On behalf of the St George Historical Society Committee, we wish everyone good health and happiness during the festive season.

by Fred Gannon

In his beautiful home at Tempe Mr. Fred Gannon, who is the oldest solicitor on the rolls of New South Wales, now spends the quiet evening of his days. He has reached a hardy old age of 85 interesting years; his wife is still living, and his sons and relations worthily carry on the famous name in the legal circles of Sydney. Time was when Mr. Gannon held for many years the largest criminal practice in the city, and his experiences run far back to the beginnings of the State.

Mr. Gannon is supposed to be an invalid; but his long record in sport has left him hardier than the average man of middle age. His memories are clear about famous criminals, but more vivid in his remembrance of the shooting matches he won and the games he had played. His house is filled with trophies won at pigeon shooting; one room is almost lined with silver prizes. He was a great cricketer in the old Albert Ground – in the days when it was not considered playing the game to bowl overhand; and as a fisherman he was famous.

Mr. Gannon was born in Argyle Street. His father, Mr. Michael Gannon, was a well-known early settler. He bought what was afterwards known as Gannon’s Forest, an expanse of bush that started from Arncliffe and extended to Hurstville, 2400 acres of valuable firewood. He paid for it only 7/6 an acre; and his son, Mr. Leslie Gannon, solicitor, holds the original deed. Gannon’s Forest nowadays includes all Bexley, Rockdale, Carlton, and Hurstville, and every acre is worth approximately £500.

Michael Gannon was a shrewd man. There was only one way of getting into Gannon’s Forest to cut firewood, and only one way to come out – that was at the dam at Tempe. There was a toll-gate there, and Michael Gannon was on the spot. Every cart going in to cut firewood had to pay toll to the owner of the forest for his load. Thousands of loads were cut every day to keep the home fires of Sydney burning.

Sixty years ago Cook’s River was the Potts Point of Sydney. It was the residential area of all the leading men of those days; and the curious visitor will find to-day the remains of fine old houses, each set proudly on one of the high hills. Tempe’s great industry was shell-gathering, to burn for lime; for this was before the great discovery of good limestone quarries. The late Mr. D. Cairncross, of Rockdale, was one of the early lime-burners.

The communication with Sydney was chiefly by ‘buses, and when the road was muddy the ‘bus proprietors got any price they demanded. There were profiteers even in those days.”

This article was first published in the February 1970 edition of our magazine.
Browse the magazine archive.

reviewed by Laurice Bondfield

The author collects together in this small book as much information as possible about the tribes who lived in the Sydney region before 1788. He covers such topics as social organisation, languages, food gathering, marriage and family life, medical treatments, religion, initiation and artistic expression. Although the Aboriginal people who lived along the coastline of NSW shared many customs, they were also diverse in languages, tools and cultural practices.

The writer cites three types of sources for the information he presents: the observations of the colonial diarists and missionaries, the memoirs and testimonies of Aboriginal people and the results of archaeological excavation.

The St George District was home to the Bidjigal people. It is possible that their territory extended as far as Castle Hill. The famous guerilla leader Pemulwuy had connections to this area. In 1790 he fatally speared a man named M’Entire near the Cooks River. Later in 1797 he took refuge in the country near the mouth of the Georges River after escaping from a hospital in Parramatta.

Local archaeological digs at Curracurang overhang in Royal National Park and a shell midden at Gymea Bay have yielded information about the shelter and diet of Bidjigal people. A tantalising reference by a colonial diarist to a “village of bark huts” that once stood near the mouth of the Cooks River makes you wish to know more- were they a permanent seasonal site or something more?

The evidence of rock art at La Perouse and in Royal National Park shelters gives evidence of a rich cultural and religious life.

The Aborigines of the Sydney District Before 1788 is a good first reference book. It was published in 1989 and in the 22 years since then more research has been carried out. Most of this research is published in academic journals and is sometimes difficult for the general reader to gain access to. In the last few years one or two more books on Aboriginal life in the Sydney region for a general audience have been published and I intend to review one of them, Rivers and Resilience about Aboriginal life past and present on the Georges River, for a later journal as Rockdale Library has a copy.

This article was first published in the January 2011 edition of our magazine.
Browse the magazine archive.

New SGHS Logo

During our November meeting, members unanimously approved a new logo designed by Tina Workman.

The striking image at the centre of the logo is of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. It represents our connection to the St George District.

Magazine Archive

Our society has published a regular newsletter/bulletin/magazine since 1961. Over 440 editions have been produced.

Fred Scott has digitised each edition. The process requires considerable effort to scan each page. The volunteers and staff at the Internet Archive apply a similar process to build their digital library. A video of the process shows the careful effort to build this valuable resource.

Browse the St George Historical Society magazine archive.

Many Thanks to Tina Workman and Fred Scott!

Precis of a talk delivered on 12th July, 1961, by Mr. W. Foster (Councillor of the Royal Historical Society of N.S.W. and Headmaster of the James Cook High School, Kogarah)

The chief task of any newly formed Historical Society is to add to the information already in existence.

The Rockdale Historical Society has an almost unlimited field in which to work.

James Cook, discoverer of this part of Australia and possibly the first white man to set foot in what is now the Rockdale Municipality,is comparatively unknown yet a wealth of information on him is available.

The same may be said of Arthur Phillip.

This district is particularly rich in family histories. Those of James Chandler whose estate “Bexley” covered a huge portion at the Rockdale Municipality and Alexander Brodie Sparkes whose home “Tempe House” still stands would each make a first class lecture.

No one has yet written a history of the Rockdale School of Arts yet all its records are still in existence. Only the Rockdale Methodist Church has written a history of its existence. The history of State and Federal Politics in this area is untouched despite the fact that this district produced some of the most colourful personalities of the early years.

Accuracy must be the keynote of all research. “Everything is wrong until it can be proved right”.

Where can this information be obtained?

Thanks to the foresight of David Scott Mitchell, Australia has an- unrivalled collection of its early history. Mitchell was an assiduous collector of Australiana. When he died in 1907 he left over .70,000 volumes and 6,000 manuscripts and diaries on Australia plus £70,000 for additional purchases. Australia, thanks to Mitchell, is the only country in the world which can trace its origins from its original beginnings. Today the collection numbers some 150,000 volumes.

Always go to the Mitchell Library where original manuscripts, newspapers and Statistical register and the Historical Records of N.S.W. are available. Secure a reader’s ticket and the rest is up to you.

Other places to obtain information include the Railways’ Department Historical Society, the Registrar General’s Department for early land grants and transfers. The Lands Department. The records of various churches, Municipal records and newspapers.

All are available to the genuine student of history.

This article was first published in the February 1962 edition of our magazine.

Browse the magazine archive.