HOBBY'S RERCH BLUE MOUNTAINS 99 BLRHLRND RORO WENTWORTH FRLLS 2782 HISTORICAL SOCIEN Vol.8 No.6 Mar,Apr.1998

EXECUTNE COMMITTEE

President: Coral Ewan 4 784 1831 Vice President: Gwen Silvey 4782 1292 Treasurer: David Dodd 4757 1535 Secretary: PO Box 1 7, Members: Wentworth Falls, 2782 4757 3433 Clyde Francis, Alan Tierney, Shirley Jones, Valerie Paddock.

Ass't Sec: Shirley Jones 4757 2270 Building Maintenance Mgr: Research Officer: Clyde Francis 4759 1774 Gwen Silvey 4782 1292 Garden - Curators: Tarella - Curator: Bob Henson 4757 2675 Coral Ewan 47841831 - Native Area: - Conservator: Noreen Skellam 4757 1845 Ron Radnidge 4758 6556 Hobby's Reach Helpers Shop Mgr: Pam Johnson 4757 3945 - Convener: Editor, Hobby's Outreach: Valerie Craven 4757 3433 Roberta Johnstone 4757 2024

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS - MARCH, APRIL 1998

Monday 2 March Research activity day Saturday 7 March Annual General Meeting Monday 9 March Excursion - Catalina Park, Katoomba See page 2 for details Friday 13 March Research activity day Tuesday 24 March Research activity day Saturday 28 March Research activity day ~ \...._./- Saturday 4 April Meeting - Speaker : Colin Slade Subject: History of the Garden Palace ( 1879) See page 2 for details. Monday 6 April Research activity day Friday 10 April Easter Friday - No Research day Saturday 11 April Easter Saturday - Open Day - Tarella Sunday 12 April Easter Sunday - Open Day -Tarella Monday 13 April Easter Monday - Open Day - Tarella No regular excursion Saturday 18 April Autumn Festival - Open Day- Tarella Sunday 19 April " " Open Day- Tarella Saturday 25 April II " Open Day - Tarella. No research day Sunday 26 April fl II Open Day - Tarella See page 2 for details of Open Days Tuesday 28 April Research activity day Saturday 2 May Meeting - Speaker : Dr Brian Craven, Gwen Silvey and others Subject: "T.B. or not T.B. that is the question!" Monday 4 ~1ay Research activity day Friday 8 ' May Research activity day COMING EVENTS

March Excursion Catalina Park (Frank Walford Park), Katoomba.

We have permission form the Blue Mountains City Council to use the facilities in Catalina Park for our picnic lunch on our March excursion. Come and learn about the early Katoomba swimming pool and its associated Catalina Flying Boat, and also about the lake which J.B.North planned, in 1885, for this pretty little valley. The lake did not-eventuate, and the area was later developed as a motor racing circuit. Some of Katoomba's earliest houses and sites will be pointed out on the way back to the highway.

DATE: Monday, 9th March TIME: 10.00am MEEfAT: Grassed area opposite the entrance to Katoomba Swimming Pool, Gates Ave (off Cascade St), Katoomba DURATION: Usual day trip GRADE: Walking in the area if desired - but it will be possible to drive around the Catalina Race Track, and to the other sites of interest during the day.

April Meeting Our speaker will be Colin Slade who has researched the history of the Garden Palace. This building was hastily erected in 1879 in an attempt to vie with the Melbourne Exhibition Building. He will talk of the large structure and the surprisingly interesting events which took place there during its existence before it was destroyed by fire in 1882.

Open Days "Tarella" and the Research Centre will be open to the public from 10.00am to 4.00pm on the days indicated in the Calendar of Events. This is our major fund raising effort and any time you can give is important - even if it is only one hour at lunchtime or at the end of the day. We need people to be in the rooms at "Tarella", to take money at the gate, and to help in the kitchen. Please ring Judith Tierney (4757 2086) if you would like your name placed on the roster. If you have any small items or books to donate to the shop, they would be very welcome.

NEW MEMBER APPLICATIONS

The person(s) whose name(s) appear below has/have applied for membership of the Society. Their membership fee(s) has/have been paid and their application(s) correctly nominated and seconded. Under the tenns of Section 5 of the Society's rules of association, any objection to an application for membership must be lodged within 14 days of an applicant's name being circulated to members. If no such objection to a person is received within such period, that person will be deemed to have been accepted as a member of the Society.

Helen J.Raphael Roslyn Brasier 37 Alexander Ave, 1 6 Charles St, Haze!brook 2 779 Lawson 2789

2 SPEAKERS' CORNER

The Blue Mountains Historical Society is renowned for the quality of its monthly speakers. The subjects covered are always interesting, well presented and illustrated, often humorous - just right for the sophisticated audience attending! I am pleased to be able to report that our last two speakers have been well up to standard. Following is a brief account, for those who were unable to attend, of ·what the rest of us enjoyed so much .

Allen Smith "Clean and Decent" - 1st November 1997 An intriguing title, but most apt for a history of sanitation! Allen confessed that he had set out to cover a broad history of the water, sewerage and drainage process in and the Blue Mountains. He was sidetracked when his research led him to the state of public health and sanitation in Britain from its earliest history, and to the astounding fact that any effort to address the problem was made only recently. We were led through the history of bathing, with illustrations of the elegant Roman baths - what a pity they didn't take on - to the Turkish steam baths introduced by the returning Crusaders, which soon became 'bordellos'. Then to the horrors of the Middle Ages - King John actually bathed every three weeks, and some monks only once a year at Easter! Woollen clothes were never washed, water supplies came from polluted rivers, and the ever present problem of the disposal of human waste was often solved by sending it down the gutters to the river, from whence it returned during flooding! Disease was rife as a result of these conditions. The well-known rhyme "Ring a ring of rosy, A pocketful of posy, Atchoo, atchoo, We all fall down," referred to the Black Death of 1665 - the symptoms, the herb posy to ward off the 'badd ayre', the manifestations of the disease and its inevitable end. Edwin Chadwick, a social reformer, was the real hero of the Great Sanitary Awakening of the 19th Century. He tackled, apart from the obvious problems, side issues like intemperance - it was far safer to drink alcoholic beverages, than to risk the impure water supply. The forerunner of our death certificate gave valuable information from which to attack disease, and the many prison reforms enabled the social workers to assess the effect of the changes, The history of the introduction of a sewerage system in London, contained the fascinating story of that well-known Royal Plumber, Knight of the Realm and developer of the flushing cistern, Sir Thomas Crapper! These reforms were under way when the colony of was already fifty years old, so it will be doubly interesting to hear what was happening in our own backyard (literally!) when Allen makes a welcome return to the soapbox.

Dr Brian Craven - "The Light's Better Over Here!" - 7th Feb. 1998. Another intriguing title, but quickly explained by Brian, who, professing to have no sense of humour, then proceeded to tell us a joke! It seems a drunk was seen down on his knees searching around under a lamp post. When questioned about his activities by a passing policeman, he explained that he had lost his wallet in the neighbouring park, and when asked why he was looking for it under the lamp post, he declared "the light's better over here!" All of which led Brian, most conveniently, to his theme on how moments in history and scientific events can be side-tracked or neglected simply because they are not in the spotlight of the times. Brian referred to a previous talk he had given on the history of the barometer, then spoke of early thermometers and the work of scientists such as Santorio (Sanctorius), notable for developing instruments to measure pulse rate and body temperature, Torricelli, Angelista, and Aristotle of "nature abhors a vacuum" fame.

3 He spoke of early calculators, investigations -into chance-and the laws of probability which called for visits to the gambling halls, and of Pascal and the barometer and the subsequent interest in meteorology. From this point, it was over to Von Guericke and his air pump and the beam engine (1777) which promoted the industrial revolution. Thence to a discussion of the concept of history that encompasses the actions of people versus what caused the action, and the conclusion that history is, therefore, partly what people do, and partly how the physical world reacts to people. Brian's talk was based on a detailed graph showing ages in pre-history to civilisation. with the relevant temperature changes which led to population increases and decreases. Modem experiments in peat bogs and coral beds can show temperature variations in pre-history and the dreaded El Nino effect. He talked of the transition from barbarism to civilisation, early agriculture and animal husbandry, Egyptian civilisation and the first recognition of malaria, in Africa. Warmer temperatures resulted in population increases which pushed the northern Europeans westward, and you should forget any romantic notions you may have about the Vikings - they were actually clever thugs!. The effect of temperature zones on physique was discussed, for example, the short, rotund Eskimo with less skin area from which to lose body heat in a cold climate. There came an age of adaptations, notably the horse becoming a work animal which gave an impetus to food production. The Plague was well covered. One third to half of the population of Europe was decimated, including the literate clergy who nursed the sick and suffered their fate. The less well educated who replaced them often could not speak Latin - a possible preliminary to the Reformation. And then there was the huge psychological effect on the survivors. The Little Ice Age, with the phenomenon of a frozen River Thames, was blamed for the Irish and Scottish famines, and even for the rise of Bismark and Adolf Hitler when the German states became isolated, lost their fishing grounds, and militaristic forces gained power over a depleted population. Allen Smith led us in a genuine vote of thanks for a brilliant lecture, and even managed to fit in his own little joke about the Vikings. I will not repeat it - you must ask him yourself! R.J. FEBRUARY EXCURSION - KINGS TABLELAND Heather Mollenhauer has written an excellent and comprehensive account of the walk on February 2 which has been filed in the Society's '--./ research section. Following is a condensed version made necessary by limited space in this edition of the newsletter. Ed.

The excursion was led by Jack Austin and Gwen Silvey, and participants were supplied with another of Gwen's excellent guides on the area to be studied. A good number of members arrived at the meeting place despite the cold, wet, weather and we set off for the first stop. Yester Grange: Here we glimpsed the beautiful home built for Captain John Smith. His initials are engraved on the glass doors in the hallway, a convenient coincidence for the next owner, Chief Justice Sir John See. Jim Anderson, a past member of BMHS, lived here also. Bodington Red Cross Geriatric Hospital: The original building (1908), was built by Dr Sinclair as a tuberculosis hospital, and named after Dr George Bodington, the English pioneer of a revolutionary treatment for TB. I~ 1?16, the Australian Red Cross Society purchased the property, added bu1ldrngs and converted its use to that of geriatric care when the incidence of TB declined. It has now been taken over by the Catholic Health Care Group. We were able to view an area in the grounds which was part of Cox's Road, but the rain deprived us of the fabulous view from this spot. 4 Queen Victoria Hospital: On the way to the hospitaC we stopped at the site of "Cherrywood", built for Lebbeus Harden, and later destroyed by bushfires. Then to the site of Kelso King's sandstone home, which he subsequently moved, stone by stone, to its present site at Wentworth Falls village traffic lights. In 1903 the hospital property was bought, at the suggestion of Dr Sydney Jones of the Thirlmere hospital, for the building of a sanatorium for male "consumptives". In 1912 it was taken over by the government, added to in 1948, and the grounds landscaped by Paul Sorenson. In 1958 it became a facility for the aged and chronically ill, and since 1989 has been part of the Wentworth Area Health Service. The Hospital Manager, Mr Yates, and staff member, Jean Arthur, allowed us to see inside the original building, then showed us to a pavilion where we could eat our lunch and admire the rain­ soaked garden. German Cave: On the way to this cave, we side-tracked to see the prominent towers on the Airservices communications site, the recently opened observatory and the now deserted Wentworth Falls Zoo. From a huge rock shelf we followed a track to the cave which was occupied by a German during WWII. He had made some very interesting modifications! Aboriginal Site: The site on Kings Table offers a wonderful view as far as the Kurnell sand dunes. Jack pointed out the depressions in the rock and the axe grinding grooves used by the Aborigines. We saw the plaques erected by the NPWS, then followed the steps down to a huge occupational shelter with wall carvings. As always, we were most grateful to share in the knowledge imparted by Jack and Gwen, and despite the weather, enjoyed a good day. MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS

Notice is hereby given of a SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING of the Blue Mountains Historical Society Inc. as required under Rule 7(a) of the Constitution. Date: Saturday, 4th April, 1998 Time: 10.30am. MOTION to be put to this meeting: That MEMBERSHIP ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION for the Blue Mountains Historical Society be increased, from 1st July 1998, as shown in the table below.

'-.__/ CATEGORY CURRENT SUB. PROPOSED SUB. %INCREASE

Individual $12.00 $15.00 25% Indiv .(Concession) 8.00 10.00 25% Couple 20.00 25.00 25% Couple( Concession) 16.00 18.00 12.5% Junior 8.00 5.00 Corporate 30.00 40.00 33%

NOTE that the word 'concession' has replaced the term 'restricted income'. 'Concession' is used in the Constitution. The category 'Family Membership' has been omitted as it has not been used for some time.

The following matters were considered by the Management Committee before deciding to recommend this increase:- The last Membership Subscription increase was in 1993. The production and posting of Hobby's Outreach to each member costs approximately $6.25 per annum. This is a considerable part of each subscription. Membership Subscriptions have only provided about 9% of our annual income. ' Shirley Jones, Assistant Secretary. 5 BMHS Life Membership

Under the Society's constitution honorary life membership may be granted to members who have rendered services of a special nature to the Society. The first member so honoured was in 1953 when Dr George Bergman was appointed. As well as his contribution to the the Blue Mountains Historical Society, he was active in the Royal Australian Historical Society, the Jewish Historical Society and the National Trust. He wrote historical articles for each of these organisations.

The most recently appointed life members were _announced at the farewell function for Glenn and Jan Bowditch on 15 November 1997 when they were honoured for their years of service in a variety of ways. In between 23 members were appointed as per the list below, a total of 26 in all.

In order to give greater recognition to the awarding of life membership. the committee recently decided to issue specially prepared certificates to all living life members. Valerie Paddock has undertaken the task of preparing the eight certificates (each individually prepared with special calligraphy ) for the following life members: Kevin Bennett, Glenn and Jan Bowditch, Alice Byron, Bill and Judith Graham, Gwen Silvey and Jack Still.

A copy of the certificate issued to Kevin Bennett, former president for a record term of 20 years, is displayed here.

Life Members (date appointed) George Bergman 1953 Dorothy Mclaurin 1967 elu£ mounCA.Jns Ralph Bennett 1972 Ida Lane 1972 · Beryl Mclaughlin 1972 })1SCOR1

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6 Latest from the Library Recent acquisitions include: "World Without Trees" by Robert Lamb This book is the creative result of the author's conviction that an enlightened and aroused public might well be the only force that can stay the present direction towards a world without trees.

"Narrow Neck and the Birth of Katoomba" by Jim Barrett, "The First Bushwalker - The Story of Fred Eden" by Jim Barrett. Two gems from that prolific author and friend of our Society, Jim Barrett. The title of the first says it all, and the second is the story of an Englishman who arrived in Australia in 1889. Fred Eden settled in the Blue Mountains in 1900 and undertook extensive walks during his 25 years here. Both books are well up to Jim's usual standard with interesting old photos and diary entries. Please note that the Barrett books are for sale in the Society's shop.

"From C3.Sflereagh To Claremont Meadows - Historical Places of Penrith City Council". Compiled by Nepean District Historical Society Inc. This book is attractively designed, has very well reproduced old photographs, a valuable bibliography and index, and short. concise information on the locations covered. A credit indeed to the eleven members of the Society who produced it.

"Street Whys - The Origins of Blue Mountains City Street Names" by Christopher J.Woods. You would need a stout heart to undertake a book of this nature, but Christopher Woods has persevered and produced a fascinating book for "dipping" into. A hard one to put down!

NOTES AT THE END

Private Photocopying Further to the notice in the Jan-Feb issue of Hobby's Outreach, the Committee has reviewed the cost of private photocopying and advises the increased charges will only apply to non-members as below. Both members and non-members are asked to record the amount of copying they have done in the book provided, and to place the appropriate payment in the glass jar. Members A4 page single sided: 10 cents A4 page double sided: 15 cents

Non-members A4 page single sided: 20 cents A4 page double sided: 30 cents

Condolences The Committee, on behalf of all members, would like to offer its condolences to Ron Radnidge and his family. Ron's wife, Cath, (Catherine Florence) passed away on January 15 and the Society was represented at her funeral by Coral Ewan and Marion Vincent.

BLUE MOUNTAINS: Seeking past residents, workers, property or business owners from Faulconbridge, Springwood, Winmalee (formerly North Springwood), Sun Valley and Valley Heights areas, for information leading to the compilation of a biographical dictionary and encyclopedia. Please contact: The Research Group, Springwood Historical Society, P.O. Box 387, Springwood 2777. 7 Gardening Helpers are always welcome. Please ring Bob Henson (4757 2675) for information regarding times, which are flexible.

Suggestion Box This handsome box is there for you, the members, to have a say in the running of the Society. The Committee would appreciate any ideas you may have, especially regarding future speakers and excursions. Hobby's Outreach The closing date for contributions for possible inclusion in the May,June Newsletter is April 20. Don't be shy, have your say in print! Editor(47572024)

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