In The Name Of The Lore
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday May 4, 2002
MANY of the Illawarra's suburbs and towns are named for practicality, think Coalcliff, Cabbage Tree, Oak Flats. Other names are Aboriginal descriptive terms. Bong Bong means ``plenty of water about", while Minnamurra purportedly refers to ``plenty of fish" or ``sharks came in".
And, of course, there are a multitude of streets, parks and reserves named after politicians, chiefly councillors (JJ Kelly Park in Coniston, Harry Graham Park in West Wollongong).
But many names leave you scratching your head. Who, for example, was MacCabe of MacCabe Park? With no disrespect to those left out, here is an investigation into prominent Illawarra individuals who have made significant contributions to the region.
MAJOR Henry Osborne MacCabe was born in 1856 at Marshall Mount, the son of a surveyor. He followed in his father's footsteps and qualified as a surveyor before working as manager of Mt Keira's Osborne-Wallsend colliery for many years instead. He served as an alderman on Wollongong Council, including two terms as mayor. In 1887 he was one of the first on the scene and played a vital part in rescue efforts at the Bulli Colliery disaster, in which 81 miners were killed.
Fifteen years later, in 1902, MacCabe was living in North Sydney but travelled to Wollongong to give evidence at an inquiry into mine safety. Ironically, while MacCabe was at the courthouse where the inquiry was being held, the Mt Kembla colliery exploded. Once again it was Major MacCabe who took charge of the rescue effort.
While leading a group of men into the mine, MacCabe was overcome by gas and fell to the ground. Three men tried to drag him to safety but two inhaled gas and had to leave him and retreat. A third man, William McMurray, died with MacCabe on the hillside.
MacCabe was honoured in 1905 with a monument at the corner of Crown Lane (which was later relocated to Rest Park, where Grace Bros now stands). In 1929, an alderman Howarth proposed that a new park between Crown and Burelli streets be named in MacCabe's honour. But the people of Wollongong had largely forgotten MacCabe's heroism, instead wanting to call it Smith Park, after the late Mayor Norman Smith. Such was MacCabe's non-celebrity that his name was entered into the council minutes and then the press as ``McCabe".
But eventually Howarth's opponents relented and today the park, which ended up being between Burelli and Ellen streets, stands as testimony to the legend and heroics of Major MacCabe.
AT a royal commission into the disaster, the Mt Kembla miners were represented by a young solicitor, Andrew Augustus Lysaght. He was the youngest solicitor on the roll when admitted to practise in 1896, became a barrister in 1923 and won the seat of Wollondilly in 1925. Two years later he won the seat of Illawarra and was installed as attorney-general in the second Lang Government's Cabinet, and in 1930 he won Bulli and became attorney-general once more.
His father, Andrew Lysaght, was a hotelier who at various times ran the Queen's Hotel in Market Square, the Freemasons' Hotel and Lysaght's Red House in North Wollongong, now the site of Wollongong High School.
The elder Lysaght was an alderman of North Illawarra Council and served as mayor. He also twice represented Wollongong in the NSW Legislative Assembly and in later life became a magistrate. When he died in 1906 he was buried in the Old Roman Catholic Cemetery at the foot of Crown St, at what is now the site of the Foreshore Plaza.
Lysaght's name was listed on a plaque unveiled at the opening of the plaza in 1998, and the North Wollongong street where the Red House once stood bears his name. Lysaghts Oval in Figtree is named for steel magnate John Lysaghts (no relation).
ALEXANDER Berry was perhaps not as popular with his peers as hotelier Lysaght. By some reports, he was ``arrogant, hating his poorer farming neighbours as ruffians, drunkards and thieves" - but he was, nevertheless, an accomplished man and a notable Shoalhaven pioneer. He was born in 1781, a Scotsman who qualified as a surgeon and joined a merchant ship as a surgeon's mate. But he retired early from that profession and instead became a trader.
Regularly sailing to New Zealand for timber cargo, Berry established good relationships with friendly chiefs. In 1810, a merchant ship anchored at Whangaroa, about 32km north-west of the Bay of Islands. Three days later it was attacked and its crew and passengers killed and eaten, save for a woman, two young girls and a boy. Tipped off by a friendly native, Berry sailed for Whangaroa, where he exchanged a supply of tomahawks for the captives, saving their lives.
On a trip to Portugal, Berry met Edward Wollstonecraft, an English mercantile agent, and the two decided to become business partners. They sailed to Australia once more and acquired land grants from the government in exchange for maintaining a muster of convicts free of charge. Berry recognised cedar production and pastoral development as the keys to financial success and in 1822 sailed to Shoalhaven to select his land. He sailed up the Crookhaven River and, over five weeks, drove his convict crew to cut a 5m deep canal through to the Shoalhaven River, where he erected his homestead, Cooloomgatta, now Coolangatta.
Berry later married Wollstonecraft's sister, and the brothers-in-law worked the land and purchased more from the Government to expand their estate, which ultimately contained about 24,000ha.
Alexander Berry Dr and Edward Wollstonecraft Lane in Shoalhaven Heads are named for two of the region's founding fathers.
AN eccentric, poetic genius, Henry Kendall was born at Kirmington, near Milton, in 1839. He grew up at Tarrawanna where his mother kept a small school, but later returned to the Kiama area. He wrote copious amounts of poetry on Illawarra places, and had titles such as Wollongong, Kiama and Maid of Gerringong.
Kiama was a particularly pretty verse: Kiama slumbers, robed with mist/All glittering in the dewy night/That, brooding o'er/The shingly shore/Lies resting in the arms of night.
Today the town of Kiama honours Kendall with Henry Kendall Place near Kiama High School.
LAWRENCE Hargrave's critics dismissed him as a mad old man who flew kites. But a look at a list of his achievements as archaeologist, astronomer, inventor, and explorer reveal a thoughtful, calculating man, with a curious and analytical mind.
He was born in Greenwich near Kent in 1850 and emigrated to Australia in 1866 to join his father, who had moved here a decade earlier on the advice of doctors.
The young Hargrave tried to follow in his father's footsteps and become a lawyer but he failed the matriculation exam. He then began work in the drawing room of the Australian Steam Navigation Company. He joined the New Guinea Prospecting Association and at 22 was one of the last rescued from the top of the mast of the sinking ship Maria.
Later Hargrave inherited his brother's home at Stanwell Park and began to experiment with his new hobby - flight. He made a number of model flying machines and invented the rotary engine, to be used as the model for most early aeroplane engines.
He discovered that box kites flew better than flat-wing surfaces, and on November 12, 1894, lifted himself to a height of more than 5m using four box kites aligned on a single rope. Finally, in 1898, he invented a kite with a vertical tail fin - a precursor to the rudder.
Hargrave died in 1915, six weeks after hearing his only son Geoffrey, whom he hoped would continue his aviation research, had been killed at Gallipoli. He was honoured with his face adorning the Australian $20 note from 1966 until 1995, and is also recognised with a memorial at Bald Hill, Stanwell Park and, of course, Lawrence Hargrave Dr, one of the most beautiful (and treacherous) stretches of coast road in NSW.
A MAGNIFICENTLY gifted athlete, William ``Unbeatable Bill" Beach rowed seven times for the world championship in sculling and was never beaten. Born in 1850 in Surrey, England, he emigrated to Australia at three years of age and settled at Mittagong and later at Dapto. His father was a blacksmith and the young Beach worked the anvil, developing the tremendous physique that would later help his speed while training on Mullet Creek.
After defeating a fisherman and winning five shillings in a wager, Beach decided about 1880 to go to Sydney to take part in professional rowing. In 1883 he met and defeated Australian rowing champion Ned Trickett, and shortly afterward challenged Canadian Edward Hanlan for the world title. He won, of course, and was crowned champion of the world. After beating Hanlan again in 1887, he retired undefeated and returned to Dapto, spending his time shooting and rowing. He died in 1935 and thousands of people lined the road for his funeral procession from his home in Kanahooka Rd to St Luke's Cemetery in Brownsville.
In 1964, Beach was honoured by Mayor Squires with the opening of Beach Park on the eastern banks of Mullet Creek in Dapto. The park was constructed from council marshland at the request of Dapto Rotary Club president Ern Cox, who said at the time: ``There could be no finer memorial to Beach than this park built as a community service project."
LIKE Bill Beach, Mick Cronin is a rather shy and retiring fellow, and was even reluctant to grab the limelight when a Gerringong park was named in his honour. Born at Parramatta in 1951, the young Michael spent many years playing with brothers John and Terry for Wollongong Christian Brothers and later, Gerringong in the Group Seven rugby league, where he scored a country record 316 points from 20 matches in 1971.
A prolific try scorer and goal kicker, he finally agreed to play league in Sydney and signed in 1976 with the Parramatta Eels, where he scored a record 282 points in 1978. He also won the Rothmans Medal back-to-back in 1977-78 and broke numerous scoring records in the Test arena.
Cronin was honoured while still a player with Parramatta with the renaming of Jubilee Park in Gerringong to Michael Cronin Oval on Australia Day 1983.
``What more can you say? It's the place I spent a lot of my life mucking around, kicking footballs and everything," Cronin said. ``I think if you're fair dinkum, you don't rate yourself as being that important. I was still playing football, so you probably don't take yourself that seriously in those sorts of things.
``The way I see it, if you've got something named after you you've got to be very grateful and appreciative and recognise it as an honour."
Cronin was also honoured with the striking of the Michael Cronin medal in 1987 for the best player in the Group Seven rugby league.
VINCE Ward is one who understands the difficulties associated with changing place names. The Balgownie historian uncovered a lot of information on James Pearson who had been headmaster of the Balgownie school in the 1890s.
``To change the name of a park anywhere is frowned upon by local councils - because it's registered in the NSW register of properties and parks," Mr Ward said.
In 1994 Mr Ward successfully lobbied for Balgownie Rest Park to be renamed James Pearson Park, in honour of the man and his forefathers.
``I had to submit all my information and documents on Pearson and his family before the name change was approved."
James Pearson was a community-minded man, organising free concerts by his pupils for the people of Balgownie and adjoining suburbs. His father, also named James, was a building contractor responsible for the erection of many historic buildings in Camden, while his father's father - James again - was a music teacher and organist, responsible for the installation of Australia's first organ at St James' Church, Lane Cove in the early 1820s.
``I've also been trying to get Broker's Rd renamed. I have the names of important settlers from the early days of Balgownie - but it's been put in the `too hard basket'. I can understand that; it affects street numbers and causes confusion for quite a while," Mr Ward said. ``They said they would consider it, of course, but not at the time being."
© 2002 Illawarra Mercury
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