Narrabri, Bingara and Inverell. The eastern with
towns: Glenn Innes, Ebor and Armidale. The southern region with towns: Tamworth
and Manilla.
During the following decade, Fred worked as a station hand,
drover and horse-breaker at many stations in northern NSW, returning to spend
time with his family at West Maitland between jobs. His many employers included
Tocal station near Paterson in the Hunter Valley, the pre-eminent horse stud
owned by Charles Reynolds. Charles Reynolds (1806-1871) and with his son Frank
Reynolds (1848-1920) formulated the seminal tome “Breeding Racehorses by the
Figure System.”
In northern NSW, Fred was also a stockman on the Richmond
River Station and during this time found himself in trouble over cattle, and received
a prison sentence. His first of two, which ultimately changed the direction of
his life, or rather, directed him towards the life he led.
Police Inspector William Thomas Langworthy recalls early in
his career a lot of his time was occupied in chasing Fred (Thunderbolt).
William joined the police force in 1863 and was stationed at many northern
police stations. William then lived at “Longview” near Manilla and died in 1927
aged 86.
Mary Ann Bugg, with mixed Caucasian/Indigenous heritage, was
wooed by Fred, resulting in Mary playing a major part in Fred’s short-lived
life. They were ultimately made for each other, and this reality resulted in
them producing many children together.
Mary Ann was a Worimi woman, and the daughter of an English
convict. Mary Ann Bugg was born in 1834, and the eldest of eight children. At
an early age she was sent 250kms from the family home in Gloucester by her
father to the Parramatta Orphan School in Sydney to prepare for life as a
domestic servant.
By the time Mary Ann was 14 she had returned home, married a
local drover called Edmund Baker and given birth to a daughter – the first of
her 15 children. Edmund’s work took them to the farm of the mother of Fred Ward
- bushranger Captain Thunderbolt.
After being sentenced for cattle stealing on the Richmond
River Station; with good conduct Fred was released early. Mary Ann had finished
her schooling in Sydney and after Freds release she was waiting. Mary Ann wanted
to go to Gloucester and Fred obliged and “borrowed” a horse. He was ultimately arrested
for horse stealing and sentenced again to Cockatoo Island.
His escape from prison was invented by Mary Ann who provided
the tools enabling the removal of his leg irons. He hid in a disused boiler for
several days where Mary Ann had brought food. Four days later he made the swim
to escape the island, then was smuggled in a cart over the Hawkesbury and taken
to Singleton, and later made his way to Walcha with Mary Ann. After stealing
firearms from Fenwicke’s Station, they then made for the upper regions of the
Manilla district where the country was wild and pursuit difficult. Their
relationship increased in stature and their support of each other crossed many
boundaries.
While he was moving out of the Walcha district with Mary
Ann, they were engaged in dressing a sheep (the process involved in preparing a
sheep carcass after it has been slaughtered for meat), when Sergeant Garvan and
Trooper Buckland rode up. Ward was unarmed and ran to his pony and urged the
pony up and over the hill. Ward’s pony weakened, and he dismounted and crouched
behind a fallen tree trunk. The Trooper decided to jump the log on top of Ward.
The horse miss timed his jump, his forefeet striking the log, throwing Buckland
to the ground leaving him dazed. By the time Buckland recovered Ward had
galloped far away.
Fred’s northern exploits started in the mid-1800s. He robbed
the northern mail at Bendemeer and Muswellbrook. In 1865 the Tamworth Examiner
reported: “Fred Ward, alias Captain Thunderbolt, had held up the Warialda mail
and later went to Lloyd’s Station at Manilla and took two first class horses.
Then robbed Cheeseborough’s and Lethbridge’s Station. Later robbing Mungo’s Inn
at Boggy Creek (near Narrabri) and then Cook’s Inn at Quirindi, followed by Davis’s
Inn at Currabubula (near Werris Creek).”
In 1866 he robbed the coach at Gulligal (Boggabri) and
Murrurundi, and stuck up the coach between Walcha and Tamworth, whilst also
robbing a jeweller of a large sum of money. William Hill’s Hotel at North
Manilla was also targeted by Ward.
It is reported he eventually set up a bush camp at the
Bluff, in the scrub and hills at New Mexico (15klms west from Manilla) and at a
nearby lookout he was able to watch the movements of travellers below, where he
robbed many unsuspecting travellers. In those days mail to and from Manilla
were by horseback. He was regularly about Manilla in the 1860s.
There was a large rock on the road from Manilla to Barraba and
it is believed Thunderbolt used the hidden vantage point and then bolted out to
rob the travellers. Ward was shoeing his horse near the Greenhatch Creek (close
to Manilla) while his companion Mary Ann kept watch above. A trooper appeared and
wanted to know where Ward was. Ward heard the commotion and mounted his horse
and escaped.
He was robbing George Veness’ Inn at Manilla when suddenly
Constable Norris rode up. Ward quickly departed on his horse towards New
Mexico. William Hill’s hotel at North Manilla was also visited by Ward.
A newspaper article in February 1867 states the police met
Thunderbolt near Manilla yesterday and chased him for six miles. They recovered
400 pounds, which he had taken from the mail. (today nearly $100,000)
With a reward of 200 pounds (today $50,000) on his head,
Ward was almost captured in February 1867 while drunk near Manilla. He took an
accomplice Thomas Mason, a 16-year-old orphan, with whom he robbed the mails in
the New England and Upper Hunter areas as well as the Liverpool Plains District
(south of Manilla). While hiding out in the Borah ranges (just north of
Manilla) they became separated. Mason was captured in August and convicted of
highway robbery.
Mary Ann followed Ward whenever possible. At Stroud in March
1866, she had been sentenced to six months for vagrancy but was released in
April, because the conviction was not accurately drawn up. (Stroud is south of
Tamworth near the Barrington Tops)
Ward's next companion was William Monckton, a 13-year-old
runaway. In 1868 Monckton abandoned Ward who then worked alone.
In May 1870 Ward was in the process of robbing Blanch’s Inn
at Kentucky (near Uralla) and was chased by police and later shot by Constable Alexander
Binney Walker at Kentucky Creek in scrub land nearby. He was buried in Uralla
cemetery without religious rites. This ended the exploits of Fred and Mary Ann.
Frederick Ward undoubtedly had great nerve, endurance and
unusual self-reliance. His success as a bushranger can be largely attributed to
his horsemanship and splendid mounts, to popular sympathy inspired by his
agreeable appearance and conversation, and to his gentlemanly behaviour and
avoidance of violence. He also showed prudence in not robbing armed coaches, or
towns where a policeman was stationed. The last of the professional bushrangers
in NSW, Ward was the most successful.
Relationship: Frederick Wordsworth Ward (Captain
Thunderbolt) (1833-1870) and Mary Ann Bugg/Ward/Burrows (1834-1905)
Fred and Mary Ann were active on and off the field. With all
their pent-up activity on the field their desire to relieve the tension off the
field, resulted in them having four children before they were married in 1859,
followed by another four later.
This desired result happened throughout the wide Australian
countryside. Their first child was Jane Louise Bradfield (Ward) (1852-1922) in
Ipswich QLD, followed by John Thomas Ward (1855-1916) in Windsor NSW, Mary
Louisa Ward (1857–) in Mudgee NSW, James Joseph Ward (1858-1953) in Windsor
NSW, Marina Emily Ward (1861–) in Monkerai NSW (who went into care in Sydney), Elizabeth
“Eliza” Ann Williams (Robins) (Ward) (1864-1939) in West Maitland NSW, Mary
Anne Ward (1864-1906) in Wallabadah NSW, and finally Frederick Wordsworth Ward
(Burrows) (Jnr) (1868–1937) in Tamworth NSW.
Mary Ann married John Burrows (1828-1890) shortly after Fred
died in 1870 and produced more children before she died in 1905 at age 71. On
Mary Ann’s death certificate, a total of thirteen children were listed. It is
reported her children with John Burrows were: James (born c1858), John Frederick
(born c1869), Ada (born c1871), Ida (born c1875), George (born c1877), Arthur
(born 1879), Helena, Minnie and Eliza.
A report by Carol Baxter in 2011 further explains the
complexity of Mary Anne’s (including Fred) children: When Mary Ann registered
her son George’s Birth Certificate in 1876, she provided an interesting useful
piece of information. In the section “previous children”, she noted that she
had “4 males and 7 females living, 1 male and 1 female deceased”. This
indicated that she had given birth to thirteen children prior to George but
that two had died, probably in infancy. With the addition of George and Arthur,
this increased the list of her children to a total of fifteen.
Primary-source records revealed that Mary Ann had given
birth to a child while they were camping in the Manilla district in mid-1865.
Fred was so concerned about Mary Ann’s wellbeing during her delivery that he
paid a woman to stay and assist her while he went off bushranging. The child
was still alive early in 1867 so had clearly survived the important first two
years.
The questions that we may all be wondering at this moment in
time, is, “I wonder what happened to their children and the families they
produced leading up to the 20th and 21st century?” That would be worthy of
another story.
Just off the New England Highway and not far from the
village of Black Mountain, near the major towns of Armidale and Guyra in
northern NSW is “Thunderbolt's Cave.” Named infamously for Captain Thunderbolt
(Ward). Thunderbolt used the cave in 1867 and 1868; the years when he
conducted many robberies in the Tamworth and the New England districts.
The Manilla District was undoubtably part of Thunderbolt’s
life, and goes down in Historical terms as a period of time within the folklore
of Frederick Wordsmith Ward’s life. Whichever way we may look at it, it is an
interesting story of life, within the era of Colonial 1800s Australia.
This is a Lead-Up Article towards the main Article, titled: “The
History and Growth Towards the Implementation of the First Manilla Show on March
2rd and 3rd 1932,” which will be posted next
week.
Today, it is time to reminisce and look back with some
History and Pictures from the Past.
Information regarding the picture: Mrs L. Macleod is the
mother of Marion Macleod. Marion married Lindsay Bignall and together they
wrote “A History of Manilla 1853-1979,” first published in 1980.
Mrs Lily Macleod (Hall) is the wife of Mr Alton R. Macleod who
wrote the book “The Transformation of Manellae – a History of Manilla,”
published in 1949. Mac was also the owner and editor of the Manilla Express
from 1919. An article about Alton was posted here in August 2023. An article
about the History of the Manilla Express is coming up soon.
Mrs Hannah Ghys was also one of the founding members of the
Manilla Historical Society. An article was posted here about the Manilla Museum
and the Historical Society in October 2023.
The forerunner for the Manilla Show started with a public
meeting at the Royal Hotel in 1899, where it was decided to create a branch of
the Farmers and Settlers Association.
Later, in 1928, the Manilla Express launched a campaign for
combining all district product displays into an established agricultural show,
which led to the first Manilla Show in March 1932.
This article, next week, details many aspects of the
movement towards the first Show, including pictures of the Show in the early
1930s.
It is a detailed informative article worth reading, to gain
an understanding of the historical context of the Manilla Show, which today
carries on each year for the benefit of the Farmers and Graziers and the
Manilla Community alike.
The 2024 Manilla Show is on this Weekend. This is an
opportune time to look back and understand how the first Manilla Show came
about all those years ago – in 1932.
“The Development
Towards the First Manilla Show on Wednesday and Thursday the 3rd and 4th March
1932.”
In 1899 a public meeting was held at the Royal Hotel Manilla
where it was decided that a branch of the Farmers and Settlers Association be
formed in Manilla. Over 30 district farmers attended the meeting.
The officers elected for the Farmers and Settlers
Association were: T. W. Higgins, P. Woolfe, J. Donnelly, D. E. Veness, M. F.
McKeon, John Wheeler, W. Short, W. Hill, F. A. Porter, W. Moore, D. McDonald,
Henry Bignall, T. Brady, W. Veness and T. B. Rodd. T. W. Higgins was elected
President. (Henry Bignall is the father James Bignall, who is the father of
Lindsay Bignall who married Marion Macleod, and they wrote the Book: “A History
of Manilla 1853-1979,” published in 1980)
Their first Annual Meeting was held in June 1900. In 1901 D.
E. Veness became President and held the office until 1904.
McKeon tried unsuccessfully in 1904 to regain the office of
Secretary. He was not happy and had a quarrel with the proprietor of the Royal
Hotel, John McNulty. He moved that in future the Association hold its meeting
at the Post Office Hotel. L. J. Bailey opposed the holding of any public
meetings at hotels, as there was a hall in town where meetings could be held.
The motion was defeated and McKeon left the Association, sold his Manilla
district property and moved to the Gunnedah district.
By 1907 the Association had regained its former strength and
staged the first “Farmers’ Carnival” in Manilla. It was a huge success and
carried on for many years until the Agricultural Society was formed, which
eventuated in organising Manilla’s first Show.
The annual “Farmers' Carnival” was held from 1907 to 1915
and continued again after WW1. The first Farmers' Carnival,” held in June 1907,
attracted a crowd of 1,500 to watch the ring events and view the displays of
horses, sheep, cattle, fruit, vegetables, grains and other farm produce. There
was also a Main Street Parade in Manilla Street which attracted a big crowd of
spectators.
In 1918 a branch of the Farmers and Settlers’ Association
was formed at Ukolan with G. A. White as President. Ukolan is located a few
kilometres east of Manilla on the Halls Creek Road.
In 1921 the Farmers Carnival, which was suspended during
WW1, was revived in 1924. The Association instituted the Manilla district wheat
competition, with the first competition being won by W. E. Kirk from sixteen
entries. The competition was conducted annually until 1933, when it was handed
over to the Manilla Agricultural Society.
As the Association did not cater for poultry, the local
breeders formed a club and staged several poultry exhibitions. The Junior
Farmers’ Club also became show minded and annual displays of products from
Junior Farmers’ gardens were conducted.
* The leadup to establishing the Manilla Agricultural
Society, resulting in Manilla’s first show.
In 1928 the Manilla Express launched a campaign for
combining all district product displays into an established agricultural show,
where all might work in harmony for the good of the district and the welfare of
rural industries.
The first defining response came from Manilla Business Men’s
Association when, in 1929, it set up a special committee comprising A. R.
Macleod (President), H. Stoddart, J. A. Rochfort and D. M. Mackenzie to
investigate the possibility of establishing a show in Manilla. This committee
contacted several organisations interested in rural affairs and reported back
to the Association in 1929, stating that the proposal had been favourably
received by all town and district organisations, and particularly by Manilla
Graziers’ Association which had offered to throw all its weight behind the
movement. In its recommendation the special committee stated that a drought and
a financial depression made the present time inadvisable for calling a public
meeting and suggested that action in that direction be delayed until seasonal
conditions became more normal.
Just 12 months later, in June 1930, a deputation from
Manilla Business Men’s Association, comprising the President A. R. Macleod and
Secretary J. A. Rochfort waited on Manilla Graziers’ Association and sought
co-operation in calling a public meeting with the object of forming a show
society in Manilla. The Graziers’ Association were whole heartedly behind the
movement, despite the current financial depression.
A public meeting was called in 1930 with 84 in attendance.
It was resolved that Manilla Agricultural Society be formed. Two weeks later
the Society had 180 members.
The first meeting of members was held in 1931 when the
ballot for the first committee was announced. V. J. Byrnes was elected as
President.
Just 12 months later, in 1932, Manilla’s first show was
conducted on Wednesday and Thursday the 2nd and 3rd of March with exhibits of
produce and stock, and a host of events such as horse racing, trotting, camp
drafting and sheep dog trials. 5,000 people attended on the first day.
After the success of the first event, the Agricultural
Society built a pavilion and a number of other buildings and yards at the
Showground.
Manilla’s Association Branches were a tower of strength to
the rural community of Manilla. With its assistance the wheat industry in
Manilla district grew towards a major rural industry.
Just one year prior to the first Show, the Upper Manilla
Agricultural Bureau was formed in June 1931 where Edgar Nixon was President.
Their first public function was a field day where members were addressed by
officers of the Agricultural Department. The Bureau organised the Upper Manilla
merino ewe competition and carried on successfully for many years. Their top
flock, produced by J. A. Byrnes, won the State merino ewe judging competition.
During the 1920s and 1930s the merino flock sheep ewe
competitions, conducted by the Upper Manilla Agricultural Bureau, the Manilla
agricultural show and the Manilla ram sales, all encouraged local farmers to
develop more scientific breeding programs. On Tuesday 3rd July 1928, 25,000
sheep were yarded for auction by V. J Byrnes, Stock and Station Agent, Manilla
NSW.
The lead up to the Manilla’s first Show was planned and
advertised extensively, including through the Manilla Express.
It was decided a civic welcome is to be held at the Council
Chambers, followed by the Show Ball on the Wednesday night, followed by the
Show Banquet on the Thursday night. The Show Ball will have a catered supper
and Moffat’s Orchestra of six.
Show membership now totals 240 and there is wonderful
enthusiasm being displayed for the show.
Amongst the people at the civic welcome were Mr. R. H.
Hawker, VP Manilla Show; Mr. V. C. Thompson, M.H.R., Rev. E. D. Pearson, Mr. W.
Filsell (Town Clerk), Ald. A. R. Macleod (Mayor), Mr. V. J. Byrnes (President
Manilla Show), The Governor, Sir Philip Game, Cr. M. Park (VP Manilla Show) Mrs
F. A. Chaffey and the Hon. F. A. Chaffey, M.L.A. Insurance against rain was
adopted, 500 pounds (today $55,000) at a cost of 1 pound 2 shillings (today
$150.00).
Street entertainment was planned and the Manilla Express
reported on February 26th 1932: Headline: “MANILLA STREET ENTERTAINMENT.” “The
Gaities” were to perform, with Paul Warten and Stanley McKay’s huge canvas
theatre will play on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights, Funny Comedians,
Brilliant Singers, Clever Dancers, Wonderful Acrobats, Ballet, Chorus and
Orchestra.
This theatre was set up on a vacant block of land in Manilla
Street, two doors south of the Express office, the now vacant building formerly
the Salvation Army store and before that, Finley’s, Wally Bakers and Dengates.
Travelling shows regularly set up on this block before the 1940s. Manilla was
all excitement and buzz leading up to the first Show.
Side Show Alley was not forgotten and it was advertised that
“Lovers of boxing are advised that Alf Henson’s well-known troupe will be at
the show." Alf says he is bringing some extra good men, and as we have
seen the show before, it can be highly recommended. J. Cowgill will also be
along with his Chair-o-Planes and Swinging Boats beside numerous minor
attractions.
(A Chair-o-Planes is a swing ride or chair swing ride
(sometimes called a swing carousel, wave swinger, yo-yo, waver swinger, Dodo or
swinger) is an amusement ride that is a variation on the carousel in which the
seats are suspended from the rotating top of the carousel. On some versions,
particularly on the Wave Swingers, the rotating top of the carousel also tilts
for additional variations of motion)
Mr E. Eames wanted total rights for all riding devices and
offered 5 pounds for this privilege ($500 today). This was disputed by Mr J. T.
Cowgill who also had riding devices, and counter offered 6 pounds ($700 today).
The Show Committee, in their financial wisdom, accepted both, with some
amendments, which resulted in a total of $1200 going towards the Show funds.
A Shooting Gallery is planned, and as far as is known, the
finest collection of snakes yet exhibited in the State. Other minor attractions
will also be present to make up a good collection of sideshows.
For the kiddies Henson’s Merry-Go-Round and Razzle-Dazzle
will be on the ground, so that there is fun in store for everyone.
It was advised by the Show Society to save bustling for
tickets and become a member for 1 pound ($100 today) which also helps the Show
Society. Donations were rolling in with Mr John Watts donating 1 pound; George
Bowman 3 pounds; W. C. Douglas and Co a gold watch to the value of 7 pounds;
Garnet Bowman donated 15 poles and Mr C. Taylor donated a special pair of
trouser valued at 3 pounds. (1 pound is about equal to about $100 today)
Mrs Harry Veness and her usual band of willing CWA helpers
have charge of the “eats” side of the programme, while Mrs Cameron and her Red
Cross workers have the soft drinks, ice cream and fruit stall.
The Show Time Table was established, with the first day
being the judging in the ring and will commence at 10am and will continue until
3.35pm on Wednesday. At 4.05pm local Maiden Hunters will compete, to be
followed by Maiden High Jump. Judging will then proceed until 5.15pm when the
bull riding contest will take place.
On the second day judging will commence with section 120 at
10am, and will continue to 11.30am when the maiden sheep dog trial will be
held. At 12 noon the official opening by the Honourable Captain F. A. Chaffey
MLA, will take place. The speech will be broadcast on the loudspeakers.
Immediately following this, the open sheepdog trial will take place. Luncheon
will follow.
After lunch the program will start with the Open Hunt,
followed by the Grand Parade; Pair of Hunters; Musical Chairs (Ladies); Melon
Race; Rescue Race; Walk, trot, and gallop (men); Pony Hunters; Walk, trot, and
gallop (ladies); Flag Race; Bending Race; High Jump and followed up by Gretna
Green and Consultation Hunters.
Leading up to the Show the Manilla Express was full of
advertisements, whereas the 1932 Show Entries were also displayed: “Magnificent
entries in the horse, sheep and cattle sections have sheep breeders throughout
the district, have favoured the society with entries in one class or another
and what promised to be the finest lot of sheep seen at the show outside of
Sydney will greet the judge.”
In the cattle section practically every class, particularly
in the Durhams is filled. In the horse section practically every class,
trotters excepted, is well filled as many as 20 being in one single class.
Altogether the horse entries total nearly 280, which is Manilla and District’s
reply as to whether we can run a show.
Of the minor entries so far, a special exhibit to attract
attention will be a fine lot of whips, braces, belts etc. (70 pieces) coming
from Kootingal, whilst we understand a local enthusiast has space for a similar
exhibit. Kootingal is just east of Tamworth, about 40 minutes away.
The Roberts Bros store was advertising new stock for the
Manilla Show: “Charming Millinery just landed for the first Manilla Show.
Ladies’ new seasons hats have just come to hand; the styles are very charming
and they are priced very right – 11/6 to 25/6. The new seasons frocks, coats
and hosiery will be on show next week – watch this space.” ($70-$140 today)
Stoddard and Hayward were promoting their new range of suits
ready for the Show: “Your Show Suit? Our range of Summer Suits certainly afford
a wonderful choice, for included are the very newest and fashionable materials
being worn this season. Worsteds, Tweeds and Serges of suitable weight are the
vogue. Perfect fitting and expert attention to details is assured. Show off one
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After the Show – Newspaper Report - The Manilla Express –
Headline: “MANILLA’S FIRST SHOW WAS A BIG SUCCESS. GREAT DISPLAY OF STOCK,
MERINO STANDARD HIGH.”
“Manilla is the largest centre in the North-West of NSW for
wool, wheat, and beef cattle, and takes pride of place in the number of sheep
and cattle sold, both at the ordinary sales and at the stud stock sales.
At present Manilla is passing through the dry spell
experienced in most parts of the State, and a good downpour would be of great
benefit to the district. At times like the present, it was a great achievement
for the citizens of Manilla to launch out and hold an agricultural show for the
first time, and greater still to have made a success of it.
The show was an unqualified success from all angles and
equalled the records of most shows of the north-west that have been established
for years, and in towns that have a larger population.
The live-wire of the show is Mr. J. A. Rochfort, the
secretary. He originated the idea of holding an agricultural show less than two
years ago, and after many meetings, the support of various associations in
Manilla was given the project. At a public meeting held in October 4th, 1930,
at which the Mayor, Ald. A. R. Macleod, presided, it was unanimously decided to
form an agricultural society in Manilla. A committee was then formed and Mr. J.
V. Byrnes was elected the first President, and Capt. F. A. Chaffey, M.L.A.,
patron, with Mr. J. A. Rochfort secretary. At a committee meeting held in
April, 1931, March 2 and 3, 1932, were fixed as dates of the first show.
The Mayor of Manilla, Ald. A. R. Macleod, is also an
untiring worker in the interests of the show, being one of the committee men
and an original member of the first committee to form the Manilla Agricultural
Society.”
The Agricultural Show continues to be a major event in the
Manilla NSW social calendar. In addition to the annual show the Agricultural
Society has organised regular field wheat and fodder conservation competitions.
The fortieth Manilla Show held in 1974 was opened by the
member for Tamworth, Mr E. N. Park. Highlights of the show were the
Horticultural Society's floral display in the pavilion, and the Historical
Society's display of photographs, ribbons, trophies and other memorabilia from
past shows dating back to the early Farmers' Carnivals.
The Manilla Show is undoubtably a great attraction each year
in Manilla. It is where the farming community are able to gather, as well as
the Manilla community, to enjoy The Annual Manilla Show, at a venue that is
synonymous with the Historical context of Manilla as a whole.
Establishing the first Manilla Show in 1932, was also
establishing its own personal unique time within the Development of Australia -
Just two weeks later, the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened.
With the memory of last weekend’s 2024 Manilla Show still in
our minds, it is time to look back to the 1963 Manilla Show and the Manilla
Showgirl Competition.
Headline: “WHO WILL BE MISS MANILLA SHOWGIRL 1963”
“These nine attractive young Manilla lasses have entered the
R.A.S Show Girl Contest being run in conjunction with the 1963 Manilla Show on
Friday and Saturday next March 8 and 9. The winner of the local contest will go
to Gunnedah on March 15 for the zone judging. If successful there she will go
onto Goulburn where 10 finalists will be chosen to go to Sydney for the final
judging at the 1963 Royal Easter Show.
* Wendy Douglas is 18 years of age and a stenographer employed
by J. D. Kennedy and Sons. Her hobbies include horse riding, tennis,
dressmaking, music and photography.
* Patricia Herden is 18 years of age and a clerk employed at
the Manilla Engineering Works. Her hobbies include dancing and dressmaking.
* Pauline Dutton is 18 years of age and a shop assistant
employed by M. C. Mackenzie and Sons. Her hobbies include tennis and swimming.
* Diane Chapman is 16 years of age and a shop assistant
employed at M. C. Mackenzie & Sons. Hobbies include dancing and basketball.
* Janet Bell is 19 years of age and a shop assistant employed
at L. A. Dale’s Pharmacy. Her hobbies include basketball, horse riding, cooking
and dressmaking.
* Gwen Adamson is 17 years of age and is a shop assistant
employed by M. C. Mackenzie & Sons. Her hobbies include tennis and
basketball.
* Edith Thom is 18 years of age and is a stenographer employed
by J. D. Kennedy & Sons. Her hobbies include swimming, tennis, music,
photography and dressmaking.
* Joy Connolly is 18 years of age and is a clerk employed by
M. C. Mackenzie & Sons. Her hobbies include basketball, swimming and
dancing.
* Shirley Collier is 19 years of age and is employed in
domestic work. Her hobbies include horse riding and tennis.”
The first Showgirl competition was held in 1962. Its
introduction was well thought-through and part of a wider strategic push by the
Royal Agricultural Society of NSW to strengthen ties with regional agricultural
societies through zone conferences, field competitions and symposiums. At its
heart, the competition aimed to broaden the experience of young rural women,
strengthening their communication skills and boosting their confidence in the
hope they would return to their communities better equipped to take on
leadership roles.
The contest was suggested by management consultants and was
introduced partly at the instigation of Gilbert Mant (RAS Public Relations
Manager 1956-1969). Conducted with the official assistance the Agricultural
Societies Council of NSW, it appealed at a grassroots level and rapidly
increased in popularity.
The format was simple and is essentially unchanged. Each
local show society holds a competition, with the winner going on to compete at
a zone level. Finalists from each zone then compete at the Sydney Royal Easter
Show. Judging criteria has also remained unchanged. Over the course of a series
of interviews, talks, and functions, contestants are evaluated on personality,
confidence, ambition and goals, general knowledge, rural knowledge,
presentation and speech. Finalists are also asked to demonstrate knowledge of
their local community and current affairs. Apart from their potential
ambassadorial qualities, contestants are also judged on their involvement in
and experience of rural affairs.
The competition was an immediate success and quickly
attracted sponsorship support. In 1963 an overseas trip was offered as part of
the prize package, literally opening-up the world for young women who, at that
time, had limited opportunities to travel. Major sponsors have been: the Daily
Mirror (1962-1965); the Daily Telegraph (1970-1972); the Women’s Weekly
(1973-1978); and The Land (1979- present).
In 2022 the name of the Competition was changed from the
‘Miss Showgirl Competition’ to the ‘Sydney Royal AgShows NSW Young Woman’
competition, recognising the role of the Sydney Royal and importantly all
agricultural shows which bring these young women together.
For us all here today, it is an opportune time to look back
and reminisce to 1963, and the Manilla Show Girl competitors during that era.
In October 1905, The Bank of New South Wales purchased a block of land on the corner of Manilla and Strafford Streets, from the estate of Stephen Veness, for 1426 pounds, (today $140,000) where the shop of J. T. Smith, saddle and harness maker once stood (see picture).
J. T. Smith was part of the growth of Saddle and Harness makers in 1800s Australia. It grew due to the necessary need for transportation in Australia, and law enforcement in the Colony, prior to the motor car arriving during the early 1900s. The Australasian Saddle and Harness Makers Association was formed in the 1890s, when Bishop & Co, Printers of Melbourne commenced printing the monthly Trade Journal for the Association.
* Australian Stock Saddle: The original traditional Australian stock saddle was designed for security and comfort for riders who rode in rough conditions, and spent long hours on a horse. Initially the stock saddle was a "park" style saddle similar to the modern English showing saddle, with low set knee rolls and short flaps. However, this style of saddle did not suit the rugged Australian terrain and did little to protect the rider’s legs from sweat. Thus, the flaps were lengthened, thigh and knee pads added, the seat deepened and the cantle raised.
Saddlery and harness equipment underwent significant evolution from the early 1800s to 1919 in Australia, to adapt to tactical and technological changes. Until Australia became a Federation in 1901, each of the six colonies were responsible for their own defence. From 1788 until 1870 this was done with British regular forces. In all, 24 British infantry regiments ruled/served in the Australian colonies, to maintain civil order; all requiring suitable saddles for the Australian conditions.
During the early 1800s, two pistols were commonly used by the regiments, requiring carriage in specialised pistol holsters located on each side of the front of the saddle. In the mid-to-late-1800s, wallets were modified to be used on different saddles used by mounted units. In Palestine in August 1917, the 12th Light Horse Regiment directed its troopers to carry in their wallets an iron ration (tinned bully beef, four hard tack biscuits, a small packet each of tea, sugar and salt, and sometimes two dried cubes of beef extract which could be reconstituted as beef tea), a pair of socks, a small towel of piece of towelling, soap and a shaving kit.
* The Bank of NSW opens for business on February 11th 1911.
Its first manager was Mr T. N. Johnstone until 1918. Followed by Mr T. R. Buchanan, Mr Allan, Mr Elcoate, Mr Allnutt, Mr Dobic and Mr A. L. Hudson. In the days prior to 1916, it was the business of the Government.
At the conclusion of Mr T. N. Johnstone’s Management, Mr A. R. Macleod acclaimed: “Mr T. N. Johnstone had rendered splendid service to the public welfare of Manilla. He had years of service to his credit as secretary of the Manilla District Hospital, secretary to the Manchester Unity Order of Oddfellows, office in charge of the Manilla unit of the Australian Light Horse, treasurer and committee man of the Mechanic’s Institute. He was accorded a public farewell on leaving Manilla.”
The Manchester Unity Order of Oddfellows is a fraternal order founded in Manchester in 1810. These various organisations were set up to protect and care for their members and communities at a time when there was no welfare state or National Health Service. The aim was, and still is, to provide help to members and communities when they need it. The friendly societies are non-profit mutual organisations owned by their members. All income is passed back to the members in the form of services and benefits.
Following Mr T. N. Johnstone’s departure, the Bank of NSW was served by the following managers: T. R. Buchanan (1917-1921), V. F. Allen (1922-1929), F. N. Elcoate (1930-1931), H. L. Alnutt (1931-1936), R. R. Dobbie (1936-1938), E. L. M. Hudson (1938-1946), E. R. Buttenshaw (1946-1948), and A. Clayton (1948-1949).
Just before the Opening of the Manilla Bank, The Manilla Express reported on January 28th 1911: “New Bank of New South Wales to be opened next week. A handsome building, of modern architectural feature. Erected at a cost of 3000 pounds (today about $300,000). Mr B. Ford of Sydney was the architect. Mr L. McKechnie of Barraba the contractor. Mr T. N. Johnstone and staff will commence business in the new premises.
This article followed on with a detailed description about the Bank building: “The Bank of New South Wales may well feel proud of their new premises in this town as it is doubtful if a more attractive or imposing building of this class is to be found in any part of the State. The design, which is classic, is perfectly proportioned, and the general treatment while free and original is correct in every detail.
The two main fronts when seen together have a most effective appearance, and the tower on the corner is designed in such perfect harmony with the surrounding work, that it seems to grow out of the main building and forms a notable landmark for some distance in every direction. A careful study of the methods used reveals the fact that the harmonious result is attained by making each portion of the design part of a complete scheme embracing the whole, and there is thus a total absence of the meaningless ornament, and disconnected features one so often sees even in work of reputedly good class.
Some interesting information was supplied to us by the architect, Mr Bertram Ford, who mentioned that in addition to the usual eight scale plans and specifications, he had prepared no less than thirty sheets of detail drawings for the work, many of them full size and one of them no less than twenty feet in length. The fact that such a quantity of work should be involved in the matter of supervision will come as a revelation to the man in the street who is apt to look upon this section of an architect's duties as little more than a matter of form, instead of what it actually is, the most exacting part of his work. The interior fittings throughout the building are of the very best quality and the design for the Bank fittings and especially the teller's counter is a most striking one, being not merely abreast but distinctly ahead of some of the most modern work in Sydney.
While the general appointments of the Banking Chamber are in keeping with the high standard set by the office fittings. The private portion of the building is most conveniently planned, and provided with every modern convenience, having hot and cold water laid on, acetyline gas jets in every room, and electric bells where required, while an ample supply of water is provided for by underground and overhead tanks with a storage capacity of ten thousand gallons. The ceilings throughout are lined with steel picked out in bright colours and the manager's private sitting room calls for special mention on account of the wall paper and frieze which indicate taste and judgment in selection and give the room a luxurious appearance.
The staircase in the main hall is a fine piece of work and the newel posts are elaborately and artistically carved to detail. The spacious entrance vestibule is octagonal, and is planned in an original manner which screens the swing doors from the force of any wind there may be, and, therefore, ensures for the office complete freedom from dust. The floor of the vestibule is tiled and swing doors with most artistic lead lights open from it into the Banking Chamber. (a vestibule is an antechamber, hall, or lobby next to the outer door of a building)
A notable feature throughout the building is the perfect lighting and ventilation, and the former is very noticeable in the strong room, where one would least expect it, since one is seldom seen like this which requires no artificial light.
The same attention to detail, which is noticeable throughout the main building, is to be also found in the stables which are most conveniently arranged and contain coach house, stalls for two horses, feed and harness rooms fitted up in such a manner as to save all unnecessary labour.
Altogether the building reflects very great credit on all concerned. On the popular local manager, Mr T. N. Johnstone, for making a business which has justified the erection of such a building, on the builder, Mr McKechnie and staff for a most credit able piece of work throughout, and on the architect, Mr Bertram W. Ford (of Sydney), for designing, detailing, and generally supervising the erection of the building.”
* In Australia, the period after the Second World War was marked by steady economic growth and industrial development, underpinned by the labour of an influx of European migrants where Manilla also became part of this development through, in part, to the construction of Keepit Dam.
During this time the Bank of New South Wales embarked on a major expansion, taking its services wherever it saw a need. In 1956 the Bank of New South Wales Savings Bank was established, primarily to provide housing loans to individuals and cooperative building societies, an area the bank had pioneered in 1936.
In Australia, the Bank of New South Wales was established in 1817 under a charter of incorporation signed by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. In October 1982, the Bank of NSW merged with the Commercial Bank of Australia, taking on the new name of Westpac Banking Corporation.
* Other Bank Branches in Manilla *
1. The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney.
The Manilla Express reports Friday, 26th February 1943: “The bank established in Manilla prior to the bank smash of 1893 was the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, established in 1889. Its manager was Mr H. j. Fenwick, who in recent years, has been associated with the wool agency industry in this district. When the 1893 smash toppled the banking world right and left, the Commercial closed its doors in Manilla which left Manilla without a bank until 1897 when Mr W. M. Trenarrey, opened up a branch in the office premises now occupied by Mr V. J. Byrnes. Here the, bank conducted business for 27 years; twenty-two of which was under the management of Mr Trenarrey until he moved to Moree in 1919, and later to Tamworth.”
In 1923 the business of the bank had expanded to such a degree that new premises were necessary. The bank then purchased the former sight of Mr A. E. Bailey coach building business. The new premises were completed in 1924. Some early managers following Mr Trenerry's departure were: Mr Wobb, Mr B. S. May, Mr N. Gall and Mr C. M. Podmore.
2. The State Savings Bank.
In 1916 the State Government decided to establish a branch of the State Savings Bank in Manilla. Mr J. Bosward was the first manager. His premises were situated where Mrs Blanch's hairdressing saloon was. As the business of the bank developed the present site was purchased and a concrete building erected. In 1932 the bank crashed when the Lang Government suspended payment.
3. The Commonwealth Bank.
Arising from the re-organisation, the Commonwealth Bank purchased the premises and opened business in Manilla. Up to that time the saving section of the bank's business was transacted at the Post Office. Mr Guyot was the first manager and he was followed by Mr Satcheli, Mr 0. R. Wilson and Mr M. C. James. In 1936, the bank demolished the old building and built the present fine and palatial premises.
Conclusion-2024: During the last number of years Banks have been closing throughout Australia, where we have noticed it more in NSW country centres, as the country moves towards more digital/electronic influences in many areas of our life. The banks have also decided face to face service will also be a thing of the past as the new digital age develops.
It is unfortunate and disappointing, yet many are fortunate today and able to remember and look back, on an era that was simplistic in nature, where full time work was available for the majority, houses were affordable and where fulfillment grew from achievable possibilities.
Alfred Cowper Veness – Business
and Life - Manilla NSW Australia
A C Veness (1870-1951) firstly worked in his father’s store
(George Veness) in Manilla and then commenced business as a stock and station
agent in Manilla. He was Manilla’s first town clerk in 1901 until 1913 and later
served as an Alderman and Mayor of Manilla Council. Previous to this, in 1899,
he became a Justice of the Peace and held this title for 50 years.
An advertisement in the Manilla Express states: “A. C.
Veness Auctioneer. Member of Country Produce and Stock Selling Co. Ltd. Stock
Agents Association Homebush, Trucking and Fire Insurance Agent. Manilla St
Manilla. Agents for Alliance Fire and Accident Insurance, New Zealand Live
Stock, T. Browne Monumental Mason, Fison’s Sheep Dip.”
As time went by, Alfred also saw a need for diversity within
his business and added Speedwell bicycles, motors and motorbikes to his
business; adding this new form of transport to Country Manilla NSW.
By 1907 privately owned motor vehicles first appeared in
Manilla, when in just one week three cars were in town. As time progressed,
cars were causing a wave of protest from the residents, who visualised a
multitude of accidents resulting from the speed these vehicles travelled up and
down the streets - at a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour (55 klmph).
By 1911 there were several Manilla-owned cars, Dr Catchlove
had a “Renault” and Alfred Veness owned a “Hupmobile,” while the O’Dell family
had a couple or cars also. Details regarding the Hupmobile are further on in
this article.
Although cars were seen in these early days around Manilla
there was still a need for travel by horse and sulky.
By 1910 Baker’s Coach and Wagon factory Manilla, was one of
the largest of its kind in the State, employing up to 40 men manufacturing
wagons, sulkies and farm equipment and machinery. In 1918 H. M. Baker created
interest by conveying to Tamworth Show eight of his own manufacture sulkies,
looking bright and shiny, all tied in fours behind two motor cars. As motor
cars replaced horse-drawn vehicles, the factory became a garage. Baker’s Coach
and Wagon factory was on the site of the now Rotary Park.
The Veness family were business innovators from the very
moment they arrived in Manilla in the mid-1800s. As the population of Manilla
grew in the late 1800s, George’s brother Stephen was granted a Hotel Licence
for the newly built Junction Hotel in Manilla. It was originally a one storey
building, and after it burnt down in 1902, it was rebuilt as a two-storey
hotel. There is an article coming up very soon about the History of Hotels in
Manilla NSW. The Junction Hotel was later named the Post Office Hotel.
By 1900, while Alfred Veness was successfully conducting his
business in Manilla, and with the nearly built railway, Manilla’s population was
moving ahead considerably and ably assisted by the very successful wheat
harvest in 1899. With a harvest of an estimated 125,000 bags, this caused much
wealth to flow into the township. A wheat bag weighed nearly 120kg, making
125,000 wheat bags equivalent to about 10,000 medium sized cars.
Wheat harvest was very labour intensive in those days. In
the absence of machinery, large numbers of men were needed to cut a crop in
time. Alfred and other business entrepreneurs picked up on the need to supply
more services, and Manilla grew in stature during this progressive period.
Alfred also saw a need for diversity in his business and as
mentioned previously, added Speedwell bicycles, motors and motorbikes to his
list of transport needs. However, he could see motor vehicles were the
transport for the future, and together with his son Colin, and later grandson
Ralph, they established the Ford Motor Company Agency in 1912 together - with
his successful auctioneering and commission agency. By the 1940s this business was carried on by
his son and grandson.
Ford Motors started in the USA with the Model A in 1903 and
it wasn’t long for the cars to find a market in Australia. They followed up the
Model A, with the Model T five years later, and Tarrant Motor and Engineering Co
in Melbourne became the first agent to sell the Ford brand in Australia.
With Alfred’s interest in motor vehicles in the early years,
it was only natural that he purchased his own, and chose the Hupmobile. The
Hupmobile was produced from 1908 to 1941, where a total of 561,464 cars were
produced during that time.
Hupmobile was built by the Hupp Motor Car Company of Detroit.
The first Hupmobile car was the Model 20 Runabout, which was built in 1909 and
had a four-cylinder engine rated at 16 to 20 horsepower. (today a four-cylinder
motor car produces 80-300 horsepower) The low-speed ratio was 2.7 to one, and
the high-speed direct reverse, had the same ratio as the low, which meant that
the car moved pretty fast when it went backward. This model never became
popular partly because of the low power and only a two-speed transmission with
very wide-spaced ratios.
For the mechanically minded, low-speed ratio of 2.7 means
that the output gear turns 2.7 times slower than the input gear. In other
words, if the input gear rotates once, the output gear will rotate 2.7 times
slower than the input gear. Today, new pickups and SUVs appear to stick with
the base axle ratio of 3.08:1 or 3.42:1. Meaning low-speed wheel torque takes
less throttle to get the vehicle and the load it’s carrying, or towing, moving.
The Hupmobile reached a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour
(56 klms per hour).
Today, there is the Hupmobile Register of Australia and New
Zealand - a group of enthusiasts dedicated to preserving and maintaining
Hupmobile motor vehicles by the publication of a quarterly magazine, and
holding rallies.
Speedwell is a well know brand, and proudly sign written on
Alfreds shop awning. It also had a very well-known bicycle in Australia. However,
Bennett and Wood in Sydney also manufactured the first Speedwell FN motorcycle
in 1904. The Speedwell emblem is proudly stated on the tank and an image from
the Victoria Museum shows this motorcycle dated 1911. Another image of a WWI
despatch rider kneeling beside a motorcycle with Speedwell Australia on the
tank is dated 1917.
Later, in the 1930s and 1940s, the firm started to build
Acme motorcycles.
The Acme motorcycle was available in conjunction with BSA
importers for NSW. The engine was a Villiers 122cc Mark 9D, and the frame was
built locally. Production of the Acme motorcycle began in May 1939, and was
phased out in 1949, due to the success of the imported BSA Bantam. The Acme,
along with the Waratah, were the only two Australian-made motorcycles whose
production span was before and after World War II. The 1939 Acme motorcycle had
a 125cc motor.
The BSA Bantam is a two-stroke unit construction motorcycle
that was produced by the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) from 1948 (as a
125 cc) until 1971 (as a 175 cc). Today a 1952 BSA Bantam, 123cc, can be
purchased between $5000-$8000, while there is a 1953 499cc model that costs
around $30,000.
In conclusion we must make a special mention to Alfreds
wife, Sarah Jane Veness (Coulton). Sarah was born in 1871 in Moore Creek NSW
and died on April 1942 aged 71. Moore Creek is a few kilometres south of
Manilla and just east of Attunga.
On the 21st April 1942 the Manilla Express paid
tribute to Mrs Veness with the heading, “An Appreciation of the Late Mrs A. C.
Veness.” It reads: “The passing of Mrs. A. C. Veness has removed from, our midst
an outstanding personality. The three main spheres of her influence and
activity were in the Methodist Church, her own home and personal contacts with her
fellows. In regard to her Church activities, one may say that it was exemplary.
Right from the earliest days Mrs. Veness was an active, efficient and
consecrated worker in every department of the Church's activities. Regularly,
Sunday by Sunday, found her at worship in the Church services – offering herself
to God. In the home Mrs. Veness was a "mother in Israel", lavishing
love, service, and a Christian influence upon the members of her family. As a
wife she was true and faithful- to a sacred trust. Her personal influence
extended far beyond the confines of her own home: a host of friends numbering
among them many of our highly esteemed clergy hear testimony to a rich
spiritual fellowship, and bear witness to the fact, that they are better men
and women because they have known and been helped by her.”
Manilla grew considerably after the construction of the
railway, better roads and accommodation facilities; and a country side that
possessed successful wheat and wool production. We can look on in awe of this
era, that transported Manilla towards the 1950s and beyond. The simplicity of
life was palpable with country Australia, and even by the 1950s, many still had
outdoor dunnies. Everyone just accepted this simplicity as normal.
Alfred Cowper Veness was undoubtably part of the important
pioneers that moved Manilla forward, towards and during the 1900s.
Without showing an interest, and reading about the exploits
of these pioneers, and their endeavours in life, we fall short of gaining a
wisdom about Manilla and ourselves, and the consideration that the past is
really us also, because without the past, today would not be here in our
present times.
We may gain instant pleasure from a short moment attention
span - but then the pleasure is instantly gone. Gaining knowledge through
attentive reading is fulfilling, as it impacts our growth of wisdom, and this fulfilling
knowledge impacts us within our improved health, within our life – we have
developed our wisdom - through knowledge.
Manilla NSW Australia – Late 1890s and the period 1900 to 1905.
This was an Era of Much Development in Manilla.
1. During 1895 the Manilla Progress Association was formed
and John Coote Jnr. establishes imported *Devon Cattle and *Lincoln Sheep Stud,
and 4 years later, in 1899 the Manilla Express was first published. The story
of the Manilla Express is completed and coming up soon.
* Devon Cattle are one of the oldest British breeds of
cattle where they have been recognised as a distinctive breed for at least two
and a half centuries. The success of the Devon breed in Australia is associated
with the ability to produce top quality beef, both straightbred and as a cross,
under varying climatic conditions. Devon Cattle are efficient converters of
grass to beef and their ability to withstand extremes of conditions. With their
robust constitution they have flourished in the diverse environments of
Australia. They are used for both milk and beef production in Australia.
When the first fleet arrived from England to Sydney Cove on the
26th January 1788, they had on board two bulls and seven cows.
* The Lincoln Sheep, sometimes called the Lincoln Longwool,
is a breed of sheep from England. The Lincoln is the largest British sheep,
developed specifically to produce the heaviest, longest and most lustrous
fleece of any breed in the world. Great numbers were exported to many countries
to improve the size and wool quality of their native breeds. The versatile
fleece is in great demand for spinning, weaving and many other crafts. It is
now one of Britain's rarer breeds, categorized as "at risk" by the
Rare Breeds Survival Trust since there are fewer than 1500 registered breeding
females in the United Kingdom.
In Australia, the Lincoln Sheep, were used extensively in
early days for crossing with the Merino, the resulting half breed being inbred
and becoming the Corriedale. Subsequent crossing using both Merinos and
Lincolns resulted in the Polwarth.
* Flower Mills: Wheat was a staple food and the British
brought it to Australia in 1788. To be well fed, the colony needed 7-8,000
bushels a year. One bushel is 36.4 litres so 8,000 bushels is the equivalent equal
to 12 large water tanks. The grain needed to be ground into flour, so flour
milling became an immediate and necessary secondary industry in the colony. As
stone-ground flour has little keeping capacity, mills needed to be close to the
consumers. In Colonial terms a large flour mill was a marker of a successful
country town, and with a very successful wheat harvest in 1899 Manilla, this caused
much wealth to flow into the township; it was inevitable a Flower Mill was
established in Manilla.
There were many developments and changes in Manilla around
1900:
In 1900 a draft
petition asks Governor of NSW to declare Manilla a Municipality --- A Grain
shed was built at Manilla railway and the Farmers and Settlers Association to
pay an annual lease --- The 1st Public School at North Manilla formally closes
after 21 years --- A new school for 200 pupils was built on the Corner of Court
and Arthur Streets --- The Manilla Town Band was formed --- The Imperial Hotel was
constructed by T. J. Bowen on the Corner of Manilla & Market Streets ---
The Court House Hotel was constructed by T. J. Bowen on Manilla Street --- A timber
bridge was built over the Manilla River at Upper Manilla --- The School of Arts
was replaced with larger brick hall built by T. J. Bowen, whereas the title was
changed to the Mechanics Institute.
Tom Treloar contracts T.J. Bowen to construct speculative
shop premises on the Corner of Manilla and Court Streets, and in 1900 the Court
House Hotel opens.
In 1901 the Governor of NSW approves incorporation of the
town of Manilla as a Municipality.
This led to more development in Manilla:
The First Municipal Council was elected --- The first
irrigation plants installed on Manilla River properties enables production of
vegetables and tobacco and the establishment of dairies --- The Manilla to
Barraba Railway Bill passes through Parliament --- The Official school opening
set for January was cancelled due to Queen Victoria’s death --- Local opening
celebration held on the 9th March.
Tom Treloar assigns Henry Stoddart to comanage his Manilla
Store with H. Jackson, leaving John Grayson to manage the Tamworth store having
offered him partnership --- Tenders were called for the building of steel railway
bridge over the Namoi River and the construction of piers and superstructure
for a timber viaduct --- Treloar and Stoddart partnership was amicably dissolved
with Harry Stoddart taking over the Manilla Store which then became Stoddart Limited.
In 1902 the Junction Hotel was destroyed by fire and
immediately rebuilt as a two-story hotel by the proprietor, F. J. Swain --- The
Royal Hotel was built in the mid-1890s while Stoddart and Co. began trading in
1903 --- and J. T. Robertson and Co. began business in the same year --- J. T.
Robertson were forwarding agents and produce merchants. (this article is
completed and coming up soon)
In 1904 the Presbyterian Church (timber) was built by Chapman
and Byron, and opened on March 13th on the corner Court and Rowan Streets.
In June 1900 the Manilla Progress Committee approved a
motion to establish a district hospital in Manilla, and in the following year a
Hospital Committee was established to locate a suitable site and raise funds.
After a site on Northbrook Hill on the Tamworth Road was endorsed by the Survey
Department, the Committee embarked on a concerted fund-raising drive, holding
balls and many other functions. The foundation stone of the hospital was laid
on 19 November 1904, and Manilla District Hospital was officially opened on 10
May 1905 by the State Governor Sir Harry Rawson. The celebrations lasted late
into the evening with a procession through the town, a dinner and a ball.
The opening of Manilla Hospital paved the way for resident
doctors to settle in Manilla. Dr E. Ellis was the first medical officer,
followed between the wars by Doctors Clarke, Thomas, Rayson and Waterhouse.
Doctors who cared for the people of Manilla after the Second World War included
Doctors Johnson, Windeyer, Henderson and White.
1904-1905: Construction begins on Manilla Railway Viaduct ---
Electricity was first used in Manilla by Wilson and Oram in the Flour Mill at
northern end of Arthur Street --- Residents north of Burrell Street have the
advantage of early use of electricity --- The Manilla Municipal Council makes their
first land purchase in Strafford Street --- Dalgety & Co. exchanges Keepit
Station for Govt., owned Euroka station near Walgett, and Keepit station is cut
up and sold for closer settlement.
In 1906 the Manilla Railway Bridge & Viaduct
construction was completed.
From a report in the NSW Gazette, Manilla had a population
of 50 persons in 1866, and by 1891 the Census report shows it had grown to 275.
Manilla was moving along successfully in 1900s Australia.
The History and Growth of Hotels in the Manilla NSW District.
Hotels and Pubs have always been synonymous with Australian
Country life, and Manilla was another country town where Hotels, Pubs and
Liquor outlets were established from the mid-1800s. It is worthy of mention
that the nucleus of every settlement during this era of growth is a licensed
accommodation house, a store and a blacksmith shop.
George Veness conducted a wine shop from his store in
Manilla, at the junction of the Namoi and Manilla rivers, in the mid-1850s. This
store was demolished by the 1864 flood and he built another store on the corner
of Market and Namoi Street. He was still in business in March 1877, when a
court of inquiry under the Lands Amendment Act of 1876 was held at the Veness
Inn, Manilla NSW. This store was eventually demolished in 1906.
When the Manilla bridge was built in 1886, he built another
store on the corner of Manilla and Market Streets, taking advantage of the
traffic north and south. After George died in 1895 the store was owned by a
number of people. In 1902 it was purchased by Thomas Priest who conducted it as
Priest and Lorenz. In 1913 Priest retired and left the business.
A few months after Veness built his store and wine shop, John
George Rideout built an accommodation house on the river bank at North Manilla.
He then sold to a bloke called Davis, who then sold onto Thomas Connors. Thomas
Connor, with his wife and young family, arrived in Manilla in 1858. Connor
eventually built the first hotel in 1863 on the banks of the Namoi just west of
the bridge approach. After a period of hotel life, the Connors went on land at Circular
Bend on the Manilla River.
Yet at Klori, just 10klms down the road towards Tamworth,
Charles Norris established the Carriers Arms Hotel in 1875. There were other
wine shops and vineyards closer to Tamworth – Gunnett’s and Kearn’s wine shops.
While Mrs Corrigan was running a wine shop on the Carroll Gap Road near Borah
Crossing (west of Manilla in the New Mexico district, about 15 minutes away).
As time went by Hearn’s Hotel was at Dead Horse Gully (a few kilometres south
or Klori), and hotels at Attunga Springs, and Moore Creek (just east of
Attunga). Another hotel was established at Tarpoly by Mrs Haydon in 1863.
Tarpoly is just north of Upper Manilla.
Just 5klms south of Manilla, in 1870, Granny Short ran a
wine shop on the Tamworth Road opposite the wireless station. In the 1950s the
land owner discovered the cellar of the wine shop while digging a dam on his
property. A pepper tree marks the site today.
Hearn’s Hotel was at “Dead Horse Gully,” and later the
Norris family established a hotel in that vicinity when the course of the road
changed. There was also a hotel and stable at Attunga Springs. Just through
Attunga, at the intersection of the Garthowen Road, there was an Inn and
Blacksmith Shop. Brown’s Hotel was at Moore Creek, while a short distance away
was Charlie Ah Sue’s Vineyard. The Quick family established a vineyard just
eight miles from Tamworth, and further down the road Mr Gunnett had a vineyard
also, plus a wineshop. Not forgetting Kearn’s Wineshop closer to Tamworth.
During these times Armidale had a population of 1000,
Barraba 80, Glen Innes 350, Gunnedah 150, Somerton 30, and Tamworth a
population of 650.
In the early days of settlement licensed accommodation
houses and stores were the first buildings to grow up at strategic points along
the route followed by teamsters and cattle drovers from Tamworth to
north-western NSW. By 1874 there were wayside inns at regular intervals along
the road between Manilla and Tamworth.
John George Rideout sold his north Manilla accommodation
house, and then sold off to Thomas Connor. In 1863 Connor opened the first
hotel on the banks of the Namoi, and called it the Australian Arms, also known
as the Manilla Hotel. The hotel was not located at a safe distance from the fast-rising
waters of the Namoi River and just one year later it was inundated during the
1864 floods. Connor saved his family by climbing with them onto the roof.
In January 1867 Connor sold the North Manilla Hotel to
William Hill, for £1,100 (about $185,000 today). Hill ran the business until
1875, when J. T. Flynn, a keen cricketer, took over the hotel from Hill. A.
Matheson procured the licence of the Manilla Hotel at North Manilla from J. T.
Flynn in 1883 and sold it to A. Allingham. For many years the hotel was a
popular social centre where meetings were held and cricket matches played. It
was demolished sometime in the 1890s.
William Hill was a public minded bloke, who gave liberally
to all worthy causes and when he died in 1916, left a large amount of money to
the Manilla Hospital for building an operating theatre. Hill’s daughter, Mrs
Harry Burrell (story later) was a well know figure in stage life and followed
her father’s philanthropic spirit.
In 1882 Stephen Veness (the brother of George Veness) was
granted a hotel licence and built the first hotel on the south side of the
Namoi River, the Junction Hotel, on the corner of Strafford and Manilla
streets. Two years later he sold it to Mr. W. Smart, who disposed of it to W. Sinden
in 1887.
A Government land sale at Manilla in
1887, Lot 5 (the Royal Hotel site) was purchased by M. C. Mackenzie for 106
pounds ($11,000 today). In 1891 a single-storey brick Hotel was being built
by M. C. Macenzie and during the same year, G. M. Oliphant purchased the building
after completion. He called it the Royal Hotel. Whilst in the Oliphant family,
in 1897 it was in the hands of Mrs. Banfield, who had Mr. George Gordon as
manager. In 1898 Oliphant sold the Hotel
to James Waddell of Barraba where it was then sold to John McNulty in 1899 and
in 1907 sold it to F. Riddett. At some stage during this time, the succession
included a bloke by the name of William Cobley. In 1911/1912, Riddett sold the
freehold to Mrs I. A. Swain.
In 1912, Hastings Riddett was issued a Renewal of the Royal
Hotel annual licence for 428 pounds ($50,000 today).
Earlier to this, Mrs Isabella Amelia Swain (Chaffey) was
married to Mr Francis James Swain who procured the Junction Hotel (later renamed
the Post Office Hotel) from W. Foster. In 1902 the single-story Junction Hotel
was destroyed by fire, and immediately rebuilt as a two-story building by
proprietor, Mr F. J. Swain, who died of a heart attack two years later in 1904
aged 34 years. His wife. Isabella Amelia carried on the business, until Daniel
Costelloe took over. Isabella Amelia later married Harry Dimmock who is
believed to may have had the Imperial Hotel at that time.
Mrs Swain was a popular figure in hotel management, and made
a splendid success of her business career in Manilla. Mrs Swain’s son Selby
Wildred Swain was the Accountant at Mackenzies store and well respected in
Manilla. Selby married Myrtle Gertrude nee Langworthy.
Mrs Amelia Swain is the sister of Captain Frank Chaffey,
M.L.A. Towards the end of WW1 she married Harry Dimmock and retired from
business. She died in 1938 aged 74 years.
Francis James Swain is the Great Grandfather of Tex Morris.
During 1908 licences were granted to: Thomas Arneil
(Imperial) 299 pounds pa with a licence fee of 35 pounds (today $30,000 and
$3,500) - F. H. Riddett (Royal) rental 364 pounds, fee 45 pounds (today $38,000
and $4,500) - A. W. Stanton (Junction) rental 260 pounds, fee 35 pounds (today
$27,000 and $3,500).
The Upper Manilla Hotel, better known as the Blazing Stump,
was built in 1894. The hotel was partially destroyed by fire on the night of
3rd February 1921, but was rebuilt on a site nearby. The Upper Manilla store
was erected on the site of the first hotel and the original cellar remains
beneath the store. The store is a local landmark today. It is a private home,
where the owners operated an antiques and collectibles store, called Dingley
Dell in the past. The old storage shed nearby gained a new lease of life during
the 1980s as the Tin Shed restaurant.
In 1910 The Manilla Express reported the Royal Hotel was
offering Eyesight Testing by the eminent Sydney Opticians, Gib and Beeman. Gibb
and Beeman have the leading optical practice in NSW and are recommended by the
medical profession. J. W. Beeman, an
expert, and late manager for H. A. Barraclough has been visiting Manilla for a
number of years.
It appears from
records the annual trading revenue for the 1923 year, for the Royal Hotel, was
3680 pounds (around $350,000 today)
In 1901 Treloar and Co., was granted a wine licence. During
the same year the Court House Hotel was sold by J. Frazer to G. Penton, and two
years later sold to George Boland.
Daniel Costelloe, with his
brother Michael, arrived in Upper Manilla from Ireland in 1901 and He came to
the Junction Hotel in 1911 and became a popular figure in hotel and sporting
life in Manilla. A prominent footballer and supporter, he eventually sold the
Junction to James Corrigan in 1913. Corrigan was a farmer from New Mexico (just
west of Manilla), with his mother having had a wine licence at Keepit 35 years
before.
Corrigan placed the hotel licence with A. G. Windsor who
just 6 months earlier had been acting postmaster at Manilla. It was not long
before he went back to the post-office department.
While in the Junction Hotel he changed the name to the Post
Office Hotel. In 1915 Henry Grady, a police officer, resigned and purchased the
Post Office Hotel. He retained ownership until 1946 where his son J. h. Grady
successfully carried on the hotel. Len Ridgewell was the Proprietor of the Post
Office Hotel in 1942.
In September 1926 the Manilla Express reports Reg Kerr sold the
Royal Hotel to Mr Peachey, formerly of Cootamundra. In the years before, Mr and
Mrs Kerr had brought the Royal Hotel up to the highest standard of efficiency
and the hotel is recognised by the travelling public, particularly the
commercial travellers as being one of the best hotels in northern NSW. It is
indeed a credit to the town. Unfortunately, just one year later, the Royal
suffers fire damage and the roof is replaced.
In October 1928, at the Tamworth Police Court, Douglas
Peachey, licensee of the Royal Hotel was fined 25 pounds ($2,500 today) plus
costs, of using a room for the purpose of betting.
In 1938 the roof of the Court House Hotel was blown over
during a storm. Mrs F. M. Hirschberg, the licensee, conducted the business in
Paterson’s building, next door to Clifton’s Garage. She purchased the freehold
of the hotel and had it rebuilt.
In 1949 the licensees of the other three hotels in Manilla
were: The Royal Hotel – Ken Smith; The Post Office Hotel – Frank Hilton; The
Imperial Hotel – Harry Gilmour
Stepping back in Time:
By the turn of the century there were three more hotels in
Manilla: The Royal Hotel, opened by M. C. McKenzie in July 1891 and built by T.
J Bowen; the Imperial Hotel, opened in June 1900, and the Court House Hotel, opened
in December 1900. The Court House Hotel was built with a cost of 2000 pounds
(about $240,000 today). A second story was added to the Post Office Hotel in
the early 1900s. The Court House and Imperial Hotels were also constructed by
T. J. Bowen.
It is suggested the Court House hotel was named at the
suggestion of the Magistrate who granted the original licence to build it. He
was encouraged in his decision when the applicant pointed out that the hotel
would be under close police supervision, as it would be located opposite the
Court House.
T. J. (Thomas John) Bowen was a prominent builder in the
Gunnedah/Manilla/Tamworth region of NSW, and involved in the early development
of these towns. He is believed to have first come to the area about 1884 to
assist G. H. Royce, NSW chief engineer, for the construction of the iron
traffic bridge over the Namoi River (1884-86). TJ went on to construct many
major buildings in Manilla including the Courthouse, St Michael's Anglican
Church and various hotels. He is also said to have re-built the (timber) Mechanic's
Institute as a substantial brick building around 1900 - now the Manilla &
District Soldier's Memorial Hall. Thomas John was sufficiently important in the
community to be elected to Manilla's first Municipal Council in 1901.
The lounge room of the Royal Hotel was often used for public
meetings, although there was sometimes argument among members of organisations
such as the Farmers and Settlers Association as to which hotel should be the
venue, some favouring one publican over another. Other members were opposed to
any public meetings being held in hotels, claiming that there was a hall in
town where meetings could be held without the people attending being under any
obligation.
During 1936, the Royal Hotel underwent extensive
renovations. The report in the Manilla Express reads: “This brought the hotel into
line with the most modern places in the country. A septic tank had been
installed, bath rooms have been remodelled and lined with grey tilux sheeting.
A shower room complete with three shower recesses and wash basins had been
provided, all of which are supplied with hot and cold water. An excellent hot
water system has also been installed giving a continuous supply of hot water all
hours of the day and night. The bed rooms have been remodelled, bringing them
up to the best standard obtainable. With these alterations, Manilla now
possesses a hotel in keeping with the importance of the town and district and
far in advance of many such places in bigger centres. The hotel has been aptly
described by numerous travellers from all parts of the state as ‘a home away
from home.’ All under the careful management of Mr and Mrs Kearns.”
Around the beginning of the twentieth century, large numbers
of farm workers came to town during the wheat harvest season to quench their
thirst and trade was brisk in the hotels of Manilla.
The Manilla Police Station was also kept busy making arrests
for public drunkenness. In the four weeks to 20th December 1900, over 100
charges were laid, the majority for drunkenness, and as many as fourteen
harvesters (wheat labourers) were consigned to the lockup in one evening.
Up until 1955, the “Six O'clock Swill” was an Australian and
New Zealand slang term for the last-minute rush to buy drinks at a hotel bar
before it closed at 6pm. A culture of
heavy drinking developed during the time between finishing work at 5 pm and the
mandatory closing time only an hour later.
Six o'clock closing was introduced during the First World
War, partly as an attempt to improve public morality and partly as a war
austerity measure. Support for changing hotel closing times originally came
from the temperance movement, which hoped that implementing restrictions on the
sale of alcohol would lead eventually to its total prohibition. Although the
movement had been active since the 1870s, it had been gaining ground since the
1900s following the introduction of 6 o'clock retail trade closing. Prominent
groups in this movement were the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and the
Rechabites. Their agitation was augmented with the outbreak of war in 1914
where it was argued that a "well-ordered, self-disciplined and morally
upright home front was a precondition for the successful prosecution of the war.”
Six o'clock closing often fuelled an hour-long
speed-drinking session as men raced to get as drunk as possible in the limited
time available. An unintended consequence was that patrons would save their
glasses during the hour before closing time until the last call came for
drinks, where the glasses would be refilled and patrons attempted to drink them
all in the time left. The pressure to serve customers led to innovations such
as a pipe from the taps so that the bartender did not need to carry the customer's
glass to them.
Today three hotels operate in Manilla: the Royal Hotel, the
Post Office Hotel and the Imperial Hotel. The Court House Hotel was built in
1900, and closed in 2000. The Junction Hotel (The Post
Office) is the oldest pub in Manilla, having been built in 1882. In 1902 it was
destroyed by fire and a two-story building was re-built. The Royal Hotel was
built by M.C. Macenzie in 1891. The Royal Hotel suffered two major fires, in
1914 and again in 1978. After the second fire the business was carried on in
the old Namoi Café under the name Hard Rock Café, until the Royal Hotel
reopened in 1979. The Namoi Café is now Molly Mays (2024). The Imperial
Hotel was built in 1900.
(c) Mitchell Zen
(This History Section will be added frequently with New Information)
