bmhs 28/1 draft word doc copy 2

B L U E M O U N T A I N S H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y

FROMTHEPRESIDENT’SDESK…Something appears to have gone astray. Our SocietyhelditsChristmasLunchonDecember5thandalsoaHeritage Trail Open Day on January 2nd. On both ofthese occasions the events were attended by Binewarmweather.This isquite contrary to theweathernormally allocated to BMHS events and we areconcernedthatwewillhavetopay for thisapparentanomaly at a later date.We remain thankful for ourgood fortune and cautiously optimistic for events tocomethroughout2016.

TheOpenDay started the year’s activities early andby all measures it was a successful day. A steadystreamofvisitorscametoenjoytheambienceofourHistoryCentreandTarella.ThecottageBireplacewasverymuch in operation throughout the day, and thequalityofdampersconescookedinthecampovenonthecoalscontinuestoattractagooddealof interest.Business at the plant stall at the rear of Tarellawasalways steady. Don Graham’s plant sales have nowbecome quitewell recognised and supported by thelocal community.Don ismoving away from theBlueMountains inFebruarybut I’mpleased tobeable toreport that the Society’s horticultural fund-raisingeffortswillbecontinuedbyJoanandGarySteelewhohaveassistedDoninthepast.Iwouldliketotakethisopportunity to thank Don for his contribution tomany areas of the Society’s activities e.g. leadingexcursions and running our regular fund-raisingrafBlesandwishhimwellinthenextphaseofhislife.

The Management Committee has been giving somerecentattentiontothegroundsofourHistoryCentreand there has been quite a deal of activity as wetackle the seemingly formidable task of bringingunder control what is now many years of largelyunchallengedbranchgrowthof our trees, both largeand small. The view from Tarella’s eastern facingverandahtodayiscertainlynolongerthatwhichJohn

McLaughlin and his family would have enjoyed acenturyormoreago.Inthosedaysthevegetationwasa good deal more sparse and certainly decidedlylower.Our records suggest that itwasoncepossibleto see, from the property, the masts of tall ships inSydney Harbour and of course all the prominentmountain peaks such as Tomah, Banks and Haynearby. Today, such a panoramic view is no longerreadilyobtainable,evenifwewereabletofactoroutthe ever present atmospheric pollution in the lowcountry between us and the coast. The vista in alldirections has been overtaken by tall trees, bothwithin the conBines of the BMHS land and in thecountry beyond. Does this really matter and whatcouldwepossiblydoaboutit?

There is no intention to remove large trees on theproperty however we feel that a good deal can beachievedandthesenseofvistasomewhatrestoredifwe concentrate our efforts on the removal of deadtrees and straggly, secondary, growth which hasaccumulatedthroughoutthelastdecadeorso.Inthiswaywewillopenupadepthof Bieldwhichwillhelpus to explain to visitors just why John McLaughlin

Hobby’s Outreach �1

Contents

1 From the President’s Desk2 The Old Gundagai Cat - John Low3 Library News4 A Teacher to Remember9 Research Challenge10 Diary of Events 10 Membership News11 The Facts of the Matter

ISSN 1835-3010 Vol 28 No 1 February - March 2016

HOBBY’S OUTREACH

B L U E M O U N T A I N S H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Ychose this site in the Birst place. Quite apart frommaking ground maintenance easier in the future,thereisalsoanotherreasonformakingthiseffort.

Ourdiscussions throughout2015,withexperts fromMuseumsandGalleriesofNSW,highlightedtheextentto which the grounds are an integral feature of thewhole Tarella story. When we tell the story of thefamily and their “country estate” we should bestronglymindfulofthewayinwhichwecanenhancetheentirenarrativeandvisitorexperiencebybuildingthe grounds and gardens into that story. To do thiseffectively we will have to do a good deal ofrefurbishmentandmakesomechanges.Forexample,the circular garden to the immediate east of thecottagemuseumisnowthesubjectofareviewofitssize and purpose. Among other things, we areconsidering a proposal to reduce the size of itscurrentarea to facilitateregular futuremaintenance,yet to retain as much as possible of the existingplantings,andtoundertakenewplantingstomatchitmore directly with the stories the cottage and itsfamilyhavetotell.

In a similar vein, at the Christmas Lunchwe held asmall ceremony where Paul Innes (who last yearvisited the grave of Geoffrey McLaughlin in France)laid a small container of pebbles brought back fromthewartime grave of our “man fromTarella”. BeforeheleftonhistripPaulremovedasmallpieceofrockfromtheTarellagrounds,uponthehillsideleadingtotheobservationpoint.Heleftthatsmallrocksegmentburied at the gravesite and returned with a fewpebblesfromthegroundbelowGeoffrey’stombstone.Indue course thesewill be formally securedandondisplay inthatpieceofgardenandthiswillhelpourguides to explain one of the important and movingstoriesoftheTarellafamily.

Asmanyof youwill havediscoveredalready,Tarellanow has its own dedicated Facebook page. TheinformationthereisregularlyupdatedbyourTarellaTeam and within it you will currently Bind somewonderfulphotographsandvideofootagetakenbyacamera drone during a recent visit arranged by ourcuratorLinsiBraith.Thisisveryinterestingstuffandaneffectivewayofreadilyengagingthewiderpublicwithourcottagemuseumandall the things thataregoingonthere. Therearemanythingstobedonein2016 andwewelcome volunteer assistance from asmany of our members as possible during whatpromises to be a busy and interesting year ahead.Pleasejoininifyoucan.

WayneHanley

President(BMHS)

THEOLDGUNDAGAICAT-JohnLow

Though the Murrumbidgee town of Gundagai isgenerallyassociatedwithadogdisgracingitselfwitha tucker box, trawling Trove recently I came acrossthe story of an equally remarkable Gundagai cat, astory that seems to have emerged in the yearsfollowingtheGreatFloodof1852.Catsrarelyattractasmuchattentionasdogs, but thisunnamedmoggybecame news in 1876 when it was “said to haveattained the extraordinary age of 100 years” andreportsofitsunnaturallongevityspreadwidelyinthepress. I found the story in the Hobart Mercury (17June1876).

The cat had arrived in Australia, so the story went,aboard theGoldenGrove,oneof the threeFirstFleetstore ships, in January 1788. It passed eventually“into the possession of a pensioner of the ImperialGovernment, who settled in Gundagai in 1839, andwhowasdrowned in the local delugeof June1852”.


The 2016

Mclaughlin

Lecture By

DAVID S STRATTON

THE HISTORY OF CINEMA

Went Worth falls School of arts

Saturday

5th of march

BLUE MOUNTAINS HISTORICAL

THE HISTORY OF AustralianCINEMA

…………………

SOCIETY PRESENTS…

B L U E M O U N T A I N S H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T YSomehow, this already ancient cat survived thedisasterwhichtookthelivesofalmostninetypeople,one thirdof the town’spopulation, andanunknownnumberofanimals.

Whileitsoriginalownerisnotnamed,catsdidarrivewith the First Fleet and, interestingly, among thesewere two given as a parting gift to the Rev. RichardJohnsonandhiswifeMary,passengersontheGoldenGrove.ThecatsbecameasourceofgreatcomfortandenjoymenttobothofthemandBiguredoccasionallyintheReverend’scorrespondence.

“My little cats areverywell andvastly entertaining”,hewrote30May1787whilestillatsea.Later,amidstthe difBiculties of establishing aministry in the newcolony, he took pleasure in informing young friendsbackhomeoftheirnaughtybehavior.“MissPuss”,hereported 15November 1788, “has lately behaved soillandmadesuchbadwork inmygardenthat IwasobligedtohaveaCourtMartialuponher”.While,“Mr.TomPuss iscometohighpreferment– tiredofsuchpoor fare as I could give him, he took himself off tothe public stores, where he feeds upon the richestdainties of the country”. In 1988 an image of Rev.Johnson with one of his cats appeared on aBicentenary tapestry commissioned by the Sydneysuburb of Canterbury; it still hangs (I think) in theCouncil Chambers. Johnson had received one of theBirstgrantsoflandinthedistrictin1793.

ItwouldbedelightfultobelievethattheoldGundagaicathad indeedcomewith theFirstFleetbut sadlyahundred-year life span for a cat, even one sustainedonporksausages(“[it]willnottouchanyotherdiet”),does really stretch the bounds of credibility. Thegeneralconsensus(accordingtoWikipedia)seemstobethattheaveragedomesticcatcanexpecttoliveforabout12years(whichage,incidentally,ourcenturionwould have already reached by 1788), though thereareregionalvariationsandreportsofcatsevenlivingintotheir30s.TheoldestcatIcanBindanyrecordofwas aTexannamedCrèmePuff thatdied in2005atwhatwasclaimedtobeaveriBiedageof38.Anythingbut a crème puff, but still a long way short of acentury!

Ohwell, it’s still a great little folk tale – and as folktalesusuallyemergefromsomekerneloftruththecatinquestionwas probably veryold.And, anyway, no-one seems toworry if that bullocky’s dog really didsoilthetuckerbox!

Note:ForJohnson’slettersseeGeorgeMackanessed.Some Letters of Rev. Richard Johnson, Volume 1,Sydney:D.S.Ford,1954(Letters1&6)

LIBRARYNEWSOneofourlatestacquisitionsisAustralianHistory(1901to2001)AsSeenThroughBanknotesbyDauer,Dauer&Pettit(Binditat504.10).

OntheNewAcquisitionstableattheFebruarymeeting

Written by international collectors and a leading Australian specialist banknoteconsultant, AustralianHistoryAs SeenThroughBanknotes is an extremely accessiblebook.Theauthorspresent a colourful andentertaininglywrittenhistorical context totheevolutionofAustralianbanknotesandBinancialinstitutions.

Varyingconditionsofprosperityandcrisis,warandpoliticalinexperienceallinBluencedthe development of Australia and, by extension, our banking system. And national

events and theachievementsof famous identitieshave inBluenced thevisually stunningdesignsand illustrationsonAustralianbanknotes.ThebookcoverseachsectionofAustralia’sbanknotehistoryclearlyandconciselyandisfullofqualityreproductionsofbanknotes,photographs,documentsandillustrationsfrommanysources,butparticularlytheReserveBankarchive.

Interestinghighlightsincludetheproliferationofearlybankinginstitutionspre-Federation,thepost-FederationestablishmentoftheCommonwealthBankofAustraliaandissuanceoftheBirstAustralianCommonwealthbanknotesin1913,theearlyriseand eventual decline of private banknotes in the 1940s and the move towards decimal currency and the achievement ofdeveloping the Birst commercially successfulpolymerbanknotes.Something thatcaughtmyeyewas the fascinatingsectionabouttheHayInternmentCampsestablishedin1940,thedevelopmentofcampcurrencyand,particularly,theproductionoftheCampSevenbanknotes,withtheirsecretwording. SheridaCurrie-Librarian


B L U E M O U N T A I N S H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T YThis article from1992was unearthed by Peter Rickwood.ForlayoutreasonsithasbeentranscribedbyLindsayDuncan.

ATeachertoRemember

Henry Rienits, baptised Heinrich Gunther Rienits,wasbornofLutheranparentson8August1851,inthetownofOldenburg,NorthGermany.Hisparentsmigrated to New South Wales when he was twoyears old, but he was left behind for medicaltreatment in the care of some aunts. The troublewas that his feet were turned inward and he hadsomethingwrongwith his eyes. The treatment hehad to undergo for the latter complaint entailedbathing the eyes with copper sulphate andconBinement in darkened rooms. He attendedschool in Germany, then in 1863 at the age of 11wassendouttojoinhisparents.HedisembarkedatSydney from the sailing ship Rangativa andboarded a coastal vessel for Eden where he wasmet by his fatherwho had a small sheep farm onthe Monaro, the rolling upland country at thenorthernendof theSnowyMountains.Mostofhisadolescencewasspendshepherding,attimesevensleeping out at night on this holding.He attendedno school in Australia and like many other 19th-century teachers, seems to have been largely self-taught. Fromhis father he learned Spanish, GreekandofcourseEnglish.

Attheageof17heleftthefarmboundforSydney.Hewasnotgoingtobeashepherdallhislife.InSydneyhefoundajob,didsomepart-timecoachingatnightforawhile,thenat the age of 19 enrolled for a three-month course at Fort Street Training School. Upon the completion of this, he was atemporaryassistantatthesameschool,theninAugust,1873,wenttoHillEndtoteachaclassofboys.

WhileatHillEndhemethiswifetobe,MissKateTerry,whohadthereputationofbeing"thebestdancer,bestriderandbestdressedwoman"inMudgee.ForherthelastfewyearshadbeendifBiculttimes.Hermotherhaddiedwhenshewas16yearsoldandshehadhadtotakeinsewingforawhiletosupportherself.Shemusthavedonesomesortofteachertraining,butthekindandamountisnotknown,andatthetimeshemetMrRienitsshehadrecentlybeenpromotedfromateachingassistant’spositiontothatofmistressoftheHillEndInfantsDepartment.

Thecourtshipwas fromallaccountsaveryshortone, thecouplemeetingatadance inMudgee.Therewasonlyoneotherrendezvousbeforethemarriage,andoneof thesetwooutingswasreportedtohavedegenerated intoanti-climaxwhenthehorsebolted.NotlongafterthisMrRienitswastoldofthevacancyatBourke,butgiventheimpressionthatamarriedmanwouldbepreferred, thewifebeingexpected to teachsewing,and takeahand indisciplining thegirls.Hewrote toKate toproposemarriage.Hewasacceptedandtheyweremarriedsoonafter.Kateresignedfromtheserviceon30thofJune,1874.Theywereboth23yearsofageatthetime.

WhenMrRienitsarrived inBourke inSeptember,1874, to takeuphis Birst sole chargepositionhe searched the townandcouldnotevenBindaschool.Whathadhappened?WhywastheRoyalHotelinMitchellStreetalreadyoccupied?HadhenotbeenassuredthattheCouncilofeducationwasleasingitasacombinedschoolandresidence?Hedirectedhisquestionstothenewtenant,amanwhointroducedhimselfasDrGrant,andlearntthatthelastteacherhadleftabruptlywithouteventakingthetroubletoinformthecouncil.

MrRienitsacceptedwithgrateful thanks fromthedoctor thekey toasmallweatherboardcottageat thebackof thehotel,movedhisluggagein,thensetouttolookforabuildingtorent.Hehadlivingaccommodation–nowforaplacetoworkin.Hewalkedthroughthetownaskingpeopleashewent,butnonecouldofferanysuggestions.Heglancedaroundandsizedupafewof thebuildings.Theywerenotwhatanyonewouldcallamemorable landmark– ironshellsrusting inperpetuity,slabhutsthat lookeda lotmoreliketuckerboxesforwhiteants, fewbetterthanthat,oranywherenearassubstantialorsheepproofasthenearbyfencesstakedoutintheDarling’salluvialloam.Strictlyspeakingtheplacewasnotatownatall–justavillagewithafewhundredinhabitants.Therehadbeennosettlementthereatall,12yearsbefore,andnowwhatwiththe


B L U E M O U N T A I N S H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Yproblemgettingconstructionmaterialouttosuchanisolatedplace,Bourke’scomingintobeingwasturningouttobearatherprotractedprocess.

Eventually someone suggested a disused dance hall. At last Mr Rienits had a roof and four walls over his head, but thatunfortunatelywasaboutallhedidhaveandthecrumblingbrickworkmadehimwonderhowlonghecouldkeepasmuchasthat.Insidewerefacelesswallsandayawninggulf inthemiddle.Itwashardtoseehowthebuildingwouldstimulatekeenchildrentocometoschool,letalonethebreedofanti-educationalistthenfoundinBourke.

IntheBirstweekof lessonstheyouthofBourkecontinuedtohauntthestreets, leavingMrRienitstotheprivacyofhisownthoughtprocesses.Hegotnosupport from theparentseither, for theywere sure thathewas theheir-apparent to the lastteacher inmoreways thanone.Thatyoung fellowhadgained somethingof aname forhimself through "hispropensity tobilliardplayingandothergames,"andithadbecomecommonknowledgethatattimeshewasincapableofattendingtohisschooldutiesbecausehehadseenthe lightofday inhis frolics.Thismighthavebeenpolitely ignored ifhehadnotopenlydeclaredhimselfaninBidel,therebycausinganumberofthemorerespectableinhabitantstoloseallconBidenceinhim.Thenquitesuddenlyhehaddisappeared.AstronglocalboardcouldhavetidedtheschooloveritsdifBiculties,contactedthecouncilanddonesomethingabouttherent,butthiswasjustwhattheBourkeschooldidnothave.BythetimeMrRienitsarrivedthetownsfolkwerepreparedforanything.Theywouldneverceasetowonderatwhattheauthoritieswouldpalmoffontothemnext.NeverhaveMrRienitsneededatalentforselfadvertisementmore.Howhegotthechildreninisnotknown,buthedidit,forwithinafewmonthstherewere60childrenenrolled–nosmalltributetohisdiligenceandenterprise.

EverythingwentwelluntilAugust,1875,thenthetroublereallybegan.Largecracksbeganappearinginthewallsandlessonsweresoonpunctuatedbyachorusofcreaksandgroans.Soonthechimneywassportingadrunkenleanandtheendwallwasdistorting outwards.WheneverMrRienitswas inside he found it impossible to suppress an uneasy feeling that therewasmovement in the Bloorboards.Hecouldnotdecidewhether thiswasrealor imaginary,butaspersonalpreservationmeantmoretohimthansteadfastness,herefrainedfromremaininginsidewhenitwasblowingastiffbreeze.Onenightwhentherewerenousefulspectatorstoofferadvicehecrawledunderthebuilding.Itseemedtobeonebighappyfamilydownthere–hundredsofrabbitsburrowingunderthefoundations.Thechildrendiscreetlybeganstayingathome,believingtheyhadthesamerightstoreacholdageasanyoneelse.

Itwasclearthebuildingwasgoingwhetherornottheschoolwas,soforwantofanythingbetter,MrRienitsmovedeverythingintoaderelictstable,buttheattendancesdidnotimprove.Whatchildwouldadmittogoingtoaschoolinthedirtyoldstable?Itwasnotgoodenoughforhorses,sowhymustitbegoodenoughforhim?TwowetdaysintheBirstmonthsentMrRienitshouse-huntingagain.TheBirstdrenchingwastheworst.ThechildrenlinedupbeforeschoolandBiledinasusual.Theorderwasgiventobeseated.Crash!Someoneknockedoveraform.IthappenedeveryseconddayonthathummockyearthenBloor,sonoonetookmuchnotice.Athalfpasttenitbegantorain–notveryheavily,butthefactwasthatanyshowerwouldhaveBloodedtheinteriorofthebuilding.Soontherewerewaterfallseverywhere.Theroofwasobviouslyaroof,buttherewastoomuchironmissing.Thewindowsweretherightshape,buttheywerespace,notglass.Totheverticalonslaughtwasaddedthewinddrivenwithanacutelyslantingforce.Intheraincame,throughtheentrancethatlackedadoorandthecracksbetweentheslabsinthewalls.Teacherandpupilsstuffedasmanybooksastheycouldintothecupboardandrushedforthehousenextdoor.Theownerkindlymadearoomavailableandthelessonwentoninspiteofeverything,butithardlymattered.Ifpubliceducationmeanttwowettingsinafortnight,mostchildrenpreferredtostayathome.

Thenextplacewasatleastmeantforhumanhabitation–anoldkitchenatthebackofahouse.YetnoteventhechancetohelpMrRienitsbuildalean-toatthebackattractedmanyofthechildrenback.Afterthisitwaspartofanoldtimberstore.Itwasacolddepressingplaceinwinter–notevenaBire.Insummeritwasworse–centurytemperaturesbeatingdownfromthelowiron roof onto the pupils’ heads. Mr Rienits ordered all hats to be worn in the classroom. He did not dare hang up athermometerfromabeam.Itwastempting,buthiscompassionmightmovehimtosendthechildrenhome,andthatwouldbehardtoexplain.Hethenthoughtofremovingtheuppersashesfromthewindowstoventilatetheplace,buttheydisintegratedinhishands.Thewhiteantshadbeenbusy.Nottobedefeated,hetriedtocreateadraftbyremovingtheslabsfromthewalloppositethewindows,andinsodoingleftschoolpropertytothemercyofanynight-roamingurchinwhohappenedtocomethatway.HethenturnedhisattentiontotheBloor.Itwasjustthekindofsurfaceonewouldnotwantforschooldesks,foritwasashardasadesertpanandnowherenearlevel.HethoughtofBixingthedeskstothewallontheeasternside.Thismayhavetakencareofthewobbles,butitdidnothingtowardsprovidingshelterfromthesummerheat.Whenseatedthere,thechildrenwereinthehottestpartofthebuilding.

"HereamI,"hewroteinJanuary,1876,"allenergyleachedoutbyanalmosttropicalheat...IbegthattheCouncilofEducationwillbepleasedtotakethiscaseunderconsiderationandtakestepstowardstheerectionofschoolbuildingsandthusputanendtoallthemakeshiftsandconsequentannoyancestowhichIambeingsubjected."

Inhisopinionhehaddoneeverything thatcouldreasonablybeexpectedofhim.Hecouldhardlybeaccusedof lazinessorrequiringeverylittlethingtobedoneforhim.Hehadevenraised£25towardstheschoolbuildingfundand£13fortheschoollibrary.



Actionwasnowtakenbythecouncil.AnarchitectwasdirectedtodrawupplansandspeciBicationsfornewbuildings,andayearlaterMrRienits’hopebecameanactuality.Anewschooltookalittlegettingusedto–nowhiteantsinthewindowsills,freshlykilnedbricks,wallsperpendicular.Heranhishandoverthebeamsenjoyingthepricklysensationoffreshlysawnwood.Whenthechildrenreturnedthecouncilevensentapupilteacher.

AfterspendingthreeyearsatBourke,MrRienitswenttoCooyalpublicschoolnearMudgeeinMay,1877,thenontoMtVictoriainJuly,1880.MtVictoriamusthaveseemedlikepromotion.Hisschoolbuildingswereonlytwoyearsold,hehad120pupilstobringintheschoolfeesandapupilteachertoimpress.HecouldhavedonemuchmuchworsethantheBlueMountainsholidayresort;yethis life therewasnotgoing tobea tourist’sdream, for justas thesightseersdeparted forthwithvia therailwaystationaftertheyhadhadtheirBillofmountainschiselledinCubistformsandcircuitoustracksandobservationdecks,sotoodidmorethanonethirdofhispupils.TheycamefromasfarawayasKatoomba,andtoholdthemhehadtogearhislessontimetabletotheirneeds.Talkaboutastaggeredtimetable.Thetrainpupilsworkednon-stoptill2PM,thenlefttoconnectwiththe2:30PMfromLithgow,andtheMountVictorians,havinghadonehourforlunch,stayedontill3:30PM.Thiskepteveryonehappy, everyone that is except Mr Rienits who was working non-stop from 9 AM to 3:30 PM with no additional salaryforthcoming.Butatleasthehadplentyofpupilsandasalarywhichwasdeterminedaccordingly,andatleasttheschemewasworkable.

1880...1881...Midwaythrough1881anewschoolopenedatKatoomba.Manyofhispupilsimmediatelytransferred.ItlookedliketheIndiansummerofhissalary,butMrRienitswasnotbeatenyet.Ifhehadtogetmorepupils,thengetthemhewould.Ifthetowncouldnotsupplythem,thentheywouldhavetocomefromafar. IfsightseerscouldcallMountVictoriaoneof thechiefsanatoriumsofthecolony,whynotparentsandschoolchildren.

Heboughttwoprefabricatedhuts,thenbeganplacinganadvertisementinthe“ClassiBieds”oftheSydneyMorningHerald–onceafortnightitappeared:"Mount Victoria public school. Boarders taken by the teacher, Mr HG Rienits; bracing climate, domestic comforts; regularstudies,piano,languages,etc.Termsmoderate"(£10aquarter).

Thereitwaswith"RoystonCollege,SignoraC.DeBaraty.ConventofthegoodSamaritan,BurradooPark–aMountainhome...Acourseadaptedeitherforprofessionalormercantilepurposes...PupilspreparedforPublicandCivilServiceexaminations...Instruction thoroughly practical and up to the standard required for a sound English education... Special advantages forpupils...Therecreationgroundslargeandwell-woodedandseabathingtobeavailedof…Everyattentionpaidtothehealthofdelicategirls…Forparticularsapply…"

Hewasinbusiness.Soontherepliesbegancoming,thentheboarderstoo.SixboystherewereatBirst,mostofthemchildrenhehadalreadytaughtatBourkewhoweregladenoughtogetoutofthesummerheat.During1882,morechildrenarrived,morebuildingandavisittorememberfromInspectorAllpass,whohadkindwordsofpraiseforthestandardsofteachingandinoneofhismorefrivolousmomentsevenvolunteeredthattherewasnomoreobjectiontothebuildingofaprivateboardingestablishmentontoapublicschoolthantotheerectionofafourposterbedstead.

1883…1884…Troubleinplentyhadarrived.AcertainCharlesWilsoncomplainedtotheDepartmentaboutallegedactivitiesattheMountVictoriapublicschool.Thegistofitwas:getridofthatpigsty,stopploughinguptheplaygroundtogrowfoodfortheBorders,MrsRienitsisapoorsewingmistress.ButwhoeverwouldtakenoticeofacookMrRienitshashadoccasiontodismiss."Aseriesofmaliciousfabrications"washowInspectorLobbansawit.Arevengefulcookwaseasilyforgotten,butahighlyrespectedmemberoftheLegislativeAssemblywasanothermatterentirely.

QuothMrWRPiddington,thelocalmember:"DuringalongcareerinParliamentIhadbeenoneofthemostearnestadvocatesofageneralsystemofeducationsupportedbythestate,butIneverheardofanabuseofthiskindbeingtoleratedandIfeelpersuadedthatthereisnothinginthe14thsectionofthePublicSchoolsActwhichwillwarrantthissingularpracticesofintroducingtwodistinctclassesofchildrenintoourpublicschools."

Itwasallverywellfortheboarders,butwerethelocalchildrenbeingneglectedorplacedatadisadvantage?Thehonourablememberassumed that theymustbeandcarriedon tomake theaccusation that "someof theseboarders,presumingupontheirsingularposition,arethoroughlarrikins.”Wasitreallyhisopinion?Somepeoplearedoubtful.Hadsomeoneofspitefulintentimposedonhiscredulity?HedidafterallspendmostofhistimeinSydney.ManypeopleinMtVictoriaconsideredthatthechargeswereuncalledfor.TheirpraiseforMrRienits’effortswerenotstupid.Wordssuchas"exemplary","well-behavedgentlemanlylads","praiseworthydemeanour"werebandiedabout.WhocouldhaveguessedthatthecheerleaderwouldbeSirHenryParkes,whosedaughter,MrsThorn,thewidowofanAnglicanminister,hadthreeboysattheschool.


B L U E M O U N T A I N S H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T YMrPiddingtonhadprofessedhimself"ready(ifrequired)tosubstantiatehischarges",yetwhenInspectorLobbanarrivedinMtVictoriatoinvestigatethem,itwasgivenoutthathehadjustleftontheSydneyboundtrain.Theinvestigationproceeded,but ithad lostmostof itspointand theverdict inMrRienits’ favourwasnotunexpected.The inspectorcouldattributenoillegalactiontohim.Hadnotteachersinmanyofthelargertownsintheinteriorbeingofferingboardtopupilsforyears,andtheNationalBoardandtheCouncilofEducationhadonlyhadnotonlycondonedbutevenencouragedthepractice.AdmittedlytherewasnoprovisiontocoverMrRienitstoactivitiesinthePublicinstructionact(1880),butatleasttherewasnoexplicitprohibition.WhataboutPetersham?AstandingadvertisementintheHeraldwasinvitingparentstosendtheirsonstoboardwiththeheadmasterofthatpublicschool.Surely,ifthecustomhadbeendeemedobjectionableitwouldhavebeensuppressedbydirectlegislation.

A curtnotewas sentoff to thememberby InspectorLobban. Forhis informationnoabuseof theprovisionsof thePublicInstruction Act had been discovered. The boyswithout exception came from good social backgrounds and their presenceraised not lowered the moral tone of the school. While the inspector readily admitted that Mr Rienits had had in mindpecuniaryadvantageforhimself,heconsideredthematterhadbeenmanagedsojudiciouslythatthepresenceoftheboardershadactuallybeenbeneBicialtotheschoolandthattheirremovalwouldhavebeenaseriousmisfortune.

MrRienits,sensingunilateralvictory,immediatelyappliedforasecondpupilteacher.ThereplyfromInspectorLobbanmadeitclear that, althoughhewas prepared to offer protection to preventwrongful defamation of character, hewas not going toactivelypromotetheboardingestablishment.AmpleprovisionfortheeducationoftheladshadbeenmadebytheDepartmentintheirhometowns.

Thepossibility inthenearfutureofovertdisapprovalwashintedat intheinnuendo:"Inviewofthespecial featuresofthecase…shortly…regularinspection."

Inspection day started badly for Mr Rienits. Mr Lobban arrived unannounced on 14 April, 1885 and caught the teachererectingawashhouse–andthisafterhehadbeenwarnedthatfurtherextensionswithoutofBicialauthorisationwouldnotbetolerated.HadnotMrRienitswith Bivedormitories tohis credit claimed thebuildings incapableof further extension?Andwhatdidtheinspectorthinkofthestructureinquestion?Amerewoodenshell,itissupposedhewouldhavecalledit.Itwasnot just thathedefendedthevisionandwasasourceofdanger fromBire.Whatwithall thedirtywaterarounditwasalsosomethingofahealthhazard.

Theclassroominspectionbegan.Theatmosphererapidlycooledwhentheachievementofachildwhowas in factretardedcausedamisunderstanding.SometimeafterthisMrsRienitsenteredtheschoolroomandinformedtheInspectoritwastimeforhertotakeawaytheboardersfortheLatinandmusiclessons.MrLobbanquicklysteppedinandputtostopputastoptothis.Thiswasafterallaclearcaseoffavouritismtotheboarders.

MrRienits became snappish and argumentative as the dayproceeded. Excuses camequicklywhen the inspector hinted atdefects in the teaching. AllMr Lobbanwould offer reMrRienits' pride and joy, his formula for superimposing a series ofsquares,oblongsandtrianglesonmapstohelpthechildrendrawthem,was"Don'tyouknowyouaredamagingdepartmentalproperty."ThatwastheBinish.ImmediatelyMrRienitsorderedabowlofwatertobebroughtintohispresence.HeapproachedAustralia'sskeletalsupportwithtemerityandwashedofftheinked-inlineswithaBlourish.Thelinearreduction,Australiaasanopenenvelopewasgone.

Anagreementwasreached,aschedulewasdrawnup.Thefourthclasswouldhaveitsgeometrylessonat4PMaftertheotherpupilshadleft.MrRienitshadbeenadamantthattheclasshadgonerightthroughtheFirstBookofEuclid,yetwhenhisclaimwasputtothetestinthelateafternoonnotmorethanthreeoftheboyswerepreparedtoattempteveneasyproblemsliketheninthandtenth.HewasthusnotinaveryamicabletemperwhenhiswifecameintosolicitMrLobban’sservicestoexaminethegirlssewing.Afterdismissingtheboys,theinspectorproceededtolookattheneedleworklaidoutonsomedesks.AsonlyonepieceofsewingfortheBirst-class,thelargestoftheschool,wasshown,heaskedforanexplanation.

"Surelyyoudon'texpectbabiestosew,"wastheperfectreply.

"Butwehavenobabieshere,"respondedtheinspectorsharply.

AtthisjunctureMrRienits,whowasseatedatthedeskdoingthebooks,leapedupandangrilyretorted,"Ibegyourpardon.Doyouexpectachildoffouryearsoldtoholdaneedle?"InspectorLobbanwasoutraged.Neverbeforehadhebeeninterferedwithbyateacherintheperformanceofhisduties.Whentheinspectionoftheneedleworkcontinued, itbecameapparentthatsomeofthespecimensbeingshownweretheworkofgirlswhohadalreadyleftschool.Thiswasquiteunacceptabletotheinspector.Hewouldhavenoneofthisout-of-datework.Hewasdeterminedtolookatnothingunlessthegirlwhodiditwaspresent,then,havingmadetheterse"Iwillinspectthesewingtomorrow,"helefttheroomwithoutevensaying"goodevening."


B L U E M O U N T A I N S H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T YTheresultsheelicitedonthefollowingdaywere:

"Firstclass:14girls:5piecesofneedleworkshown:2beingportionsofgirlsunderclothingcontainingnumeroustucksandpiecesofinsertion.Theexhibitsweremuchsoiledand,althoughincomplete,hadtheappearanceofbeingmonthsinhand.

Secondclass:fourgirls:4exhibitsoffemaleunderclothingbegunon11Augustlast,butstillincomplete.

Thirdclass:6girls:4exhibits(incomplete)offemaleunderclothingbeganinAugust1884.

Fourthclass:1girl:noexhibit."

ThatnightMrRienitssatdowntowritealetterofformalresignationtoE.JohnsonEsq,UnderSecretaryoftheDepartmentofPublicinstruction.Self-respectwouldnotallowhimtoremainunderthejurisdictionofaninspectorwhohadinsultedhiswife.

FromInspectortochiefinspectortoUnderSecretarywiththeletter.Ifthepracticeofallowingteacherstotakingboardersforprivateremunerationhadbeencondonedinthepast,itwouldnotbedonesointhefuture.

"The resignation will be an easy means of preventing the necessity for special action on irregularities that have alreadyoccurredandonotherswhichhisviewsandaimswillprobablybethemeansofintroducingwerehetoremain,"saidInspectorLobban.

MrRienitsresignationasteacherinchargeofMountVictoriapublicschoolwaseffectivefrom14May,1885.Soonafterthishewasoffered theheadshipofa churchschool,buthaving just cuthis tieswithoneemployer,hehadnodesire toenter intoobligationswithanother,inthiscasetheBoardofGovernors.Hisownschool–thisiswhathereallywanted.

Atthebeginningofthefollowingyear,havinggainedconsiderablesupportfromparents,hewasabletoopenaprivateschoolinMountVictoria.At Birsthe rentedahousenear theTollGateHouseon theMainWesternHighway,butwithinmonthsapermanentbuildinghadbeenerectedattheBathurstendofMontgomeryStreet.Thisbuildingisstillstanding.ItwaserectedbyPeterHertzbergLawson,thefatherofHenryLawson.ItisdoubtfulifHenrywouldhavebeenlivingwithhisfatherbythistimealthoughfatherandsonhadledawonderinglifeintheInlandgoingfromjobtojob,Henrywouldhavebeen19yearsofagethistimeandwasfromallaccountsworkinginSydneyandtakingpart-timeuniversitycourses.

ButbacktotheotherHenry.MrRienits'schoolwasnottheonlyprivateboardingschoolinMtVictoria.Anotherwasopenedin1886bynolessanillustriouspersonthanWilliamWilkins,recentlyretiredastheUnderSecretaryoftheDepartmentofPublicinstruction,butthisoneclosedthroughlackofsupport.MrRienits'school,whichwascalledsimply"TheSchool"didthriveandprosper.Itwasadvertisedasaboardingschoolforboysoffering"anEnglisheducationaccordingtothestandardfortheJuniorUniversityExamination,"andseemstohavecateredmainlyforpost-primarypupils.Howeversomeprovisionwasmadeforyoungerboys.

A fewextracts from theprospectusmightbeenlightening.Nodateappearson the copy in thewriter'spossession,but thephrase"annualsportsareheldonKing'sbirthday"impliesthatwaspublishedafter1901.

"The School having been primarily established as a commercial school, special attention is paid to Writing, Spelling,Composition,LetterWritingandArithmetic, subjects soessential forboyspreparing forbusiness.Bookkeeping,Shorthand,Latin,French,Algebra,and,whenrequired,Geometry,areincludedinthecourseofstudy…

"MilitaryandPhysicalDrillandDancingformpartofthecourseofinstruction.Thebearingandmannersoftheboysarewell-attendedto.

"Theschooluniform(blueandsilver)maybeobtainedetc…

"Pupilsareofalltimesunderstrictsupervision.

"AllpupilsmustweartheSchooluniformwhenoutofbounds;bythisacertaincheckiskeptupontheirbehaviourwhenawayfromdirectcontrol…

"Thegroundsare81/4acresinextent.Alargegardensuppliesthevegetablesnecessaryfortheestablishment.Cowsarekept,arewell-fed,thusensuringpuremilk.

"TheSwimmingBathisforuseinthesummer,andsuppliedbyaspring.Asthedepthvariesfrom2to7feet–agradualslope–itisperfectlysafefortheyoungestboy."


B L U E M O U N T A I N S H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T YThefeeof£1111s.0d.aquarter,includingwashingandmending,waspayableinadvance.Therewere43weeksintheschoolyear,thesebeingdividedthefourterms.

Extratuitionwasofferedatthefollowingrates:

Piano,OrganorViolin £22s.0d.TheoryofMusic £11s.0d.German £11s.0d.

Itispertinenttonoteatthispointthatintheperiodinwhich"TheSchool"BlourishedthereweremanyotherssmallprivateschoolsinNewSouthWalescateringforspecialneeds.Oneonlyhastothumbthroughtheadvertisementsina19th-centuryeditionoftheSydneyMorningHeraldtoseejusthowmanysmallestablishmentswereoperating.

Therewas"AilantusCollegeforYoungLadies.Principals:theMissesGillamassistedbyablestaffofProfessorsandTeachers.Pleasantlyandhealthilysituated,theclassroomsanddormitoriesloftyandcommodiousandthegroundsextensive,"andmanymore.WhydidmostoftheselittleschoolsdieoutleavingtheBieldtothechurchesandtheState?Onecanonlysurmise,butclearlytheconsolidationandexpansionofthepublicsecondarysystem,verymucha20th-centuryphenomena,musthavehadmuchtodowithit.Highoverheadcostsandtheneedforsubjectspecialistswithuniversitydegreesmusthavealsohadsomebearing. Besides, could a school the size of Mr Rienits' (a photograph in the prospectus shows about 50 boys and threeteachersseatedatatable)reallyprovidealibrary,agymnasium,asciencelaboratory,aroomforcarpentryandmetalworkandalltheotherelaboratelyequipped"modcons"whicharenowconsideredanintegralpartofsecondaryeducation?

MrRienitsremain inchargerightupuntil thetimeofhisretirement in1913, then"TheSchool"closed.Hediedon24thofJune,1928.Hiswifehadpredeceasedhimbyfouryears

Thecouplehadfourchildren:onesonandthreedaughters.WhileatMountVictoriaandMrRienitshadtakenanactivepartincivicaffairs,wasamemberoftheprogressAssociationandastaunchsupporteroftheChurchofEngland.Heplayedtheorganandtookascholarlyinterestingeology,havingpublicationstohiscreditintheJournaloftheGeologicalSocietyofAustralia.SomespecimensfromhisprivatecollectionweresenttotheMiningMuseum,GeorgeStreet,Sydney.Itwasnotuntil1894thathebecameanaturalisedAustralian.

RESEARCHCHALLENGE-TheHistoryofGivingBirthintheBlueMountainsBruce Dunstan reports frequent enquiries regarding people who were born in the Blue Mountains. Familyhistorianswanttoknowthelocationofthebirthplaceofsomeonetheyareresearching.SometimesthesebirthswererecordedatasmallhospitallikeCambewarra,whichnolongerexists.Othertimesmoremysteriouslythesebirthsmayevenhaveoccurredatholidaycottages.Givingbirthhaschangedsomuchoverthedecadessincethe19thcentury.Butweknowlittleabouthowthesechangesoccurredlocally,andweobviouslyneedtoknowmuchmore.

Whowerethemidwives?Wherewerethey?Weretheyineveryvillage?Thereisnoobviousmentionoftheminoldnewspapers.Were there facilities ineveryvillage forgivingbirth? If so,where?So far thereseems tohavebeenadegreeofsecrecy.Perhapsoldmedicalrecordswillhelp.PerhapsgenealogicalrecordscanbeconBiguredtoshowconcentrationofbirthsinplacesandtimes.Therearealsohints,butnoconBirmations,thatgirlsfromSydneyweresenttoKatoombaiftheywereunwedandpregnant, to have their babies in the anonymity of a busy holiday town, preWWII at least. Did theWar andpresenceofsoldiersaffectthis?Asanimportantpartofthis,weneedtoBindoutsomethingaboutlocalaboriginalwomen’swaysofgivingbirthinlocalconditionstoo.

Isanyoneinterestedinlookingintothisasaproject?



BMHSEVENTSCALENDAR2016

Membership NewsA warm welcome to our newest members:

Patsy Moppett - YetholmeLeigh-Anne Norris - Hazelbrook

Have you moved house recently?If so, don't forget to provide your new address/phone/email details so the Society's records remain up to date.

Jeanette RobertsonMembership Secretary

FEBRUARY

Saturday 6 MONTHLY MEETINGSpeaker - Alan Foster

Asking & Answering the Questions of History Using Music & Song

Thursday 11 EXCURSIONRouse Hill House, Vinegar Hill Memorial & Hawkesbury Museum

Sunday 28 BMHS Tarella Open Day

MARCH

Saturday 5 McLAUGHLIN LECTURE Wentworth Falls School of Arts

Speaker - David StrattonThe History of Australian Cinema

Thursday 17 EXCURSIONUniversity of Sydney Museum & Erskineville Graveyard

Sunday 27 BMHS Tarella Open Day

APRIL

Saturday 2 BM Heritage Trail Open Day

Saturday 2 MONTHLY MEETING & AGMObject Lessons

Speakers - Stefan Indyka - Historic BM TransportSusan Warmbath - Highlights from Tarella’s Collection

Thursday 14 EXCURSION(To be advised)

Hobby’s Outreach �1 0


BMHS – the facts of the matter

2016 Management Committee Other Responsibilities

Executive : President - Wayne Hanley (4787 5728) Membership - Jeanette Robertson (4757 3750)Vice-President - Stefan Indyka (4782 7008) HO Editor - Lindsay Duncan (0419 439 024)Secretary - Ross Ingram (4787 5589) [email protected] - Anthea Mitchell (4757 3824) Hobby’s News - Joan Edwards (4757 2317)

Publicity/Catering - Robyne Ridge (0419 985 546)Welfare - Ruth Eslake (4782 6534)

Committee:Alan Foster (4757 3750) Hobby’s Reach Research Centre (02 4757 3824)Robyne Ridge (0419 985 546) www.bluemountainshistory.comJohn Pike (4788 1046) Email: [email protected] Robertson (4757 3750)Erik Halbert (4787 6089)

HOBBY’S REACH RESEARCH CENTRE: OpenTuesdayandFriday9am1ll2pmformembers&thePublic

OpenWednesday9am1llmiddayformembersonly

MONTHLY MEETINGS: HeldatHobby’sReachonthe1stSaturdayofeachmonth,unless otherwiseno1fied.Morningtea10am.Mee1ngsstart10.30am. Visitorswelcome.

�


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Blue Mountains Historical Society Inc Hobby’s Reach,PO Box 17 Wentworth Falls NSW 2782

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