Journal of the Moruya & District Historical Society Inc. September 2007 Moruya’s Scottish Connection. Barrabool Bill Glennie Pakeha

In this article Bill relates how he became interested in the Moruya Aberdeen connection. He gives us an insight into the research techniques of an historian and illustrates how every little lead must be followed up.

My interest in the history of and a house in Caringbah, while later learn that Peter, his wife and the Sydney Harbour Bridge dates the owners, good friends, travelled their infant son, Sandy, left from 2003. In that year, it was my to the United States. I decided to Aberdeen in May 1926, part of the good fortune to participate in a use the time between cat-feeds to same group that included Ruby teacher exchange programme learn more of Moruya’s Grant, better known in Moruya as which took me to Cronulla High Aberdonians and the part they Ruby Webberley, author of School in Sutherland Shire. My played in the Bridge project. Granitetown Memories.) exchange partner, who arrived in Even before I set off for There were other Scotland before I left for Australia in August I had made developments before I left. I had Australia, told me that the Year 10 progress. I learned, thanks to the mentioned to a friend that I students had to carry out a site internet, that Daniel MacKay, a thought it might be possible to put study as part of their course, and Year 9 student at the Scots together something on the at Cronulla the subject of that College in Bathurst, had won Aberdeen workers to submit to the study was the Harbour Bridge. second prize in a competition local Aberdeen newspaper, the I was dismayed to find that organised by the Australian Press and Journal. He suggested there was next to nothing in the National Trust for a project on his the Scots Magazine might be way of resources suitable for great uncle who had travelled with worth approaching, and he also teachers or students, but armed his family to Moruya in 1926 mentioned Dr Marjory Harper of with a second-hand copy of Peter from Aberdeen. Had someone Aberdeen University, an authority Spearritt’s Sydney Harbour done all the research before I had on emigrants from the north-east Bridge: a life and a rather poorly even started? By the time I of Scotland. Indeed, in one of her reproduced item from the arrived in Sydney, my cat-owning books, I did find a brief reference Department of Main Roads friend in Caringbah had contacted to masons travelling to New South bought at the Pylon Lookout Daniel’s school, and there, Wales in 1926, and more Exhibition shop, I managed to waiting for me, was a copy of importantly, a name – Norah cobble together a few resources young Daniel’s project, telling the Berry – who had been a mature for classroom use. story of Peter Geddes. (I would student at Aberdeen University, Following my return to and who had discussed with Dr Scotland, I took early retirement Harper her father’s experiences at from my post as Head of History a granite quarry in New South in a Dunfermline high school, and Wales. Following e-mail contact returned to Sydney in October with Dr Harper, I met up with 2004 to escape the Scottish Norah in her home in Aberdeen. winter. I decided to spend some There, too, waiting to meet me of my new-found leisure time was Norah’s Aunt Mattie, who putting together a package of had been born in Moruya in 1928. resources on the Bridge that might Her father, Alexander Campbell, be of use in Sydney schools. It along with his family, had also was during those many hours in travelled on the Pakeha from the libraries of Sydney that I first Liverpool, along with the Grants came across references to Moruya, and the Geddeses. In addition, I granite and the quarrymen and now had my first photographs, masons from Aberdeen, my home including one taken of the Pakeha town. group at Aberdeen railway station In 2006 I was given the in May 1926 before boarding the opportunity to look after three cats Peter (Pat) Geddes train for Liverpool.

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family bereavement back in Scotland, and I had to fly home earlier than expected. I decided I would return to Sydney. After all, how often would the bridge celebrate its 75th birthday? I had been told, too, I would get an invite to the launch night of the Bridging Sydney exhibition in December at the Museum of Sydney. And I still had to visit Moruya, and meet Nell. Back in Scotland, during a Above: The Pakeha group at The Library holds visit to Aberdeen to check if there Aberdeen Joint Station March 1926. microfilm copy of the Moruya were any items of relevance in the Below: Ruby Grant (Webberley) with Examiner, and a search through local history section of the City young Sandy Geddes on the Pakeha editions from late 1924 until the Library, I asked the librarians if quarry wound up in 1931 was they would be interested in invaluable in building up a picture putting on some kind of display of life at the quarry and the around the time of the Bridge’s development of the Granite Town birthday celebrations in March community. The references were 2007, to raise the profile of the at times detailed, for example the Aberdeen workers’ contribution to reader might be given a full the Bridge’s construction. I am account of a scouts’ concert held grateful indeed that after giving in the community hall, then, after the matter some thought, and at a few weeks of silence, there very short notice, the City Library might be nothing more than the agreed to find the time and space briefest mention of a gardening to mount a display, on condition competition. Nevertheless, along that I came up with the materials. with the books by Christine Greig, Before returning to Sydney Ruth Webberley and Bob Colefax, in November, I had found another the Examiner remains one of the mason. This one was different. most useful printed resources on Angus Cruickshank had worked the quarry I have yet come across. on the Bridge itself. I managed to My Caringbah contact had track down a step-daughter in helped me in other ways, Auckland, who, very fortunately, including putting me in touch with had held onto a couple of In the midst of all this, I had Caroline Mackaness and Fabienne interesting items from his time in made contact via the Moruya and Virago at Historic Houses Sydney: a work tag that he would District Historical Society with (Sydney). have used when he took his tools John Sewell, and learned that a The Scots Magazine, from the workshop at Milsons daughter of John Gilmore, the meanwhile, showed immediate Point, and a coloured enamel quarry manager, was still living in interest when I contacted them badge that showed he had been Moruya. The daughter Nell Greig regarding my quarry research, and one of the Bridge workers who is 93 years old, with a great gave me a deadline for November. had crossed the Bridge in the memory and Scottish accent. They were especially interested in opening day procession on March Once in Sydney I was a the prospect of my meeting up 19, 1932. What made Angus frequent visitor to the State with Nell Greig. This, and the Cruickshank’s badge unusual, Library, making myself familiar knowledge that the Bridge was however, was the misspelling of with items published by the about to celebrate its 75th birthday the word pageant as pagaent. Moruya and District Historical in March 2007, made me all the Following an e-mail to Caroline Society, in particular the works of more determined to pursue the Mackaness, I learned that one Christine Greig (great project. Plans for the trip south to other such badge was known granddaughter of John Gilmore) meet up with John Sewell and about, and that was held in the and Ruby Webberley, and began Nell Greig were well advanced Powerhouse Museum in Sydney – to build up a picture of what had when I received the sad news of a but by the time of its production, gone on down at Moruya. Page 10 Journal of the Moruya & District Historical Society Inc. September 2007

Dorman Long had got their Back in the State Library, Stanley Purves was awarded the spelling right! shortly before I set off home, I Military Cross. What better found mention of what turned out preparation for a quarry engineer! to be a very important item. It In Scotland, a few more was a modest album of descendants of quarry workers photographs that had been taken were traced. There had been a by Stanley Purves, and one of letter found at Moruya from one these, dated March 1926, shows Robert Middleton, sent some clearly an extension being built to years before, but with an Back in Sydney during the dressing sheds at the Quarry. Aberdeen address and a phone visits to the State Archives, I It began to make sense: it would number. In Aberdeen he was found the passenger lists for the appear that some time at the end better known as Bob Middleton, Barrabool and the Pakeha, the of 1925, Dorman Long realised and was at one time the Convener two ships which had carried out that current capacity and of Grampian Regional Council. extra quarrymen and stonemasons manpower at the quarry were Sadly Bob died a few years ago, in 1926 from London and insufficient to meet the demands but his widow, Audrey, still lives Liverpool respectively. Now I for dressed granite up in Sydney, in the house Bob had named had names for all the men and thus explaining the extension to Moruya. Bob’s father, John, had their families who had been the sheds. And at the same time been a farm labourer in Scotland, photographed at Aberdeen railway that the extension was being and he and his brother Cosmo had station in February and May 1926. added, the first of the additional emigrated in late 1925 with the The State Archives agreed – very men required to work at the expectation of farming in New generously – to allow Aberdeen quarry face and in the sheds were South Wales, but had somehow City Library to have some already aboard the Barrabool en found their way down to the wonderful photographs I found of route for New South Wales, with quarry, where John was a crane Moruya and of the granite others to follow on the Pakeha. dogman and Cosmo a quarry masonry being applied up in Later, too, I found references to labourer. Sydney, for use in the Dorman Long acquiring land for a I made telephone contact forthcoming exhibition. second quarry face. with Sally Cains, granddaughter In December I made it to of John Ogg, one the stonemasons Moruya. Without realising it, the Several weeks later I received an e-mail from Jennifer who travelled out on the road I took to enter the town Barrabool. She had visited passed through the site where Broomhead in the State Library. She had located Alec Purves, Moruya in 1993 with her father, Granite Town had once stood. Albert, who had been five years John Sewell gave me access to the Stanley’s son, in Tasmania. Now in his book, Moruya’s Golden old when he arrived in Granite Museum’s materials on the Town in 1926. Sally now lives in quarry, and I spent some hours Years, Bob Colefax had written that Purves, the Quarry Engineer, Bristol. In the museum I found a ploughing through – and copy of Connected to the Bridge, photocopying - a wealth of items. was an English character who ‘had enjoyed the advantages of an her story of Albert’s childhood in Especially interesting were letters Granite Town. sent by relatives asking for English public school system’. In fact Stanley Stewart Beattie During the December visit information on the quarry since to Sydney, Daniel Mackay, the their relatives had worked there. Purves was born in Kirkcaldy in Fife, a twenty minute drive from Bathurst student, accompanied by These gave me further leads I his grandmother, had travelled to would follow up on my return to where I live. The same Stanley had been something of a war hero: Sydney to meet me. Daniel was Scotland. delighted to know that I had John had set up a meeting he had joined the Royal Flying Corps (later to become the Royal shown an interest in his school with Nell Greig, and there she was project, and his grandmother when we went round to her house, Air Force) during the Great War. His plane had conked out behind brought along with her with a wealth of letters, press photographs and details of cuttings and photographs for me enemy lines, and he had been taken prisoner by the Germans, contacts back in Scotland, one of to browse through. If there was whom was Peter Geddes’s treasure trove of memorabilia, this but along with some fellow prisoners-of-war had escaped daughter, June. (Peter’s first wife was it. I spent four wonderful died tragically in Moruya in 1927. hours listening and learning. I from Holzminden castle in Germany in 1918. A compass He remarried back in Scotland.) don’t know about poor Nell, but I June and her husband live in was exhausted at the end, and that he had made using some cigarette paper and pins is held in Portlethen, just south of more determined than ever to stay Aberdeen, and June has held onto on the trail of the Aberdonians. the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. In December 1919 many items relating to her father’s Page 11 Journal of the Moruya & District Historical Society Inc. September 2007 time in Moruya. I learned that One relative I still hoped to City Library for their efforts and young Sandy, frequently find was Malcolm Webberley, cooperation. mentioned in Ruby Webberley’s Ruby’s son. I learned that he had The launch night was well book, had joined the Royal Navy been a sound recordist of some attended and received excellent but died as a result of an accident note, who had worked with the press coverage. The Chief two years into the Second World BBC. I got nowhere. I did, Executive of the Town Council War. however, manage to locate Ruby’s was there. Alec Robertson, the Then there was Jack Ross. I daughter, Gail Cassie, through a owner of the only remaining found him by pure chance. His series of phone calls and some granite mason’s yard in Aberdeen, father, Kemnay-born John, arrived good fortune, and discovered that a man very interested in the in Sydney some time in 1925 or she lived in Perth, 25 minutes up industry’s history, also came 1926, but not on the Barrabool or the motorway from me. Gail – to along, as did Dr Marjory Harper. Pakeha. He’d been born in 1903 my good fortune – has held onto a Duncan Downie, the local history so it’s just possible he was one of box full of her mother’s expert for Kemnay, where many those quarrymen known to John memorabilia, including some of the quarrymen seem to have Gilmore’s wife. What was good wonderful photographs and press had connections, also attended. about this find: Jack had listened cuttings, and old letters from the (Duncan had helped Nell Greig closely to his father’s stories of likes of Nell, Bob Colefax and locate her family home on her trip the quarry, and even better, John Reg Saunders. The latter was an back to Scotland in 1993.) The Ross had sent photographs home apprentice mason at Moruya for a most important guests, of course, to his Scottish girlfriend - with short spell. Reg had a unique way were the relatives: Audrey notes on the back. with words. There is no other Middleton, daughter-in-law of way to put it. I John Middleton; Jack Ross, son of found in Gail’s John Ross; Mattie Adams, collection some daughter of Alexander Campbell, excellent detailed and her niece, Norah Berry; June descriptions of Scott, daughter of Peter Geddes; operations in the Isobel James, step-daughter of masons’ dressing Angus Cruickshank, along with shed type-written Richard Cruickshank and Philip by Reg, and Skene, his nephews; Gail Cassie, much evidence grand-daughter of Alexander of his admiration Grant, and daughter of Ruby for the Scots he Webberley; Stephen and Lorna Above: One of the photographs sent to worked alongside. Ross, Nell’s Scottish relatives. his girlfriend back home. On the back, The launch night for the Unfortunately Sally Cains, the John wrote: “What do you think of this exhibition at Aberdeen City granddaughter of John Ogg, was lot? Don’t they look tough? Names left Library was set for March 19, recovering from a brief illness, but to right: J Lawie, J Ross, J Cregan, R 2007, the Bridge’s 75th birthday. I sent her a CD with the exhibition Fraser, C Smith and W Aitken. Cregen is the only Australian. Fraser from It was decided to use the name of images and text. Aberdeen. Smith from Dyce. Aitken a poem written by Bob Middleton I probably knew that the worked at Kemnay years ago. W as a title: My faither built the exhibition would not be an end to Matthew took this one. Quarrymen in Sydney Brig. the Moruya ‘project’. the little quarry”. In addition to preparing Douglas Paterson, the Chief captions for the 55 images to be Executive, approached me on the used in the exhibition, I put launch night and suggested the together a ‘scrapbook’ for each possibility of preparing some worker that I had traced, largely classroom resources that might be based on photographic material I used in Aberdeen schools. In had obtained from relatives. June, I travelled up to Aberdeen, Preparations were complicated, and trialled some material with somewhat, when I was called on Year 8 students at St Machar John lodged with the Bill and Mary to help out in the History Academy, where a former pupil of Jaffrey from Scotland. Many of the Granite Town residents took to department of an Edinburgh mine is Head of History. I am gardening, growing crops they would school, but despite the pressures, pleased to say the exercise went never have been able to grow back everything was in place ready for well but I have still to decide home, including tomatoes and passion- the launch, and I owe a big debt of where this might lead. There fruit. gratitude to the librarians at the might also be the opportunity to provide similar classroom Page 12 Journal of the Moruya & District Historical Society Inc. September 2007 resources that could be used in Australian federal authorities and been a modest individual - unlike Moruya to help raise the profile of the Australian unions had a say in Bradfield – and also because the the quarry and its importance to the matter. Ruby Webberley had Dorman Long records relating to the town. in her possession a union card the Bridge’s construction have The exhibition, which ran a which shows that her father, still to surface, if surface they ever month, resulted in a number of William Grant, joined the will. Writing in 1982, Peter phone calls. Quite a few wanted Operative Stonemasons’ Society Spearritt lamented the fact that the copies of the various books of New South Wales before he Dorman Long archive had been published by the Moruya and had left Scotland. There were no closed to external researchers for District Historical Society. One adverts in the local Aberdeen some time. Recently, Corus PLC lady, who had known Ruby press seeking workers for Moruya. donated a large number of Webberley, wanted to see if I Rather, the recruitment may have materials relating to companies could help her make contact with been done through the local that formed part of the former the Murphy family back in NSW: unions. I have traced the records British Steel Corporation to young Ronald had been a friend of of the Building and Monumental Teeside Archives in the Grants. One caller put me in Workers’ Association to the Middlesbrough, so large that the touch with Bill Benzie Jr, whose Modern Records Office in the Archives have applied for a father, Bill Benzie Sr, was one of University of Warwick in Heritage Lottery Fund to get the masons responsible for the Coventry, and thanks to one of the everything properly catalogued. inscription on the Martin My visit to Teeside Place Cenotaph. Bill Jr Archives was therefore a lives in Hamilton, New frustrating experience: Zealand, has a what I did find only wonderful memory, and whetted the appetite, for I hope to meet up with example a sift through the him later this year. minutes of the directors of Then, within the Dorman Long mentioned space of two days, two upwards of eighty reports sisters, independently of sent back to the UK from each other, both of Sydney, no doubt whom had gone along to detailing progress, and no the exhibition after its doubt in late 1925 closure – though they alluding to the need for archivists there, I know there are still were shown the exhibits – additional capacity at the quarry at materials there of relevance. I still contacted me. They are daughters Moruya. Dorman Long opened an hope to trace the records of of Gordon Smith, one of the men office in Broadway, London, another union: the Amalgamated who had lived in the bachelors’ solely for the purpose of National Union of Quarry quarters, of whom Bob Colefax overseeing the Bridge project. Workers and Sett-Makers, relates an amusing incident, when It is quite possible that described by one Aberdeen they got up to high jinks on the Ennis kept a diary; perhaps he left authority on union history as an trip south to the quarry, having behind personal papers. He was Aberdeenshire bairn. Many of been held in quarantine in Sydney greatly honoured in his lifetime: these unions merged with others, for a few days too many. Gordon, he was awarded the OBE for his and there is no guarantee that the it seems, left the quarry around work during the Great War, and larger union held onto the records 1930, joined the Sydney police, to received the CMG from King of the smaller unions. find himself on police duty on the George V following the opening A key figure in the Bridge’s opening day in March of the Harbour Bridge. He was a recruitment of the extra men is 1932. Gordon returned to member of the Institution of Civil Lawrence Ennis. Ennis is very Scotland with his daughters in Engineers and of the Institution of much the unsung hero of the 1954. A grandson still has the Mechanical Engineers, both of whole Bridge project. Australian original contract Gordon Smith whom have been helpful in giving writers, perhaps expectedly, tend signed with Dorman Long’s me what little information they to focus on John Bradfield, the representatives in London before hold on Ennis. He died in London driving force behind the project. he left the UK in 1926. on May 5, 1938. A requiem mass In contrast, Ennis, who was There is one aspect I would was held in his honour in Dorman Long’s Director of like to learn more of: the Westminster Cathedral, but only a Construction based in Sydney for circumstances surrounding the widow survived. Only very seven years, has been neglected, recruitment of the additional men recently have I discovered he may largely because he appears to have in 1926. It does seem that the have been survived by a brother,

Page 13 Journal of the Moruya & District Historical Society Inc. September 2007 so perhaps out there someone still Skye in the Western Highlands, Australia had its attractions. holds a few vital clues. had worked as riveter and painter Nevertheless it says much for the New leads still appear that on the Bridge, and was in the spirit and the daring of these are worthy of follow-up. Gail employ of Dorman Long until people that they were prepared to Cassie had in her mother’s March 18, the day before the uplift themselves and their collection a photocopy of a letter Bridge opened. families and set off for what must sent to Reg Saunders from Lurline There are times when I feel have seemed a remote corner of Apps. Lurline’s father was a local I should say to myself, Enough is the world. And it appears that Moruya man who had been a enough. Not too often, mind you. there was no shortage of recruits. driver for Weatherbys who had Susan Bell, Public the mail service from Milton to Services Librarian at Moruya, before becoming an Aberdeen City engineer at the Quarry. Lurline Library, said that there lives in Yandina, Queensland, were so many queries where the family moved following about the photographs the closure of the quarry, and at used in the exhibition some point I hope to see the that I might consider memoir her father wrote and the compiling a book of scrapbook her mother compiled some kind. Perhaps. I Off for a picnic from Granite Town on the progress of the building of have great admiration I made the point on the the Harbour Bridge. Lurline tells for the men and their families who launch night of the Aberdeen me she has been contacted set off on such a long journey. It exhibition that the people of the recently by Betty Knight, who is the true that there had been a north-east of Scotland are a may be a daughter of Harry tradition of Aberdeen quarrymen modest lot, and blowing their own Knight who was a blacksmith at and masons making the annual trumpet does not come naturally the quarry. Another Reg Saunders crossing of the Atlantic in search to them. The men who set off for letter, dating from around 1985, of work in North America, and Moruya were of a generation who, gave an address in Vincentia for some were involved in high given a job to do, got on with it, Alex Simpson, son of the Alex profile projects, such as the and did it well. The granite Simpson who is listed as a construction of the Capitol masonry on the bridge is a worthy stonecutter from Aberdeen in the building in Austin, Texas. (My testament to their efforts and the Moruya records. I’ve asked a knowledge of that project I owe to efforts of all the other workers at friend in Worrigee to check that Dr Marjory Harper). But none the quarry. one out. Was this Alex Simpson had ventured as far as New South Finally, words which will of Vincentia a relative of the P A Wales, and none had been Annie seem sacrilegious to the good Simpson who wrote to the prepared to take their families people of Moruya: some Secretary of the Moruya and with them. The Press and comments on the newly opened District Society from Lakeside Harbour Bridge written by Park, Narrabeen, in 1980, prominent British engineers in an lamenting the lack of any kind of engineering journal of 1934. One remembrance of Moruya’s wrote of the pylons whether it was contribution to the Bridge project advisable to build extraneous – a situation surely rectified in structures which in fact had recent times by the unveiling of nothing to do with the duty of the the granite memorial in Moruya bridge. Another could not and the opening of the John understand why the excellent Gilmore Pavilion? The Moruya concrete of the pylons was records also state that the covered up with cut granite, while autobiography of William a third wondered why the Cochrane, one of the stonemasons contractors hadn’t imported Indian who worked on the Sydney granite which might have been Cenotaph, is lodged with the Annie Campbell feeding hens obtained in Australia at a State Library of NSW, but at Granite Town reasonable price! Jennifer Broomhead has been Journal edition of December 31, Now where would that have unable to find any trace of it. 1925, had an article lamenting the left Moruya? And what would I Now, most recently, I find that depressing state of the granite have found to take up my interest back in the late 1970s I worked industry in Aberdeen, so the in my retirement? alongside a teacher whose father, prospect of a well-paid posting in John MacLeod, from the Isle of Page 14