Killalea Exhibition at Tongarra Museum

Tongarra Museum has a wide range of artefacts on display that were collected from Condon's Farm site during a recent archaeological excavation. Condon's farm was in an area of Shellharbour, once known as Clear Hills - just south west of Killalea State Park at Shell Cove.

John Condon leased the farm in 1883. Frank (Francis Patrick) Condon then leased it until 1925, when his son Francis took over the lease.

The Condon home ‘Fairview’ was built in 1903 just south of the hill over looking a swamp.

In 1951 the farm was sold together with surrounding properties including the Fraser family's farm 'Killalea' (at Killalea State Park) to Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) Ltd. ICI intended to use the area to test explosives, but thankfully the project never eventuated.

'Fariview' fell in to disprepair and was subject to vandalism. In 1959 the local fire bridage were given permission to burn the house down as part of a training exercise.

An exhibition featuring the artefacts uncovered from the 'Fariview' dairy farm site and informaion on the history of th surrounding Killalea State Park is now on exhibition at Tongarra Museum, Albion Park.

Pop in and have a look.

Fairview c.1980
Shellharbour Images, Shellharbour City Libraries.

Artefacts uncovered during the excavation at 'Fairview'.

 

 

Restoration of 'Yovelton'.

Shellharbour Council recently completed more than $100,000 in upgrades to the heritage listed home 'Yovelton' in Albion Park Rail.

George Bonsor married Kezia Gillard in 1861 and farmed for many years at Peterborough (Shellharbour) and Croome.

In 1921, their son Edwin, and daughter, Ida Ann (Annie), purchased 189 acres on Lot 6 of the Oak Flats subdivision estate and built ' Yovelton', a lovely weatherboard farmhouse. ‘Yovelton’ was named after their mother's village, Yeovilton, in Somerset, England The silo on the property was built c.1930 to store silage for feeding cattle.

Edwin died in 1947 and Ida ran the farm until 1950, and then leased it until her death in 1968 aged 81 years.

Restoration works at 'Yovelton' August 2014.

Council staff inspecting restoration works at 'Yovelton' in August 2014.

Yovelton c.1890
Shellharbour Images, Shellharbour City Libraries.

 

 

 



The Albion Park Rifles - Remembering our Anzacs

This week marks 100 years since the start of World War One. In this post we remember our local Anzacs.

 

In 1870, Captain Edward H Weston of Weston’s Meadows at Albion Park, together with a band of men from the Macquarie River joined the volunteer movement with forty men enrolling at a meeting at the Albion Park Hotel. A further twenty-three men from Shellharbour Village later joined the movement.

 

The Illawarra Light Horse Corps was supplemented by the formation of a reserve rifle corps and civilian rifle club. In 1892 Captain Weston and the Illawarra Cavalry resigned,  however the Corps was soon reformed and carried on through the years until the outbreak of World War One in 1914.

 

During this time, the Light Horse Company camped at Sydney Showground only 24 days after the war had been declared. The Corps at this time was led by local Dunmore resident Captain Colin Fuller.

 

In 1917, a further 250 Albion Park men went into camp with the Light Horse Company.

 

The first soldier to arrive home from war was Trooper Robert Parkinson who was wounded at Gallipolli in 1916, and on his arrival he received a soldier’s welcome when he stepped off the train. The station yard was full of horse drawn vehicles and there were even two motor cars, one in which he led a procession from the station to the Agricultural Hall at Albion Park.  A dinner was held in his honour and speeches were given by the Mayor, Headmaster, Station Manager, Post Master and Bank Manager.

 

During the Second World War the Light Horse carried out patrols, rifle drills and trained new horses from their camp at Oak Flats.

Albion Park Rifles in the early 1900s
Shellharbour Images, Shellharbour City Libraries.

'Rosemont' farm

Rosemont farm on the old Princes Highway at Dunmore was the home of the James family.

 

Thomas James married Rachel Welbury Arnold in 1890. They lived for a time at 'Bravella', the home of Thomas' parents William and Elizabeth James. William, a stonemason, arrived in Australia in the 1850s. He settled in Shellharbour at Dunmore and built his home “Bravella”. He purchased breeding stock from local farmer Andrew McGill and established the James Family dairy herd. The James family was known for their kindness and generosity to others.

 

In 1909 Thomas built 'Rosemont' on 210 acres, just north of his parents’ farm.

 

Thomas' brother John built another neighbouring farm 'Kurrawong' just across the road.

 

Thomas and Rachel raised their family at 'Rosemont'. Three of their daughters Eva, Miriam and Beatrice James were Red Cross nurses during World War One. Thomas was an Alderman on Shellharbour Municipal Council for 12 years and Mayor for 5 years. He was secretary of the Illawarra Dairy Cattle Association for many years.

 

Upon his Aunt Ellen Arnol'd death in 1965, John Thomas James (son of Thomas and Rachel) inherited her property at Shellharbour Village including her hom 'Aronda' still in Mary Street today.

Rosemont farm on the old Princes Highway at Dunmore

Kurrawong Farm, Dunmore.
Tongarra Museum collection.

Bravella Farm, Dunmore.
Tongarra Museum Collection.