Newsletter No. 12 - Blue Mountains Association of Cultural Heritage ...

HERITAGENEWSLETTER OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS ASSOCIATIONOF CULTURAL HERITAGE ORGANISATIONS INC.NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2010 ISSUE No. 12STATE GOVERNOR OPENS NEW WINGAT HOBBY’S REACHThe Governor of NSW, ProfessorMarie Bashir, AC, CVO recentlyofficially opened the Sadler Wing atHobby’s Reach Centre, the home ofBlue Mountains Historical Society.Building of the new wing was madepossible because of a bequest fromthe late Geoff Sadler, a formertreasurer, membership secretaryand public officer with theassistance of ArtsNSW.The new wing contains Geoff’sextensive book collection also giftedto the society.Speaking at the opening, societypresident, Graham Warmbath, said:“Now we have a lending library aswell as a dedicated researchcollection and interpretation ofhistorical information.“Hobby’s Reach research centrehouses local, personal andbusiness histories, books,photographs, maps and providesinformation for authors, historians,students and community groups.“It is open to the public every weekof the year and is attended by aresearch officer and librarian, bothvolunteers,” said Mr Warmbath.Among the new acquisitions for thesociety’s library are three bookspublished as part of the celebrationof 150 years of self-government inNSW.Pictured is Professor Bashirunveiling a commemorativeplaque with former Mayor, CrAdam Searle in the background.For contents of thisedition of HERITAGEsee page 2Council’s Heritage Reviewof LEP 1991Firstly, I would like to introducemyself as a new team member ofthe City Planning Branch of BlueMountains City Council (BMCC)to your organisation and otherhistorical societies in the BlueMountains who may read thisnewsletter.I commenced with council inFebruary this year as a seniorstrategic planner and have beenworking in local government forthe past 10 years in variouspositions including bothdevelopment assessment andstrategic planning roles. Sincejoining BMCC I have becomemore involved with heritagerelated projects such as thereview of heritage items underby Felicity Blaxland - SeniorStrategic Planner, BMCCLEP 1991 and the investigationsinto the formation of a heritageadvisory committee.Council staff have been progressinga heritage review to support aproposed Amendment to LEP 1991.A number of items and conservationareas have been recommended tobe listed as having local heritagesignificance through heritagestudies undertaken by AssociateProfessor Ian Jack and Associates.Further research on othersignificant areas has beencompleted this year by Dr JimSmith. A grant received from theHeritage Office of the Department ofPlanning has assisted funding ofthis work. Continued page 12HERITAGE 1November - December 2010

Contents.........HERITAGENovember-December2010*1 State Governor opensnew wing at Hobby’sReach*1 Council’s HeritageReview*2 We remember thosewho were slaugthered inbattles planned by stupidgenerals*3 ‘Only in Australia canmen read their name on awar memorial’*4 The Light HorseInterchange*4 Woodford Academystudent survivedBeersheba charge*5 ‘The rainy season hasbegun and the cold cutsus through’*7 Their names are on thehonour roll at GlenbrookPrimary School*8 A Springwood soldierlaid to rest at Fromelles 94years later*9 One man’sdedication*10 Two Woodfordbrothers killed*11 More than just an oldbuilding*13 The Cambodianexhibition -- Hurry, Hurry,Hurry, No time to lose*15 Welcome to newmember soon to celebrate25 years existence*15 Obituary - HughBickford*16 Doug Knowles electedto lead GlenbrookHistorical Society*16 History of Lawson Hallshould not be ignored*17 Honorary life membershipfor two at Mt Wilson*17 Professsor Reynoldstakes leave*18 Glen Davis*18 Book launched at Irishgaol*19 Elevating theempancipistFrom the president’s pen......We remember those whowere slaughtered in battlesplanned by stupid generalsWar is abhorrent to most decenthuman beings. Down through the agesthere has always been and mostprobably always will be war.There should never be any futureattempts to glorify war.However, we must honour those whomade the supreme sacrifice on thebattlefields, often in foreign lands.We must also respect the wishes ofthose loved ones left behind and theirdescendants who may wish torecognise these heroes and ordinarysoldiers with Remembrance services,marches, wreath laying ceremoniesand other activities on special days.This edition of HERITAGE featuresarticles about World War 1.These articles are not so much aboutthe battlefields, but rather about localmen who served – some came backand others now lay buried in foreignfields.These articles are published near toRemembrance Day observed aroundthe world by those nations whoparticipated in this horrific conflict.Traditionally these services areconducted on the 11 th hour, of the 11 thmonth of the year, the Armistice as itwas then known having been signed atthat time in 1918.These well researched stories alsotouch on the anguish of those leftbehind – mothers, wives and girlfriends; the emotions– the pain ofseparation, the grief of loss and thegreat joy of reunion.They touch on the discovery of themass grave, pinpointed through theresearch of a Victorian school teacher,Lambis Englezos.The work of Englezos an amateurhistorian, was confirmed in 2008 by ateam of archaeologists led by Dr TonyPollard of Glasgow University.The excavation would later provide avivid and startling glimpse into thehorror of World War 1 as the bodieshad been preserved in the sameposition they were thrown into themass grave.World War 1 was a military conflictcentered on Europe that began in thesummer of 1914. The fighting endedin late 1918.More than 70 million militarypersonnel, including 60 millionEuropeans, were mobilised in one ofthe largest wars in history.More than 9 million combatants werekilled, due largely to greattechnological advances in firepowerwithout corresponding ones inmobility.A generation of innocent young men,their heads full of high abstractionslike Honour, Glory and Country, wentoff to war to make the world safe fordemocracy.They were slaughtered in stupidbattles planned by stupid generals atthe behest of egotistical politicians.Those who survived were shocked,disillusioned and embittered by theirwar experiences, and saw that theirreal enemies were not the Germans,but the old men at home who had liedto them.They rejected the values of thesociety that had sent them to war, andin doing so separated their owngeneration from the past and fromtheir cultural inheritance.Unlike many of its Allies, in World War1, Australia did not conscript itssoldiers to fight in the Great War - allAustralian soldiers were volunteers.It was to be the war to end all wars.John Leary, OAMPresident, Blue MountainsAssociation of Cultural HeritageOrganisations Inc.HERITAGE 2November - December 2010

‘Only in Australia can men read theirname on a war memorial’This article is an extract from a presentation by, Arthur Delbridge at the 2007Remembrance Day memorial service held at the war memorial in Mt Wilson. Arthur isa former president of Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine Historical Society and early this yearwas awarded honorary life membership of that organisation.Professor Delbridge in 1987 was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) inrecognition of his service to education particularly in the field of linguistics and aseditor-in chief of the Macquarie Dictionary.The Mt Wilson, Mt Irvine and BellSoldiers Memorial was erected inMt Wilson in 1919 and in 2001 twosocieties the village’s Progress andHistorical, began a series ofservices of remembrance.Mt Wilson resident, ArthurDelbridge, AO presented theaddresses for the first years whileAlison Halliday is carrying on inArthur’s tradition. The following isan extract from Mr Delbridge’saddress in 2007.“I believe it was a response to afeeling shared around the Australiancommunity that war and the otherfaces of terror were necessarily nowbulking larger and more urgently inour consciousness than they hadfor some time past.“As a result the national officialmemorial services in our cities werebecoming ever better attended, andthe marches more sombre, andoverseas the memorial services atANZAC Cove and many othermilitary cemeteries were attractingmore and more visitors, withincreasing numbers of youngAustralians making the long journeyto them.“Possibly also revisitings, especiallyby old soldiers, to war sites wherethey had fought and their matesbeen killed.“Today I thought I would speakabout two of our local soldiers, whodid come back when the war wasover.“What effects, if any, did their warexperience have on the rest of theirlives? Perhaps this is, for them (andfor us) an unanswerable question.Maybe no visible effect.“But I have vivid memories of beingtaught Latin in high school by areturned soldier, a notable classicalscholar who had been gassed in theGreat War.“He had the most cracked voice, themost awful fits of coughing, theworst temper and the sweetestsmile at unexpected moments –hewas a post-war wreck physically, areturned soldier who never got overhis experience of war.“Fred Mann and George Valder bothcame back to Mt Wilson. Both ofthem could have read their ownnames on our memorial, andpossibly did.“But Professor Inglis, in SacredPlaces stated quite firmly that ‘Onlyin Australia could most men, homefrom the war, read their own nameson its memorials’. Elsewhere,especially in Europe memorialswere exclusively to the dead andthe “missing”.“And in Australia at first thatseemed to be right and fair. Butthen a strong movement emerged infavour of listing also the names ofreturned soldiers. Sir John Monash,who commanded the Australiandivisions in France, declared ‘Wewere all men of one nation—and allvolunteers!’ That was the key to it.“Of course not all volunteers wereaccepted when they had tried toenlist, for either health oroccupation reasons. Andvolunteering didn’t necessarily getyou into the front line, where mostcasualties occur.“Behind the front lines are manylines of command and supportessential to any engagement. Forexample, in WW1, 1800 graduatesand undergrads of SydneyUniversity went on active serviceand 197 of these were killed inaction.“Comparatively a smallish number.But it reflects the fact that a highproportion of those volunteers camefrom the faculties of medicine andengineering: they were directed toserve where their special skills wereneeded.“When in the early 1920s SydneyUniversity began to plan itsmemorial it was ‘for those who havegiven their lives...as well as forthose who have voluntarily engagedin active military or naval service’.“What the university finished up withfor its WW1 memorial was a carillonof 47 bells fitted into its clock towerto be played from a rather specialsort of keyboard.“I could speak at length about thevarious ways, from that day to this,that the carillon has kept alive thememorial function it was intended toachieve from its first appearance.“It’s enough now to say that itsbiggest bell weighs 4.2 tons, thesmallest bell just a few pounds. Acarillonist can play on it virtually anytune or theme, and harmonise it intotwo or three parts, with bells playingsimultaneously. Its principal functionis memorial.“In 1938 I took lessons in playingthis great instrument and became amember of the carillon family, asmall group of appointed playerswho between them provided carillonmusic for occasions in the universityyear, particularly celebrations ofnational days of the allied countriesof World War 1.“So there is no limit to the structuresthat can serve as war memorial, bethey hospital, club, park, plaque,pillar or post—or carillon! Inglissays that there are 4000+ warmemorials in Australia.Continued page 4HERITAGE 3November - December 2010

The Light Horse InterchangeThe Australian Light Horse hasmade a rich and continuingcontribution to our sense of nationalheritage.Perhaps the latest example of this isthe Light Horse Interchange, thepoint at which the Westlink M7motorway intersects with the M4,west of Sydney.The steel plumage at the top ofeach pole represents the emufeathers of the troopers’ slouch hat.The symbolism is rich in detail,even to the significant absence ofany figure of a horse, reminding usthat quarantine regulationsprevented the return of any of thetroopers’ horses.Here a great sculpture is revealedto motorists as they flash by at 100kph: four sets of red steel poles,radiating from a tall central mast, allrepresenting the Australian LightHorse on parade. The red colour ofthe poles is for sacrifice.MT WILSONWARMEMORIALContinued from page 3“Ours [at Mt Wilson] is one of thesimplest sort, but none the worsefor that. Many of them take the formof utilities — a hospital, acommunity hall, a church, a sportsground, that could be undertaken inthe expectation of getting agovernment grant in terms ofsubsidies and tax concessions forthe donors.“But no such thing happened here.The local impetus was fromgenerous gifts of land and material,plus determined community effort.The crucial gift was the piece ofland cut off from the Dennarqueestate, given for just this purpose byFlora Mann, the mother of the FredMann whose name is with others,engraved on our memorial.”But why put the sculpture righthere? Research has established thesignificance of the local area in thehistory and recruitment and trainingof light horsemen. In World War IIthey were based at a major trainingcamp at nearby Wallgrove.A spokesperson for ConybeareMorrison, designers of the sculptureexplained that it is designed “to letpeople know they are approachinga major intersection but also tospark their interest so they want tofind out more about what thesculpture represents.Source: Sydney Morning Herald,May 2, 2006.The men who made the last great wartime cavalrycharge [Beersheba] were mounted infantry –Australian light horsemen. As “Bushmen” at the BoerWar they had won high praise. At Gallipoli,dismounted, they fought gallantly and diedtragically… The Australian Light Horseman by Ian JonesWoodford Academy studentsurvived Beersheba chargeA former Woodford Academystudent John Lyons was at theBeersheba charge and survived(see story page 5).The charge at Beersheba onOctober 31, 1917 is often reportedas ‘the last cavalary charge inhistory’ although cavalary such asthe Polish cavalary continued toexist into the early phases of WorldWar 2 and took place in operationsbefore being rendered obsolete.The charge at Beersheba tookplace as part of the Sinai andPalestine campaign during WorldWar 1.The battle at Beersheba was thecritical element of a wider Britishoffensive as the Third Battle ofGaza aimed at breaking theTurkish defences from Gaza on theMediterranian shore to Beershebaan outpost 30 miles inland.Earlier in 1917, two previousattempts to breach this line hadfailed.Since the earlier failures the Britishforces in Palestine had undergonea major uphreaval with thereplacement of General Murraywith the distinguished cavalarycommander General Allenby.Mt Wilson, Mt Irvine & BellSoldiers Memorial with GregsonMemorial Obelisk to the left.The Australian 4th Light HorseBrigade under Brigadier WilliamGrant charged more than 4 miles atthe Turkish trenches, overran themand captured the water wells atBeersheba.The Australian force was led byLieutenant General Sir HarryChauvel who went on to be one ofAustralia’s most distinguishedsoldiersJohn Leary, OAMHERITAGE 4November - December 2010

“The rainy season has begun andthe cold cuts us through...”by Neryl Medcalfa past volunteer and member of the former Friends of Woodford AcademyThe words used in the headlinesabove were in a letter written onDecember 12, 1917 from Palestineby Private John Lyons Gray of the6 th Light Horse Regiment to MrsEdgeworth David of Woodford. 1John was a former student ofWoodford Academy, a privateventure boys’ boarding school in theBlue Mountains.He had just survived the battle ofBeersheba at not quite 19 years ofage, and was one of 48 studentsfrom Woodford Academy identifiedas servicemen during WWI.Many of those students’ names areon the roll of honour that is stilldisplayed over the door to theschoolrooms.Headmaster John MacManameyaccepted boarders at the schoolfrom Sydney or from country areasmainly on the Western rail line,while others were day studentsliving in the Blue Mountains.Some boys intending to becomedoctors or lawyers came toWoodford Academy to be assistedwith Latin or Greek, necessary atthe time for Matriculation. BasilKennedy, a student in 1907,matriculated, became a doctor,joined the Australian Army MedicalCorps, served on Karoola theAustralian hospital ship, then at afield ambulance hospital and by1918 was senior medical officerwith the rank of lieutenant colonel atHurdcott Military Hospital inEngland. 2Likewise, Dr George Hay (1907) 3from Katoomba and Sid Rosenthal(1909) - whose family changed theirname to Rosebery in 1915 4 - andmedical student William H Ward(1908) 5 of Springwood who with 5 thField Ambulance served as astretcher bearer in Egypt andFrance before returning to Australiaand completing his medical studies.Dr Ward also served in WWII.Indeed, at least eleven formerstudents on the roll of honour wenton to serve again in WW2.The Woodford Academy World War 1 Honour Roll restored severalyears ago and returned to its place above the doorwayto the schoolrooms.There is evidence of army cadettraining at Woodford Academy andstudents were quite aware of thewar situation. Corporal Reg Lewinof Katoomba, was killed in action atLone Pine Gallipoli in August 1915.Schoolboy Bert Tom from Parkeswrote to his father “ We saw by thepapers that there had been threeboys killed from Parkes and severalwounded including Russel Watts.Evidently the Parkes boys musthave been in that great push inFrance or Palestine. My word it istime they brought Conscription inisn’t it?” 6Alan Giles 7 (1913) was another boyfrom Parkes who not only made hismark on the desks of WoodfordAcademy, but also made his markas a stretcher bearer on theWestern Front at Villers Bretonneuxin April 1918 and was awarded aMilitary Cross for his effort... “..hedressed and carried woundedcontinually for four days throughextremely heavy shell and machinegun fire,”He went on to add a bar to his MC3 months later at Ville Sur Ancre“Private Giles volunteered to swimacross the river with a dispatch,under an intense artillery andmachine gun barrage, returningthrough the same barrage with ananswer...”A second Military Cross winner wasFred Brown of Sydney 8 (1907) whowas wounded in France, became alieutenant served as an intelligenceofficer , was mentioned indispatches then won his MC atAmiens in August 1918.The MilitaryCrossawardedfor braveryHERITAGE 5November - December 2010

Not all the Woodford boys won medals,but many were wounded or killedFred Brown’s brother, Douglas of18 th Battalion had died of woundsthe year before.A third award winner, SecondLieutenant Robert Murray ofWentworth Falls 9 (1907), left a copyof his will in his pay book, in whichhe bequeathed his microscope andfive pounds to Keith Faulkiner Potts,his mate from Woodford.Robert won a Military Cross on theSomme in February 1917, but waskilled at Messines in June of thatyear. Keith returned safely toAustralia in January 1918.Other boys whose names appearon the school roll of honour may nothave won special medals, but theyvolunteered and performed theirvarious duties in the army asbombardiers, gunners, bicyclecouriers and sappers.Many were wounded, sometimestwice, some were gassed, manyspent time in hospital, some wentAWOL, some caught sexuallytransmitted diseases, and at war’send were discharged on their returnto Australia to take up civilian lifeonce more, after serving theircountry well.Only one former student, GeorgeShaw, a radio operator in civilianlife, is known to have joined theAustralian Flying Corps as an airmechanic.Walter Carroll from Katoomba,private in the 45 th Battalion, wasreturned to Australia early in 1917,having been so affected by the coldand exposure in the trenches thatWOODFORD ACADEMY FOOTBALL TEAM 1909Back: K Potts, D Stuart, D Kilpatrick, Principal J MacManamey, V Hay,R Peacock, GE Botting.Middle: B Paravacini, R Howard, S Rosenthal, K Mackey, R Lewin,A Hannam, H Hart.Front: C Storm, K Bowden, A Harkness, W Ward. (Underlinedidentified as having enlisted in WW1.)he was invalided to hospital in John Gray, the letter writer, whoEngland where both of his legs survived at Beersheba returned towere amputated. 10Australia and joined up once againin WWII - as major, ending his war‘Old Boys’ kept in touch with their service in 1947 after a stint in theheadmaster sending himwarmer Pacific waters of Morotaiphotographs of themselves in and Balikpapan. 12uniform.Considering the war experiences ofFrank Berry a student in 1910 froma group of boys who shared someout west at Trundle, became aof their schooling in the BlueSapper in the 10 th Field EngineersMountains in the years before 1914and was one of six former studentsfocuses us on the disruption,still able to attend an Old Boysadventure, accidents, courage,reunion in 1982 at Woodfordmateship and the futility and wasteAcademy with Gertrudeof war.MacManamey, daughter of theirHeadmaster. 11 (End notes)1Woodford Academy archives, WoodfordNSW.2National Archives of Australia:B2455,7363478.3NAA:B2455,4736559.4WA Archives: Corr.with Mark Maddox,2005.5AIF project,UNSW@ADFA2003-20056WA Archives,student file: donated byMr W Tom of Parkes,2003.7NAA:B2455,50083058NAA:B2455,1796303.9NAA:B2455,7990599.10NAA:B2455,3210405.11WA Archives.12NAA:B883,6137452.An old boys reunion at Woodford Academy in 1982.HERITAGE 6November - December 2010

Their names are on the honour roll atGlenbrook Primary SchoolIn his book Comrades in Arms thelate Walter J Venn wrote: “Whenwriting the stories of these 1914 -18soldiers I have been reminded thatthe exigencies of the serviceinfluence the chance of one’ssurvival. One simple decision at adesk in Sydney could, in somecircumstances, result in the degreeof a soldier’s exposure to danger”.WJ Venn’s research providesinformation about those on a WorldWar 1 honour roll at GlenbrookPublic School. The following areextracts from his publication:Private Alexander Dick – He wasassigned to the 19 th Battalion. InApril and June 1916 the battaliontook part in the operations in andaround Armentieres.In July they played a central role inthe bloody fighting at Pozieres andlater that month in the attacks onPozieres Heights.The battalion’s casualties duringthis period were 13 officers and 440other ranks. Alexander Dick waskilled on August 1 and is buried atthe Sunken Road Cemetery,Contalmaison, France.Lieutenant Cecil Beaumont Mills– His unit the 23 rd Infantry Battaliontook part in a joint raid on enemylines near Armentieres in late June1916.Cecil was killed in action. Some ofhis personal possessions wererecovered the next day and placedin a tin in a nearby trench, but werenever seen again.His body, if ever found, was notidentified and his name wasincluded on the long list ofcasualties suffered by his brigade.Private Howard KeithMacpherson – A draughtsman inthe Land Titles Office, NSW heenlisted in the Australian ArmyMedical Corps served on thehospital ships Kanowna, andKaroola, then serving in casualtyclearing stations in France beforetransferring to the Air Flying Corps.He arrived back in Australia inAugust 1920.Pictured above, courtesy Australian War Memorial is the church atVillers-Bretonneux which was all but destroyed in fighting on theWestern Front.Private Keith Douglas Robinson –Assigned to the 18 th Battalion hejoined his unit at Gallipoli on August16, 1915 suffering a gun shotwound to the head six days later inthe battalion’s very first operation.Surviving the wound he was sent tothe Western Front, where hereported sick with a carbuncle onhis neck. On July 22 he died in No.14 Stationary Hospital at Boulogneof spinal meningitis.Corporal Edward Hugh Oprey –He had served his apprenticeshipas a blacksmith and was with theNSW Railways Commission atGlenbrook when he enlisted andwas assigned to the 6 th Light HorseRegiment, training in the MiddleEast.Hugh ran foul of the authorities forbeing out of bounds (twice) and forusing threatening language to thesergeant of the guard.In March 1918 he was attached tothe Desert Corps as an acting lancecorporal only to be reprimandedagain for filling a water bottle from astream. A common enough practicefor any Australian boy, but a No! No!in Egypt.He was discharged in Sydney inOctober 1919.Lieutenant Clarence Hansby Read– Born in 1879 he appears to havejoined the Royal Australian navy asa boy in 1897 possibly as amidshipman. He was a lieutenant inthe RAN Reserve when he servedin the Australian Naval and MilitaryExpeditionary Force in 1914-15. InSeptember 1914 he was incommand of the naval detachmentat Madang in Kaiser-Wilhelmland(German New Guinea).In January-February 1915 he wasexecutive officer at Herbertshohe,the former German capital of NuPommern (Great Britain) on theBismarck Archipelago.In March 1916 he embarked on theHMAT Ballarat for the voyage to theSuez Canal where his unit the RANBridging Train carried out work inseveral tugs and lighters for bridgebuilding, building of piers andwharvesFor some time he was attached tothe 29th Battalion, but rejoined theRAN and appears to have survivedthe war..HERITAGE 7November - December 2010

A Springwood soldier laid to restat Fromelles 94 years laterPamela Smith and I attended thelaunch of Glenbrook HistoricalSociety’s Comrades in Arms whichwas composed of short biographiesof Glenbrook men who had servedin World War I.We were inspired to beginresearching and writing about themen who were listed on theSpringwood District World War IHonor Roll.by Shirley Evans, Springwood HistorianThis proved to be very much moredifficult than we had thought, but inthe five years it took to complete thetask we became very close to ourWorld War I veterans and mournedthose who had died in that dreadfulwar.In his introduction to our book,Remembrance: Springwood DistrictHonor Roll 1914-1919 John Lowwrote: “Their research has rescuedthe men recorded here from thecreeping anonymity that would havebeen their fate and given them backto their community as individualswho lived and breathed their ownspecial human uniqueness.”These men (and they were all men,no women) were certainly to adegree anonymous with the boardhung inconspicuously on a side wallin the Springwood Civic Centre, andwith many of the men proving quitedifficult to identify.A very few of them bore names werecognised from our research forThe Making of a MountainCommunity: a BiographicalDictionary of the SpringwoodDistrict, but quite a number wediscovered in the Nepean Timesreports of Springwood in the waryears.One of these names was Ed Hope(proved to be Edward James Hope),born and reared in Kingswood. Hewas employed by the railway as afettler at the time of his enlistmentand we found that his nameappeared on the St Mary’s Roll ofHonour in Victoria Park and also onthe Blue Mountains District WarMemorial Hospital, Katoomba.The last of the exhumed soldiers being carried to his last restingplace at Fromelles.In October, 1915 the Nepean Timesreported a farewell to new enlistees,J. Reddall and E. Hope. They wereboth presented with wristlet watchesfrom the Springwood people.Part way through our research theNational Archives of Australiadigitised the World War Iservicemen’s records making it verymuch easier and less expensive toaccess and check as they were nowavailable on the internet.Prior to that, we sometimes wastedtime and money purchasing recordsfor the wrong men. With only aninitial for the first name shown onthe honour roll it was easy to makea mistake.Private Edward HopeEdward was one of 17 railwayemployees on the Springwood Roll(by far the largest occupationgroup) and, as a fettler, he musthave worked in various parts of theBlue Mountains.He was born in Kingswood in 1887and was orphaned in 1898 when hismother, father and infant sister alldied within a few months of oneanother.A young sister, Florence, and hewere presumably cared for byrelatives. He named Florence ashis next of kin when he enlisted.Edward was allotted to the 54 thBattalion which was predominantlycomposed of men from NSW. Halfof them were Gallipoli veterans .The new recruits left Australia onthe Aeneas on December 20, 1915joining the rest of the battalion atTel-El-Kebir for training on February16, 1916.They embarked on the Caledonianfor Marseilles in June, fighting theirfirst major battle on July 19, 1916 atFromelles. They suffered casualtiesequivalent to 65 per cent of thebattalion’s fighting strength. It washere that Edward died either on the19 th or 20 th . 1,547 British and 5,533Australians were either killed,wounded, taken prisoner orreported missing. This wasAustralia’s bloodiest day in militaryhistory. Continued page 9HERITAGE 8November - December 2010

False hope that brother may not have been killedContinued from page 8Florence, Edward’s sister, wasnotified that her brother had beentaken prisoner. This informationcame from a Red Crosscommunication resulting frominformation provided by theGermans.Later the Royal Prussian War OfficeMedical Section corrected this andFlorence was informed of Ed’sdeath and probable burial in theneighbourhood of Fromelles.Florence, like many grieving andbereaved relatives wrote to theArmy Base Records in Melbourne:Dear Sir -My brother No 4188 Private EdwardJames Hope, 54th Batt. Is Officallyreported to have been Killed inAction on July 20th (previouslyreported missing) – He was mynearest Relative and if you couldforward me some details of themanner of his Death I would begrateful.& ObligeMiss F.M. HopeKingswoodNr PenrithN.S.WalesThe Australian Red Cross Societyendeavoured to record eye-witnessaccounts of deaths and woundingsand Private J. Freehan, 4775recorded the following at Etaples onNovember 4, 1916: “Hope was ofmy Co.[company] He was seenkilled by several of the Co. whoreported the fact at roll-call in myhearing.”Early in 1917 the “effects” ofEdward Hope were sent toFlorence. They consisted of a wristwatch and cover. She wrote thefollowing to the Officer in Charge,Base Records:Dear Sir –In connection with the wrist watchforwarded to me as Next-of-Kin tothe Late 4188 Pte E.J. Hope 54 thBattalion I have to inform you thatthis watch did not belong to myBrother – He had a Presentationsilver wrist watch with his nameinscribed on back. The one Ireceived was a gunmetal. Imanaged to clean some of the rustoff the back of watch – it has aninscription not very distinct, butplain enough for me to see that itbelongs elsewhere. I will forwardthis watch to you per post.I was so disappointed to get thewrong watch and having receivednothing at all up to the present time.Yours faithfully,F.M. Hope (Miss)KingswoodVia PenrithN. S. WalesIt was very important to the wives,parents and siblings to receivesomething of their loved ones backfrom the war – something personal,not just an official medal. We canassume that Edward’s “Presentationsilver wrist watch” was the onepresented to him at Springwood atthe time of his enlistment.Florence was required to confirmthat she was Edward’s closest livingrelative before she received hismedals and that seemed to be that.However, in 2009 through theefforts of descendants of Fromellessoldiers lost in the battle, and withthe support of the British andAustralian governments and theencouragement of the French, amassive initiative began toinvestigate known burial trenches atFromelles and exhume the remainsof British and Australian troops,identify them by modern scientificmethods and rebury them in aspecial military cemetery.The Sydney Morning Heraldpublished photographs of the first85 diggers identified in theWeekend Edition, November 7 - 8,2009 and Private Edward Hope wasone of these. The last of theseexhumed soldiers, one who had notbeen identified, was buried on July19, 2010.His remains were transported in agun carriage drawn by horses andaccompanied by military personnel,Australia’s Governor General,Quentin Bryce, and Britain’s PrinceCharles, both of whom deliveredmoving addresses.But the most moving were the shortaddresses given by descendants ofthose fallen British and Australiansoldiers.They read letters very similar tothose written by Florence Hope,expressing the fears and wishes ofboth the soldiers and those whowaited at home.There has not been universalapproval of the reburial of menburied in mass graves at battlesites.In The Sydney Morning Herald,February 5, 2010, Neil McDonald,historian and film critic, stated that“Exhuming and reinterring the wardead in more ‘suitable”’sites alwaysrisks distorting history”. But I feelthat still grieving relatives will gaingreat comfort from knowing thattheir lost loved ones have been laidreverently to rest in a beautifulplace, close to where they can bevisited and remembered.REFERENCESAustralian War Memorialwww.awm.gov.auAustralian Red Cross Society Woundedand Missing Enquiry Bureau Files,1914-1918 War Battalion Histories.Evans, Shirley and Smith, PamelaRemembrance: the Springwood andDistrict Honour Rolls 1914-1919.National Archives of AustraliaWorld War I service records.Nepean Times.NSW Register of Births Deaths andMarriages.Springwood Historians The Making of aMountain Community: a BiographicalDictionary of the Springwood District.Sydney Morning Herald.ONE MAN’SDEDICATIONDetermined to honour those whodied on that faraway battlefield,94 years ago, the Melbourneteacher and amateur historian,Lambis Englezos, AM set out toresearch documents and recordsof authorities around the world.But little has been said or writtenabout Lambis Englezos, AMwhose tenacity saw him gopublic with his theory of amissing mass Allied grave. TheFromelles story began to emergefrom the fog of history in 2002when Englezos went public withhis theory. Evidence fromGerman archives, documentingsuch a burial ground, convincedAustralian authorities a searchwas worthwhile.It is one of the darkest, mostheroic days in Australian history.Yet it barely rates a mention inour history books. .... John Leary, OAMHERITAGE 9November - December 2010

Two Woodford brothers killedCuriosity has lead Woodfordresidents of 10 years, Rhonda andTerry Flowers to research details ofthe four soldiers listed as killed inWorld War 1 on the Woodford WarMemorial and HERITAGE thanksthem for the following contribution.“During the past ten years webecame aware of a structuremarooned between the railway lineand the Great Western Highway atWoodford.“We were curious but neverseemed to find the time to inspectthe site.“As the juggernaut of the currenthighway widening was imminent wewere afraid that the structure mightdisappear forever before we coulddiscover what was its purpose.“Our motivation to visit the site wascuriosity and we were more thansurprised to find the structure was awar memorial initially constructedby Thomas Thomas and others ofthe village of Woodford as acommemoration.‘’On the east face of the memorial wefound the following names of thosewho died IN World War 1: CHDakin, C Fiddling, J Fiddling andlJ Wheeler.In The Sydney Morning HeraldSaturday, August 25, 1916 underthe heading MEMORIAL SERVICEAT WOODFORD the followingappeared:Woodford War Memorial - To those who for King and Empire enlistedfrom this village for service in the Great War 1914 - 1919.been fighting at ANZAC, BeauchopeHill, Fisherman’s Hut, Suvla Bay,and Hill 60, the farthest pointreached by the expedition,performed the ceremony ofunveiling the Woodford roll ofhonour.’The Australian War Memorialwebsite reveals that Private JohnFiddling (Jack) was killed in actionon June 6, 1916 and his brotherPrivate Charles Fiddling died ofwounds in France the followingmonth July 19, 1916.Private John Fiddling is buried inFrance, 83 Brewery OrchardCemetery Bois-Grenier.Private Charles Fiddling is buriedFrance, 768 Estaires CommunalCemetery.A cablegram has been receivedstating that Lieutenant ClarenceHerbert Dakin has been killed inFrance.The deceased was the only son ofCaptain H. Dakin, secretary of theNational Rifle Association of N SW(NRA), who is at present engagedin the Riverina enrolling recruits forthe NRA. 150 unit ofreinforcements, which he proposedto take to the front.The young officer, who was 22years old, enlisted as a private twoyears ago, saw service at Gallipoli,and won his commission in France.’“In all there are over twenty namesof those who served in WW1recorded on Woodford WarMemorial. They are not just names.The memorial service for thebrothers Privates Jack and CharlesFiddling, sons of Mr and Mrs WFiddling, of Woodford, was held inthe grounds of the Woodford RedCross Convalescent Home recently,about 200 being present.Every town from Katoomba toValley Heightswas represented.The service wasconducted by theRev EC Robison,of Wentworth Falls.Captain ChaplainParker read thelesson, andCaptain McKoan, areturned woundedsoldier, who hasLieutenant Clarence Herbert waskilled in action on April 14, 1917near Noreuil, France and wasburied where he fell. No trace of hisgravesite has been found and he iscommemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France.Private John Edward Wheeler waskilled in action October 5, 1916 andis buried Belgium 127 RailwayDugouts Burial Ground (TransportFarm) Zillebeke.Private John Edward Wheelerbrothers Stanley and Frederick alsoserved in WW1 but returned.In The Sydney Morning Herald onThursday, May 3, 1917 the followingappeared:“They were once the living youth ofthe tiny village of Woodford whoworked in dairies and orchards andwalked the same streets we walktoday.“In researching each name, on theWoodford War Memorial, throughthe National Archives of Australia,National Library of Australia onlinenewspapers and the Australian WarMemorial we hope to ensure that ifone day Woodford War Memorial isdestroyed by an ever wideninghighway the names of the youths ofWoodford who served in WW1 arenever lost,” Rhonda and Terry said.HERITAGE 10November - December 2010

More than just an old buildingBy John LowTravelling by train, I’ve alwaysenjoyed charting the progress of myjourney to and from the flat lands bythe familiar natural and historicallandmarks along the way.In recent times, however, under therelentless ‘up-grade’ of the GreatWestern Highway, the familiar hasbeen subjected to seriousdisturbance. Demolition, removaland erasure have muddied meaningand context, often beyond retrieval,and it has all been very disturbing.Decisions to alter the historicallandscape, no matter what benefitsmay result, always bring loss.Lawson especially has beenaffected, losing almost completelyits old commercial centre and all theintangible associations these oldshops had with the village andpeople who worked and lived there.This is not a matter to be takenlightly. Buildings, even largelyuncelebrated ones, become part ofa place and when they die morethan just the bricks and mortar dieswith them. I think it was JohnRuskin who, speaking of oldbuildings, said something to theeffect ‘that we may be able to livewithout them but we can’tremember without them.’Many of us would probably feel wecan live without such an old andoutwardly unprepossessing buildingas that which bore the name ofMacbrair and, until recently,accommodated several shops onthe highway opposite LawsonRailway Station.Yet, while its plain, commerciallyfunctional design may not be causefor architectural excitement, I doregret its passing and when my trainpulls in to Lawson I feel its absence.As its façade proudly declared, thebuilding was built in 1923 forLawrence Macbrair, a successfulbusinessman who, following theFirst World War in which his twoyounger sons were killed, sold uphis interests in North Queenslandand came south with his grief.In Lawson he found solace and arenewed zest for life throughThe Macbrair Building a plain, commercially functional design whichmay not be cause for architectural excitement now a victim of theGreat Western Highway road widening.business and community service,being elected with a large vote tothe Blue Mountains Shire Council in1922 and purchasing that sameyear the block of vacant landfronting the highway.Interestingly, when the land cameinto his possession it appears tohave not been completely empty forthe council rate books of the dayrecord it as “vacant land and ruin”.This “ruin” adds an extra layer ofhistorical meaning that links the siteto the earliest days of the town.The recorded history of the placewe know today as Lawson began onThursday, May 20, 1813 whenthree gentleman farmers turnedexplorers – Gregory Blaxland,William Lawson and WilliamCharles Wentworth – accompaniedby four assistants, three horses andfive dogs, “… encamped at 12o’clock at the head of a swamp ofabout three acres covered withrushy coarse grass with waterrunning through the middle of it.”“The horses”, wrote Blaxland, “bynecessity lived on the coarseswamp grass or rush. Nothing elsecould be got for them”.It was as a source of water and feedthat ‘Christmas Swamp’ (so namedby Surveyor-General John Oxley in1817, probably because of a localprofusion of native Christmas Bells),became one of the principalstopping places for travelers andstock using the road that wasconstructed across the BlueMountains in the wake of the 1813expedition.As these watering places began tobe named according to theirdistances from the Nepean River,Christmas Swamp became ‘24 MileHollow’ and from the late 1820s anillegal ‘hut’ servicing the needs ofweary travelers prospered for anumber of years.When legal inn-keepers, Henry andSarah Wilson, formerly of theScotch Thistle Inn at Blackheathand the Welcome Inn at The Valleynear Springwood, acquired a 100acre portion of land at 24 MileHollow in 1843 they built apermanent hostelry and weregranted a license to operate underthe sign of ‘Blue Mountain’.Such early inns became landmarksalong the Western Road thatmeasured the progress of a journeyand the Blue Mountain Inn becamewell known to travelers.Indeed, the location of 24 MileHollow was soon being referred toas ‘Blue Mountain’, a name itretained until the town that laterevolved became Lawson in 1879.Continued page 12HERITAGE 11November - December 2010

‘The Blue Mountains Parrot’ a popular local identityContinued from page 11The building itself survived until1917 and was located in what isnow the playground of the publicschool.For a period in the 1850s and1860s the Wilson family leasedtheir inn at Blue Mountain and livedelsewhere but, astute businesspeople that they were, returnedwhen the Western Railway linearrived in 1867 and a small platformwas constructed a short distanceaway.Within a few years (1875) they hadbuilt another inn closer to theplatform, transferring both thelicense and the ‘Blue Mountain’name. It was located on the blocklater purchased by LaurenceMacbrair.Unlike most of the Western Roadinns, the Blue Mountain prosperedin association with the railway.Trains stopped opposite to take onwater and passengers were glad ofthe opportunity for refreshmentswhile they waited.The Wilson’s youngest daughterAdelaide would be waiting on thestation to welcome them andsuggest a walk across the road tothe inn or the purchase of coffee,tea and sandwiches from her stallon the platform.She became a popular localidentity, known to all as “the BlueMountain Parrot”. Whether thisrelated to her verbal facility orcolourful dress I’m not sure!Her brother Affriat, who lived in thede-licensed inn up the road, alsoattracted attention as a naturalist,being especially skilled in thecapture and handling of snakes. Hisclients included a number ofmuseums.On Henry Wilson’s death in 1880the inn’s license passed to Sarahwho subsequently transferred it to anew Blue Mountain Hotel built nextdoor by the end of the decade.The 1875 inn ceased to trade andits condition gradually deteriorated.It was eventually demolished in1906, though the rate book entryquoted earlier suggests thatsomething at least, perhaps itsfoundations, still survived when theland was acquired by Macbrair in1922.Described by the local newspaper in1923 as “one of the town’s finest”,the new building sadly was not longin Macbrair’s hands. Aged 74, hepassed away in 1925 and wasmourned by the town in which, hisobituary recorded, “he displayed somuch practical faith”.The plain, business-like architectureof the Macbrair Building spoke ofmore than just small towncommerce and its demolitionremoves another ‘footprint’ leadingback to connect us with our past.A plaque on a ‘heritage’ sandstoneplinth can never be more than amakeshift recognition of what hasgone but, done properly, it canpreserve the significance of a siteand alert passers-by to the layers ofcommunity memory that exist there.While other lost Lawson buildingsequally deserve their stories to betold in this way, I hope some suchmarker will eventually be erectedwhere the Wilsons and LaurenceMacbrair (and many others) didbusiness all those years ago.Note: While no referencing forquotes etc. has been includedthis can be supplied on request.Council’s Heritage ReviewContinued from page 1Council staff are currently workingwith council’s heritage advisor,Christo Aitken, to completeinformation required to inform thisheritage review.The proposed Draft LEPAmendment will comprise threemain elements being the deletion ofsome items from the LEP Schedule2 (due to the fact that they are nolonger considered to hold heritagesignificance); insertion of new itemsinto the LEP Schedule 2 assupported by the heritage studies;and consolidation of separate sitesinto conservation areas in key areassuch as Mt York.The new items proposed to be listedin the Draft LEP Amendmentinclude private residential houses,historic monuments and items ofheritage significance located innatural areas such as historicwalking tracks. Further detailsregarding the precise nature of allproposed heritage items will beprovided to historical societies bycouncil in due course.Initially council staff will beconsulting with land owners on theinformation developed to supportthe proposed listing of sites to seektheir support. This includes privateland owners (a small number), andstate government agencies. Anumber of council owned and /ormanaged areas are also proposedfor heritage listing.Council staff will then be consultingwith the various historical societiesof the Blue Mountains on theproposed heritage items under thereview.A workshop will be scheduled in duecourse to be held at council toinform all historical societies of thereview process and what input thehistorical societies may wish tocontribute to this process. Once adate and time for the workshop areset, invitations will be forwarded tohistorical societies.The extent of the review is currentlylimited to areas identified underLEP 1991 and does not includeareas covered under LEP 2005(main village and town areas). Areview of heritage items located inLEP 2005 will be undertaken in thefuture, after progression of theReview of LEP 1991 items.The Draft LEP Amendment forheritage is currently beingundertaken as part of the new Part3 ‘Gateway’ process. The cityplanning team is currently workingwith the Department of Planning inprogressing this LEP through therequired planning process.I look forward to working with thevarious historical societies on thisheritage project. Should you requireany further information on theheritage review, I am available onMon- Wed on (02) 4780 5774 oremail fblaxland@bmcc.nsw.gov.auHERITAGE 12November - December 2010

The Cambodian exhibitionHurry, Hurry, Hurry, No Time to LoseBy Peter Stanbury, OAM, Phd.Force of circumstances is apowerful master. It sometimeshappens that normal planning is notan option and an exhibition needsto be up and running in animpossibly short time. How to do it?Faced with such a situation oneneeds confidence and a list oflogical steps. The confidence isnecessary to give others confidenceand the list of logical steps enablesone to delete a step or two withoutcausing undue panic.I recently undertook five weeksvoluntary work at the NationalMuseum of Cambodia. The workwas arranged through AustralianBusiness Volunteers, anorganisation in Canberra thatprovides opportunities forAustralians to exchange skills indeveloping Asian countries. Thevolunteer contributes time andexpertise, the organisationcontributes the airfare,accommodation and $20 per day forsubsistence. For more detailsplease see www.abv.org.au/.)I was expecting in early July tochange some textiles that had beenon display for too long, to advise onsuitable storage space for somerecent donations and to discusshealth and safety issues. I had it allworked out - a leisurely, informativemonth away from the usual routineand winter weather back in AustraliaOn arrival in Phnom Penh theassignment suddenly changed:please would I set up an exhibitionof temple hangings (pidans).But not just yet, because all staffwere busy on an internationaltravelling exhibition that was due toopen in three weeks – all staffwould be busy with that so therewould be only a week or so to setup the temple hangings before theexhibition was to open at the end ofthe month.And as there was no money left,consequently funds would need tobe found. And another thing, staffhad been working so hard on themajor exhibition, some would be onAdvertise your exhibition outside the Museum.leave immediately after and only alimited few would be available forthe second exhibition.So there were three weeks to planand find funds (no staff to help) andone week (with some limited help)to refurbish the exhibition space,physically mount the exhibition,arrange publicity and have anopening.Pidan means ceiling in Khmer.Complex pictorial woven silktextiles, often depicting scenes inthe life of the Buddha, are hung orpainted above or near the principalBuddha of a temple, hence theceiling reference.Pidans are never worn but aredesigned and woven todemonstrate skill and to acquiremerit by the donation.They require months to weave andwere becoming rare even before thePol Pot regime destroyed muchtradition. Very gradually NGOs andothers are trying to re-aquaintweavers with the necessary skills toweave and market both wearablesilk goods and items of religious ortraditional significance.I was very lucky to find a Japanesegroup of friends of an NGO thatwere prepared to invest around$1,000 in the exhibition.The rest of the preparation time wasspent planning.It is important to plan becausewithout a written plan it is difficult todetermine which items can beomitted at a moment’s noticebecause of resource limitations(time, availability, funding).I hope my list of notes may be ofuse to others planning in a similarhurry. Don’t expect to be able to doeverything on the list, but at leastrecognise that you are skippingsome items rather than forgettingthem.Items to be exhibitedAvailabilitySize and shapeGroup compatible itemsHanging or display mechanismConservation requirementsRoomHanging or display contextSecurityDoes room need repainting?LightingArrangement of items and scopeof storyHow best to tell the storyPlacement of primary labelsSecondary labelsTake away information leafletsBrochure or bookletPosters, handouts, bannerWill you need carpet or arrows todirect visitors?Continued page 14HERITAGE 13November - December 2010

The Cambodian exhibitionContinued from page 13ResearchWhat is the main idea behind theexhibition?Who has told a similar story andhow?Research and writingFocus of exhibition (in the room andvisitors)Contact those who may be able tocontribute and invite participationEducationDoes the exhibition relate toprimary, secondary tertiary studies?Can the exhibition be related tospecial interest groups?Is written program for such groupsappropriate?Advise groups; invite participationOpeningWho will open – firm commitment?Who will be invited?Speeches: MC, director, openerRefreshmentsGift for openerGift for guests (good publicity)Invitation lists and mail outSource tables, glasses, plates,cups, napkins for openingPublicityPrepare photographs and pressreleaseLocal press and radio (photographs/gift/novelty angle)National press and electronic media(photographs/gift/novelty angle)Local inhabitants, similar institutionsFree ‘what’s on’ listingsPostersBanner outside museumActual workClean spaceHang or mount objectsMount and carefully position labelsSort lighting (rememberconservation issues)Ring or visit journalistsPosition / distribute postersHang bannerBuy flowers and food for openingDay beforeArrange microphoneWrap present for openerDouble check labelsRemind journalistsAsk director and opener if theyrequire anythingArrange cleaning of areaTwo hours beforeCheck entrance tomuseumCheck museumCheck director andopenerCheck exhibition,flowers, foodChange intoappropriate clothesIf raining haveumbrellas, towels,receptacles for wetgear handyCalm othersinvolved in theexhibition and allowthem time to getdressed.As pidans are often found on theceiling, we used the ceiling fordisplay as well as the walls.The authorDr Peter Stanbury, OAM (pictured at right) wholast month returned from Cambodia has been avolunteer in various organisations for many yearsand has been an executive member of BMACHOsince its inception. He has been a volunteer withAustralian Business Volunteers (ABV) for anumber of years and has worked as a volunteerin many countries including Egypt, Cambodia andPeru. He was formerly the director of MacleayMuseum at Sydney University. He was awardedthe ABV’s annual Altruism Award for 2009.Mediterranean diet for WorldHeritage List!!!There is a tendency to only think ofheritage buildings, wildernessareas, magnificent landscapes,ancient castles, Greek temples andmonoliths such as Egypt’s pyramidswhen one thinks of UNESCO’sWorld Heritage List.But the World Heritage List includessites ranging from the birthplace ofBuddha to the Tower of London andlesser-known list of “intangible”cultural heritage covering oralExplain how your objects are made or arrived atthe museum.Explain the exhibition to childrenand devise activities.traditions, performing arts, socialpractice, rituals rock art andfestivals.Among other nominations, asubmission from the Italians isbeing considered for listing this yearof the Mediterranean diet, with itsmix of fresh fruit and vegetables,grilled fish and lashings of olive oilfavoured in Greece, Italy and Spain.Guardian News & MediaHERITAGE 14November - December 2010

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBER SOON TOCELEBRATE 25 YEARS EXISTENCEThe Lithgow and District FamilyHistory Society Inc. which willcelebrate its 25 th anniversary nextyear is the latest group to joinBMACHO.President of the society, EleanorMartin said the group wasestablished in 1986 to allow localpeople and others to researchtheir family lines and to learn theirfamily stories.The society of volunteers hasestablished a library, now situatedat the Corner of Tank and UnionStreets to store the extensiveresources of local cemeteryrecords, local and family histories,journals from international andnational sources, manyphotographs, copies ofGovernments Gazettes and localnewspapers as well as IGAs andBirth, Death and Marriage recordson CDs, Fiche and reels. Convict,shipping, immigration and censusrecords are also held.Social gatherings and bus trips tocemeteries and archives as well asworkshops and seminars arearranged to assist people toresearch and store theirinformation, source identificationand display their family trees.Some records are available for saleupon request and the societyproduces a Journal “LithgowPioneer Press” three times a year.Researchers can attend the libraryduring open hours and receiveassistance to work through theextensive indexes of much of theresources for a small fee.Opentimes are every Friday 10am -4pm. Tuesday 6pm - 9pm and firstSaturday 10am - 4pm of eachmonth except JanuaryContact number is (02) 6353 1089during open hours e-mail:ldfhs@lisp.com.au website http://www.lisp.com.au/~ldfhs P.O. Box516 Lithgow NSW. 2790Vale -- Hugh Manners Bickford (1927-2010)Sadly, long-time member and publicofficer of Blue Mountains HistoricalSociety Inc., Hugh Bickford, passedaway in Katoomba HospitalSeptember 13, 2010; he was aged83.Hugh was cremated at Leura onSeptember 21, 2010 and the BlueMountains Historical Society wasstrongly represented at the funeralservice.Condolences were extended to hiswife Janet, who is well known tomany, and to his sons Mike and Timand their families.Hugh had a long and distinguishedcareer working for CSR, latterly asproperty manager and companyvaluer, and after retirement in 1986he was asked to return as aconsultant which he did for a furtherdecade.In 1984, while Hugh and Janet livedin West Pymble, they purchasedland at Wentworth Falls – theproperty adjacent to Hobby’s Reachand a home was built which theythen used as a weekender.In 1988 they changed the locationof their Sydney residence toPennant Hills, but in 1996, afterHugh’s second retirement, theymoved permanently to WentworthFalls.In the mountains, Hugh was activein the Wentworth Falls Probus Clubbecoming president as he also wasfor the Wentworth Falls AutumnGarden Festival.But in recent years it has been therestoration of his treasured veteranAustin car that has consumed muchof his time, that vehicle having beenopportunistically acquired for thesecond time after a long period inthe hands of another motorist.Of his own accord, from 1986 Hughkindly started to mow the lowerslopes of Hobby’s Reach, initiallywith a hand mower but from 1988using a ride-on mower which heeven drove until he suffered astroke earlier this year.However it was not until 2001 thathe joined the Blue MountainsHistorical Society, becoming amember of the managementcommittee in 2004 and thenpresident for two years between2005 and 2007.In 2008 he became the publicofficer and in August that year hewas awarded an honorary lifemembership of the society.For many years Hugh informallyacted as a caretaker, responding tosudden activations of the securitylighting and being available to admittradesmen.Hugh was the speaker in July 2001when his topic was “The Wreck ofthe Admella”, an event whichoccurred in 1859; the gist of his talkwas reported in Hobby’s Outreach(Aug/Sept. 2001, p.4).Two years later, in June 2003, Hughaddressed the society on thesubject of “Cockatoo IslandDockyard Wartime Industrial Role”being a place which he had visitedfrequently whilst his father was incharge of Cockatoo Island.Hugh was a softly spoken personwith a wealth of knowledge whichhe willingly shared with others. Hewas a most delightful gentlemanwhom all shall miss greatly.Contributed by Peter Rickwood.Text approved by Mrs JanetBickford.Kung fu heritageShaolin temple, the Buddhistmonastery that is also the birthplaceof Chinese kung fu, hasbeen added to the United Nations’list of World Heritage sitesUNESCO has named historicalmonuments near Dengfeng cityincluding the Shaolin.HERITAGE 15November - December 2010

Doug Knowles elected to lead GlenbrookHistorical Society.........The new president of Glenbrookand District Historical Society Inc.,Doug Knowles can claim that hisassociation with Glenbrook could besaid to start back in 1924 more thana decade before he was born.His grandmother, Vera Dare cameto Glenbrook on a holiday in 1924and later purchased land and acottage in the town.However, Doug did not come toGlenbrook until 1946 when hisparents built a new house in themountains village.He started his schooling atGlenbrook Primary School and wenton to finish his secondary educationat Hurlstone Agricultural HighSchool, Glenfield before taking upan apprenticeship to Hazelwood’sNursery at Epping.Completing his apprenticeship hesoon found there was plenty of workin landscape construction andgreen keeping in the Lower BlueMountains. In his spare time he didgeneral cartage including bags offlour from the Glenbrook RailwayStation to McCall’s bakery.Doug recalls, “clearing and loppingtrees in the 1950s which providedlots of firewood which he sold for£3/10/- per ton for stove wood[people still cooked on fuel stovesin those days].”Doug also recalls that in 1957 treesto the north of the GlenbrookBowling Club (established a fewyears earlier) were casting shadowson the turf bowling greens.As a horticulturist, he wascontracted to lop the trees andsettled his account when insufficientfunds were available by acceptingdebentures in the club. He claims tobe possibly the only person to havedebentures in the club and not be amember.In 1976, needing more space for hisnursery at Glenbrook he purchaseda 5 acre block at Valley Heights,selling his Glenbrook propertyending 50 years association withthe village of GlenbrookAfter being involved in landscapeconstruction for about 30 years, hemade a career change accepting ajob with TAFE, teaching horticulturalskills including plant propagation,plant recognition and botany. Dougsays this was probably the mostrewarding and interesting 20 yearsleading up to his retirement.Doug says he has always beeninterested in local history and joinedthe Glenbrook and District HistoricalSociety about 8 years ago.“I especially enjoy the society’sregular ‘Walks & Talks’ to historicsites in Glenbrook and relating theplaces and events to the individualsinvolved; many of the people havingchildren, grandchildren or greatgrandchildren living in the area.“The society is currently negotiatingwith Caltex management to securecommunity use of the Pointsman’sCottage,” Mr Knowles said.The Pointsman’s Cottage -Photograph by John Leary, OAMMid Mountains Historical SocietyInc. has written to Blue MountainsCity Council expressing the strongopinion that the past history of theOld Community Hall at Lawsonmust not be ignored whendetermining its future.In her letter, society presidentNance Cooper stated it becomesevident that for the major part of itshistory since its opening in 1903, ithas been a centre for communityactivities.“There had been 98 years ofvigorous community life before itsDoug Knowles“The property would be an idealvenue to stage exhibitions such asthe display of railway heritagephotographs. Many of the society’sphotographs are from the Nolanfamily collection and were takenbefore 1920.“The society is also currentlypromoting Whitton Park as the‘village green’ and fighting offattempts to have the land fenced forselective group use.”Doug Knowles takes over thepresidency of Glenbrook andDistrict Historical Society from TimMiers who has held the positionsince the society was formed duringthe Glenbrook Primary Schoolcentenary in 1992.Doug is also a managementcommittee member of the BlueMountains Association of CulturalHeritage Organisations Inc.HISTORY OF LAWSON HALLSHOULD NOT BE IGNOREDfunction was narrowed forapproximately 3 years to that of ayouth centre before its regrettableclosure in 2004.“The closure of the hall deprivedsocieties and community groupssuch as the Mid MountainsHistorical Society of an importantconference venue.“It has been impossible, forexample, for this society to take apart in the annual History Weekconducted by the History Councilof NSW,” said Nance Cooper.HERITAGE 16November - December 2010

Honorary life membershipfor two at Mt WilsonProfessorReynolds takesleaveProfessor Barrie Reynolds who atthe annual general meetingearlier this year stood down fromthe position of secretary, aposition he has held sinceBMACHO was formed, has taken6 months leave from theorganisation until the end ofMarch 2011.This follows his hospitalisationlast month for emergencysurgery. Barrie has asked that henot be contacted concerningBMACHO matters until he returnsfrom leave.He had accepted an executiverole on BMACHO’s managementcommittee and was involved in anumber of new initiatives at thetime of his illness.Pictured are Mt Wilson & Mt Irvine Historical Society president, DesBarrett, honorary life member, Arthur Delbridge, AO and vice president,Darell Conybeare. Pictured below is Bruce Wright who now lives inWest Australia and was unable to be at the presentation.Bruce WrightArthur Delbridge, AO and BruceWhite were honoured at a recentannual general meeting of the MtWilson & Mt Irvine historicalSociety.Darrell Conybeare was on hand topresent Arthur with his framedcertificate.The citation for Arthur stated: Inrecognition and appreciation of hismany years and dedicated supportfor the founding and continueddevelopment of the societyHis leadership and direction overseveral years set the society’sstanding in the community, ensuredthe preservation of significantheritage sites and establishedregular avenues for widedistribution of historical information.Bruce Wright was not able to be atthe meeting to receive his award.In his absence research officer,Mary Reynolds spoke warmly ofBruce’s many contributions to thedevelopment of the society and theTurkish Bath Museum over thesociety’s first 10 years.The citation on Bruce’s certificatestated: In recognition andappreciation of his many years ofdedicated support for therestoration and establishment of theTurkish Bath Museum.His professional skill andcommitment to archaeologicalresearch and development at theTurkish Bath building and precinctand to the administration of thesociety in the early years wereinvaluable.The idea of BMACHO wasconceived by Barrie andenthusiastically embraced bythose who attended the 2004Blue Mountains Local HistoryConference at the CarringtonHotel in Katoomba at which hewas stressing the importance ofhaving a cultural heritagestrategy for the city.Barrie has had the ability togather around him individuals,both professional and amateur aswell as heritage organisations toprovide a voice for culturalheritage and to encourage andassist cultural heritage activitiesof member organisations.Barrie has worked tirelessly forthe recognition of culturalheritage; it has been themotivation, contagiousenthusiasm, academic expertiseand professional acumendisplayed by Barrie that hasdriven much of what has beenachieved by BMACHO in itsformative years.Members of BMACHO will wishBarrie a speedy recovery and willrespect his wish not to becontacted concerning BMACHOmatters until he returns fromleave.HERITAGE 17November - December 2010

GLEN DAVISRenowned mining historian andformer Glen Davis resident LeonieKnapman has launched her muchawaited history of Glen Davis.Leonie lived at Glen Davis in the BlueMountains from 1940 until it wasauctioned off and removed by 1954.Leonie has presented papers on thehistory of the township to groups andmining conferences around Australia,Tasmania, and in 2010 Greymouth inNew Zealand.After leaving Glen Davis inDecember 1954 Leonie thought oftenof the first 14 years of her life spent inthe beautiful Capertee Valley and thethousands of people who lived andworked in the town.Most of the hard times of the town’sresidents passed over the heads oftheir children and it was afterresearching the history of Glen Davisto write a book that Leonieappreciated their frustrations.Families were coming out of thedepression into a wartime situationand a life of rationing of petrol, tyres,food and clothing. This was furthercompounded by drought followed byalmost 30 floods.Leonie looked at what makes peoplechoose the mining life and live inremote areas foregoing the comfortsof life in the larger towns or cities.Men came from all walks of lifesearching for work and not all werefamiliar with the physical grind of themining industry and its drawbacks.The shale oil ghost town of National OilPty Ltd. Glen Davis and its peopleIn spite of the efforts of theCommonwealth authorities to shutdown the retorts they mysteriouslykept working to prevent theirdismantling. The authorities removedthe power fuses to force the retortsout of action but they were replacedjust as quickly and shale for theretorts seemed to appear fromnowhere.The day the strike ended was anemotional one. A large crowd offamilies and visiting miners waited asthe men emerged on electric locohauled transports. Unfortunately theirefforts and discomfort were in vain.The closure still took place. It was thelast straw for the residents whothought their homes and jobs weresecure.Today, over 50 years later, the valleyhas returned to farming and grazingas it had been since the 1800s, a farcry from the turbulent fourteen yearsof National Oil Pty Ltd.Glen Davis has been stripped of itstown status. It is as if the governmenthad tried to wipe it off the face of theearth.Book launched at Irish gaolWhile the Glen Davis works waspartly a response to theunemployment of the depressionyears of the 1930s the works took ona greater significance with the onsetof war when the vulnerability ofAustralia’s oil supplies was clearlydemonstrated. After the war GlenDavis was living on borrowed time.When the government mootedclosure of the company it sparkedstate wide controversy and workerstook matters into their own hands.On the night of June 12, 1952fifty two miners began a stay-downstrike lasting 26 days. It was thelongest stay in strike in Australianhistory.Lord Mayor of Cork, Michael O’Connell, Suzanne Voytas, ChristinaHenri, Roses from the Heart and Australian Ambassador to Ireland,Bruce Davis at the launch.Blue Mountains Family HistorySociety president, researcher andauthor, Suzanne Voytas hasrecently returned from Ireland,where her book Elizabeth 1828,the worst and most turbulent waslaunched at Cork City Gaol.The book details the lives of the194 Irish convict women, whotogether with 16 of their childrenwere transported on the shipElizabeth, which sailed from Cobb,County Cork on August 28, 1827.The biographies of the women,detail their achievements, theirstruggles to live in a foreign landand to be part of a new socialstructure while raising their colonychildren.Copies of the book can beobtained from Suzanne Voytas,details on the website:www.elizabeth1828.com RRP $35plus $10 postage.HERITAGE 18November - December 2010

Elevating the emancipist ......While Macquarie believed in thepunishment of convicts he alsobelieved in their reformation.He saw no reason why emancipists(convicts who had served their timeor been pardoned) should not bereadmitted to their former rank insociety if they were of goodcharacter and standing.In fact he came to the conclusionthat some of the most meritoriousand public-spirited men in thecolony were emancipists.In adopting this radical policy heappointed emancipists to positionsof authority and trust and eveninvited them to dine with him atGovernment House.Although receiving qualified supportfrom Lord Bathurst, the newSecretary of State for the Colonies,he aroused the hostility of a groupof influential landholders andmilitary officers.BLUE MOUNTAINS ASSOCIATION OF CULTURALHERITAGE ORGANISATIONS INC.REGISTERED OFFICE 14 Bunnal Ave, Winmalee 2777E-mail: jank@eftel.com.au or bmacho.heritage@gmail.comWebsite: www.bluemountains.heritage.comTHE ORGANISATION Blue Mountains Association ofCultural Organisations Inc. (BMACHO) was establishedin April 2006 following a unanimous response to aproposal from Professor Barrie Reynolds at the 2004Blue Mountains Local History Conference which soughtfrom Blue Mountains City Council the creation of acultural heritage strategy for the city.BMACHO in its constitution uses the definition: “Culturalheritage is all aspects of life of the peoples of the BlueMountains which was later changed to cover Lithgow andthe villages along the Bell’s Line of Roads. It thereforeinvolves the recording, preserving and interpreting ofinformation in whatever form: documents, objects,recorded memories as well as buildings and sites.”The objectives of the organisation are:i. To raise public consciousness ofthe value of cultural heritage.ii. To encourage and assist culturalheritage activities of member organisations.iii. To initiate and support culturalheritage activities not already covered bymember organisations.One of the aims of BMACHO is to bring the variousbodies into closer contact, to encourage them to workmore closely together and to provide a combined voiceon matters of importance within the heritage sector.Known as the exclusives, theybelieved convicts, even whenemancipated, had no place inrespectable society and to readmitthem would upset the existing socialorderThe rising number of pardons by theGovernor, and his injunction tomagistrates to limit flogging asmuch as possible, increased theiralarm.So scandalised were the officers ofthe 46 th Regiment that they entereda pact not to fraternise with anyonewho had arrived in the colony undersentence of transportation.Macquarie would not back down.In 1813 he told Lord Bathurst thatwhile most of the free settlers wouldundoubtedly prefer never to admitemancipists to equality withthemselves, it was after all a convictcolony and if they were too proud toassociate with convicts they shouldmove to another country. 1The first to benefit from Macquarie’sliberal measures were Simeon Lordand Andrew Thompson whom hemade magistrates in 1810.Others included William Redfernwho was made assistant principalsurgeon, James Meehan, whobecame acting surveyor and IsaacNichols who was appointedsuperintendent of convicts.Extract from The Governor. Lachlan Macquarie1810 to 1821, a State Library of NSWpublication. ISBN 0 7313 7203 4.1Macquarie to Bathurst, 28 June 1813,Historical Records of Australia 1/7, p.775MEMBERSHIP The following organisations are members ofBMACHO: Blue Mountains City Library, Blue MountainsCultural Heritage Centre, Blue Mountains Historical SocietyInc., Blue Mountains Family History Society Inc., BlueMountains Tourism Limited, Blue Mountains World HeritageInstitute, Cudgegong Museums Group Inc., EvergladesHistoric House & Gardens, Friends of Norman LindsayGallery, Glenbrook & District Historical Society Inc.,Kurrajong-Comleroy Historical Society Inc, Lilianfels BlueMountains Resort, Lithgow and District Family History SocietyInc., Lithgow Mining Museum Inc., Lithgow Regional Library –Local Studies, Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum Inc, Mid-Mountains Historical Society Inc, Mid Western RegionalCouncil Library, Mt Tomah Botanic Gardens, Mt Victoria andDistrict Historical Society Inc., Mt Wilson and Mt Irvine HistorySociety Inc. (including Turkish Bath Museum), MudgeeHistorical Society Inc., Mudgee Regional Library, NationalTrust of Australia (NSW) - Blue Mountains Branch (includingWoodford Academy), National Trust of Australia (NSW) -Lithgow Branch, Scenic World – Blue Mountains Limited,Springwood & District Historical Society Inc.., SpringwoodHistorians Inc., Transport Signal and Communication MuseumInc., The Darnell Collection Pty Ltd, Valley HeightsLocomotive Depot and Museum, Zig Zag Railway Co-op Ltd.The following are individual members: Ray Christison,Associate Professor Ian Jack, Joan Kent, John Leary OAM,John Low, Ian Milliss, Professor Barrie Reynolds, and Dr PeterStanbury OAM.COMMITTEE The committee for 2010-11 is: John Leary(president), Ian Jack (vice president), Jan Koperberg(secretary), Kathie McMahon-Nolf (treasurer), Jean Arthur,Joan Kent, Doug Knowles, Dick Morony (public officer),Barrie Reynolds and Peter Stanbury.HERITAGE is BMACHO’s official newsletter.HONORARY AUDITOR: Sue McMahon, B Comm CPA.AFFILIATIONS BMACHO is a member of the RoyalAustralian Historical Society Inc.HERITAGE 19November - December 2010