Looking For History

by James Kane

An eminent English historian said that the most essential pieces of equipment for historians are a notebook and pencil and a stout pair of walking boots. Certainly this district has history in plenty for those prepared to go and look for it.

There has long been a useful human compulsion to celebrate the erection of public buildings by the setting of a ceremonial stone, sometimes at the commencement of building, sometimes on completion. This practice seems to be in a regrettable decline, but all is not lost. Australia has an abundance of politicians and many of them take pleasure in opening buildings of all kinds and in permitting their name to be included on a suitable commemorative plaque.

The position of a commemorative stone, the material from which it was made, the lettering and carving techniques employed and, finally, the information contained in the inscription itself, are all of use to the alert historian.

Be careful, however, in making assumptions based on too hasty a look at the evidence, Stones from original buildings were often incorporated in later ones without the fact being acknowledged. I draw your attention to the Anglican Church in Rockdale which has an embarrassing number of foundation stones bearing different dates.

At one time I took a class of high school boys on a series of walks in the area around the school. They faithfully recorded every plaque on local government amenities — parks, gardens, public toilets, library, senior citizens’ centres, etc. It was a demanding task, as each plaque bore the name of every alderman and a number of council officers.

Back in the classroom the boys compared lists and were able to draw up a list of probable dates of council elections. They noted the durability of some aldermen and the short tenure of others. They noted a period when the council was run by an administrator and took note of the fact that very few aldermen returned after the administrator stepped down. What happened, of course, was the suspension of the council by the state government and the failure of many aldermen to renominate because they were helping the police with their enquiries. These boys extracted a surprising amount of information from these plaques, enjoyed themselves enormously and, I believe, gained a great deal educationally.

Sometimes, when looking isn’t enough, you may find that in carefully recording the inscription you have saved it for posterity. Eighteen months ago I took a group of adults on an historic stroll around the St George Hospital area. They were interested in seeing a 19th century stone laid by a Mrs Holt (from a family of great local historical importance), they were stirred by the foundation stone of a Greek Church marking the alliance between Greece and Australia in World War II, they were charmed by a foundation stone, dated 1888, naming the Kogarah “Centennial” Congregational Church. All of these buildings have come down in the cause of development and the stones are ……!

Sometimes a stone has some feature that takes the eye at once. Other features become interesting if you have a bit of special knowledge. If you glance at the list of inscriptions you will understand this point.

1. KING’S GROVE
BAPTIST CHAPEL
A.D. 1875

Stone 1 is reputedly the only existing example of the original spelling of ‘Kingsgrove”.

2. THIS STONE WAS LAID
BY THE PRESIDENT
BRO. J.H.S. MULHOLLAND
27th FEB. 1915.

The second stone is part of the Hurstville and District United Friendly Societies Pharmacy. This organisation merits a talk of its own, so we merely note the use of “Brother” as a form of address among members of friendly societies.

3. THIS FOUNDATION STONE WAS SET BY
THE MOST REVEREND H.W.K. MOWLL, D.D.
ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY AND
PRIMATE OF AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA
ON 23rd AUGUST 1952.

Stone 3, in Carlton, has what seems to us a quaint usage — “Australia and Tasmania”.

4. THIS SCHOOL OF ST MARY STAR OF THE SEA
ERECTED AS A MEMORIAL TO ALL WHO DIED
FROM THIS PARISH IN TWO WORLD WARS
AND TO THE PIONEERS OF THE PARISH
WAS SOLEMNLY BLESSED AND OPENED BY
HIS EMINENCE
NORMAN THOMAS CARDINAL GILROY
ON SUNDAY AUG 16th, 1959
FATHER T.V. DUNLEA

Stone 4 contains the names of 2 distinguished clerics. Norman Gilroy, an altar boy in the Hurstville parish, served in the R.A.N. at Anzac Cove and became Australia’s first native-born cardinal.

5. THIS STONE AS LAID BY
THE HON. T.J. LEY M.L.A.
MINISTER FOR JUSTICE
BEXLEY SCHOOL OF ARTS
15th NOV. 1924.

Stone 5 gives a new meaning to the word “Honourable”. T.J. Ley, local member and minister for Justice died in a hospital for the criminally insane, having been convicted of murder.

6. THIS STONE WAS SOLEMNLY BLESSED BY HIS EMINENCE
NORMAN THOMAS CARDINAL GILROY, ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY
ON SUNDAY 18th APRIL 1948

Stone 6 tells a lie. Cardinal Gilroy was called to Rome and the stone was blessed by Bishop Eris O’Brien.

Briefly, looking at foundation stones is fun; like many other activities, doing it is more fruitful than talking about it.

This article was first published in the November 1990 edition of our magazine.

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