I I I I I I I Granite Town - Moruya River I A Chronicle of the Almost Forgotten People Who Quarried for the I Sydney Harbour Bridge I I I I I I I

I by

I NigeI NeiIson I I I I I I I I Granite Town - Moruya River I

I A Chronicle ofthe Almost Forgotten People Who I Quarried for the Sydney Harbour Bridge I Andthe stately ships go on To their haven under the hill; I But 0 for the touch ofa vanish'd hand Andthe sound ofa voice that is still! .1 Alfred Lord Tennyson I I I

An assignment for the Graduate Diploma ,iln Local and Applied History

I Armidale College of Advanced Education I Armidale NSW I by Nigel Neilson I October 1988 I I I I I I I I I -NOTE - I This is a copy of an assignment undertaken by the author for the Graduate Diploma in Local and Applied History - Stage 2 - awarded by the Armidale College of Advanced Education. It is requested that I it not be reproduced in any form without reference to the author.

The prescribed length of the assignment prevented a detailed treatment being given to a number of historical aspects of Granite Town and the I Moruya quarry. It is hoped that this deficiency will be remedied in a subsequent study being pursued for a Master of Arts degree with the History Department,University of Sydney. I

The author takes responsibility ,apart from quoted text,for views expressed in the assignment and will be pleased to hear from anyone who I can shed further light on the days of Granite Town and the Moruya quarry. I Nigel Neilson I May 1989 I 40 Coranderrk Street Congo Farm Reid ACT 2601 Bergalia NSW 2537 Tel:(062)486859. Tel:(044)742809 I I I I I I I Contents I Foreword (i) I Acknowledgements (ii) Map

I 1. Introduction (1) I 2. The Moruya River - Granitle and the Geo-Tyranny of Distance, (7) I 3. Granite Town Emerges (8) I 4. The Dorman Long Fleet (12)

I , 5. The Old Testament Strikes Back - The Great Flood of 1925 (17 ) I 6. Granite Town Consolidates (21) I I 7. 1\\'i1ight Approaches (29) I 8. Highlights of the "Golden Years" (31) I 9. The Captains and Kings Arrive (37) I 10. John A. Gilmore - Quarry Master (38)

I 11. The Captains and the Kings Depart (40)

References (45) I Appendices (48) . I I I I (i) Foreword While many events in local history are episodic,others remain part I of the landsc~pe. The latter may also take time to mature in the course of waiting -patiently - for someone to give them a I setting and interpretation. Communities are now more interested in their local past. That local history is not"little history" and can have a distinct nexus with state,national and international I events is gaining acceptance.

I The village that came to be known as Granite Town nearby the granite quarry on the north bank of the Moruya River,has a story waiting to be told in the context of its time - from late 1924 I I until circa 1932. The trail of local history is now well litt-· I ered with mining and other transient communities that came and went. Granite Town and its 300 or so inhabitants is no except- ion. However, the interregnum between when it happened and the I present is not too long for some historical salvaging to be done. A search of state departmental archives on Granite Town could be I revealing. Even more so,the archives,if these still exist,of Dorman Long and Company,the contractors who built the Sydney I Harbour Bridge. It was this firm,with headquarte~s in the United Kingdom,that created Granite Town in the first place to house the quarry workers and stonemasons required to produce the granite i facing stones for the pylons and approaches to the Sydney Harbour I Bridge. Oral history still has a vital role to play - but time is running I out in terms of interviewing people'who were there'. Memories become less reliable and recall more skewed as past I events slip into the twilight. It happens to all of us.

The history of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is now well recorded;as I also are biographies of the principal players in what was Austral- ia's greatest civil engineering attainment. However~the craft I skills,dedication and zest for adventure which brought quarry workers and stonemasons to Granite Town - many of them from I Sc~tland and Italy - could not withstand the completion of the Bridge contract coupled with the Great Depression. Granite was I not wanted any more. In fact new building technologies and styles were to ensure that,apart from most occasional usage,this would I remain so. This is a threshold chronicle of people who defeated the tyranny of I distance in one sense,but were defeated by it in another. I (ii) I

I Acknowledgements I ... I am particularly indebted to Mr and Mrs Rankin Greig(nee Nell I Gilmore~isses Jean and Nincy Gilmore ,who shared the granite era for the courtesy and time they accorded me in being interviewed I and subsequently,in accompanying me on a visit to the quarry and the site of Granite Town. I Thanks also is due to the Moruya and District Historical Society I for access to its memorabilia on Granite Town and the quarry. I am indebted to Mr A.V.(Bob)Colefaxfor having put to paper his I recollections on having worked at ,the quarry. That he took the trouble to do so,as well as writing upon his rememberance I of Moruya{s past years is an invaluable local historical record.

Acknowledgement must be made of the historical'work undertaken in I the Shire of Eurobodal1a by H.J.(Jim)Gibbney. His publication in 1980 of Eurobodalla History o{ Moru!a Di!t~ict,established a I benchmark of excellence not previously evident in publications on the district's local history. His reference to the days of I Granite Town, was. of necessity, brief as he was looking at the total historical panorama of the Moruya district. I Staff in the major library and archives institutions were partic­ ularly helpful. These included the National Library of Australia, I the Archives Office of New South Wa1es,the Mitche11 Library of the State Library of New South Wales and the New South Wales Government I Printing Office.

I A final word of appreciation to the Armidale College of Advanced Education and its staff who enabled me to overcome well established I inertia on the topic over many years with motivation to do something about it. I I ------_._------

{tPrinces JHighway Town Sea Route to Donald , Sydney Flood Prone Campbell's Land ~ Quarry Swamp l~."RoCkS

Shoals Moruya Heads River Reclaimed Rocks Land by Dredging

TASMAN SEA

MAP DEPICTING THE MORUYA AND NEARBY DISTRICT INCLUDING THE QUARRY AND WHERE GRANITE TOWN USED TO BE Adapted from Topographic Map 1:25,000. Central Mapping Authority of New South Wales. ------

I (1 ) I 1. Introduction

This is the chronicle of Granite Town,a onetime I quarrying community on the north bank of the Moruya River on the far South Coast of New South Wales. I It came into being,thrived and disappeared in a span of about eight years from late 1924 to 1932. I It arose from the need for granite dimensioned stone and aggregate for the construction of the pylons and abutments of the Sydney Harbour Bridge - the largest I and most imaginative civil works project ever attempted in Australia. It was built by Dorman Long and Co., I the successful tenderer for the bridge,and an engin­ eering contractor with a well earned reputation in I this line of construction overseas. (1) I In current parlance it was an'infrastructure town' being built for a specific need;~n this instance to quarry granite stone,and for a likely limited life. I However,with the quarrying technology and skills that were assembled there,it had been a vision splendid I that Granite Town would go on to become the acknowledged granite quarry of Australia producing dimensioned stone for national needs. Even an overseas export I (2) market was envisaged. Dr J.C.C.Bradfield,design engineer and head of the Public Works Department's I Harbour Bridge and Transit Branch was reported to have said: I there is enough granite at Moruya for all the building likely to be done in Sydney for many centuries. (3)" I But it was not to be. The winding down of the pylons and approaches phase by 1930 was overtaken by the I economic catastrophy of the Great Depression.' The last commodity governments and nations needed was I granite. Granite Town,like many other mining commun- ities before it,faded away. Its demise was to be absolute.The houses and other buildings were to be I sold off,with several exceptions,and removed elsewhere. Nothing remains today of the village and what was once I the vibrant quarrying site and plant which contributed I to what has been described as Moruya's"golden years". r

I ( 2 ) I I I I I I I I I I I I Fig. 2- A column of Moruya granite being polished into final form prior to erection in the colonnade of the Sydney General Post Office." The date of this part of construction is not known I but it may have been circa late 1860's or possibly 1870.

In 1868,John Young,the contractor for the General Post Office I leased a quarry site on the south bank of the Moruya River which had been operated by a pioneer district stonemason, Joseph Ziegler. He was later to build ,in granite,All Saints' Church,Bodalla,designed and supervised by Edmund Blacket and I later,his son. It was from this site that granite was quarried for the post office contract.

I Sea transport enabled this heavy commodity to be safely delivered to Sydney. Granite for the Sydney Harbour Bridge was to be won from another previous Ziegler quarry,located on the north bank. I Sea transport was again to be used between Moruya and Sydney. I (Photo:NSW Govt.Printing Office) I I (3) I I I I I I I I I I I I

I Fig.3 - This quite remarkable photograph depicts a completed Moruya granite column at the Sydney General Post Office site. The two men emulating ancient Greek statuary have not been I identified. Circa late 1860's or 1870. I (Photo:NSW Govt.Printing Office) I I I I I (4)

I While the life and times of Granite Town are still remembered by the now few survivors of that era who I remain in the Moruya district,recollections are becoming increasingly opaque. The Moruya and District Historical Society possesses some memorabilia I which now has a critical need of conservation treatment. Several articles have been written about Granite Town I over the years and two oral history tapes are now I known to exist,one of which supports this assignment. This study attempts to highlight a factor that,as far as I is known,has never been mentioned before. It is epitomised in posing the question - why was Moruya granite chosen? It was geographically located I 170miles from the Sydney Harbour Bridge construction site. The historical reason is apparent. I Moruya granite had been recognised for its physical and visual qualities since 1865 when a Scot,Captain I John Ross of the recently established Moruya Heads ... Pilot Station,sent' a sample of it to the then Colon- I "iaISe~retary in Sydney. Ross is purported to have dec­ laimed that it was the finest granite he had seen outside of Aberdeen.(4) Moruya granite was to become I the feature stone in the colonnade of the Sydney General Post Office,opened in the early 1870's. I It was also to be used in the Sydney Head Office of the Bank of New South Wales and in the memorial statue I of Captain James Cook in the Sydney Botanical Gardens.

The other likely reason for the selection of Moruya I granite lies in the precept,to be enunciated some forty years later by Professor "Geoffrey Blainey - I the'tyranny of distance'. With the Moruya quarry located on the north bank of a navigable I river,granite - a difficult and heavy stone to both quarry and transport - could be carried by sea direct I to the pylon sites on the southern and northern shores of Sydney Harbour. It was a quintessential example of maximising the economics of location and transport. I In fact the contractor was to commission the building I of three ships for this purpose. ------

Fig.4 - This photo,arguably more than any other,depicts Moruya of 1922. The arrival of the Scott- ish and Italian granite workers some two years later and subsequently,must have resembled space invaders of latter day science fiction,in terms of the impact on Moruya. The horse team would have been hauling railway sleepers to the nearby whart.

(Photo: National Library of Australia) I (6)

I During the era of Granite Town,its residents,for the most part immigrant Scots and Italians,were to contrib­ I ute,albeit unknowingly at the time, to breaking down the tyranny of distance. They were doing so by the very act of participating in the building of the I Sydney Harbour Bridge. This was to open up the north shore of Sydney,its coastal littoral and beyond,to other I forms of residential development. It was to produce its own day of reckoning in the form of urban congestion I and traffic pollutlon in later years. The spanning of the harbour was however,to be the attain­ I ment of a proposal put forward more than a century before by emancipated convict and government architect I Francis Greenway. Other contemporaneous events that assailed the tyranny of I distance came from the air and in the realm of trans- port and communications. Granite Town with the I rest of Australia,was to read and marvel at the epic flights of Bert Hinkler,Charles Kingsford-Smith,Charles I Ulm - all Australians - and English Amy Johnson,all of whom blazed trails in performance and endurance that I pointed to the mode of transport to come. Wireless reception, first through the crystal set and I then the valve receiver had started to penetrate Australian homes. Closer to Granite Town and in its I fading days,the year 1931 saw the introduction of the 'talkies'at Moruya's Amusu Theatre. (5)

I The Granite Town years saw an injection into Moruya's community life of other cultures and attitudes. I Indeed,these appear from newspaper reports of the day to have galvanised what was otherwise a self-centred I and socially somnambulent town. The financial .. benefit of quarry workers'pay was well in the minds of I Moruya's trader$.This wouli have been specially so when the Granite Town residents opened their own co-operative I store. It was to symbolise their sense of enterprise. This study is a vignette of Granite Town. The local I historical lode,in many ways, has yet to be quarried. I 2. The Moruya River - Granite and the Geo-Tyranny of (7) Distance The Moruya River and the granite quarry are located in " I ~pproximately the middle of Eurobodalla Shire on the far South Coast. In its physical composition it I depicts what can be described as the geo-tyranny of distance. It was in past years,and certainly in I the 1920's,difficult to get to. In Gibbney's words: The southern coast of New South Wales,like the whole eastern coast of the continent,is walled I in by a rugged mountain range fringing a great elevated plateau •.• South of Sydney it is rarely more than ten or twelve miles wide. This narrow strip of land between the mountains I and the sea is broken by inlet or river every few miles and is covered mainly in heavy forest. (6) I By the late 1830's the southern legal limit of settlement was the Moruya River., As it consolidated and continued to probe further south,so the sea trade I followed. The Tasman Sea became a salt water highway and continued to be one well into the 20th century. I Naturally then, Dorman Long,the Sydney Harbour Bridge contractor, looked to sea transport to forward fresh I . water and other supplies to Granite Town;returning to the pylon sites with dimensioned granite stones and i aggregate.

Quarry workers recruited to Granite Town came by sea. I Under normal circumstances they disembarked at the Moruya town wharf. In bad weather they would leave I the ship at Batemans Bay to the north and proceed from there by car or bus to Granite Town. Whether by sea or I land, a trip to the South Coast was adventurous. An excutBion inland over -the Clyde Mountain road,with I two punts to cross as well could be even more so. I The navigation of the Moruya River was hazardous from the outset of settlement. Broulee on the coast to the north had been the district's first port. With the I discovery of gold at Araluen and increased farming in the Moruya area,the river came into favour for shipping I access. This led to the establishment of a pilot stat- ion on the southern headland of the Moruya River. I It was opened in 1861 by Captain John Ross,a Scot,to whom is attributed the identification of Moruya granite as a I high grade bUilding material. By 1881,the Austra~ia~ Nautical Almanac was reporting on the Moruya River as follows: I (8)

I The Moruya River ... is a bar harbour,and capable only of admitting vessels of light draught. The channel across the bar is continually shifting, I the average depth being about seven feet at high water spring tides. . .• The South Channe1,when navigab1e,is always to be preferred,owing to the heavy. rollers usually setting across the North I Channel. The bar is seldom smooth, No special directions can be given for the inside I [of the Moruya River),owing to the shifting nature of the sandspits ,etc. (7) The Almanac also described the presence of sunken rocks I and the hazards of working the bar other than when the tide slackened. Over the .years,the navigation of I the Moruya River was alleviated to a degree by regular dredging. The need for dredging during the life of I the quarry was paramount and was constantly brought to government attention. On 30 January 1926, following rigorous representations by the State I Member of Parliament for the urgent return of the dredge Nept,u,ne to the Moruya River,the M,o.ruya Examiner I an.d South Coa,st .Advocate"with perhaps a little calcul­ ated satire, stated: I ••• This is the first boon Mr Bate has conferred upon the district after taking up his seat in Parliament as our representative. (8) I It was to this isolated locality that Austra1ians,Scots, Italians and several Eng1ish,some bringing families, I came in the closing weeks of 1924 and for some years thereafter. Throughout the operation of the quarry at which a special wharf was constructed,not I a ship was lost or suffered from misadventure;notwith­ standing the hazards of the river and the heavy cargoes I of granite being carried. The geo-tyranny of dist­ ance may be seen to have been defeated in every sense. I' 3. Granite Town Emerges I Upon being awarded the bridge contract,Dorman Long lost no time in putting construction plans into effect. The state government of the day had facilitated the I contractor's path by accepting in the contract any wages increases that occurred during the course of I construction. Dorman Long also received free access I to the Moruya quarry which was on crown land. I (9) It became obvious that the township of Moruya,with a population at the time of just over 1000,would be I unable to absorb the influx of quarry workers. The requirement for stonemasons was to absorb almost I every available craftsman then in Australia. It was to attract also an influx of masons,many with I families,from Scotland and Italy. Hence,in Spearritt's words: in the best traditions of corporate paternalism, I the company provided 72 wooden cottages for the 250 workers and their families,along with a village store,post office and social hall. The Education Department was to provide a school and the settle­ I ment earned the nickname of ' Granite Town' .(9)

Bradfield was to record in his final report on the (10) I construction of the Sydney, Harbour Bridge,that the cottages contained four rooms with wash and out-houses I and were provided with water and sanitation. There are variations in recall as to how many people I resided in Granite Town.and births should be taken into account. It would appear to have peaked at about 307 I while the quarry was in full operation. The facilities referred to above did not all come at once. Dorman Long seems to have always judged when the time was right to I enhance Granite Town a little more. The Moruya Examiner (11) -• . and §out~ Coast Ad!ocate,which was to report regularly I on the quarry community over the years,was to always feature their needs. Dorman Long,though unfamiliar I with Australian mores,made sure that its corporate paternalism took a benign {arm. This was to be evidenced only weeks after the commencement of quarry I operations when the Examiner ,as it was known locally, reported on 24 January 1925: I Given fine weather the sports on Monday next {Australia Day holidaYJ,promoted by Dorman Long I and Co. ,should be a great success,as the object is to raise funds for a most worthy cause - our I local hospital. (12) Later,Dorman Long sponsored a cup for an annual football competition which attracted teams from the I South Coast towns of Bodalla,Cobargo,Moruya and Narooma.

I The prospective quarry community first became newsworthy I on 8 November 1924 when and with a thought for the local ----

I (l0) hip pocket,the Examiner commented: Business in Moruya which,during the past 12 months I has heen almost stagnant should receive a decisive fillip when North 'Shore bridge quarry works start operations. In a few weeks,Pompey Point will I be a hive ,of busy workers: (13) Despite the obvious signs of impending activity at the I quarry,the Moruya locals were not to be denied credit for a parochial policy imput. The:Examiner claimed on I 15 November 1924, 'that: The expectations of Moruya,which have been growing constantly ever since the Progress Association I placed before the contractors Dormon[sicJLong and Co mpany , the suitabi 1 i t Y 0 f 0 u r g r a n,i t e for the approaches to the North Shore Bridge,and that firm's decision to secure the stone from here,are about to I be fully realised ... (14) Clearly,the pioneer endeavburs of Captain John Ross I to put Moruya granite on the map as well as it having been specified by the Public Works Department - long well I aware of its physical and visual properties - could not withstand such a parochial and egocentric assult by Moruya's local interests. It may well reveal Dorman I Long's adroitness at the time in letting the locals have their say with its obvious parochial kudos. I The is s ue was pu t I beyond doubt by Bradfield, whom in h'is final report made it clear that the properties of the I granite had been well known,when he said: Moruya granite is a medium light grey granite of uniform colour and texture,except for slight I aggregation veins and patches of darker tint. The compressive strength of the stone is about 19,000 lb per square inch.(ls) I A lack of analytical expertise would not have impeded the parocbial advocacy of the Moruya Progress Association. I By then,it would have certainly had well honed sensibil­ ities on the local economic benefits to be derived from Moruya granite. The Examiner,in the same article I enthused that when established,the quarry: should increase the spending power of our district by £1000 per week,and mark a new ere in the old I town's history... By the beginning of the year [192sJ we expect to see the pretty point of the (16) I northern bank of our river a busy hive of industry. - Indeed,work proceeded at a pace that could only be I described as frenetic by Moruya's customary standard. The quarry site witnessed the construction of the I ------

Fig.5 -A panoramic view of the Moruya granite quarry. The stone dressing shed,prepared stones for consignment and the wharf can be clearly seen. On 25 July 1929,when the photo was taken,the quarry would have been still operating at full c~pacity.

Fig.6 A panoramic view of the village of Granite Town taken on 25 July 1929. The recreation hall in the middle distance,dominates the settlement. In the middle distance,far left,can be seen the school staffed by the NSW Education Department. (Photos:National Library of Australia) I (12) masons'work shed,the building of a wharf,the laying I of railway lines and a large steel crane was to domin­ ate the skyline. In terms of what in later years,would I be called 'critical path'planning of a constructipn project,Dorman Long left nothing to chance. I The completion of the pylons and approaches to a stage that would enable the steel arch spans of the Sydney Harbour Bridge to be erected demanded top I priority. This was reflected in a sense of urgency and purpose some 170 miles to the south,at what was to I be Granite Town. The thought was abroad that Granite Town would resemble what was known particula'rly in England. I as a "Garden City"',t.he Examiner being told: •.• It is also proposed to run a supply store on a co-operative" basis. We are led to believe that the Moruya Quarry is a permanent work and will not I cease operations at the completion of the North Shore bridge. (17)

I A.V.(Bob)Colefax of Moruya,together with his father, were locally engaged staff employed at the quarry I office. In recalling his quarry days,he said that the power house had two large generating sets each I capable of a 205 kilowatts output at 600 volts. There were four steam cranes as well as a petrol I locomotive and apart from these,power was supplied exclusively by electricity and compressed air. (18) Meanwhile,across the river in Moruya township, the I argument whether to have electricity or not continued. One of the issues was whether to have a poll of town I ratepayers. Electricity was not to illuminate Moruya until August 1931. Some shire localities were not to I be connected until the late 1960's. 4. The Dorman Long Fleet I To transport dimensioned granite stones and aggregate to the two pylon and approaches sites,Dorman Long had constructed three ships,each having a capacity of 400 I tons on an 8 feet draft. The freighters were also used in the early days of the quarry to carry drinking I water as forward ballast. They were built at the Walsh Island shipyard and were named Dorlonco(the I first syllable of the bridge builder's names);Sir Hugh Bell;and,Sir Arthur Dorman. The latter were named I a~ter directors of Dorman Long and Co. ------

Fig.7 - The Sir Arthur Dorman loading granite stones at the Moruya quarry wharf,circa 1929-1930. To the right is the machinery shed for crushing aggregate. Looking over the river can be seen typical fiood plain and farming land to be found on both sides of the Moruya River.

(Photo: National Library of Australia) ------~

I (14 ) I I I I I I I I I I I Fig. 8 - The Sir Arthur Dorman moored at a pylon site at the Sydney I Harbour Br"i'dge on li"March 1926. I (Photo:Archives Office NSW) I I I I I I ------

The navigation of the major rivers in Eurobodalla Shire depended on dredges. The above photo,believed to have been taken circa 1900,shows a dredge operating at the Moruya town wharf which would have been well known to residents of Granite Town. The dredge is pumping sand through extended tubing into an area that would become,in time,a public park and swimming pool. One of the two men on the dredge is believed to be Mr Henry(Harry)Tessier(Tesior),then dredge-master. (Photo:National Library of Australia) ------

I ( 16) The fleet was to carry its cargQ without mishap and in I so doing navigate the ever unpredictable shoals of the Moruya River. In recalling the days of the Dorman I Long fleet,Colefax said: The Dorlonco was subsequently renamed S.S.Sir Dudley de Chair after the then governor of N.S.W. It was found in practice that only two ships I were required. The two chief officers were Captain Pilling and Captain Coe •.. After leaving the Company,Captain Pilling was appointed on a I collier,and finished up in a watery grave,when his ship foundered. When the production of aggregate ceased,only one ship was needed ­ I I but not for long when it was found a cheaper proposition to have the dimension stone freighted per the IllawarraCo. From here to the end of operations,the blocks were carried to Sydney by I the S.S.Narana. U9) Dorman Long had also found that cheaper aggregate could I be obtained from the Bombo Quarry at Kiama where the rock structure was the more easily worked columnar I basalt,more commonly known as 'blue metal'. The shipping turn around time and the transportation cost would also have been less and the navigation in I and out of Kiama less hazardous. The S.S.Kiama was used to carry blue metal from Bombo to the bridge I sites .(20) As Bradfield noted in his final report The freighters[the Dorman Long fleet]were sold before the completion of the work and the stone I was carried by the ordinary coastal service (LS.C.S.N.C.). (21) I This diversion of trade would have been more than welcomed by the Illawarra & South Coast Steam Navigation Company(I.S.C.S.N.C.)which in the early 1920's,had I lost two of its ships to running-a-ground near the I entrances to the Moruya and Wagonga ~ivers,respectively. The dredging of the Moruya. River remained a constant need I during the life of the Dorman Long fleet. It was no doubt,a welcome bonus to the Illawarra & South I Coast Steam Navigation Company,the historical and most regular user of this somewhat restricted artery to the sea. However, an event occurred that would at I least cleanse the Moruya River over the short term and for a vital period of quarry operation~. I Particularly during the early years of the quarry,the Pacific Ocean and its connecting and unpredictable I M~ruya River became Granite Town's life line. I (17) 5. The'Old Testament Strikes Back - The Great Flood I of1925 It was on 5 May 1925,only months and for some quarry I workers weeks after arrival at Granite Town,that it started to rain. After fifteen days it stopped for four days. on a Sunday evening I and to continue well into the following week. At flood peak, the raging Moruya River was two feet I over the decking of the Moruya River bridge. At least 28! inches of rain was recorded and the local I devastation was enormous. In readings dating back to 1852,it remains the largest flood to have occurred on I the Moruya River. To the more fundamentally religious and recently arrived Scots,it seemed like the Old Testament flood of forty days and forty nights revisit­ I ed. There was even to be a Noah's Ark in the form of the S.S.B~rmagui. then archored in the Moruya River.

I The steamer snapped her chain at the height of the flood and was carried by a surging torrent over a I wall on the south bank;to finally rest in what was locally known as the'swimming hole'. In reporting I the event the Examiner commented: .•. This seems to have been an ac~ of Providence, as otherwise she[Bermag~ilwould have been swept I down by the rushing stream and probably smashed to pieces. The steamer is in about 20ft.of water and it has been decided to open the wall to let the I steamer out. (22) In the event,it was some weeks before the Berm~gui was released and the ~xam~ner was to report on 20 June I 1925: The I.S.N.Co's steamer Narani is expected at Dormon [sic] Long's wharf today(Saturday)with coal for I the Bermagui,and the dredge,machinery for the quarry and sheep for some of our butchers. The general cargo for the district is still being shipped I to Batemans Bay. (23) The fate of the Ber~agui's crew during the interregnum I in the 'swimming hole'remains unknown." Whether they were paid off or spent some weeks roistering in Moruya's I hotels calls for further research.

Initiatives undertaken at the quarry earlier were to I alleviate flood damage. Th~se are best described by I Colefax in his own words: ------

Fig.10- The Great Flood of late May 1925. This photo is looking east dow~ the Moruya River. The shed and crane belonged to the Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Co. ,the wharf to the left being submerged. Behind the crane can be seen the S.S.Bermagui. What stage it had reached in its remarkable adventure is not known. Granite Town,beyond the spur of land to the left,was on high ground and unaffected by the flood. The quarry site,however,was under water.

(Photo:National Library of Australia) ------

Fig. 11 - Looking east down the Moruya River after the Great Flood of May 1925. The wrecked storage shed of the Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Co. can be seen on the right. The S.S.Bermagui was by then floating safely in the "swimming hole".

(Photo:National Library of Australia) ------

Fig.12 _ The S.S.Bermagui,as a result of the Great Flood,was carried over the granite retaining wall to be trapped in a large billabong known as the"swimming hole". It lay there from 26 May until 3 July 1925. It is generally believed that the delay was due to waiting for the next predicted high tide. The granite wall was removed to allow a passage for the Bermagui to regain its freedom. This photo shows the Bermagui proceeding through the gap in the wall back into the Moruya River. The impact of what remains the greatest flood on record and its aftermath,astounded the residents of Moruya and Granite Town alike.

(Photo: National Library of Australia) I (21) ••• The site had been levelled out preparatory for erection of buildings and plant. This entailed I- considerable filling as the land sloped a~ay then to the river. Mr Gilmore[quarry manager] used Bob Slessor to cut and build a retaining wall of rough granite blocks along the river side of this I filling. Huge quantities of plant and prefab­ ricated buildings were laid out all over this level land awaiting erection etc. When the big I bosses came down from Sydney at this time,they took Mr Gilmore severely to task for building this retaining wall without authority. Soon after the I huge record flood of May 1925 hit the place. The quarry site was inundated in swirling torents. Many thousands of pounds of valuable material would have been washed awaY,and the site gutted I out but for the retaining wall. The big boys now conceded praise tn place of reprimand'(24)" I By 27 June the pilot at Moruya Heads was reporting that with a 17 ft.pole,he could not touch the bottom of the river where a pole used to be. The bar at the I mouth of the river was then to be found some 400 to 500 yards out abreast of the headland. Earlier in I the month the pilot could find no evidence of the bar at all and that: 'an Orient liner could now cross in, I turn around and go out again' .(25) This fortuitous purging of the Moruya River,though at I heavy cost on the surrounding flood plain, must have, at least in the shor~ run,facilitated the navigation of the river to both Granite Town and Moruya. I While personal recollections of;Granite Town are fading into the mists, the Great Flood of 1925 became an I indelible local legend. It surely would have been vividly -recalled by those Scots and Italians who finally I Teturned to their respective homelands.

By April 1926,the Moruya River's own form of geo­ I tyranny was to become evident again, when the !~ami~er repo~ted:that Captain Graham of the dredge Neptune had I been instructed to commence operations immediately and to cut a channel through and as far as necessary down I the Moruya River. A following up operation to widen the channel was to be performed by the dredge Balli~~'(26) I 6. Granite Town Consolidates By 1926 Granite Town had become a distinct entity. I In the strict sense of the word it was as Gibbney has I ------

Fig.13 -A view of the granite quarry in operation,probably photographed in the late 1920's. The township of Moruya can be seen in the far distance across the river. The village of Granite Town - not in the picture- was located to the right of the quarry face.

(Photo:National Library of Australia) I (23) I I I I I I I I I I I

Fig.14 - The largest solid piece of granite ever to be won in Moruya I quarry and the epitome of a quarry master's skill. The actual estimated weight of the whole stone varies~ Suffice to say it was several thousand tons in weight. I A figure of 2000 tons or more has been claimed. The stone had already been subjected to breaking into large sized blocks by a process known as "peg and feathering" I Holes would be drilled around the dimension required and into each of these would be placed wooden pegs which in turn would be hammered progressively into the holes. Finally,the granite block would split off. Where "peg and feathering"had already I been applied can be seen on the main stone and ,on the split block to the right. The photo was taken on 9 July 1927.

I On the second level of the main stone,holding onto a ladder'~ can be seen Dr JJC Bradfield,then Chief Engineer of Sydney Harbour Bridge and Metropolitan Railway Construction. I At the foot of the bottom ladder is probably Mr John Gilmore,, who was the quarry manager. The secret of the quarry master s skill is knowing how to read the grain. Of John Gilmore A•V• (B 0 b ) Col e fa x said: " rh eJ. .. co u I d cl 0 s e his eye s , and in d i ­ I cate the direction of grain just by running his fingers over the stone". I (Photo:Archives Office NSW) I (24) I I I I I I I I I I I I Fig.IS The stonemasons'dressing shed at the Moruya quarry. It was here that granite blocks were cut to highly accurately dimens­ I ioned size for the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons and approaches. I (Photo:Archives Office NSW) I I I I I I (25) described it: 'another of the subordinate communities I that had been a feature of the district'. (271 There were however,two factors that set Granite Town I apart. In the first p1ace,it was a 'company town'. It was the creation of Dorman Long which obviously had the backing of the New South Wales Government. I This alone probably insured that the intrusion of Eurobodalla Shire Council and local interests would be I minimal. Second1y,Granite Town was for the most part an ethnic enclave of purposeful Italians and Scots, I particularly the latter. They were to make a mark on Moruya as no other district ' subordinate community'cou1d. I Their common denominator was the skilled trade of stone­ masonry and they existed in sufficient numbers at Granite Town not to be 'pushed around'or for that I matter,ignored. They received high wages by the standards of the day and a substantial proportion I of these would have been spent in Moruya's main street where most of the shop keepers were to be found. I Not even the prospect of a co-operative store at Granite Town attracted opposition from Moruya's commercial lobby. This may have occurred in a different I context at other time. In any event,the store would not have syphoned off a great deal of business from I the traders of Moruya township.

I It was on 3 April 1926 that the Examiner featured for the first time,a column captioned Granite Town.(28) I It noted that in mid-April new arrivals would include 21 stonecutters,2 too1smiths and 5 quarrymen together with their wives and families. It also observed that I the Caledonian Society,now well ensconced,wou1d be warmly welcoming the new,and obviously, Scottish arrivals. I The Education Department was reported as looking at con- struction of a school at the Quarry. The formation of I a Progress Association was announced and even the Eurobodalla Shire Council received an accolade for I undertaking repairs to the road between Granite Town and Moruya. The stonedressing shed where the masons worked,a1ready of large dimensions,was being extended I to accommodate the increasing number of stonecutters. I I (26) I I I I I I I I I I I I

I Fig.16 - Finished granite facing stones assembled near the wharf that was specially constructed for loading the Dorman Long fleet of ships. The three men in the photograph have yet to be identified. One is probably Hr John Gilmore,the quarry I manager. I (Photo:Archives Office of NSW) I I I I I ( 27) I I I I I I I I I I I I

I Fig.17- A granite block receiving a final working over with a machine known as a'dunter',at the Moruya Quarry site on 12 June 1926. The stone dressing shed in which the masons worked,can be seen on the right. In the distance,to the left,is the large machinery I shed that housed the plant for crushing granite aggregate. I (Photo: Archives Office NSW) I I I I I (28)

The Examiner's column on Granite Town was to appear I off and on over several years interspersed with short news items as these arose. The integration of its I residents with those of Moruya was evidenced on 25 April 1926 - Anzac Day - when of 24 ex-servicemen I who attended a memorial service,10 had served 'with the World War 1 British Expeditionary Force. Of the (29) I latter,2 had served specifically with Scottish units.

The tempo of the quarry in 1926 was reflected in I Dorman Long advising that they would pay their employ­ ees 44 hours wages to those wanting to work only for this I time and 48 hours wages to those who were willing to work over the longer period. Industrial relations I at the quarry site appear to have been sound. The quarry manager,John Gilmore,had a reputation for being hard in his expectations but always fair. I His unequalled reputation as a quarry-master of inter­ national standing commanded respect throughout the I years the work took place.

I By an award of 30 July 1926,stonemasons and men operating surfacing machines at the quarry were I granted 5 pence an hour extra. In his final report, Bradfield was to say: There was no reason why men at Moruya should I receive more than in any other part of the State, but at that time,: stonemasons were scarce and the extra rate was granted to induce men to go to Moruya,the pretext for the extra rate being the I extra cost of living involved for men working away from their usual place of residence. (30) I By September 1929,the demand for stonemasons at the Moruya quarry was on the wane. This was re[lected in a further industrial award when an additional 4! I pence per hour was granted for work carried out at a height of 150 ft.or more. In September 1930,a further I 4! pence per hour was awarded for all work at 175 ft. or above~31) Obviously the locus of need for stone­ I masons had moved to the completion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons. It was from about this 1 time onwards that the community of Granite Town started to dwindle. Dorman Long had no reason to I' complain about wage rates. After all,the New South I (29) Government had contracted to'pick up the tab'. I This was not to say that unionism lay dorm~nt in Granite Town. Gibbney noted that the quarry workers: I were strong unionists and the establishment of a lively branch of the Australian Worker's Union in 1925 strenghed the tendency for a'Labor vote I in the town[Moruya) during elections. (32) Bradfield noted .only two strikes at the quarry ­ I each of four days duration. On 8 September 1927, crane drivers struck for increased pay and holiday I conditions. Twelve men went on strike with 217 being affected. On 5 June 1928,. stonemasons struck over a new employee who had not been engaged through the I union. The number on strike was 85. According to Bradfield,increased rates of pay and I reduced working hours adde~!£796,582 to the cost of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. (33) I 7. Twilight Approaches

The year 1926 was the year of consolidation. In I July the last of the stonemasons to be brought to Australia,with their families,arrived in Granite- I Town. It was stated that the nine masons involved completed the quota ar~anged by Dorman Long with the I Federal Government,who controlled immigration to Australia,and the Stonemasons Union. ~ Nearly every I available mason was by now working at the pylon and approaches sites in Sydney or at the Moruya quarry along side Granite Town. From then on the quarry I followed a now well established pattern of blasting and finishing granite stone to the precise dimensions I required for the bridge pylons and the approaches. People prominent in the Sydney Harbour Bridge const­ I ruction came and went. These included Dr Bradfield and senior construction executives of Dorman Long. I While Granite Town lived one day at a time,there was no reason to believe that the future of the quarry, was in doubt. The E~a~ine~ saw fit on 8 January 1927 I to recycle the Sydney press when it reported: The "Telegraph"says that Dr J.J.Bradfield has just returned from a two days'trip to Moruya I where the granite is coming from for the Harbour I ------

Fig.18 - As the steel arches of the Sydney Harbour Bridge spanned the city sky so the days of Granite Town became numbered. This photo printed in Erection Wages 1932 tells the story. (After Spearritt,1982,p.38) ------~---

I (31) Bridge,more convinced than ever that Moruya has the finest granite in the world. His opinion,he says, is shared by the quarry-master[J.Gilmor~7, I who has had world wide experience •.• In Dr Brad­ field's opinion, there is enough granite at Moruya for all the building likely to be done in Sydney I for many centuries.(30 With such optimism ringing in their ears,Granite Town's I quarry workers had every reason to believe that the need for granite was enshrined by perpetuity. I Meanwhile,the north and south steel arch spans of the Sydney Harbour Bridge were inexorably soaring upwards I and over the skyline. The lower cords of these were joined with a monumental degree of exactitude I on 19 August 1930 at 10 p.m. The closure of the two arches,the construction of which had captured the I imagination of Sydneysiders over several years,symb­ olically signalled the closure of Granite Town and the I dispersal of its residents.

The first locally published news on the impending I demise of the quarry and Granite Town occurred in the Examiner on 9 May 1931. After reporting the celebra~- I ion of Empire Day at the Granite Town school,the news­ pater went on to comment: The little community of sturdy Scots has begun to I show signs of dispersal. Numbers of well known families have already sailed. Many of the cottages are being removed and the neat gardens so I much in evidence last year are neglected. (35) Within a year or so it was all over. Granite Town I had become a completed chapter of South Coast history. 8. Highlights of the "Golden Years"

I It is to A.V.(Bob) Colefax that the description has been attributed of the quarry and Granite Town having I been Moruya's"golden years".(36) Though on a far smaller scale,the impact on Moruya might be compared with what I was to happen to Cooma in the late 1940's,following the influx of the workers on the Snowy Mountains I Scheme. There are two survivors of the Granite Town days still living in Moruya who can recall with vividness,what it was like to have lived through,for, I them,exciting times. They are Mrs Rankin Greig(nee I Nell Gilmore),daughter of the quarry manager, the late ------

Fig.19 - The ?nly photograp~ so far located which reveals what the village of Gran1te Town was l1ke to live in. There may well be more if an appeal was made for memorabilia.(After Spearritt,1982,p.40) I (33)

I John Gilmore,and A.V.(Bob)Colefax,already refer~ed to. A background oral history tape of an interview with I Mrs Rankin Greig(et al),recorded on 22 February 1988, accompanies this study.

I The zest and civic purpose of Granite Town was reflected in the occasional reporting of the ~xamin~r I newspaper over the seven years or so that its community eXisted. While yet to be explored,it is unlikely I that government archives or those of Dorman Long and Co. would reflect the joys,sorrows and aspirations of I the people who lived along side the granite quarry. A perception of how Granite Town was materialising was given on 19 June 1926,when the E~a~i~~~ stated: I Mr Martin Rose is ably sweeping the paint brush, applying a battleship grey colour to the houses and painting the roofs red. This promises to I greatly increase the congenial appearance of the village. (37) On 25 September the newspaper recorded a successful I whist drive and dance which had been held in the Batchelors'Quarters - probably only one of many - in I aid of funds for the new school. It was reported that the school was then complete and painted.but I still awaiting furniture and other equipment~(38) At interview,Mrs Rankin Greig(et al)recalled that I it became a three teacher school which points to a substantial number of children in Granite Town.(39) I Little or nothing is recorded of how women reacted to I liVing in this quarrying community. However,a passing enthusiasm for trapping parrots caught the Examiner's I attention: ••• There is an imminent danger of "Parrot town" taking the place of Granite town as an appropriate name,for ~here is almost a larger quantity of parrots, I than granlte. Almost every house is provided with the well known box,stick and string trap,with a sprinkling of corn to entice the unsuspecting bipeds I to their doom. (40) In terms 'of job identification,the era and the locality, I it was clearly a'man's world', Nevertheless,two women - there may have been more - have been identified as I ~aving worked at Granite Town. I (34) I I I I I I I I I I I I Fig.20- Vulcan Street,the main thoroughfare of Moruya in 1926,the year in which Granite Town across the river was a distinct and I developing entity. Moruya at that time and until August, 1931,was lit by gas lamps.

The building to the left is the Adelaide Hotel,venue of the I vice-regal luncheon when the Governor General and Lady Stonehaven visited Granite Town in late May 1931. I (Photo:NSW Govt.Printing Office) I I I I I (35) One was Mrs McElroy,then an elderly woman, who was assistant to the school headmaster Mr Farrell. I The other was Mary Gilmore,a daughter of the quarry manager, who was described as : 'a non-stop dynamo of I efficiency' . Predictably, the influx of single male quarry.workers I I was reflected in marriages to local womeR. S~veral Italians who came to work at the quarry married women from the district and stayed in Australi~ I A.V.(Bob)Colefax recalled with some typical South Coast understatement,that one of the Italians had the I distinction of becoming a husband and a father on the same day. While the double event on the calendar I was unique,the ev~nts leading to it were probably not. From hearsaY,ethnicity was of little conseq­ I uence during the "golden years".(41)

By November 1926 Granite Town's Progress Association I was extremely active. Piles had been driven for a swimming pool and the base for a tennis court was I to be excavated. the Examiner noting,perhaps provocatively: •.• the villagers feel proud of the fact that I they are putting one over Moruya,who cannot even boast the semblance of a swimming pool. I However,the ~xaminer then seemingly appeased the larger town and seat of shire government, by declaiming: After many years of geographical insignificance I and apathetic citizenship,Moruya is at last apparantly asserting itself as a centre of importance,and some evidences of progressive I spirit are beginning to manifest themselves. Our streets, hitherto disfigured by rows of shabby dilapidations are fast attaining a I modern and smart appearance, .• ~ (42) Was the demonstrable civic pride of Granite Town over two years,now having an osmotic effect on Moruya? I The Moruyans were then exhorted to keep up the good I work. In 1927,district football teams still contested I for the Dorman Long Cup. The Moruya team,which would have included Granite Town members~ travelled I on dirt roads to where ever the match happened to be, held. I I (36) I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

I Fig.21 - The Granite Town Recreation Hall,opened in September 1927. Its opening -as reported by the Examiner,was a gala occasion and it was the pride of the community. It is purported to I have been removed and re-erected at Ulladulla,on the South Coast and to the north of Granite Town,following the closure of the quarry. The photo is circa 1930.

I (Photo:National Library of Australia) I I ------

Nell Greig and her sister Nancy Gilmore recalled how a football match was followed by a ball on the Saturday night. It was not uncommon for the teams to return home on Sunday. In its heyday,Granite Town boasted of both tennis and cricket teams. The past is currently linked with the present in cricket through onetime Australian test cricketer Bobby Simpson~who was born in Granite Town. Nell Greig commented that she remembers his parents ,his father being a stonemason.(43)

On 2 September 1927,Granite Town attained its social zenith., wi th the official opening of its Recreation Hall by the Shire President,Councillor T.Flood. The Examiner in reporting the event said: As we predicted,the little village of Granite Town was en fete on Friday night last week,the auspicious occasion being the official opening of a Recreation Hall. There was a very large attendance over 450 being present. The commodious and well built hall was taxed to its utmost capacity,many failing to gain admiss­ ion • •.. the large crowd had a thoroughly enjoy­ able time d~ncing until 3 a.m. (40

9. The Captains and Kings Arrive

On 31 May 1930 the Exa~~n~r reported an event which might have been captioned'Granite Town under Vice­ Regal Patronage'. The Governor General and Lady Stonehaven had visited Moruya and Granite Town the previous week. Failure to cite the newspaper's exact reportage would see much lost in translation, the following bei~ an extract: .•. On arrival .•. [they]were met by Mr L.Ennis, Managing Director for Dorman Long and Co. ,and then partook of luncheon at the Hotel Adelaide, where Host and Hostess Henderson had a sumptuous fare in readiness,the tables being artistically .decorated wi th iceland poppies. . •• Subsequently .the vice-regal party visited Dorman Long's Granite Quarry •...On arrival ... Lord and Lady Stonehaven were met by Mr J.Gilmore,Manager, and Mr Morrison,and were escorted through the (45) works,where everything was explained in detail •... This might also have been described as a vice-regal last hurrah for Granite Town. I (38) I 10. John A. Gilmore - Quarry Master The achievement of the quarry in both output and quality I control was on all accounts,due to its manager John A. Gi1more from Aberdeen,Scot1and,a quarry-master of world I repute. The position of manager was advertised by Dorman Long world-wide and John Gi1more selected I selected from the international competition of experienced granite quarry men. In the event,it was as outstanding choice. He brought his wife and family to Moruya I and though: he resided on the southern side of the river,he was part of Granite Town as though he lived there. ' I He was ably supported by his stone-cutting foreman William Morrison,described as a 'typical whisky drinking I Scot'and Archie Davidson,foreman-in-charge of producing the rough granite from the quarry. (46)

I John Gi1more and his wife Mary, remained in the Moruya district for the rest of their days. Bob Co1efax paid I them the following tribute: All through the Quarry years and for many years after,"Tuffwood"was a hospitable open house for all I who chose to cross its threshold • ••• This rendez­ vous was suffused with a magnetism all of its own. Its setting of unsurpassed beauty was only the small I factor of this magnetism. The large factor reposed in the unique personalities of host and hostess, John and Mary Gi1more. Both radiated a spontaneous captivating charm which had a rare quality because I they were quite unaware of it themselves. (47) Wi11iam Morrison,who was a stonemason par excellence I moved to New Zealand. It is purported that he finally succumbed to the bottle. Archie Davidson -a devout I church, goer, returned to Scotland where he was killed by a fragment of flying rock during a quarry I blasting. (48)

The role of the Gi1more family in the days of Granite I Town and subsequently in the Moruya community is part of the local historical legend. However,much more needs to I be recorded. Perhaps the greatest tribute to John Gi1more's skill and fideli ty to his trade lay in Dorman I Long being able to leave the vital quarry operation totally in his hands - some 170 miles from the Sydney Harbour 'I Bridge site - with absolute confidence. I (39) I I I DE GROOT & (No Liability) 56 I dRIDGE OPENERS TO THE GOVERNMENT (By Appointment or Surprise Party) 1 ltllll_t Mn«1 Ob..nM. .11 o.r O, t COfuhd.d i" • Pht. S..t..d Eft".t . I 1{KE'l':KItNCES ~ J. T. Laa. (Pn.-Ift). CI 4 fll.I', !Jup.,htWilu.tut I MeK.,. ,..qlfll h r.Un Co.....I•••" CliHtt.. or1! win.ipal. Cap/. d. Gr,,"'. 1nl. ", Ihf' 1,lh lIwl.tarff mill the Rt"C"fJl;on llou,'«(' [' hntrnrnf,Ji' dB· '",wraf'.' Iram hoth} ha., ~·t;f''''V c()nlidplH~(, in 1'1(J{'lfH~ IUJ 'I"n';"'I'.4 h,./ore the br;.llle... oprn;np NHumu"ih

I n~Jr lH)rf j ltf' hM • natural for this of\of"flin, of thtl'lfL tJ... inl( !lnt'al "{"","f'n·I:WI f'f lhf' huldlmifn who ()~IHrd Iht' d\ll:u 10 ,J, ....{Hil" :\flll'l1t.. b invalkr.. and of lh~ famous trillhmao wtw .fWllY- "'Pf'n~lt 11 fr•.-n.lIy ,h~lI.. ~i'()f1 with hl~ "hiU401.ab bon"l lU'flt't. C.ptah, Ill. Gr.... pr•••d" lu••• n unlftHm (a" wor. b,. " ••, ltOhiiI'u). ht. ."'" ".rN (Ih,", lep •••• ".inlflU. bUI • hor.. I ttult" .d..qu.t. 10 hi. abillt, ••• rid.,). "'Id Ill. o.ora .word. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO PROVIDE THE BRIDGE AND THE CROWD. HE DOES fHE REST. M..u.-.. it.J,..",., .,.,.... ,... brl4,... .-pl) ...... du' _ ~ c.".... I d. c;,..,', """w..t 8,~ la ""'fIl, r- __ 'P'"t'U to U. ,,_/reoMpJ.,.. ~...... ,., 10 p .. c.,.,.. ... c,...... tit_ rll.... Negotiation. are in train to have Captain de Groot open the new bridge over tlle River Clar- I ence, Th~ only thing ~Idi,:,g up the project at th~ Imoment I. the chronIc dIspute between North 'I· Gralton and South Grafton, as 10 wh;ch end the bridge win be opened, Captain d~ Grool is ~tand- IHFlCIAI PICI\:UE (\1 IIIL IWENINC I T.l1I \l(\';Y ing alool from the discussinn, but h", '{,'en it III I hi. firm opinion that it should be opt"·",;, ~l l;.~h 'n

I (40) 11. The Captains and the Kings Depart

The pulse of Sydney quickened on 19 March 1932. It was I the day the Harbour Bridge was opened. By this time the pulse of Granite Town by the Moruya River was dead. I Indeed,the characteristic rigor mortis and consequential decay of a forsaken infrastructure community had been I evident for well over 12 months. Works buildings were dismantled and the cottages and hall, the latter I having been the pride of Granite Town,were sold off. Meanwhile,the captains and the kings were otherwise engaged I in what was 'from 1929 until 1932,a politically volatile Australia. With the Great Depression swirling around I it,Prime Minister Stanley Bruce's Federal, Government was swept from office in the 1929 elections.Bruce lost his parliamentary seat. He was never to return to polit­ I ics. In a manner of speaking,the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened twice;in the first instance by a Captain de I Groot,who having attached himself to the Governor-General's mounted escort,rode up to the opening ribbon and slashed I it apart with his sword declaiming: 'in the name of the decent and loyal citizens of New South Wales I declare this I bridge open! '. After the ribbon was retied,the State Premier,J.(Jack)' T.Lang reopened the Bridge on behalf of the citizens of New South Wales and in the participating I presence of the State Governor,Sir Phillip Game. De Groot had clearly galloped his way into Australian I history. Granite Town was galloping to oblivion.

I On 13 May 1932,Govern~r Game dismissed Premier Lang,follow­ ing a legal confrontation over federal financing between I the Commonwealth and New South Wales Governments. The passage for Dr J.J.C:Bradfield,arguably the outstanding Australian engineer of his time, had not been easy. I In February 1930,he had fallen out with his employers, the New South Wales Railway Commissioners,who curtly I retired him. As Spearritt noted: In an unusual move,almost certainly reflecting the elevated position that Bradfield held in the eyes of I the community,Premier Bavin's Cabinet preserved his status in the Department of Public Works .•. and he continued to represent the government in dealings with I the contractors and to supervise construction of the Bridge·o(49) I I (41) While the Bridge wa& under construction,a background rhetorical obligato was gaining crescendo· -though rarely I heard or of little interest 170 miles to the south in Granite Town. It raged around who really designed the Sydney Harb- I our Bridge. The protagonists were Dr Bradfield and Ralph Freeman(later Sir),Dorman Long's consulting design engineer. I The Sydney press was to feed on the dispute. The Dail.y ~elegraph on 15 March 1929,under a caption'SPANNING HARBOR I WITH WORDS' ,opined: It seems as though the task of building the Harbour Bridge will fade into insignificance beside the job I of explaining who designed it. (50) The battle of the engineering titans was unremitting - the State Government called for a report - the controversy was I never really resolved - Australia remained in the grip of the Great Depression. When the job was done,Dorman Long I packed up and left. The captains and the kings had departed.

I Two quarry workers were killed. Their deaths registered little impact outside of the Moruya district .. Deaths at I the Bridge site were far more spectacular and were covered by the Sydney press. This did not mean that work at the Moruya quarry was any less dangerous. A bronze plaque on I the Bridge's east parapet commemorates the sixteen who were killed over the construction years. It will never be I known how many of the Granite Town men were to suffer from or succumb to dust on the lung(miner's phthisis),a tradit- I .ional complaint of stonemasons. I The days of Granite Town have progressively sunk into Moruya's limbo. Generally,visitors to the district have never heard of it. When the 50th anniversary of the I Bridge ope~ing occurred in 1982,the vital role of the quarry workers received scant attention. Moruya has lived on I and now looks more and more to the tourist dollar. The local economic benefit that hailed the advent of Granite I Town was still evident after its disappearance. On 6 November 1935,the Sydney Mail.reflected: The noise of the quarrying which a few years ago shook I the air has ceased at Moruya,so too has the cashing of quarrymens'cheques which meant so much to this old port on the South Coast when the pylons of the Sydney Harbour I Bridge were being built. (51) The hands had vanished and the voices were still. I I (42) I I I I I I Fig.23 - Mrs Rankin Greig pointing to where the I Community Hall once stood. I I I I I I I I I Fig.24 - The site of Granite Town today. (Phtos:N.Neilson,March 1988) I I I I (43) REFLECTIONS ON VANISHED HANDS I AND STILL VOICES

I Mrs Rankin Greig(nee Nell Gilmore) contemplating upon where a Granite Town cottage once stood and a garden I flourished. I I I I I I Fig. 25 I

I Miss Jean Gilmore and Mr Rankin Greig gaze upon the site of I the once"golden years". I I I I I I

Fig.26 I (Photos:N.NeiJson,March 1988) I (44) I I I I I I I I I I Fig. 27 - II ••• there is enough granite at Moruya for all the building likely to be done in Sydney for centuries".

I - Words attributed to Dr JJC Bradfield I January 1927. The face of Moruya quarry 1988. I I (Photo:N.Neilson,March 1988) I I I I I I (45) I References

I Abbreviations ' I AO Archives Office of New South Wa1es,Sydney. ESA Moruya ,Examin,e,r .a.nd ,So.ut,h, ,Co.ast A,d.v,oc.ate,; better known as the Examine,r, or(then) Examiner. a.nd, S,ou.th. Coa.st A.d voca t,e,.

I ML Mitche11 Library,State Library of New South Wa1es,Sydney. NLA National Library of Austra1ia,Canberra,ACT. I op.cit. o.p,e.re, citat,o, - in the work(a1ready~quoted. 10c.cit. ~~£~ Eitat~ - in the p1ace(a1ready)stated. I ibid. ibidem - in the(very)same p1ace(as the preceding reference.

I References I

(1) Dorman Long and Company was referred to,genera11y,as'Dorman Long'. I The latter form has been adopted in the assignment except where the full corporate title seems appropriate.

I (2) Dr John Job Crew Bradfie1d(1867-1943),Chief Engineer of Sydney Harbour Bridge and Metropolitan Railway Construction,N SW Public Works Department. An excellent biography of Bradfie1d by P.Spearritt I appears in the Australian pi£tionary ~f Biography,Vo1.7,pp.381-384. (3) An opinion attributed to Bradfie1d after a visit to the Moruya quarry and reported in the Sydney Daily Te1egrap~. It was featured I in the Examine~ on 8 January 1927.

(4} Captain John Ross,from Forres,Morayshire,Scot1and and a long time I seafarer is well ensconced in the Moruya district's local history. He was sent to the district by Maritime Services,Sydney to build and operate a pilot station on the south head of the Moruya River. He commenced operations in 1861. Ross was to keep a diary which I is an invaluable source on local history of his time. Unfortunately parts of it are scattered and an effort should be made to locate and preserve what remains. Some of it is in the possession of I the Moruya and District Historical Society. In his obituary in the Moruy~ Telegraph of 21 March 1871,it was stated: The people of Sydney and Moruya are also indebted to him for I bringing under notice the Moruya granite,which is now held in such high fav0ur in Sydney. (MLD 757) I (5) The Preddy family conducted the Amusu Theatre in Moruya. The background music was provided by Mrs Preddy on the piano1a and her daughter on the violin. The Amusu Theatre did not escape the Great Flood of 1925. The Examiner 'Df 30 May 1925,reported the: I ••• 350 guinea pianQ p1ayer(piano1a)w8s under water and the picture fi1m"Feet of C1ay"w'hich had been screened the previous I night was "feet of mud". I (46) I (6) Gi b bney ,J. A. Eurobodalla History .of th.e ,Mo,ruya. District., Published in Association with the Shire of Eurobodalla/Library of Australian I History,Sydney,1980. (7) The AU,st.ra,li.an, Nautical Almanac ~or, t1}e Year .lJi8J ,p.280. 1 (8) ESA,Jan.30,1926,p2:3 (9) Spearritt, P. The Sydney Harbour B,r,i,d,g,e" AlIen & Unwin, Sydney, 1982, I p.39. (1())) J CC Bradfield.LFinal}Report on the Sydney Harbour Bridge a~~ ·1 Approac.he,s/1933/ AO 4/7584. (11)During the era of Granite Town,Moruya district news was being reported by the Moru,y'a. Examiner and Sou,th Coast. Ad vocate, which traced its publishing line back to 1863. Various other district I newspapers' came· Elnd went. The Examiner,as it was generally known, was published we~k1y and available ~n a Saturday. Its paper size was broadsheet and about the same as the Sydney Mo~ning Heral~. I It was unquestionably a paper of high quality. Its leaders and feature columns on Australian,State and local politics and affairs made it a provincial ~ with an occasional touch of the ~o~d~~ Tim~~. Holdings are regrettably incomplete. An effort is being I· made to microfilm known extant editions. At the time covered by this assignment,it did not print volume and edition.numTbers •. That it was able to cover the rise and fall of Granlte own lS a 1 bonus for local history. I (12) ESA,24 January 1925,p.2:1. (13) op.cit., 8 November 1924,p.2:1. I (14) op.cit.,15 November 1924,p.2:1 (15) Bradfield,10c.cit.,p.149. I (16) ESA,loc.cit. (17) op.cit.,24 January 1925,p.2:2.

I (18) Colefax,A.V.(Bob). Down Memo~y 1a~~,type script,35pp.NLA Mss.4663. I (19) op.cit.,p.30. (20) ibid. I (21) Bradfield,loc.cit., (22) ESA,30 May' 1925,p.2:4. The remarkable adventure of the S.S. ~~~mag~! is the subject of two accounts. One,that the ship broke I her moorings from the Moruya wharf. The other,as reported in the Examiner,that her master had anchored in the Moruya River for safetY,but the anchor chain severed. The latter seems to be the I more plausible tale. There may well be people left in the district who can speak on the issue - the stuff of which local history is made. Either way,for the residents of Granite Town I and Moruya,it was a great spectacle. (23) op.cit.,20 June 1925,p.2:1.

I (24) Colefax,op.cit.,p.27. I (47)

I (25) ESA,13 June 1925,p.2:2. (26) ESA,30 January 1926,p.2:3.

I (27) Gibbney, op.cit.,p.171 I (28) ESA,3 April,1926,p.2:3. (29) ESA,1 May 1926. I (30) Bradfield,op.cit.,pp.416-7. (31) ibid.

I (32) Gibbney,loc.cit. I (33) Bradfield,loc.cit. (34) ESA,8 January 1927,p.2:2 I (35) ESA,9 May 1931,p.2:7. (36) Colefax,op.cit.,p.32.

·1·., (37) ESA,19 June 1926,p.2:4. I (38) ESA,25 September 1926,p.2:5 (39) Greig,Rankin Mrs,(nee Nell Gilmore);daughter of the late John A Gilmore,quarry manager. Recorded,with others,at oral history interview conducted by N.Neilson on 22 February,1988;vide tape I transcript. I (40) ESA,Loc.cit. (41) Colefax,op.cit.,p.27. I (42) ESA,20 November 1926,p.2:6. (43) Greig,op.cit.

I (44) ESA,10 September 1927,p.2:7. I (45) ESA,31 May 1930,p.2:5. (46) Colefax,op.cit.,p.23. I (47) Colefax,loc.cit. (48) Colefax,loc.cit. I (49) Spearritt,op.cit.,p.50.

(50) Archives Office of New South Wales. File 4/7588:Sydney Harbour I Bridge Design(Correspondence). (51) Bayley,W.A.(Compiler) ~oruya History Notes & Index to Moruya Examine~ ML Mss.Q991.8 A somewhat cursory index covering I a wide range of topics. Nevertheless a useful lead in to the topic. I *************************** I (48) I I I

I Appendices I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I (49) Appendix 1

I THE IMPACT OF GRANITE TOWN IN ABERDEEN SCOTLAND Aberdeen,Scotland,had long been recognised as the home if not I citadel of the stonemasons'craft. The impact of such a large exodus of Scottish masons to work on the Sydney Harbour I Bridge project - both on site and at the Moruya quarry - is revealed in the following article. It provides insights I also,into the state of the craft at the time in Scotland;most significantly,it reveals how the project in Australia was I perceived back in Aberdeen. Reference to the Commonwealth or Australian Government of the I day,having expressed an interest in taking over the quarry plant and equipment after the completion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge I project is of particular interest. The quarry site was on crown land of New South Wales. Whether 'some federal-state negotiations had bee~ entered. into opens up a new line of I historical research on the ultimate intent of the quarry and its I plant;let alone the men who came to work there. Australian Prime Minister Stanley Bruce had declared the 1920's I as the era of , Men, Money and Markets'. That the Moruya quarry and Granite Town would have a life after the Bridge's campletion I might have been comfortably accommodated under Bruce's slogan. However,the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 ensured that I it remain no more than a thought - perhaps only in Aberdeen. I WHAT IS DOING IN THE LABOUR WORLD ABERDEEN GRANITE WORKERS FOR AUSTRALIA I ( By a Labour Correspondent) Published in the Peoples ~ournal,Aberdeen,Scotland.Circa.late 1925 . . :Cutting undated and provided by courtesy of I Mrs Rankin Greig,~ynora,South Head Road,Moruya,NSW. *********i~*****i~****i~***i~**

I There will be a big exodus of Aberdeen granite-workers for Aust­ ralia before the year is very much older - quite the biggest thing of the kind in the history of the industry. The movement' towards I the Antipodes has indeed,already begun;and I understand that in the course of a few weeks a total of 150 stonedressers,toolsmiths and quarry workers accompanied in many cases by their wives and families will be either on the way to Australia or already beginn­ I ing to find their feet on the great island"down under." The migrant granite-workers,moreover,have also the cheerful assur­ ance of five years'work at remunerative wages,together with an I opportunity, should they so desire,of making for themselves a permanent home on the other side of the globe I (50) I To build Sydney Harbour Bridge, This migration of Aberdeen craftsmen has been promoted by the Australian Government in conjunction with Messrs Dorman Long and Company,London with the imprimatur of the building trade unions I on the other side. Messrs Dorman Long,it is scarcely necessary to say,have a world-wide reputation as bridge builders;and the great enterprise which they are just commencing in Australia will I rank as one of the most important undertakings of this kind of recent years. This "big job"of which a good deal has been heard in Aberdeen during the past few days,is the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge'in New South Wales. The cost,I am told, I will run into "teens of millions"and will provide work for a large staff of craftsmen and labourers for five years. I "Picking"the Men The firm requires a very considerable staff of granite dressers, toolsmiths,and quarry workers,and the managers of the bridge­ I building department have taken the right course in coming to Aberdeen for them. A number of men,including foremen~quarry managers and store inspectors,left Aberdeen last ye~r to get the I granite-cutting operations inaugurated;and the firm has now decided to take all the stone-dressers needed for thE work from Aberdeen. The quarry "boss"by the way,is Mr Gilmore,formerly I of Rubislaw,and what he does not know about granite and granite quarrying very few people are likely ever to find out. A representative of the firm of Messrs Dorman Long,along with a colleague from Australia House,London,has been in Aberdeen this I week selecting workmen for the Sydney job. I Sure of ~ 6 16s Bd a Weel} I understand that they have already passed 28 dressers,two tool- sm~ths and six quarry workers. But 70 more men are needed, and for these"vacancies" the number of applicants is between 150 I and 160. And more are still coming in. That,of course, is not by any means surprising,for the terms offered,by the Austral­ ian' Government and ~he firm directly concerned in the contract I are not only satisfactory,but exceedingly attractive. The rate of pay for ,stone-dressers is 3s 5d per hour for a 40 hours week. That,it will be observed,works out at £6 16s 8d a week. I "Some"lure,isn't it? For toolsmiths the pay is 2s 8 3/4d for a 44 hours week,and for quarrymen 2s 9d for a similar working I week. Australian Government's Offer

But that is not all. The train fares of the selected workers I are to be paid from Aberdeen to the port of embarkation - and hotel expenses too. For the voyage across there will be an allowance of about £ 2 per week. That is to saY,for the seven I weeks'route the men will receiv~ before embarkation a sum of'£14, and for an eight weeks'voyage, £16. The Australian Governmerit is also assis~ing in a very practical fashion. If the emigrant takes his wife and family with him - as a number of the men pro­ I pose to do - their fares will be advanced by the Commonwealth Government. These "Advances"will have to be refunded by the settlers in payments which shall not exceed £2 per month. I Not by any means an onerous condition is it? One other point in connection with the agreement is worth mentioning. If the men remain in the service of ~he firm for three years,they will be I entitled to a "refund"of £16 10s. I (51) And Cheap Houses Too

I With an offer such as that dangling before them it is not surpris­ ing that there has been quite a rush of applicants for these overseas jobs. It would be amazing were it otherwise. I The quarries are situated some 150 miles from Sydney,and the stones will be conveyed by steamer to the N.S.W.capital. Both at the quarries and in the vicinity of Sydney,the firm is bUilding cottages for the workers and these are to be let at I reasonable rentals - 9s per week,- I am told,for three rooms,and lIs for four rooms and ba~hroom. The Aberdeen men who have already settled down at the quarries are sending back very good I reports of the general conditions. Attached to each cottage is a fairly large flower and vegetable garden. I To Develop the Granite Trade

The quarries and adjacent gardens and cottages extend to about I 1000 acres and one very interesting condition is attached to the lease secured by the firm of contractors. When the contract has been completed,all the quarry plant and equipment is to be handed over to the Commonwealth Government,which is credited I with the desire to develop the granite industry"down under." If that is their intention,they have come to the right place for the pioneers. The only regrettable feature in their big I scheme is,that the men who are going are the cream of the craft _ so to speak - not the unemployed,but some of the best and most competent workers connected with the industry. Aberdeen's loss will probably be Australia's gain,but the local granite trade I will be severely hit by the the departure of so many skilled craftsmen. The men themselves,however, stand to gain substant- ially. A guarantee of five years'work at £ 6 to .£6. 16s 3d a I week is not to be cast lightly aside in these days when scarcely a single granite-worker in the city can say that he is assured of even three weeks'work. I And it is just within the bounds of probability that among the enterprising band of young Scotsmen who will leave Aberdeen this year will be found a future Labour Prime Minister for Australia. I Many more unlikely things have happened. The first"batch' of emigrants will leave Aberdeen early in February. I I I I I I I I (52) Appendix 2 I I I I I FURTHER ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE GRANITE TOWN YEARS I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ------

THE GEfJER-\L POST CHJCE SYDIIEY lS72

The Dlustrat i on beloll 11 as found in 7he j Lw~,:::",:cd...ed London 1I'(.h;,6. 110.1730, Vo1. LXI, Saturda~', I~ovember, 2,1572. In describing the tir.r.: and the building,the follOlling comment(p.uI4)lIas made: 7f....c eapdCi{ c2!J cl lI'cv ScidJl /)aU-6.hcu,;i..ng a pcpuLcdion c{. TL.eWi.ty 750. OOO.and a I-LoUl1.i,-:/"Ii..ng uCJJie.w'LiCe. htandi..ng i..n a maqnil.iu.r.l.. pc-:odion on :/..h.e W""-" .:.."o,-...c of- POI'.l.. ;2ack60n.on.e ol-:::"~ I-i..ne,6:L ha//.[.owd i..n ~ WOl1.w.u now Cdio,:n.i..ng dxU. ~'i.:/..h ,jtuiJ:.Ly ar.ch.i.l...edli/:a{ -:ouudli/:u. the nt!hJ PC.6:L Of-;!.i.c.e.-6h.own i..n OUl'.. Uw,jucdi.on •.6:Land-!J [~ Cl-,d Pdt-,6:::":.cc.:!.. ~'i..::/..ft a !--:onta(:.'e :Lo cl. ~ON1, -:o:::"~,j. • •• 7he pi.LLWi.-!J 01- ~ Wi.cCJJie, t.ei.ng cl ~ g:c.:nU.e,h)~ich /](j-!J a :Lint and :Laf....c-6 a poL~!>1.agl'...e.ea[.Ly I'...cUeve ~ gen.el1.at. unil-o/1.mdy ol CO{OLl,:.

Fig.28 The General Post Office Sydney,1872, shortly after its opening. The native granite refer­ red to was quarried at Moruya. I (54) I I I I I I I I I I I I

_Fig.29- A view taken from the southern bank of the Moruya River showing I the stone dressing shed at the Moruya quarry. The vessel moored at the wharf was the Sir Arthur Dorman. The photo I is dated 11 June 1926.' . (Photo:Archives Office NSW) I I I I I ------

Fig.30 - The men who quarried and who are now almost forgotten. Their work ensured that the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge kept to schedule.

(Photo:National Library of Australia) I (56) I I I I I I I I I I I I I Fig. 31 -A typical daily scene at the Moruya quarry in June 1926 (Photo: Archives Office NSW) I I I I I I ------

Fig. 32 - Stonemasons at the Moruya quarry shaping the foundation stone for the Sydney Harbour Bridge,circa 1925. The men in the photograph have not been identif- ied but the second from the left may be Thomas Pike.

(Photo:National Library of Australia) I (58) I I I I I I I I I I I I

I Fig. 33 - The foundation stone for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, fashioned from Moruya granite,ready for setting into place. I (Photo:Archives Office NSW) I I I I I I (59) I I I I I I I I I I I I I Fig.34 - The assembly area for granite stones and wharf at the Moruya quarry. In the background is the S.S.Sir fiugh Bell which may have been loading for the return voyage I ~ydney.

(Photo:courtesy of Mrs Rankin Greig, I Moruya) I I I I I (60) I I I I I I I I I I I

Fig.35 - Finished stones were check assembled at the Moruya quarry I and numbered for final assembly at the pylon sites in Sydney. This photo,circa late 1920's,depicts a pattern I of finished granite stones prior to consignment to Sydney.

I (Photo:courtesy of Mrs Rankin Greig,Moruya) I I I I I I ( 61) I I I I I I I I I I I I

I Fig.36- A photograph depicting two support columns on the southern approach to the Sydney Harbour Bridge as at 9 February 1927. I The Moruya granite facing stone is clearly evident. I (Photo Archives Office NSW) I I I I -- - ~~~~~~~~~~------~--,

I (62) I I I I I I I I I I I Fig. 37 -A photo dated 30 January 1931 depicting pylon construction at the Sydney Harbour Bridge site. All stones were cut to I within one eighth of one inch tolerance at the Moruya quarry.

I (Photo: Archives Office NSW) I I I I I I I (63) I I I I I I I I I I I I I Fig. 38- Placing the last granite stone on the pylons,IS January 1932. It might have been regarded also symbolically,as the memorial I stone for Granite Town at the Moruya quarry. By that time, the exodus of quarry workers was well under way.

Standing against the wall and to the right can be seen Mr Lawrence I Ennis(1872-1938),who was General Manager of Dorman Long and Co., at the time tenders were initially called for the Bridge. He was to become Director of Construction on site for the durat- I ion of the contract. He possessed enormous energy and drive, having complete confidence in the task he was undertaking. I To the right of Ennis is Dr JJC Bradfield(1867-1943),whose commitment and enterprise was largely responsible for the Sydney Harbour Bridge being built. In 1924,he had received the first degree af Doctor of Science in Engineering ever awarded I by the University of Sydney.on the topic"The City and Suburban Railway and the Sydney Harbour Bridge". It became a reality.

I (Photo:Archives Office NSW) ------

Fig.39- The Criterion Hotel on the north bank of the Moruya River and just across the bridge. It was the nearest "watering hole" to Granite Town and featured in legends of the Great Flood of 1925. A number of patrons were said to be trapped in the hotel and kept themselves out of the swirling flood waters by standing on the bar itself. They were in no hurry to see the waters abate. The hotel was demolished during the 1960's to the regret of many. (Photo:National Library of Australia) ------

Fig.40 - The S.S.Bermagui trapped behind the following the Great Flood of 1925 granite retaining wall of the Moruya River the tale of Noah's Ark was recall~d The re-enactment of the Biblical flood an d by the God fearing and unbelieving alike.

(Photo:National Library of Australia). I (66) I I I I I I I I I I I I

Fig.41 - The S.S.Bermagui tied up in more tranquil times on the I Moruya River. The ship belonged to the Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Co.and carried both passengers and cargo to ports on the South Coast. Quarry manager John Gilmore and his family sailed from Sydney to Batemans Bay I on the Bermagui in late 1924. They were unable to sail on to Moruya due to bad weather. In the foreground are two I of the Gilmore sisters. (Photo:courtesy Mrs Rankin Greig,Moruya) I I I I I (67) I I I I I I

Fig. 42 -A cottage located nearby the site of Granite I Town which is still in use. I I I I I I. I I

I Fig.43 -A Granite Town cottage now located in I Hawdon Street,Moruya. (Photos:N.Neilson,March1988) I I I (68) I I I I I

I Fig. 44- Donald Cameron's swamp at Garland Tbwn near the north head of the Moruya River. The water which filters through sand dunes is pure and fresh. It was to be pumped over to Granite Town by pipe. I This photo,taken in 1988,depicts the swamp as it would have been in the 1920's. I I I I I I I I Fig. 45 - Donald Cameron,from whom the fresh drinking water was obtained for Granite Town,was a local farmer. I The above photo shows his house as it appears in 1988. Some modest improvements have been made over the years. I It is now in possession of another owner. (Photos:N.Neilson,March 1988) I I I (69) I I I I I I I I I I Fig. 46 -A view looking north to where the Granite Town school used to I be. At peak school numbers,it is purported to have been staffed by the NSW Education Department with three teachers.

I (Photo:N.Neilson,March 1988) I I I I I I I