Looking Back Contents

"AT the time (1927) I didn't have a license and one day I was at the (Bulli Railway) Station and a policeman named Terry Lyons said if you come here with the bus tomorrow without a license I will boot you up the backside."

"EVERY passenger on the coach gazed as if spell bound upon the enchanting scene presented by Stanwell Park, Coal-Cliff, the Five Islands, and other interesting headlands jutting out along the coast line as far as the eye could scan southward. So magnificent an expanse of bejewelled sea and land, as it were, illuminated by the beaming rays of the bright morning sun, was such a sight as does fall to the lot of every person to see even once in a lifetime, and having been seen can never be forgotten."

"THERE were railway lines through our beautiful orchards; engines and trucks clattered all day; about 80 canvas tents were erected near our back fence. There was constant noise of blasting as the men blew out sandstone in Dad's quarry to make the reservoir. To a child's mind the workers seemed orderly and quiet people, but all our free happy times were ended."

"GERRY was there, day after day, the same clothes on. They used to give him food. They left his meals in the laundry out the back and he always put the left overs into his suit pocket for eating later. I remember on one occasion he stuck curry chops that he couldn't finish into his pockets.

"TO the Directors of the Bulli Colliery Company - I have waited some time to see if you thought it necessary to recognise my services which I rendered in connection with the unfortunate men in the late explosion on March 23 1887. I think the least you could have done was to recognise my services. I have been connected with colliery accidents and deaths in England, and I may say that I always had my services acknowledged in a satisfactory manner... I wish for you to know how long I was among the dead. I was there from Wednesday afternoon till Friday night, also from Saturday morning until night. - Yours respectfully, Mrs MA Jones"

MISSING trays of glassware and boxes of spirits, mysteriously turning-up later, cutlery re-arranged in the dining room, locked doors found wide open, eerie taps on the shoulder, and weird sounds through the middle of the night are nothing odd at the Bulli Heritage Hotel.

RUBE Hargrave loved the simple things in life such as cooking, and once said that as long as she had her sewing machine she was contented. This remarkable woman, who died in 1996 at the grand old age of 96, was more than your average suburban housewife.

WHEN Bob and Lurline managed the Ryans the pub was the largest selling country hotel in NSW. Bob's growing reputation as an excellent hotel manager seen the pair take the reins of Austinmer's popular Headlands tourist hotel in the late 1950s.

ARMED with kerosene tins, protective clothing and old sugar bags, hundreds would head for the Illawarra escarpment during the months of January and February early last century for the annual blackberry harvest.

AFTER Phylis Deggan retired as manager of the Bulli Family Hotel she opend a fashion store in Bulli. Learn all about this hard working business women in the second installment of Against all Odds.

THE story of Sarah Lindsay who's family operated pubs in the Illawarra for a century from the 1850s to 1950s. Sarah hosted hotels from the coaching days through to the grand hotels of the railway era.

OPENED by Jens Peter Orvad in 1877 the former Denmark Hotel is a pathetic site after the owners let the historic building fall into disprepair.

ALTHOUGH Helensburgh Workmen's Club began trading on shaky grounds it has survived to become the Illawarra's oldest operating registered club. Born from a dispute with the town's two publicans, the Helensburgh and Lilyvale Workmen's Club was established by a group of coal miners in 1896. Complying with a request from the village's two hotel-keepers, the scheduled opening was under threat when two of the State's largest brewers, Tooth and Company and Toohey's Limited refused to supply the club with beer.

IN his twilight years a stalwart of local business sat in his invalid chair on a verandah, set back from the main road, watching the world go by cheerfully waving to friends as they passed. His name was Thomas Ball an Englishman who made quite a name for himself making cordials and running the Woonona pub.

WORD the recently crowned Queen Elizabeth II was visiting Bulli quickly spread around the coalmining communities of northern Illawarra in 1954. The coronation of a young and beautiful queen just the year before captured the imagination of the Australian public and thousands would gather for a glimpse of the new reigning monarch during her visit.

JUST one miner survived the tragic methane gas explosion in the Bulli Colliery on March 23 1887 – he was Herbert Cope. Eighty one men and boys were killed the catastrophe which was the largest loss of life from an accident in Australia’s history at the time. Read about “the boy Cope” and his miraculous survival.

BUS transport to and from Wollongong has been accessible to northern suburbs residents since early last century. Jumping on a bus for a bit of shopping in Wollongong has developed quite a bit from the rough and tumble years of the1920s. One of the first operators was William “Billy” Murphy in 1920. He drove a T-Model Ford with seats around the sides and back, with no windows except the windscreen and a small opening at the back. In wet weather canvas blinds were rolled down placing passengers in total darkness.

The butchering side of Floyd's business empire grew from generation to generation, hitting its peak in the 1930s when two butcher shops, a slaughter house, and an ice works traded in Bulli and Thirroul. Along with the butcher shops, the Floyds also operated pubs in Helensburgh.

JUST what Bulli pioneer real estate agent Henry Cotterell would think today of land prices in the controversial Sandon Point housing estate is hard to determine. Cotterell, known as “Cottie” to friends, was one time editor of the Bulli Times newspaper, but more interestingly he was the agent who sold the original Sandon Point Estate on Boxing Day 1913.

FOR over 50 years the Bulli Show has entertained the people of the northern Illawarra. Looking Back reveals the history of the show and one of its founding fathers, Les Strachan.

Billiards saloons were a favourite haunt of working class men during the first half of last century. Find out about Con Quilkey's popular Bulli saloon and the colourful characters who frequented the establishments.

Read about how a Wollongong cop helped capture one of NSW's most notorious bushrangers in a feirce shoot-out that lead to the capture of Captian Moonlight.

The Balgownie Hotel reached a milestone in trading in December 2004 when it chalked-up 100 years. Click the above heading for a look into the history of the historic watering hole.

Illawarra's best known white tracker, Ben Rixon was an expert bushman and coachman.

THE legendary story of how 22-year-old Samuel Clout drove 'Her Majesty's Royal Mail Coach' across a flooded Bulli roadway has become part of local folklore.

CLIFTON'S former Imperial Hotel sits on the cliff edge a sorry site. Its license has been 'frozen' by owners WIN TV since the late 1990s after a dramatic loss in business resulting from the closure of Lawrence Hargrave Drive while Sea Cliff Bridge was under construction.

ONE time Royal Alfred Hotel hosts and murders, John and Sarah Makin of Wollongong adopted babies from unmarried mothers for either a one up fee or a small weekly payment. There was nothing unusual about this practice during the 1890s when unmarried mothers were ostracized. Click on the pointing finger below for the story of The babies Farmers...

CORRIMAL Bowling Club's first inter-club game against Woonona wasn't played until 1907 because of problems finding suitable turf. An extract from the NSW Bowlers Annual 1906 reported the Corrimal Bowling and Tennis Club was formed in September 1905, "but owing to some preliminary difficulties in regard to the site of the club has not till now been able to make a fair start on the green.

THEY travelled the country preaching the evils of drink; colourful characters with the gift of the gab and usually with a tale of their remarkable transformation from drunkard to teetotaler - they were the temperance lecturers. Of all the temperance lecturers touring the colonies, the Good Templars' Richard Crabb was one of the most notorious. He was described in the New Zealand press in 1895 as the "versatile Sydney Domain stump orator", who was said to have a vicious tongue.Click on the image to the left to read about the temperance lecturers.

Coal dust was said to be in James Cram's blood. The larger than life pioneer was more than qualified to hold the title of Father of Balgownie - a village established on coal. From a humble immigrant coal miner, Cram became one of the Illawarra's most powerful men - a civic leader, businessman, colliery under manager, property developer and landlord.

TWO local publicans decided to throw their hats in the ring to vie for the seat of Illawarra at the New South Wales Colonial Government elections of 1880. Talk of impending restrictive liquor legislation, being pushed by the powerful temperance movement, caused concern amongst NSW publicans and prompted two Illawarra hotel keepers to nominate as candidates.

GEORGE Croft returned to Bulli and began plans to build a grand monument to his new found wealth on property he had purchased at Hungry Hill in 1884. He engaged celebrated architect, William Kenwood, from the firm Kenwood and Kerle, who had worked on developing the seaside resorts of Brighton-le-sands and Lady Robinson Beach earlier that decade.

REALISING he had broken the unwritten law of no politics at the bar, and more importantly knowing he was outnumbered, he attempted to leave. But it was too late. Daley dragged him by the collar back into the bar where Madden was waiting with rolled up sleeves to beat some political sense into the 'ring-in'. The two began laying into Robinson.

HENRY Strange Fry's honorary work contributed largely towards the establishment of the Bulli Hospital, Bulli Court House, Woonona Bulli School of Arts, Bulli Park, and improvements to local roads. He served as a Justice of the Peace and a local magistrate at both Bulli and Wollongong Court Houses, with his final swan-song in 1906 - incorporation of local government for the district he treasured so dearly.

"WE were advised, under no circumstances, to put up for a night at the 22 Mile Camp", a correspondent reported in 1885. "Here the visitor must either 'shout' or fight. So we made up our minds that if fate were so unkind to us as to render it necessary to make a night of it there we would 'shout', and look on at the fighting. But it was early morning when we passed through, and everything was serene."

WELL over six feet tall and solidly built, Andrew Lysaght was an imposing and colorful northern Illawarra pioneer. A magistrate, who resigned after a parliamentary inquiry found he called the Wollongong Police Sergeant an "old woman", he was granted 60 acres where he built the north's first pub - The Fairy Meadow Hotel in 1856.

MANY a happy “session” was had in the timber clubhouse with the majority of members being coal miners who had come from the “Old Dart”. Saturday afternoon was generally a sing-along, with Irishmen, Scotsmen, Welshmen and Englishmen joining the natives in trying to out-do each other.

AS Clifton prospered the ramshackled miners’ homes that greeted the settlement’s first school teacher, Walter McLaren in 1878 gave way to a thriving village by the mid 1880s. There were 150 miners and their families, two pubs and a number of general stores servicing Illawarra’s main commercial centre north of Bulli.

ALTHOUGH it is difficult to imagine today, Thirroul was once a thriving industrial centre with brickworks, railway yards and textile factories employing many hundreds of local men and women. A major employer of women was Hardies Rubber Factory situated on the site of the Thirroul Village Shopping Plaza where sandshoes and waterproof coats were manufactured. Seventy-two-year-old, Elaine Broadhead, who has lived most of her life overlooking the site of the long gone factory, was one of the company’s first employees and spent 16 years as a machinist.

PHYLIS Deegan was manager of the Bulli Family Hotel during World War II. She was her families main bread winner as her husband suffered with TB. Read about her hardships and truimphs in this two part story.

PETER Chaimberlain tells the story about his father George who risked encounters with sharks repairing the Bulli Jetty in 1910. His father and grandfather were contractors repairing jetties and wharves early last century. His grandfather Arthur worked on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Circular Quay wharves. Click on the above link to read all about these remarkable men.

FISHING The Cataract has been illegal for over a century but try telling that to the Upton family. Since the first Upton ventured into the district the family has built a proud heritage and tradition of fishing the rivers and creeks of the Cataract catchment. This is the story of brothers Jack and Cecil Upton who could be found most weekends fishing the Cataract River on their beloved Bulli Mountain. The two were born a year apart and were inseparable, the best of mates, and knew the mountain better than anyone.

PUT simply Ivo Bunker was an engineering genius. From his workshop at the foot of Bulli Pass he made everything imaginable from a kettle for his wife to false teeth and car parts. Born in 1888 Cecil Caleb Bunker became the legendary Bulli service station proprietor whose antics have become entrenched in local folklore.

AUSTINMER All Saints Anglican Church celebrated a century of Christian worship on Sunday March 14. It has been 100 years since a Mr E Sweeney of Corrimal completed a small weatherboard chapel at Austinmer and parishioner Judith Carrick traces the history of the congregation.

OF ALL the colourful publicans throughout Illawarra’s history Irishman William Hanley must shine the brightest. Legend has it that Bill Hanley fabricated a gold rush in Sydney’s Royal National Park in the 1880s to boost business at his struggling inn at Waterfall.

FOR quarter of a century English born John Barnes Nicholson represented the predominately working class people of the northern Illawarra as a politician. Labor’s first Illawarra parliamentarian did not find his way to Macquarie Street easily and controversy surrounded his 1891 entry into politics.

AFTER last drinks were called at Thirroul’s Ryans Hotel, in the days of the “Six O’clock Swill”, swards of men, and a few women, would trudge down the road to Riley’s wine saloon. The wine bar, on the corner of The Esplanade and Lawrence Hargrave Drive, hit its peak in popularity during the 1920s and 30s becoming a social institution at Thirroul until its closure in 1962. A regular of the saloon, Dick Oakley would sit in the bar with his mates at crude timber benches enjoying 'noggins' of wine, entertained by popular hits of the time, such as ‘I Got Rhythm’, on the upright piano.

Ruth and Keith Walker celebrated their family history in June 2004 with a family reunion. Keith comes from a long line of Salvionists who were foundation members of the movement in the Bulli district.

Bulgo, in the Royal National Park, has an important association with Helensburgh and the surrounding district. Born of the Great Depression, the shanty town has an interesting and diverse history.

Violent incidents were common on NSW coalfields, especially against non-unionists. Such incidents often started with women shouting threats and beating tins (tin kettling) or throwing stones, with the men prepared to enter the fray if non-unionists or police challenged the women. Cutting telegraph wires, barricading road and rail, intimidating non-strikers, and tarring and feathering were strategies used by the unionists.

COOPERATIVE stores were the predecessors of supermarkets and played an important role in the region's commercial history. Click the above for a look into Bill Roberts' part in the history of Thirroul Co-op.

Edward Larkin was one of the Illawarra's first coach operators. He also became one of the state's leading railway engineers.

Edward Killalea was elected to the Shellharbour Municipal Council just two years before his death in 1872 from the "effects of excessive drinking" and taking a does of strychnine "enough to poison the entire population of Wollongong".

The Corrimal pub has served the entertainment needs as a typical corner pub for over a century - barmaids have played a major role in those needs.

THE Beaches Hotel at Thirroul is a favourite destination for both locals and tourists visiting the pretty seaside village. Starting life as the Rex Hotel in the 1950s, the hotel has transformed from the exclusive domain of male blue collar workers, to a popular entertainment venue for all walks of life.

WORK on constructing the Cataract Dam, 10 kms west of Bulli, was well underway to supply water to a thirsty Sydney in 1905. A temporary township, with a daily garbage collection service and environmental safeguards well ahead of its time, Cataract City was home to hundreds of dam construction workers and their families from 1902, until the dam's completion in 1907.