HOBBY'S REACH MUSEUM l

BLAXLAND ROAD WENTWORTH FALLS ,

BLUE MOUNTAINS HISTORICAL SOCIETY

VOLUME 1 NUMBER 2,

Off ice Bearers 1 990-91

President: Vice President Vice President Secretary: Treasurer /Tours Officer: Curator: Research Officer: Librarian: Publicity Officer:

Obituary

J. Kevin Bennett Coiin Slade LtJcy Everingham Cynthia A vis Geoff Sadler Bill Graham Gwen Silvey Shirley Wainwright Bruce McWhirter

82-2971 82-1648 57-1622 57-1550 82-1402 )7-3436 82-1292 82-4287 82-3038

It is with deep regret that we record the death on 19th May 1990, of our long-time member, Mrs Amy Bennett, the widow of the late J Ralph Bennett, who for many years was President of B .. M.H.S.. and mother of our current President _! Kevin Bennett. Mrs Bennett was a very popuJar Jady. 'vho wilJ be sorelv missed by our members. and her great comribution to the work of tl1e Society over the year~ will be long remembered. Sincere sy mpathy is extended to the Bennett family in their sad loss .

- Gw en Silvey.

General Meetings

First S;:turdaJ' of each month. /Dam at Bo/J/Jy's lleac.IJ .Museum_

Ju!y 7th - follmved by trip to Lithgow August 4th - formal meeting. September 1st - Inspection of Pitt House (formerly Coorah), Blue l\fountains Grammar School, Wentworth Falls. !vleet 1 Oam at the Museum.

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Research Sub-Committee - Coming Events

Sunday, July 8th - Walk around Springwood centre, led by Jack Maddock. Meet at the bus shelter at Spring\vood Railway Station at l .30pm.

Tuesday, July 31st - Monthly meeting at Hobby 's Reach Museum, Went\\-orth Falls at 7J0pm. Speaker will be Dr Jim Kohen and his subject \Vill be "Tracing the Family History of the Aboriginals of the Blue Mountains". Dr Kohen is President of Blacktown Historical Society, and the author ot' boo!~s about the Australian Aborigines.

Sunday, August 12th - Walk at Glenbrook led by Mrs Nell Aston and lack Austin. Meet at entrance to RAAF Base at l .30pm.

Tues_day, AugusL28th_- _Monthly meeting at Hobby's Reach Museum. Wentworth Falls at 7.30pm. Open discussion - bring your questions.

lhe October \\'alt ·will be combined with members of the National Trust \Vho are arranging for Mrs Mary Reynolds to lead a trip in the Carmarrhaen Hills .. It is hoped to start at Mount Tomah. anti then explore

Beu·s Line of Road aiong the trails of Caley and Cunningham. Lunch will probably be ac Mount Banks. \Vith a talk on some of the interesting aspects of the area. More details later ......

Working Bee

Saturday 1 4th July, 1 Oa.rn, at Hobby's Reach Museurn grounds. All V'1elcorne. Contact Colin Slade for further details (82-1648).

Museum Roster - August/September

h~Jbb.v 's .ReaciJ Afuseum Teiepbo1w /I/umber i'f _57-]SZ4

- Augusr

S:it 4!.h C .'\vis & G. Sadler' ::.un 'S rh \,.J A.vi~ & L Everingh.am

Sat. 11 Lb ~ . Sj1V€Y 0.: s \.1,-Jimvright Sur: l Zlh B_ t'. J Craham

Sat. J 8 tl1 B. Graham, Y & B. Craven Sun : 1)th f t:..::. f: Dash

:-.ar 2'irt1 S ff-ard &. P Harris Sun. 26th L & J Hansen

Sat 1st R. Baumgart.en & K £<11.vards Sun Znd D. Toseland & ,' Ross

Sat. Sth R. Fitzpatrick & C Slade Sun 9rh R. Smith & B. Graham

Sat. 15th V. & B Cnwen Sun. 16th B. McWhirter tsi J Anderson

Sat. 22nd K_ Briuen & . .r:. Ed1.vards Sun. 23rd j. & 3 Graham

Sat. 29th C Slade & B. Graham Sun 30th G. Silvey f.r. S Wair;\\.:righr

~f usings From the Museum

l r has been necessary to roster a few volunteers more than once - Mr &~

Mrs Craven are on t\vice because the first occasion is a training day. If rhese dates do not suit or if there are anv other changes/cancellations. please ring me (Bill Graham) on 573436.

As last as thev are replaced the pens provided for the duty book keep . .

disappearing. ( 1 even took one home myself the other day J. So \vhen on duty it might help iJ you bring your own pen.

The cataloguing and registration of all artifacts in the museum has now been compieted \except for a very fe\V recently received i. and at the time or writing most of the descriptive display cards have been replaced. The l!'2X t S tJ~ ..; of m\' l 0 "\'CJf plan (110\V reduced to a 5 year plan .I is restoration v:hece cey_Lared . Any me mber interested in volunteering for this wort. due r r~ r A ,,-r rrlE~ ~""' lfi 'h" .:;r,...-1"' 0 '"11 1 he \"afnll\-' 'V..' "'lCOffiC 1;. \.; "'-\) Ul.l.U. - .U. ¥...... l J..l \,. ._ t-' l 110 1 V \ ll :\' l " "-" t -

What 1 ~ envisaged is : repair of \VOOd\vork/veneers, staimng and polishing; repa ir nf glass and china items and picture frames; cleaning and repair of fi re Jr ms. ere.

Be~: t wishes w all - the Curator

Library Notes - July /August

There are a few new additions to our shelves I would like to draw your attent1on to. Jn the lending section -

i'-io . .l U Vauc1use House - Vauc1use .Park Trust. J\ o. 11 The History of Christchurch, Springwood. No. 12 The Triumph of the Nomads - Geoffrey Blainey. No. 13 Archaeology of the Dreamtime - Josephine Flood.

Professor Still recommended that '~:e should obtain copies of the last two as they are concerned with Pre-H1story and relate to the two interesting talks he gave to the Research Grqup recently.

\iu;) ~ The Storv uf the Camera in Australia - came to iight during our most r~cent srncktate. so add this to your list also.

l n the A'efcrcnce Section

t'Iransferred

TCM. 166 Picwres of Blackheath R.M. 169 K.atoomba & Leura an Architectural History - Amanda Kabaila . r. • ' ' ..,. '"' "" . r . d h Bl '1 . 1 ° " " r·,.M. ii 1; vregory s uu1 e tot e ue 1v ountams - 7 JO.

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R. Ivl. ! 71 Hartley New South \\i ales Conservation Study - Geoff Dawson. k 1vl. 17 2 Australia Illusr.rateli (Very fragile , handle \Vi th care).

W'ori( in your Library is going on consistently but please bear with us if \Ve

cannot Immediately trace the books you choose! Reminder - please sign noteboot in lending section if you take bool~s home.

- Shirley \Y/ ainwright

An invitation to members of the Blue Mountains Historical Society

The foll o,ving l':.v' O subjects are being offered at Katoomba Technical College in Semester Two 1990.

Local History - 6-8pm -Thursday Nights, 18 x 2hr sessions

.Mining, Transport l'-<. Tourism are some of the industries of the Blue ;vJountains whose historv is covered rn tl1is course. Tbe emphas1s is on how to study and research history for yourseu·. Early e:xpJ<.>rers journals. old newspapers and phowgraphs, old guidebooks and oral history tapes are some of the resources used w explore local i1 iswry

Historical Tour Guiding - Sundays

Learn how to conduct. historical tours of the Blue Mountams by participating in the planning and carrying out of nine tours of selected areas of the Blue Mountains. Areas covered include olli roads . historic buildings in Lawson. \~'entworth Falls. Mount Victoria and other towns, old mining relics and cemeteries. Stveral unsol\"ed Blue l\fountains mysteries are studied and students have exclusive access to several private historic homes net normally open to the public.

Enro!lment Day is Wednesday 27th June. late enrollments may be accepted it there are places availah~e Contact: Jim Smith on Thursday's at Katoomba Teci1nical College on 821099 .

An Administrative Charge of $60 applies for one or both subjects. A full Brochure on the Outdoor Guides Advanced Certificate Course ., of which these . :, ub1ects for a pan. is available at the College.

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A Tribute To Ernie Constable, Botanical Collector, with reference to Vere Gordon Childe~ Archaeologist (Part One).

by Colin Slade

Vere Gordon Childe was born in North Sydney on the 14th April 1892. the son of Rev. Stephen Childe and his wife Harriet (nee Gordon).

Vere Gordon spent his early childhood in the Blue Mountains, his parents having owned and built "Chalet Fontenelle", now known as "Whispering Pines" at Wentworth Falls. Both Rev. and Harriet Childe are buried in the Went\vorth Falls Cemetery. Vere Gordon was educated at Sydney Grammar. Sydnev and Oxford Universities. where he graduated in classics. He ~;ecame a noted Archaeologist and in., 1925. published 'The Dawn of European Civi!izat10n". was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by Harvarct University in 1936. In 1937 the University of Pennsylvania conferred upon him an honorary doctorate of science and in 1940, he was eieci.ed a fellow of the British Academy. in 1946 Childe became professor of prehistoric European Archeology at the University of London and later Director of the Institute of Archaeology.

ChiJde returned to A U$traha after his retirement in 1956 and on a visit to the Blue Mount ams in October 1957. lost his !if e by apparently falling off Govett ·s Leap at Rlac.kheath . Vere Gordon Childe lias been descril1ed as the greatest prehistorian in Britain, perhaps in the wo'f d.

The remains of Childe were found by an intrepid plant collector, Ernest Constable whilst he was searching for specimens of a rare plan~ Isopogon f!etcJJeri which was thought to grow in the Govett's Leap area. This plant 1iad not heen sighted for nearly sixty years.

The story of this discnvery has been w4:H written up by john Low the Local Historv Librarian at Springwood Library, in the book - "The Blue Mountains. Grand Adventure for all". edited by Peter Stanbury. 2nd edition published in 1988, and in an article of the Blue .Mountains Echo, dated 14th _\fovember J 984 .

Er::11e i a~: l1e ·~'a;- ge~1e:·a11y caUed) \Vas a smalhsl1 built man, w111ch enabled J~!!1~ rn crawl into manv normally inaccessibJe places. spurred on ln' his ded1c:ni(m lc1 111;;: '>von: and 111~ ~heer Iri~l1 dewrmination not to give up

until lie 11ad lound wl1at I1e was 1on~jng for. Ernie 's nature was friendly and heipful. somewhat frugal but not witi1out humour which was E:xceptionaliy dry .

l had the honour and pJe~sure to know Ernie for twenty five years . .he was not only a mentor to me. but a personal i'riend. This is a tribute to a brave man , w110 I z'"'ou!d say was one of the last of the 'old-time plant collecwrs·.

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Ernest Francis Constable was born on the 12th June 1903. in Enniskerry, C:oumv Wicklow . f reland . His mother died wben he was two years old and he was cared for by a much loved aunt. When he was ten Ernie's father who had emigrated to Australia sent for him, he travelled in the care of an adult and arrived in Australia in February 1914. Ernie once told me he was distantly related to the famous landscape artist, John Constable.

In J 926 . Ernie married Caroline Ament who was widowed with children. they !rnd one son David Constable who with his wife resides in Blackheath. Ernie and Caroline came to live in Blackheath in 1927. staying there until 193? when they moved to Bathurst, where Ernie was employed by the Department of Agriculture. Ernie enlisted and served with the 2nd A.I.F. during World War 2. He was in Darwin and saw the first bomb fall on that city, he later served in New Guinea and was one of the fortunate soldiers nm taken prisoner.

Af1er the war Er111e and Caroline returned to hve in B!ackheath and Ernie gained employment again with the Dep~rtment of Agriculture as Botanical. Seed and Plant Collector, with the National Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens. Sydney.

It was during 1961 , tllat l first met Ernie at the Herbarium, myself being thenemployed as a Junior Gardener with the Botanic Gardens. we struck up a firm friendship which 1asted until his death in 1986. This was at the time t11at Ernie !1ad iust remarried. his wife Caroline having died in 19_59. He married Thelma Hessey fnee Wyke) born 13th April 1908. J wa~ privileged to be invited to stay with Ernie and Thelma in their home at 14 Hat Hill Road, Blackheat11 on many occasions. which I always enjoyed. It \.vas while on one such visit that Ernie took me to a large block of land that he owned in Wills Land and Prince Edward Street. Blackheath.

Jt was a Jove1y sylvan block set rn a hollow. well protected by trees with natural springs and a small creek running through it, part of the land had at 0 11e time been an orchard, several oJd fruit trees were still growing ll1ere . Growing underneath these old trees were the largest naturalised clumps of W'hite violets I have ever seen. Ernie loved thi::: block of land and LC,JJ me that he had v.ranted to bu ild a house on it , but the war interrupted 11j~. plan: and t11i s didri t ·eventuate On this \·isit and on other occasion~ Er11ic s !l o~.~ed me how to divine '-Valer ;,.vi t11 a sti cl-:. at 1.vhich he '>,' as good lot..

( <n n n ;;-:J1F- f:'t" 1}if'> ' <: ! ;:inrl nn ·:< <:msi n h !nr l' \' T:::t<: '< \,--,upiv f1'1t!e '' iPathe••bo:at•d ·· ·i··· r- .. . .......... ....,.._ ... · - . . .. \.-0- ... ...... ....... '""' "'" .. i .... ...,. .1 .. ....... .. _, """~· .f'\ ....... , , ... \... ' ..... _: ... .. '" ..- ..... 1 ..

~nact called 'T l1e i.)Jen ". I ·feU in Jov e with jt and ended up huying it , spern.i in5 many pleasant weekends there and my honeymoon in 1965. \\~hen I moved to iive permanentlv at Leura in 1970 my parents boughl 'Tht- Glen" from me and built a lovely new cottage, still keeping the name. ',Nhen they both passed away I buried their ashes in the garden there.

I have Ernie to thank for mstilling m me a love for the Blue .Mountains.

110 !Je c01J1i1.wed io tJJe next i~·sue)

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·chalet Fontenelle· (later Whispering Pines) ('orner of.Falls l?oad :md fJ?jJso11 5/reet. Wentworth Fa./Js

Rev . Chllde bought the land in 1898 and a home was erected within a few years. He and his second wife (nee Gordon) had one child - Vere Gordon Childe. Rev. Childe was rector of St Thomas 's Anglican Church, North Sydney, and the family spent a good deal of leisure time at Wentworth Falls. His wife died and is buried in Wentworth Falls cemeterv. Rev. Childe married again. and during the first world war, he and his wife conducted ··c·'h J F 11 " h i,a et ontenei e as a guest ouse.

The U.1ird Mr~ Childe also died. and the Rector later married a fourth t11ne -the fourth lady moved the household to another home in Wentworth Falls . .ivfeanw hile Vere Gordon Childe had·. becorile a very famous Prehistorian, and was necessarily overseas most of the time, as suitable positions were not avai1al1le to 111m 111 Australia.

About J 943 the old house was purchased by Professor f\facLaurin . and it w as then known as "Glenhurst". Professor MacLaurin and his mother were hml1 very mtere~1ed in Church education, and made substantial donations w open the l\facLaurin Church of England Schoo! at Leura in 1949. That ~chool flourished. and by 19 52 the building at Leura was over-crowded. so 1\frs .MacLaurin made "Glenhurst" available to boarders, who travelled by bus each dav to their :'Chool m Leura.

Soon the school was transferred to "Coorah ' . and "Glenhurst" continued as the boarding house for students. In 1952 the school was amalgamated with the Blue Mountains Grammar Schoo.I at Springwood to form the college that we know to-Jay.

Some time later Professor MacLaurin moved from "Glenhurst" to his mother 's old family home ".Mamre" at St Marys (originally owned by Samuel !\.farsden i. Apparently the old Wentworth Falls house was later renamed " \\7 1fr~pering Pmes ·· . and bas now become rather neglected

i. n 1957 Profe~sor Vere Gorc!on Cl1i!de (1892-1957) returned to t11e Blue Mountains aft.er having retired from a position at London University. He "'' J S a ::chular of international repute in the fields of archaeoiogy and p(1.ii ti-:: ai 1heor\·« and wrote many influential bool.;:s. Both~s parem~ are t:1 uried at \renL'~,·orth falls., ) le was st:iying at Katoomba when he toot his life by leapmg off t11e cliffs at Govett 's Leap at Blackheath. His remains 1,\'ere found years later by local botanist Ernie Constable. who died only m j 984.

In recent vears a site ciose to · W.1-.:ispering Pines" was suggested for a home for tile disabled, but development of the area was refused on ecological and environmental grounds.

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Whispering Pines - Another Oxford and Cambridge?

With the loss last year of Varney Parkes 'Oxford and Cambridge ' from the high\vay at Kat.oomba. it is obvious that many similar historic homes are either being demolished or let fall into disrepair. 'Whispering Pines' (originaiiy 'Chalet Fontenelle' and at one time 'Glenhurst') is one of the latter . a house of significance being neglected by non-Blue Mountain residents.

The.history of the house is well documented in the notes above, compiled by our Research Officer Gwen Silvey. I first became interested in 'Whispering Pines ' due to its connection as Glenlrnrst with 'Coorah '. in the grounds of the Blue Mountains Grammar School, Wentworth Falls. As Mrs Emily McLaurin lrnd purchased ·coorah' in 1 q51 from the Pitt family for the use of the McLaurin School, 'Glenhurst' was used as a boarding house for the male students who were required to walk in rigid lines from there to 'Coorah ' and back each day. Eventually 'Coorah ' was able to accommodate all the pupils, and 'Glenlrnrst' was leased to raise extra money for the young School's benefit.

Evidence of the use of the house as a Guest House and Boarding House sti11 remain . wnh various large rooms both upstairs and dowrnnairs, (the house is in 3 storeys. one partly subterranean) including several bathroom units scaitered around the house. One large, almost demolished wing of the house appears to have L1een either bathrooms or a laundry.

The house now lies in a state of gross disrepair. As far as I can see. it is not mhabited . despite Blue !v1ountains City Council records of a tenant who would !ind living there extremely col<), since there are no doors! The current owners have been notified that the state of the house is of concern to many Blue Mountain residents. I have also contact Anembo Enterprises, whose sign graces the dilapidated fence. A spokesman for this company advised me that any \\7ork was ceased some time ago, and that the owners are currently seeking to sell the house, and are facing legal difficu1tie~

.Recent!v, the house ·was ·used as a location for a film production. which reqi..ured a very dilapidated hou~e as a. set. "\\F11ispermg Pines was a l·,,:;.(fi:,,··1 1", ·.r·kJ1·1·)11 1'f11· tI1i~ ··11·1 11·-,..:. (:1 .·q,:.. ···1· 11~µ l· ··>u'-.:. ":·1.;; ·0·-·1 1- ·::;1· ·1,~.,. ,-1 1Y'' ;' "''" ~ -· ..... ~-".-~'- .I.- - .. · · _t - l ....... ~ a .... u J.'-•• ._ ,, ;'.,), .... ..... \) "'Iv .... J\_ .... - 'l,,.o ~~- ... \::.lAfJ~ ........... v ·-· ,~

·-.; ariou:-: fa.he signs ·warding off inrruders. I beiieve this sort of practice borJers on ex ploitation, since tlle film company could not have used the house- '.Vrthout tl1e owners consent. Perliaps complete demolition wiJJ be U12ir next solution.

~ ·\V hispermg Pines ' 1s one of only a few Blue Mountains houses built in the An Nouveau style. and is 'certainly the finest example I have seen ··in the district. We should not let this piece of history pass under tbe demolition l1ammer. due to the neglect of owners who seem th have little or no interest in local heritage. I will be monitoring the state of this home closely

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', from !1ow on . and urge members to do the same, not only with this proptJrly. b1.n others as well. !f you would like to support this cause, please write to me at. 18 Fitzgerald Street, Wentworth Falls. 2782. The more jetters of concern the owners receive, the better the chance we have of saving this beautiful home.

- 1\.Hchael Burge.

The Mountaineer, Friday - September 21 , 1 894

Letters to t!l.e Editor - TEAl\iIS vs TRAINS

To the Editor,

Co.n1pla.ints frorn all t11e 1'.~ounta.in to,~:rnships are aj)pearJng ln the MOUNTAINEER a.swell as the metropolitan Press . about the fearful cutting up of the .\fain Western Road is sub.iecter:! to by the heavily laden teams going to and bad) from Sydney to inland towns . forces the question - How is it the merchand1se has to be carried by road instead of by trajns? The only infore11ce I can draw is that is must be caused by un-businesslike management or pigheadedness of the Commissioners: and it's about time Padiament - Lhtir employers and paymasters - ordered these gentlemen to iry their hand a.t carrying goods for their customers at rates that will not only compete against horses and bullocks, but add to the railway revenue as well . If they cannot do that - sac.k 'em and try some thorough busi11ess coioniai gentleman such as Mr McMillan for instance One good man would do 1t better, and stop empty wagons going west passing heavily laden teams on the fC1ad . It would be a good idea to make the Commissioners repair the roads as it is their fault these are nearly impassable . Apologising for so long a letter. but this subject wants well ventilating, and straight writing may do something towards an aherat.ion - Yours &c .. Henry Sharp 20th September . Blackheath

- Contributed by Reg Baumgarten.

The Last Word

T11ank vou w ail who have contributed to our second newslener . and to everyo11e for their favourable comments re Volume 1 No. l .. Thank you to Marlene Jones who typed the master copy. All contributions and rosters for No. 3-(September/October} should be in by August 20th please, to Pat Burge, 18 Fitzgerald Street. \1;tentworth Falls. 2782. Ph. s-i '-g40 .

- Editor

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