the$glenburn$and$burbong$historic$precinct$in$the$kowen$forest,$act:$more$recent ... · 2013. 11....

THE GLENBURN AND BURBONG HISTORIC PRECINCT IN THE KOWEN FOREST, ACT: MORE RECENT INFORMATION ABOUT SOME OF THE SITES AND THE PEOPLE

Colin McAlister, November 2013

My monograph, Twelve historic sites in the Glenburn and Burbong areas of the Kowen Forest, Australian Capital Territory, published by the Na6onal Parks Associa6on of the ACT in November 2007 needs some upda6ng and correc6ng. (The monograph is available on the NPA’s website www.npaact.org.au under Publica6ons, Out of Print Publica6ons.)

Since 2008 The Parks and Conserva6on Service and the Friends of Glenburn have undertaken substan6al protec6on and conserva6on of some of the sites. These ac6ons are included in my July 2013 ‘Work in Progress’ ar6cle on the same website www.npaact.org.au under Our Friends, Friends of Glenburn.

The purpose of this ar6cle is to set out recent informa6on that has come to light from various sources about the sites and the people associated with them and also to make some minor correc6ons to the material in my 2007 monograph. The page references are generally to my 2007 monograph.

Ideally, I should prepare a second edi6on of my 2007 monograph.

But I simply do not have the inclina6on or the stamina at present. So you will have to bear with me in dealing with essen6ally new informa6on and/or interpreta6ons about some of the sites and the people associated with them. Unfortunately, in some areas, I have raised ques6ons than I have not been able to answer.

I suggest that you have a copy of my 2007 monograph close by when you read this ar6cle.

NEW INFORMATION

THE SITE OF THE KOWEN SCHOOL AND ITS FABRIC

The Site

There are no visible physical remains of the school buildings.

Previous informa6on was that the charcoal kilns were built on the school site about 300 metres north-‐west of Glenburn Homestead. The remains of the charcoal kilns are on the eastern side of Charcoal Kiln Road, some 50 metres below the locked gate near the intersec6on with River Road.

In September 2013, I was given a copy of an 1882 survey plan showing Por6ons 69 and 70, Parish of Amungula from the original subdivision of the area. The school was marked in the south-‐east corner of Por6on 70, close to the north-‐western boundary of Por6on 1 (see the map on page iv of my monograph).

In November 2013, staff of The Office of the Surveyor-‐General plo]ed the loca6on of the school on some modern day maps. The posi6on of the school on the 1882 survey plan may have been

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indica6ve only so the precise loca6on of the school is difficult to determine. But it is quite clear that the school was in the vicinity of where the charcoal kilns were built during World War II, possibly just on the opposite side of Charcoal Kiln Road towards the large dead pine tree.

The Fabric of the School

The 1882 survey map of Por6ons 69 and 70 included the statement ‘Value of improvements £35 School House’.

On the basis of this value, I think we can safely say that it was a pre]y modest structure. By way of comparison, Curleys Hut (a slab co]age of 5 rooms and a verandah) was valued at £120 a few years later (see below on page 4).

At this stage, I do not have any addi6onal informa6on on the fabric of the school buildings to that which is included on pages 21 and 22 of my monograph. A]empts to track down the valuer’s descrip6on of the school house (when Por6ons 69 and 70 were resumed by the Commonwealth to form part of the ACT), have not been successful.

Children, Teachers, Parents and Friends at Play

Because of its proximity to the school, Glenburn homestead was a focal point for social events in the last few years of the school’s life (see column 2, page 20 of my monograph). Earlier, in 1895, a bachelors’ ball was held at Colliers homestead (see Column 1, page 32 of my monograph).

I have found li]le other informa6on about community and school leisure ac6vi6es.

But, on page 16 and 17 of this ar6cle, there is the transcript of a delighgul report of the Black Creek and Kowen Schools picnic held on Saturday 31 March 1906. It had a fun packed program of ac6vi6es for young and old and there were visitors from many centres in the district. It was a truly community day.

Other early ‘ACT’ Schools

Kowen School is one of the schools covered in a Centenary project of the 'Friends of Hall School Museum'. This project examines the sixteen li]le bush schools that were captured by proclama6on of the Capital Territory and opera6ng in 1913 when Canberra was named. Although Kowen School was on 'life support' at this stage, as a Subsidised school, it was s6ll opera6ng, and was s6ll an important element of the local community. The Hall School Museum has a large folder of material on the establishment, administra6on and closure of the Kowen school as well as several maps rela6ng to the school. (Other bush schools in the Kowen district included Thornhurst, Argyle and Brooks Camp railway schools, and Murryong.)

In the decades around the turn of the century other bush schools served the sca]ered farming communi6es in the Naas Valley (Naas, Upper Naas), Paddy's River (Church Rock Valley, Gibraltar), The Majura Valley (Majura, Malcolm Vale) and the Ginninderra plains (Mulligan's Flat).

Thirty such early bush schools of the Territory, and around 250 of their pioneer teachers, are now entered in a database on the Hall School Museum website: [h]p://museum.hall.act.au/schools.html].

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The Friends of Hall School Museum hope that interested viewers of the website will be able to contribute further informa6on about these schools.

It would be wonderful, for example, if someone could come forward with a photo of the Kowen School and/or its students or of the Black Spring and Kowen Schools picnic.

THE FABRIC OF CURLEYS HUT, WHEN WAS IT BUILT, WHO LIVED THERE AND WHEN

The Friends of Glenburn cleared the site of Curleys hut of blackberries in 2013 aler they had been poisoned by the Parks Service. A large jumble of rocks and a couple of stone steps were uncovered.

Li]le was known about the fabric of Curleys Hut or who, if anyone, lived in it on Por6on 44, Parish of Amungula, immediately to the west of Por6on 20. A copy of a tracing of a survey map of February 1881 and August 1884 of Por6ons 44, 45 and 75 to 80 is on page 18 of this ar6cle.

It was believed that it was probably built by William Collier as an outlying structure to Colliers Homestead some6me between 1881 and 1884 (see column 1, page 33 of my monograph).

In September 2013, new informa6on about the fabric of Curleys Hut and who lived there was uncovered at State Records NSW (Container 10/19597, Item 04 – 25105, Condi6onal Purchase Correspondence). Some addi6onal informa6on on the fabric of Curleys Hut was also uncovered at the Na6onal Archives of Australia ( NAA: Series A358, Control 205 and 364, Joseph KEEFE, 571 acres, Parish of Amungula, County of Murray).

The fabric of Curleys Hut

It turns out that ‘Curleys Hut’ was a substan6al 28lx28l (8.53mx8.53m) 5 room slab co]age with weatherboard gables, an iron roof, a wooden floor and a brick chimney. The co]age had an unfloored verandah 28lx5l (8.53mx1.52m) with an iron roof. A separate slab kitchen was half floored and had a bark roof. There was also an open sided shed that was partly roofed with iron.

This was a substan6al group of buildings.

It is difficult to imagine the co]age from the jumble of rocks that remain today.

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Curleys Hut ruins in July 2013 aSer being liberated from blackberries. Note the 2 stone steps at the front of the ruins. Photo, Col McAlister.

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There is a small orchard of plums with many suckers to the south of the ruins. No men6on of an orchard was made in the Inspector of Condi6onal Purchases’ reports of April 1886 or May 1887. But both men6oned a garden and a paling fence valued at £10.

When was Curleys Hut Built?

Unfortunately, the informa6on at State Records did not say when the co]age was built on Por6on 44 of Condi6onal Purchase 82 -‐ 172 of June 1882 (encompassing Por6ons 44, 45 and 75 totalling 162 acres). The loca6on of these Por6ons can be seen on the tracing of the survey map reproduced on page 18 of this ar6cle.

The usual condi6ons a]aching to condi6onal purchases were that the purchase price was £1 per acre payable by a deposit of 25% and the balance with interest at 5%. The deposit on the 3 Por6ons would therefore have been £40 10/-‐. Improvements of £1 pound per acre had to be made and the purchaser had to reside on the land and occupy the land for 3 years.

I think that we can reasonably believe that Collier built the co]age in 1882/83 to meet the Condi6onal Purchase condi6on in rela6on to residence.

Who lived in Curleys Hut and When?

Unfortunately, the only reports from the Inspector of Condi6onal Purchases that I found were dated April 1886 and May 1887. Both contained brief descrip6ons of the co]age and kitchen. Both reports also valued the co]age at £120 and the kitchen at £12, a total of £132.

In addi6on, the Inspector wrote in April 1886 that William Collier was:

‘Living upon the land with his wife and family – Good house and curtains everything to make it habitable.

I believe it is Selectors bona fide home.’

And the Inspector wrote in May 1887 that William Collier was a:

‘Married man, wife and family residing with him upon the SelecCon, he has no other home.’

I think that we can reasonably believe that William Collier and his family lived in Curleys Hut from the 6me it was built un6l at least 15 July 1887 when he sold Por6on 44 and 7 adjoining Por6ons (45 and 75 to 80) totalling 532 acres for £343 to Charles Campbell, Robert Campbell Close and James Scroggie. This is supported by William Collier’s final declara6on in rela6on to CP 82 172 on 15 July 1887 that the land ‘has been the bona fide residence, con6nuously, of myself from the period of selec6on and first occupa6on to the present date.’

But the family could have lived there beyond that 6me.

Overall, I think the best we can say is that William Collier and his family resided in the co]age from 1882/83 to at least July 1887.

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When did the Colliers Leave the area and Why?

We do not know when the Colliers moved from the area.

But we can reasonably believe that they were not living in the area in May 1890 because, at that 6me, William Collier did not guarantee to send any of his children to a]end Kowen School when an a]empt was being made to revive it (State Records NSW 5/16510.4).

In the 1891 census, William Collier was recorded as head of a household of 14, 4 males and 10 females at McQuoid Street Queanbeyan. The family subsequently moved to Goulburn before 1894 (see Column 1, page 31 of my monograph) and the 1895-‐1896 NSW electoral roll shows William Alexander Collier, ‘boundary rider’, residing in Gullen in the Goulburn Division of the District of Argyle.

We do not know why William Collier and his family moved to Queanbeyan and then to Goulburn.

There could be lots of reasons for the moves such as be]er employment opportuni6es for him and his older children (in 1887 his 5 eldest children were 21, 17, 15, 13 and 13) and be]er educa6onal opportuni6es for his younger children.

In the context of be]er employment opportuni6es for himself, it is noted that prior to Collier selling his 8 Por6ons, the Trustees of the Estate of George Campbell put to Auc6on Por6on 1 in October 1886 (Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 9 October 1886). This could have prompted Collier to start looking for employment away from the Glenburn/Burbong area.

We will probably never know the reason(s) why Collier moved to Queanbeyan and then to Goulburn.

Did Anyone Else Live in Curleys Hut?

We do not know.

In the 1891 census only 2 families were living in the Queanbeyan sub-‐district of Kohen -‐ William Cooper and John Edmonds in separate households at Glenbourn. William Cooper and his family were living between Glen Burn Creek and Colliers Homestead and John Edmonds and his family were living at Colliers Homestead.

It is possible that James Curley (one of Bridget Collier’s brothers) may have lived at Curleys Hut or at Colliers Homestead at some later stage. See the discussion in Endnote 21, column 2, page 41 of my monograph.

But, by 1913, prior to the land being resumed by the Commonwealth, the condi6on of the co]age was described by valuer Moriarty as ‘Bad -‐ unoccupied and neglected’. The wall plates had shrunk, some slabs had fallen out and the windows were broken. And it and the verandah, were valued at only £20 (compared to £132 in 1886 and 1887).

Was Collier AcXng on his Own Behalf with his CondiXonal Purchases?

It is interes6ng to note that William Collier was described as a ‘labourer’ and as a ‘boundary rider’, respec6vely, in the Inspector of Condi6onal Purchases’ reports of March 1886 and May 1887 on Por6ons 44,45 and 75.

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The fact that he was not described as a ‘grazier’ or ‘farmer’ raises an important ques6on for me. Was he ac6ng on his own behalf when he condi6onally purchased 8 Por6ons (44, 45 and 75 to 80) in 1882/3? These purchases of 532 acres required a total deposit of £133 which was a substan6al amount for a ‘labourer’ or ‘boundary rider’ to accumulate let alone fund the improvements required. Or was Collier really ac6ng on behalf of some members of the Campbell family?

George Campbell, for whom Collier had worked, owned the nearby Por6on 1 of 1270 acres from 1871 to 1887. Also, his failed applica6on for an improved purchase in 1880 (on part of which Colliers Homestead was built) bordering the western boundary of Por6on 1 was for 250 acres. It would have included a significant propor6on of Colliers subsequent holdings (Por6ons 76, 77 and 78 and possibly 44).

Furthermore, Collier sold his 8 Por6ons of 532 acres to 3 people related to the Campbell family (Charles Campbell, Robert Campbell Close and James Scroggie) in 1887.

We will probably never know. But the Campbell family members were powerful landowners and it looks suspicious to me.

THE RUINS OF COLLIERS HOMESTEAD, WHEN WAS IT BUILT, WHO LIVED THERE AND WHEN

In December 2008 Eric Mar6n and Associates produced their final report William Collier’s Stone CoYage (Kowen) ConservaXon Management Plan. A copy of the report is on the Na6onal Parks Associa6on of the ACT website www.npaact.org.au under Our Friends, The Friends of Glenburn.

A detailed descrip6on of the co]age and its condi6on, with many photos, is set out on pages 28 to 35 of the report.

It has been nominated to the ACT Heritage Register.

The ruins of Colliers Homestead and orchard were cleared of blackberries in 2012 and 2013 by The Friends of Glenburn aler earlier poisoning by the Parks Service. In November 2013, the Parks Service and The friends of Glenburn commenced to cap the walls of the ruins with mortar to slow down their deteriora6on. Many fallen rocks from the ruins were also collected and stacked to make mowing safe.

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Colliers Homestead ruins and part of the orchard cleared of blackberries, July 2013. Some blackberry regrowth in front of the orchard has been re-‐cleared since. Photo, John Evans.

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When was Colliers Homestead built?

In my monograph I said that I thought it quite reasonable to believe that George Campbell built the house in the first half of 1880 (Column 2, page 25). It was certainly in existence when George Campbell lodged an Improved Purchase applica6on on 31 July 1880 because it is described and valued in the applica6on.

I have now had a closer look at George Campbell’s applica6on.

It was for 250 acres (Por6on 20 is only a bit over 38 acres) adjoining the western boundary of Por6on 1 purchased by George Campbell in 1871 (or the eastern boundaries of Por6ons 20, 76, 77, 78 and 69 on the map on page 18). Campbell described this area as being on his 1849 pre-‐emp6ve lease of 812 acres in the Parish of Amungula, County of Murray.

From this it seems that George Campbell had been leasing and using the land covered by his Improved Purchase applica6on for many years and s6ll very much regarded it as his. It is quite possible that the substan6al stone co]age could have been in existence earlier than 1880.

In this context I note that the Campbells built co]ages of various materials -‐ stone, brick, slab and a combina6on of these -‐ for their workers. When George Campbell took over the Duntroon Estate in 1860 more co]ages were constructed, probably un6l around the mid 1870s.

Unfortunately, informa6on on the various co]ages that were built is incomplete (Blundell’s Co]age Heritage Management Plan – Dral Report, May 2013, pp20-‐25, Godden Mackay and Logan).

But it is possible that Colliers Homestead could have been one such co]age. The stonework is of a high quality and is similar to that of Blundells co]age which is believed to have been built by stonemason George Ro]enberry around 1860 and subsequently extended. The stone in Colliers also does not seem to be local. The stone for Blundells co]age came mainly from Black mountain.

Against this background, I revisited Moriarty’s 1913 valua6on of the co]age in the lead up to the property being resumed by the Commonwealth. Moriarty valued the co]age at £200 (compared to £350 in George Campbell’s Improved Purchase applica6on in 1880) and said that the co]age was ‘Very dilapidated probably 50 years old’ which would have put its construc6on as early as the 1860s.

I now believe that I had not previously taken enough no6ce of Moriarty’s view that the house was ‘probably 50 years old’.

More research is needed in rela6on to Campbell’s pre-‐emp6ve lease of 1849 to see whether there was a stone co]age on it, when, where the stone came from, who actually did the stonework and who, if anyone, lived in it before the Colliers. In rela6on to the last point, it would not make much sense for the Campbells to build a substan6al stone co]age unless the Colliers lived there earlier than currently thought (see below) or another family did.

(At this stage, I do not intend to embark on such research. But, it could be an interes6ng research topic for an archaeology honours student at the Australian Na6onal University or the University of Canberra. )

All in all, I now think that the best that can be said about when the stone co]age was built is some6me before mid 1880, possibly as early as the 1860s.

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When was the orchard planted?

The uncertainty about when the stone co]age was built has implica6ons for the age of the orchard.

Although I did not discuss this in my monograph, I have always assumed that it had been planted by William Collier in the early 1880s.

It could have been planted earlier. Further research on when the co]age was built might throw some light on this.

Who lived in Colliers Homestead?

The uncertainty about when Colliers Homestead was built raises some issues about who lived there.

But I have not seen anyone men6oned before William Collier.

For many years it was believed that William Collier and his family were probably the first to live in Colliers Homestead and that they did so from around 1881 un6l around 1889 – see column 1, page 31 of my monograph.

We now know that William Collier and his family were living in the Burbong area before he condi6onally purchased Por6ons 44, 45 and 75 (CP 82 – 172) immediately to the east of Por6on 20 in July 1882 (see the map on page 18).

In March 1880 he was working for George Campbell (Duntroon Estate) as a shepherd (The Queanbeyan Age, Wednesday 24 March and Wednesday 31 March, 1880) and he could have been living in Colliers Homestead. He was almost certainly living at Colliers Homestead in May 1881. This is because, at that 6me, Frederick Campbell JP (manager of George Campbell’s Duntroon Estate) lodged the applica6on for the establishment of a school at Kowen and William Collier undertook to send 6 girls. The applica6on said that William Collier was living about 1¼ miles (just over 2 kilometres) from the site of the proposed school. This could only have been Colliers Homestead on Por6on 20.

On the NSW electoral Roll for 1881-‐82 Collier was listed as living at Glenburnie. I believe Glenburnie was the same locality as Glenbourn in the 1891 census (see endnote 4 on pages 36 and 37 of my monograph), so it is reasonable to think that he was living at Colliers Homestead.

I believe it would be safe to conclude that William Collier and his family could have commenced living in Colliers Homestead in 1880 but no later than early 1881.

For How Long Did the Colliers Live at Colliers Homestead?

We do not know.

The informa6on above on Curleys Hut concludes that William Collier and his family lived in Curleys Hut from 1882/83 to some6me aler July 1887.

This suggests that the Colliers would have lived in Colliers Homestead only from 1880/early 1881 to 1882/83 – around 2-‐3 years.

But there is another possibility.

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Notwithstanding that the Inspector of Condi6onal Purchases’ reports said in April 1886 ‘I believe it [Curlets Hut] is Selectors bona fide home’ and in April 1887 ‘he [Collier] has no other home’, it is possible that the family also con6nued to make use of Colliers Homestead, par6cularly if Collier con6nued to work for George Campbell aler Collier purchased Por6ons 44, 45 and 75 nearby for himself in 1882.

Between 1880 and 1887 when Collier sold his holdings, the Colliers had another 3 children bringing the total to 10 (they had another child in 1888). The two houses were less than 100 metres apart and the family of up to 12 occupying both houses simultaneously would have given the members room to move and to sleep more comfortably.

I think this is a dis6nct possibility. I have not seen any reference to Colliers Homestead being occupied by anyone else at the 6me.

If this were so, the Colliers may also have con6nued to live in Colliers Homestead aler William Collier sold his holdings of 8 Por6ons in July 1887, possibly even un6l early 1889 un6l the Edmonds moved into the Homestead no later than mid 1889 – see page 10 below.

The Edmonds Family at Colliers Homestead

In my monograph I concluded that John Edmonds and his family lived in Colliers Homestead from the late 1880s. But I did not know whether John Edmonds and his wife Jemima con6nued to live there aler their son John Edmonds married Agnes May Worthington in August 1897 and commenced their married life in the slab component of Glenburn Homestead. I also did not know whether John and Jemima Edmonds moved to live with their son John James at Glenburn Homestead before both families moved to Glencoe in northern NSW around 1905.

We now have some addi6onal informa6on on these ma]ers.

In June 1889 it was reported that John Edmonds of Gidleigh purchased the ‘Glenburn estate’ (Por6on 1, Parish of Amungula) from Messrs. McAlister and Johnson at auc6on at Queanbeyan (Goulburn Evening Penny Post Saturday 8 June 1889). (This is all a bit confusing since neither McAlister nor John Edmonds appears on the Cer6ficate of Title for Por6on 1 at that 6me. According to the Cer6ficate of Title, the property was transferred from Robert Campbell Close and James Scroggie to John James Edmonds, grazier of Glenburn on 18 June 1891 and mortgaged to Alexander Johnston of Sydney on the same day.)

It is possible that the report in the Goulburn Evening Penny Post that John Edmonds was from Gidleigh is not correct. He certainly lived there earlier but I believe that it is more likely that he was living at Glenburn with his wife Jemima and son John James Edmonds. As men6oned above, the reported details of the sale of ‘Glenburn estate’ are confusing. From the 1898 bankruptcy records of John Edmonds (NSW State records; 10/23209 1279 John Edmonds), it seems that John Edmonds’ bid for the property on behalf of his son and the conveyance documents at the 6me recorded John James Edmonds as the owner.

We also know that John Edmonds purchased 4 allotments in the village of Burbong in August and October 1889 and gave his address on the grants as ‘Glenburn’ (NSW Register Book, Volume 971, Folios 132-‐135). In addi6on, John Edmonds headed a household of 4, 3 males and 1 female at

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‘Glenbourne’ in the 1891 census. (Endnote 4. in my 2007 monograph explains why I believe “Glenbourn’ was Colliers Homestead.)

From the above, I think we can now reasonably conclude that the Edmonds family probably commenced living at Colliers Homestead no later than the middle of 1889.

We s6ll do not know when the members of the Edmonds family lel Colliers Homestead.

I think it can be assumed that John Edmonds, his wife Jemima and son John James were living there at the 6me of the Bachelors’ Ball -‐ January 1895 -‐ and that John James Edmonds moved out when he married Agnes May Worthington in August 1897. (Descendants of John James and Agnes May Edmonds have said that the couple commenced their married life in the slab component of Glenburn Homestead – see column 1, page 19 of my 2007 monograph.)

At some stage, John and Jemima Edmonds moved in with their son at Glenburn Homestead but the 6ming is not known.

In John James Edmonds’ wri]en evidence of October 1898 at his father’s bankruptcy hearings he said that his father was living with him and that his father and mother were prac6cally guests in his house (NSW State records; 10/23209 1279 John Edmonds). But we do not know when John James’s parents first moved in.

In October 2013 some descendants of John James and Agnes May Edmonds visited Colliers Homestead Ruins (as well as Glenburn Homestead).

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Diane Thorne, a granddaughter of John James and Agnes Edmonds with her 2 sons Andrew (on the leS) and James. Photo, Col McAlister.

Did anyone live in Colliers Homestead between the Colliers and the Edmonds or aSer the Edmonds leS?

As men6oned above under Curleys Hut (page 5), it is possible that James Curley (one of Bridget Collier’s brothers and an employee of the Campbells) may have lived at Curleys Hut or at Colliers Homestead. (See the discussion in Endnote 21, column 2, page 41 of my monograph.) But, if James Curley and his family lived in Colliers Homestead aler the Edmonds lel, they were certainly gone well before the property was resumed by the Commonwealth in 1914. In 1913 valuer Moriarty

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described Colliers Homestead as very dilapidated and in 1914 valuer King described it as a storehouse.

It is also possible that William James Edmonds (a cousin of John James Edmonds) may have lived in Collier Homestead aler the Edmonds lel – see endnote 12 Column 1 and 2 on page 39 of my monograph.

The Remains of a Verandah Post and the Possible LocaXon of the Long Lost Kitchen

A couple of years ago I came across the small, much deteriorated remains of one of the verandah posts on the western side of Colliers Homestead underneath some grass and periwinkle. The area around it was cleared and the post painted and sprayed with linseed oil to preserve the li]le that is lel.

A few years ago, some Na6onal Parks Associa6on walkers came across a couple of small, roughly paved areas of brick fragments under the grass several metres to the north of the Homestead ruins. It is possible that these could have been associated with the separate iron kitchen that is no more. (Valuer Moriarty’s 1913 descrip6on of the kitchen is set out in Column 1 page28 of my monograph.)

WHY ARE COLLIERS HOMESTEAD AND CURLEYS HUT SO NAMED?

Colliers Homestead was probably called as such because William Collier and his family were the first iden6fied family to live in the stone co]age aler it was built for George Campbell.

Possibly Curleys Hut was so named to dis6nguish it from Colliers Homestead when the Colliers lived in Curleys Hut. The maiden name of William Collier’s wife, Bridget, was Curley.

GLENBURN HOMESTEAD

In recent years substan6al protec6on and conserva6on work has been carried out on Glenburn Homestead, including stabilisa6on of both homes, a]aching gu]ering, downpipes and a tank to the pise home, repairing the south west corner of the pise home and erec6ng a new rabbit proof post and rail fence.

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Glenburn Homestead, October 2012, showing the aYached guYering, downpipes and tank on the pise home and the new rabbit proof post and rail fence. Photo, Max Lawrence.

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The Edmonds move to Glencoe in northern NSW

In my 2007 monograph (column1, page 19) I said that the Edmonds family moved from Glenburn Homestead to Glencoe near Glen Innes around 1905.

We now know that they moved in 1906 from the following extract from the Bungendore correspondent’s report in the Goulburn Evening Penny Post, Thursday, May 24, 1906, page 4:

‘There was an exceedingly pleasant gathering at Glenburn on Friday evening last, May 18th, for the purpose of bidding good-‐bye to Mr. And Mrs. J. J. Edmonds, who are about leaving the district to take up their residence at Glencoe, in the northern part of the State. A very large number of friends were present from Queanbeyan, Majura, SuOon, Canberra, and Bungendore. Dancing, interspersed with songs and recitaCons, was indulged in Cll midnight, when a splendid supper was served, at which Mr. John Feagan presided. On behalf of friends and wellwishers the chairman in a eulogisCc speech presented Mr. Edmonds with a first-‐class travelling bag and Mrs. Edmonds with a valuable travelling rug, as a small token of the esteem in which they were held. Other speeches followed, endorsing the remarks of Mr. Feagan, wishing the recipients good luck and prosperity in their new home. Mr. Edmonds feelingly responded, thanking the donors on behalf of himself and wife. Dancing and other amusements were then resumed unCl long aTer the hours when “spooks” are supposed to roam, and then the happy throng dispersed for “Home, sweet home”.’

The transcript of another report, “Send-‐off and Presenta6on at Burbong’, from The Queanbeyan Leader, is on page 19 of this ar6cle. Among other things, it men6ons that the func6on was organised by a commi]ee and that 30 couples were present including visitors from all parts of the district. I think the inference can also be drawn that the Edmonds furniture included a piano. This is the only reference I have seen to the furniture of Glenburn Homestead.

These two reports clearly demonstrate that the Edmonds family was held in very high regard in the district.

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Ministers Visit

In October 2013, the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Shane Ra]enbury MLA, visited Glenburn Homestead (and also the Colverwell graves and Colliers Homestead ruins). So too did some descendants of John James and Agnes May Edmonds.

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Minister Shane RaYenbury MLA with 3 descendants of John James and Agnes May Edmonds who built Glenburn Homestead. They are inside the slab home. Diane Thorne is a granddaughter and James (on the leS) and Andrew are her 2 sons. Photo, Col McAlister.

THE RUINS OF JOHN COPPINS HOMESTEAD

The ruins of John Coppins Homestead were cleared of blackberries during 2012 and 2013 to reveal a very large separate stone fireplace and the site of a well in addi6on to the stone chimney that has been visible for many years.

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Coppins Homestead site cleared of blackberries, April 2013. One of the piles of cut canes can be seen behind the people. Photo, Max Lawrence.

John Coppins and his family

In February 2013, nomina6ons to the ACT Heritage Register for the John Coppins Homestead site in

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the former Parish of Yarrolumla (now within Stage 2 Molonglo) and the John Coppins Homestead site In Burbong were submi]ed to the ACT Heritage Council by Rhonda Boxall and me.

The following is drawn from the Burbong nomina6on.

John and Catherine Coppin were early pioneers who lived in the Queanbeyan/Canberra district mainly at Ginninderra, Yarrolumla and Burbong from 1859 un6l Catherine died in 1901 and John at Naas in 1903.

John Coppin condi6onally purchased and leased 3 Por6ons of land totalling 1 280 acres in Burbong in 1891 and in the same year the Inspector of Condi6onal Purchase reported that the land had been improved by a four-‐roomed house, a kitchen, stable, dairy, garden and extensive fencing.

The land was sold to Jeremiah Keefe in 1902 aler the death of Catherine in 1901. John moved to Naas in the same year to live with his second eldest daughter, Ellen Kelleher. He died there in 1903.

The fabric of the homestead went to rack and ruin and by the 6me that the Commonwealth resumed the property in 1913, li]le was lel.

A family history of John and Catherine Coppin can be found in Coppins Crossing and Beyond, the Life and Times of John and Catherine Coppin by Rhonda Boxall (February 2013). Copies can be examined at the ACT Heritage Library, the Canberra and District Historical Society, the ACT Heraldry and Genealogy Society and the Queanbeyan City Library.

16 descendants of John and Catherine Coppin visited the site in October 2013.

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Four generaXons of John and Catherine Coppin descendants at the Homestead chimney ruin (from a great grandson aged 87 to a great, great, great, great grandson aged 4). Photo, Col McAlister.

! MINOR CORRECTIONS

‘Rhueben’ should be ‘Rhuben’ in Column 1, page 4.

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‘Dianne’ should be ‘Diane’ – column 1, page 19.

‘Jemina’ should be ‘Jemima’ – column 2, page 16; -‐ column 1 and in the photo cap6on, Page 19; and – column 1 and 2, page 31.

‘Isobella’ should be ‘Isabella’ – column 2, page 21.

McQuoid ‘Hotel’ should be ‘Street”, column 1, page 31.

!THANKS

A large number of people have given me informa6on to help me prepare this ar6cle including Jim Dick, Jan Blank, Diane Thorne, James Thorne, Rhonda Boxall, Alastair Crombie, Suzie Breitkopf, David Large, John Evans and Max Lawrence. I am especially grateful to Jim Dick for all the ‘ferre6ng’ that he did into William Collier’s occupa6ons and movements. Thank you all.

Thanks also to Ron Jarman and the staff of The Office of the Surveyor-‐General of the ACT for their efforts on the loca6on of the Kowen School site. Some re6red officers also helped.

Finally, thanks to my wife, Ginny, for her help and support during this ar6cle’s long and frustra6ng prepara6on.

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!!Transcript from The Queanbeyan Leader, Friday 6 April 1906, page 2.

‘Black Creek and Kowen Schools Picnic.

(By a Special Reporter)

A combined picnic, organised by the parents and teachers connected with the above schools, was held on Saturday last near the Molonglo River. at the 7 mile Captain’s Flat Road. Being favoured with a beau6ful day, the a]endance of adults and children was very large, visitors coming from Queanbeyan, Bungendore, Burbong, Kowen, Woodfield, Su]on, and other places. The catering for Kowen school was done by Mrs. Coleby, whilst the Black Creek “good things” were supplied by the parents and lady helpers. The children were regaled with a boun6ful lunch, and an alernoon tea, while “sandwiched” (rather appropriate, Mr. Editor) between was a programme of “plain and fancy” sports for old and young. The energe6c officials who conducted the games deserve great praise for their labors and a]en6on to duty. They were as follows: Starter, Mr. J. J. Edmonds; judges, Messrs. Joe Unwin and A. Taylor; handicappers, Messrs C. Lane, R. McInnes, and E. Graham. Results:

Boys, 8 years and under (No. 1), L. Seery 1, S. Edmonds 2; (No. 2) W. Lee 1, W. Unwin 2.

Boys, 10 years and under (No. 1), F. Taylor 1, W. Unwin 2; (No. 2), A. Gibbs 1, W. Lee 2.

Boys, 15 years and under (No. 1), S. Lee 1, W. Lee 2; (No. 2), S. Seerey 1, W. Curley 2.

Boys, 17 years and under ( all comers), J Sheehan 1, C. Gibbs 2.

Kicking football (drop kick), S. Seery 1, C. Gibbs 2; (place kick) C. Gibbs 1, S. Seery 2.

Three legged race, Seery and Curly 1, Swan and McInnes 2.

Boys’ high jump (15 years and under), W.Curly 1, S. Lee 2; (10 years and under), W. Lee 1, W. Unwin 2.

Girls’ races, 8 years and under (No. 1), V.Taylor 1, M. Curly 2; (No.2), Jean Taylor 1, M. Curly 2.

Girls 10 years and under (No.1), E. Curly 1, E. Cullen 2.

Girls, 15 years and under (No. 1), K. Seery 1, E. Cullen 2; [No.2], E. Curly 1, M. Cullen 2.

Girls’ skipping contest – 8 years and under, Mary Curly; 10 years and under, E. Curly 1, Mary Curly 2; 15 years and under, E.Curly, K Seery 2.

Ladies’ skipping contest, Miss A. McInnes 1, Miss R. Gibbs 2.

Young ladies’ race [No. 1], Miss Gibbs 1, Miss Kennedy 2, Miss B. Coghlin 3; [ No.2], Miss Barne] [necklet] 1, Miss R. Lees [muff chain and pendant] 2, Miss A. Earnshaw [ chain purse] 3.

Married ladies’ race, Mrs. A. Swan [teapot] 1, Mrs. A. Hyles [ claret jug] 2, Mrs. N. Smith [bu]er dish] 3.

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Kicking football [adults], R. McInnes [spurs] 1.

All-‐ commers Race, 100 yds, Prize, Bridle – J. Lee 1, R.McInnes 2.

Married men’s race, prize, pipe, Mr. M. Seery 1, Mr. Aaron Taylor 2.

Guessing number of grains in cob of corn [correct number 1049], Mr. W. Curly [1000] 1; Mr. Syd Kelly [1099] 2.

During the day a display of ambulance and first aid was given by the children of Black Creek School under the supervision of Mr. C. McAlister. Great interest was taken in the demonstra6on, and the li]le pa6ents looked real “break-‐ups” and “wrecks” swathed in bandages, etc. The stretchers, splints and bandages, were improvised and prepared by the children.

The sec6ons treated were:

No. 1, girls’ squad – fractured forearm and fractured jaw.

No. 2, girls’ squad – Arres6ng bleeding [arterial] on hand, foot and face.

No 3, boys’ squad – Fractured thigh.

No. 4 – Stretcher drill, showing methods of liling, carrying, and se{ng-‐down injured persons.’

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Note: Black Creek School was located on Por6on 23A, Parish of Carwoola. As the crow flies, Black Creek School was some 7km south-‐east of the Kowen School on the southern side of the Molonglo River.

!!!!!!!!!!Tracing of a Survey Map of PorXons, 44, 45 and 75 to 80, Parish of Amungula, February 1881 and August 18

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Source: State Records NSW (Container 10/19597, Item 04 – 25105, Condi6onal Purchase Correspondence).

Transcript from The Queanbeyan Leader, Friday 25 May, 1906.

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!‘Send-‐off and PresentaXon at Burbong

(By a Special Reporter.)

On Friday evening last, the friends of Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Edmonds assembled at their residence, Glenburn, Burbong, to tender them a farewell dance on their departure for Glencoe, New England. There were 30 couples present, including visitors from all parts of the district.

The gathering was a very pleasant and enjoyable one, its success being due to a local commi]ee headed by Mr. Robet McInnes (Kowen).

Music was supplied by Mr. C. A. McAlister (piano), who was assisted by Miss E. Bingley; and by Messrs. Gallagher, McIntosh, Feagan, and Cullen (violin).

Mr. C. Lane made an efficient M.C., and under his direc6on dancing was indulged in 6ll the small hours.

At supper the chair was taken by Mr. J. Feagan, who had on his right the guests of the evening.

Aler real Australian jus6ce and fair play had been dealt out to the good things provided by the Burbong matrons and their fair assistants, the chairman made a speech eulogis6c of the many good quali6es of Mr. and Mrs. Edmonds, and on behalf of the assembled company wished them Godspeed to their new home, and asked their acceptance of the accompanying gils as small tokens of the friendship and esteem in which they were held by the residents of the district.

Mr. Feagan then presented Mr. Edmonds with a handsome travelling bag, and was followed by Mr. McAlister, who handed Mrs. Edmonds a quilted travelling rug.

In returning thanks for Mrs. Edmonds and himself, Mr. Edmonds expressed his great pleasure at mee6ng so many old friends and neighbours, although he felt a certain sadness at leaving them behind; but should fate ever direct their steps to the north, they would find a hearty welcome at his new home. Mrs. Edmonds and he would cherish their valuable gils as reminders of their friends in the Queanbeyan District.’

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the$glenburn$and$burbong$historic$precinct$in$the$kowen$forest,$act:$more$recent ... · 2013. 11....

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