VOLUME 7 No. 10
October 2014
FROM THE EDITOR
This edition is largely focused on the Peninsula although
those wily white cockatoos have infiltrated it again.
I am again grateful to both Shelagh and George Champion
for their contributions, and to our President, Jim Boyce,
for his several reports. Thanks also to Anne Spencer who
emailed to say she enjoyed the cockatoo article and sent
in some interesting photographs. Please feel very free to
emulate Anne’s effort.
The social event that has the entire Peninsula abuzz is the
Society’s upcoming 90th Anniversary Cocktail Party.
Please see the back page (and also the tailpiece on p.9).
Richard Michell
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
The Talks program has been arranged for the year, so
planning is in process for 2015. I would like ideas from all
members and if you are sounding out possible speakers,
the desirable length is 45 minutes but there are no hard
and fast rules, particularly if speaking to screened material
or graphic material placed on exhibition panels which
would either be present or can be arranged from our own
facilities. Those of you who were at Bert Rose’s excellent
talk about butcher’s shops , might recall the number of
ex-butchers who were in the audience and who made the
event so memorable. A similar situation occurred with the
talk on Mark Foys where ex- staff members added to the
success of the occasion. That type of event creates its own
momentum and we are all carried along by the memories
and history of that organisation or activity. A return email
is all that is needed to start the ball rolling because you
may not be aware of the type of support the Society can
provide.
travels to South America and the administration he created in New South Wales on the arrival of the First Fleet. He
spoke of Phillip’s admiration for William Pitt (the Younger)
and his naming of Pittwater. It was a memorable talk and
like all good talks finished over coffee and tea with wide
ranging conversations on history and heritage. The Minister for the Environment and Heritage excelled on the
arrangement of this event and hopefully we might see
more elected figures give presentations of this type.
Over the last month, many of our members have been
submitting responses to the Pittwater Council Heritage
Review. While most members concentrated on individual
heritage items with well argued cases for further elaboration or for inclusions, I concentrated on the Statement of
Historic Themes. This should be the base document
which underpins the various items on the Heritage List.
Unfortunately the Statement had some serious shortcomings which hopefully the Council will rectify in its final
document. It is interesting where councils identify the
responsibility for the research and development of Local
History and in this case, the Local Studies Unit received no
recognition of their role. While Strategic Planning has the
responsibility for the preparation of the Heritage Review,
there is a need for an elaboration on the way various
responsibilities are located within a council to develop and
administer history related activities. For example, Natural
History is usually located within the Environment Unit and
the Cultural environment is usually under Parks and Gardens. Hopefully we will see a positive outcome to this
heritage Review.
Jim Boyce
DIARY
October
On another tack, some of our Society were present at
Governor Phillip Park at Palm Beach on Saturday 13 September to hear Rob Stokes give a talk on Governor Phillip.
It is not often you hear a Minister of the Crown expound
on a subject of history at such length and quality. Governor Phillip died in Bath on 13 September 1814 and the
Minister spoke of the career of Arthur Phillip from his
early days, his involvement in the Portuguese navy, his
Peninsula Historian
ISSN 1835-7628
Vol 7 #10 October 2014
Date/time: 2pm, Saturday 11th
Venue:
Tramshed Narrabeen
Speaker:
Chris Betteridge
Topic:
History and Heritage and its
ground level development
Page 1
NEWS AND VIEWS
MONTHLY MEETING REPORT
The September Talk took place at the Mona Vale Library and
on a cool Saturday afternoon we were exposed to the darker
side of the history of Sydney. The speaker, Larry Writer, took
us back to post World War One Sydney and the growth of the
underworld working on the fringes and outside the law. Larry
took us on a journey up to the early 1960s, when the police,
in the presence of “ Bumper “ Farrell, endeavoured to bring
their rough form of justice to the streets of Sydney and
indeed the byways of the Peninsula.
Larry Writer has had a rich career as an author of a number
of biographic histories on that period as well as a book on the
life of Rex Mossop, so he is no stranger to the personalities of
the Peninsula. Larry was born in 1950 and grew up in Darlinghurst and went to school in the southern suburbs. In the
1980s and ‘90s, he was the European bureau chief for both
Australian Consolidated press and Time Inc Australia and
began to to chance his arm at a book. As he has said, he loves
the feel, the smell and glow of books, and in his words
“Nothing so beautiful should ever be obsolete .“
While he authored, “Bumper – The Life and Times of Frank
Bumper Farrell“, he is best known for the books on Tilly
Devine and Kate Leigh, which provided the basis of the recent
television series, although some of the accurate detail of
their lives that he wrote was lost in the coming to the small
screen.
One of the Larry’s major aims in bringing their stories into
print is “To inspire readers to treasure what’s gone before
and made us the way we are.” Fortunately for those at the
talk on Saturday, Larry not only has the ability to write a good
historical biography but also he has the enthusiasm and
rigour to tell an engaging story for over an hour. Not every
author has this talent and as a result Larry was going into
further detail over coffee and cakes afterwards.
The talk started with the early days of Tilly and Kate, immediately after the end of World War One. The end of the war,
the lax laws covering the liquor trade, gambling and prostitution, gave a fertile field for these two ladies to prosper in the
1920s. The Depression in the early 30s did not stop them and
if anything their careers flourished as government resources,
meant to control these activities, suffered from lack of funding.
In Larry’s
words,
“Tilly and
Kate ruled
the traditionally
male
dominated
world of
inner- Sydney crime
because
they were
Kate Leigh more ruthPeninsula Historian
less, more violent and
smarter than the guys.”
In the case of Tilly, she
paid her gang well and
provided security, food,
shelter and health care
for her workers but expected loyalty in return.
Both Tilly and Kate carried cut–throat razors
with them to carry out
rough justice. As Larry
said, Tilly and Kate despised each other but
their criminal activities
rarely overlapped.
Larry went into some
detail as to the interTilly Devine
views he was able to arrange with now elderly police men and women. But he
remains fascinated with the grudging respect the law gave to
these women and the history of the glorification of figures, in
crime going back to Ned Kelly. Before he died, Larry was able
to interview the legendary “Ray Blissett“, feared scourge of
the razor gangs. He recalled his run-ins with Tilly and Kate and
provided invaluable detail as to the atmosphere that reigned
in Sydney between the wars.
The life of Bumper Farrell, who did frequent Manly and the
Peninsula, followed on as he began to exert some influence on
behalf of the law in the years immediately before World War
Two. Bumper had a physical approach to law enforcement
and his sporting career with the Newton Rugby League team,
during and after the war, reinforced that image.
Bumper refused to modify his speech, manner, attitude or
clothing , no matter whose presence he found himself in. One
famed occasion took place in the Manly police station, when
the then Commissioner, Norm Allan, made a VIP visit. Bumper
was slouched at his desk and refused to stand up when Commissioner Allan entered the room. He grumbled “Oh , g’day
Norm“, to which Allan retorted “When are you going to start
showing me some respect, Bumper?“ Bumper is said to have
eyed the commissioner coolly and said “When you start to
show some ability, Norm.”
It was these types of anecdotes that Larry kept the 40 or so
audience enthralled with throughout the presentation. It was
interesting to learn of the research method that he had adopted over the years and how this detail lived on after these
books were published. Larry is presently writing a book on the
1936 Olympic Games and we look forward to a talk on that
subject sometime in 2015. It was a great afternoon and Mona
Vale library are to be thanked for making the room available.
Jim Boyce
THE FRENCHS FOREST SHOW
Saturday November 1st will see the 80th Frenchs Forest Show
run annually at the Frenchs Forest showground on Blackbutts
Road. The weekend will see a range of horse events but what
Vol 7 #10 October 2014
Page 2
would a show be, without arts, handicrafts, flower displays ,
cakes and jams and much more. All this will be very capably
conducted by the Frenchs Forest Agricultural and Horticultural Society headed by Wendy Taplin, their energetic President, who leads an active Executive Committee. Regarding
the horses there are separate sections for Pintos, Buckskins,
Palomino and Roan Horse and Ponies but the A & H Society
has a website to give you greater detail as well as various
other events they conduct during the year.
Of course the first Agricultural Show conducted in the colony
was the Royal Easter Show whose history goes back to 1823
when it was first held at Parramatta. In 1869 , the venue was
moved from Parramatta to Prince Alfred Park in Redfern and
then to Moore Park where it resided from 1881 to 1998. A
new showground was built at Olympic Park, Homebush
where it is located today. The activities encompass horse
events, the judging of livestock and domestic animals, rural
competitions, and a whole range of arts and crafts The Royal
Easter Show set the model for other country shows to follow,
inevitably on a smaller scale.
Of course Sydney was much smaller in the early 1900s and
rural areas were much closer to the Central Business District
than they are now. Certainly much of the Peninsula and
environs had livestock grazing in fields, orchards and market
gardens. The atmosphere of the areas was rural with dirt
roads , few cars and limited government facilities. The first
Show in the area was the St Ives Show which started in
January1921 and this was closely followed in the same year
by the Brookvale Show. While the St Ives Show continues to
this day, it lapsed in the late 1960s only to be restored in
1975. The Brookvale Show, for many years, preceded the
Royal Easter Show but sadly it finished at Brookvale Oval in
the late 1980s.
The Frenchs Forest Show started in 1933 and despite not
being conducted in the war years has continued ever since.
The Showground at Blackbutts Road did have a trotting track
around its perimeter which has disappeared but for a few
traces. A Mr Sewell used to ride from Griffith in the Riverina,
to compete in the local shows, such as Brookvale, Frenchs
Forest and the Bar Ranch Red Cross Gymkhanas which were
held by the Dude Ranch at the old Drive–In cinema site on
Warringah Road.
The Frenchs Forest Show has a rich history and the A & H
Society deserve our full support. Unfortunately the judging of
the best white and brown–shelled eggs is a thing of the past
but there will be lots more of interest.
Quarantine Station Lecture Series – Sunday, 21 September
2014, 10am-12 noon and 2-4 pm
· How going to war in 1914 was a distraction from more
important things: trout fishing, the Davis Cup, rowing on
the Thames, the Australian election, ‘troubles’ in Ireland:
Peninsula Historian
John Carmody. Dr John Carmody is a scientist and
historian at the Discipline of Physiology, University of
Sydney.
● Rallying the Troops: A World War I Commemoration:
Kathie Rieth, Evelyn Wyatt, David Wilkins and Jackie Van
Bergen. Kathie Rieth, Evelyn Wyatt, David Wilkins and
Jackie Van Bergen are members of the team from Kuring-gai Historical Society (KHS) which has published its
first book on WW1.
· Some St Vincent’s Hospital Surgeons and World War I:
Max Coleman. Dr Max Coleman was a medical student
and Resident Medical Officer at St Vincent’s Hospital in
Sydney from 1966. He retired in 2009 and is writing a
‘History of 150 years of Surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital
from 1857 to 2007’
· Physicians in the Great War: Paul Lancaster. Paul
Lancaster began his career as a neonatal paediatrician in
Sydney then worked as a public health physician and
researcher at the University of Sydney.
Book on-line at:
http://www.qstation.com.au/events/lecture-series/
Or ring 9466 1551.
POT POURRI
COCKATOOS
Further to the item on Brueghel’s cockatoo and the nowcommon presence of Sulphur-crested White Cockatoos in
Sydney, George Champion has written:
“Thank you for your interesting piece regarding cockatoos.
We both enjoyed it.
Like you, I am not a bird expert but my interest in birds
generally led to my appointment to the Department of Education's Gould League Council for many years.
I found it particularly interesting that David Scott Mitchell,
who established the Mitchell Library, had a pet sulphur crested cockatoo. As you may be aware, a copy of Neville
Cayley's (senior) 1884 water colour of it, appears in the State
Library publication "A Grand Obsession The D S Mitchell Story" on page 51. A photograph of Sarah Milligan, on page
7, David's faithful house keeper, shows her holding the same
cockatoo in the backyard of David's then residence No 17
Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst.
Neville Cayley (junior) became particularly famous for his
splendid book, "What Bird Is That? A Guide to the Birds of
Vol 7 #10 October 2014
Page 3
Australia", first published in 1931. This has really become the
bible of all Australian bird lovers. A smaller version, suitable
for use in the bush, has also been found most useful.
In the early 1950s, before we were married, we went house
hunting and visited what is now known as Forestville. We
came across a large flock of sulphur crested cockatoos feeding
near the present Crown of the Hill. A few years later we
purchased a house in Frenchs Forest and found the flock still
well established in the same location. Now, fortunately, there
are cockatoos around us continually.”
In making the statement last issue that white cockatoos only
arrived in Sydney in large numbers in the 1960s or so, I was
simply parroting (sorry, couldn’t resist it) what is said in bird
observer circles and publications. George and Shelagh’s
experience shows that there certainly were white cockatoos
here before then. Cogitating on the subject a little more, it
suddenly dawned that we have a location in central Sydney
that proves beyond doubt that they were here at European
settlement - Cockatoo Island! I have not attempted to find
the earliest use of this name - a challenge for one of our
readers perhaps - but certainly, when Governor Gipps made
the decision in 1839 to locate some of the convicts from the
recently-closed Norfolk Island penal settlement on it, it was
called Cockatoo Island in his despatches. A couple of news
items from the time are reproduced below.
Finally, another of our readers, Anne Spencer, sent me a
wonderful photo, presumably of a visitor to her home. It is
also reproduced here and you can clearly see that the eye
surround of “our” cockatoos is white, as mentioned in the
Brueghel article. However, this bird is unusual as it has some
yellow on its chest.
Sydney Gazette & New South Wales Advertiser Jan. 19, 1839
Convicts to Cockatoo Island
Cockatoo Island.- It is stated that it is the intention of the
Government to station a large gang of men on Cockatoo
Island for the purpose of quarrying stone, which there
abounds, of an excellent quality. The stone, it is said, will be
sold to defray the expenses of the Establishment.
Sydney Gazette 19 Feb 1839
First shipment of convicts
Cockatoo Island.-The seventy prisoners brought up last week
in the Governor Phillip, from Norfolk Island, will be removed
to Cockatoo Island, at the entrance of the Parramatta River,
this day for the purpose of quarrying stone for the new
Circular Wharf.
Sydney Gazette 23 Feb 1839
Description of Cockatoo Island
Cockatoo Island.-The island known by this name is situated at
the entrance of the Parramatta River, and is of the form of a
triangle. It contains about four acres of land. It is without
water, and is said to abound with snakes. On this island it is
known by all persons acquainted with it, that there are places
where a man might effectually conceal himself for days
together, not withstanding the strictest search.
Peninsula Historian
Sulphur-crested White Cockatoo courtesy Anne Spencer
It is very rocky, and the stone is said to be of an excellent
description.
Arrival of convicts
The sixty commuted prisoners from Norfolk Island were
forwarded to the island on Thursday morning under a
military escort. The men were removed there chained
together. They are placed under the charge of Lieutenant
Bentley, of the 50th regt, the officer commanding on Goat
Island. This gentleman will not reside on the island, but in
his absence the men will be in the custody of a sergeant's
guard.
There are two working overseers stationed on the island.
The works are to be carried on under the superintendence
of the person who now holds, or lately held, the office of
Ranger of the Government Domain at Parramatta.
The men on their arrival were placed in tents, huts being
erected for the overseers. The first employment that will be
furnished the men will be the construction of a wharf on the
southern side of the island, after which they will proceed
with the quarrying. The stone is not intended for sale as
formerly stated, but is intended to be applied for the
erection of the New Circular Wharf. To remedy the want of
water, a party is now employed in boring a well. The view
from the island is one of the finest near Sydney
Vol 7 #10 October 2014
Page 4
ARTICLE
Narrabeen Lagoon Bridges
Before there were any bridges across Narrabeen Lagoon it
was necessary to ford it near the present Pittwater Road
bridge or sometimes to cross near the entrance to the lagoon. The following extracts give some indication of the
history relating to the construction of the two separate bridges. The Pittwater Road bridge was constructed in 1883 and
the Ocean Street bridge near the lagoon entrance in 1928.
The Pittwater Road Bridge
1881
Friday 14 January Sydney Morning Herald p 3
Parliament of NSW Legislative Assembly. Thursday 13 January, Answers to questions:
Mr Lackey informed Mr Farnell that a report had been obtained of the cost of constructing a bridge across Narrabeen
Lagoon, and a sum for its construction had been voted for
consideration by the Cabinet.
Thursday 20 October Sydney Morning Herald p 9
Advertisement for Mount Ramsay Estate:“Beautiful and extensive sandy beach, north of Manly Cove,
and extending to the site on which NEW BRIDGE is about to
be erected across NARRABEEN LAGOON ...”
1882
Saturday 9 September Sydney Morning Herald p 9
Parliament of NSW Legislative Assembly Friday 8 September
Answers to questions:
Mr Lackey, in answer to Mr Teece, said that tenders for a
bridge over Narrabeen Lagoon, close to the present road,
would be invited in two weeks.
Also same date p 11
In the Legislative Assembly, yesterday [8 September]
Ministers replied to questions respecting ...the want of a
bridge over Narrabeen Lagoon...
Wednesday 1 November Sydney Morning Herald p 2
Department of Public Works – Tenders for Public Works and
Supplies:
Wooden bridges on iron piers, and approaches, Narrabeen
Lagoon, road Manly to Pittwater.
Date to which tenders can be received: 11 o’clock, 21st November, 1882.
1883
Tuesday 27 February Sydney Morning Herald p 12
Timber-Hewers and Sawyers wanted, to get Timber for bridges, Narrabeen; timber found. Particulars apply on the work;
or to Walton Pell, contractor, Denison-street, Woollahra.
Saturday 31 March Sydney Morning Herald p 17
Cook wanted for Narrabeen camp; man preferred. Apply G.
Evans, grocer Manly
Peninsula Historian
Friday 18 May Sydney Morning Herald p 9
Wanted to Buy or Hire, four TIP-DRAYS and horses, for Narrabeen. Apply, stating terms N., Bag 438, G.P.O.
Saturday 2 June Sydney Morning Herald p 9
In a deputation to the Hon. Alexander Stuart, Colonial Secretary on 1 June, in relation to the Narrabeen Road, he stated
that, “He was quite aware that the road had been in a very
bad condition, but it was gradually, perhaps rather too slowly, being made, and as soon as a bridge was carried across
Narrabeen [Lagoon] the work on the other side must follow
as a matter of course.”
Tuesday 12 June Sydney Morning Herald p 2
Narrabeen Lagoon
Manly Beach. Tenders wanted for carting 30,000 feet Sawn
Timber from wharf, Manly, to bridges at Narrabeen Lagoon.
Commence immediately. JAMES DUNN and Co., 6 Custom
House, Loftus-street.
Map 10 Parish of Manly Cove County of Cumberland held
Mitchell Library PL/Manly Cove 1883 shows the bridge crossing over Narrabeen Lagoon.
1884
Saturday 26 January Sydney Morning Herald p 15
[Hardie and Gorman have received instructions to sell by
public auction] ... On Wednesday, 27 February, 1884. In the
Parish of Narrabeen between Manly and Pittwater. The pick
of the District, about 7 Miles from Manly Beach, and only a
short distance on the other side of the newly-erected bridge
across the Narrabeen Lagoon. 281 acres of rich arable land
...
Warringah Image Library, under “Narrabeen”.
Image no. 84 of 1488 - File 602\60290 Narrabeen Lagoon
c.1890 [Shows Pittwater Road bridge]
Image no. 597 of 1488 - File 43\WAR43757 Narrabeen Lagoon from Wheeler’s Hill c.1920 [Shows Pittwater Road
bridge]
Ocean Street Bridge, Narrabeen
1927 Saturday 17 September Sydney Morning Herald p 30
SHIRE OF WARRINGAH
CLERK OF WORKS
Applications will be received till noon, MONDAY NEXT, 19th
instant, for the position of Clerk of Works, in connection with
the construction of a Bridge across Narrabeen lagoon. Applicants should state age and experience, and forward copies of
testimonials. Remuneration, £7 per week
1928 Wednesday 6 June Sydney Mail p 57 Text and photograph, which shows the new road and bridge
Vol 7 #10 October 2014
Page 5
A NEW MOTOR ROAD
The many beauty spots between Manly and Palm Beach attract a great number of motorists, who will welcome the fine
new road at Narrabeen. This runs almost parallel with the
existing main road across the lagoon not far from the ocean
outlet, joining the main road again some distance on. This will
become a very popular route.
Warringah Image Library:
File 40\WAR40910 Bridge under construction November 1927
File 40\WAR42036 Ocean Street bridge, Narrabeen, 1937
Researched and written by Shelagh and George Champion
July 2014
(Given the discussion in the last two Newsletters of the methods used to transport goods in early Manly Warringah, it is
interesting to note, from the SMH item of 12 June 1882, that
the timber for the bridge was being brought to Manly Wharf,
to then be transported overland to Narrabeen. Ed.)
The first European crossing of Narrabeen Lagoon
The first Europeans to cross the entrance of Narrabeen Lagoon
were probably Governor Phillip and his party of nine others, on
Friday the 22nd August 1788. They landed at Manly Cove early
in the morning and, as reported by Surgeon John White who
was on the expedition to Pittwater:
“We sent back our boats and proceeded northward along the
coast about six miles, where we were forced to halt for near
two hours, until the tide had run out of a lagoon, or piece of
water, so as to admit of its being forded. While we were
detained here an old native came to us, and, in the most
friendly manner, pointed out the shallowest part of the water
we had to cross; but the tide ran with too much rapidity at that
time for us to attempt it.
After we had waded through, one of our company shot a very
fine duck, which we had dressed for supper, on a little eminence
by the side of a cabbage tree swamp, about half a mile from the
run of the tide. Here the whole party got as much cabbage, to
eat with their salt provisions, as they chose.
While we had been detained by the tide, several natives were
on the opposite side, who also pointed out to us the shoalest
water, and appeared, by their signs and gestures, to wish us
very much to come over; but, before the tide was sufficiently
low, they went away. One of them wore a skin of a reddish
colour round his shoulders.” Ed.
(To my knowledge - which is admittedly superficial - this is
one of the very few references to a native wearing a fur or
similar garment in the Sydney region. Ed.)
File 40\WAR40910 Ocean Street Bridge under construction November,
1927 courtesy Warringah Library and Olga Johnson
Peninsula Historian
Vol 7 #10 October 2014
Page 6
PROMINENT FORMER MEMBERS
CAPTAIN MICHAEL JAMES LOWE (1872-1953)
1916 he transferred to the 54th Battalion, and was promoted
Captain M. J. Lowe served as the fourth president of the
Manly, Warringah and Pittwater Historical Society, from
1932 to 1940.
He was born in 1872 near the town of Mallow, Parish of
Ballyvourney, County Cork, Ireland, where his father was a
farmer. When he was eighteen years old, Michael James
Lowe enlisted in the British Army. He served for 21 years,
and rose to the rank of sergeant major. At the age of 31,
around 1903, he married Catherine Elizabeth Hirrell in NainiTal, India. They had four children: Ethel, Norah, and two sons
who were killed in World War 2.
In Australia, after Federation in 1901, the new Commonwealth government created a Commonwealth Defence Department. The Defence Act of 1909 provided for a program
of universal training, which was introduced in 1911. All
males of a specific age group were liable for military training
in peace time and for service within Australia in time of war.
M.J. Lowe was one of the sergeant majors brought to Australia in 1911 or 1912 to train Citizen Military Force (CMF)
battalions.
The Commonwealth Electoral Roll for Manly in 1913 shows
that Michael, occupation military officer, and his wife Catherine were living in Sydney Road, Balgowlah. Michael spent
three years as a sergeant major instructor in the CMF.
Before embarkation his salary was £168 p.a.
According to Sands’ directories, by 1914 the Lowe family was
living in Edgecliffe Esplanade, Middle Harbour. In 1916 and
1917, while her husband was overseas with the AIF, Mrs C.E.
Lowe lived in “Rye Cottage”, Brook Road, off Frenchs Forest
Road.
Captain M.H. Lowe returned home in November 1917. By
1918 the family had moved to Alleyne Avenue, Seaforth. In
1926 this road was renamed Ellery Avenue and, later still,
Ellery Parade. The Lowes continued to live at this address
until at least 1953, having been in the same place since 1918.
They called their home “Naini Tal”.
On 16 October 1914 Michel James Lowe enlisted at Kensington, NSW in the 2nd Battalion, Australian Imperial Force (AIF)
as Regimental Sergeant Major. His regimental number was
1, which led to his being known to his comrades as “Number
One”. He was 42 years old, almost six feet tall, with grey eyes
and brown hair, religion Church of England. Two days after
enlisting he embarked for active service abroad with the 2nd
Battalion on HMAT Suffolk. On 5th April 1915 he re-embarked at Alexandria to join the Middle Eastern Force at
Gallipoli, and on 28th April he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant.
In action ,on 12th August 1915 he suffered a gun-shot wound
to his right knee. After hospital treatment and recuperation
he re-joined the 2nd Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir on 16th January
to Captain on 29th April. In June 1916 he embarked at Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), disembarking at Marseilles. He received the award of “Mentioned in
Despatches” for action as follows:
“At PETILLON [France] on 19th/20th July 1916, Captain Lowe,
in addition to doing his work as Adjutant well, organized
parties to go across NO MAN’S LAND for supplies of grenades,
sandbags, and ammunition, and on account of the shortage of
Officers took these parties over and brought back the munitions in question. When the enemy attacked on our right he
took charge of all the men that could be got together and kept
back the enemy by fire while a counter attack was organized.
He went personally to our front line where the stocks of
necessaries were stored and under his leadership supplies,
particularly of sand bags were sent forward freely.” [AWM28]
Unfortunately, a week later he was admitted to an Officers’
Rest Home in France with debility. He was posted for duty
with the 14th Training Battalion in England in December 1916,
and re-joined the 54th Battalion in France in June 1917.
However, he was not well, and returned to Australia, reaching
Sydney on 25 November 1917. His appointment with the
defence force was terminated on 9th December 1917, then
“to be enlisted in Australian Instructional Corps”.
The AIF was disbanded in 1919, and the CMF or Militia was
re-formed to correspond with previous AIF units. Universal
military training was abandoned in 1929, but a Militia system
continued to exist, with officers and NCOs maintaining a
reasonably high level of training, and keeping the traditions of
the units alive. Thus, after taking part in the ANZAC Day march
in 1935, 350 members of the 54th Battalion attended a reunion lunch in Sydney. Captain M.J. Lowe proposed the toast of
“The Battalion, old and new”.
In 1929 and throughout the 1930s and later, the Manly, Warringah and Pittwater Historical Society initiated the erection
of monuments at sites that were judged to be of historical
importance. Unfortunately there were very few sources of
information available at this time, so that much that was
etched in stone has since been found to be incorrect. In 1929
cairns were erected on Manly’s West Esplanade, Pittwater,
and Beacon Hill.
Captain Lowe was acting president of the Historical Society
when he presided at a ceremony on Beacon Hill on Saturday,
18 April 1931, to name the summit of the hill “Governor
Phillip Lookout”. This led many people to speculate that
Phillip actually climbed Beacon Hill but the Society has never
claimed this. During the 1930s there were annual April commemorations on Beacon Hill and special church services in St.
Luke’s Church, Brookvale.
At the Society’s AGM in 1932 Captain Lowe was elected president, and continued in this office until 1940. His efficiency
and excellent organizing ability as president contributed
greatly to the Society.
1916, and was promoted to Lieutenant. On 14th February
Peninsula Historian
Vol 7 #10 October 2014
Page 7
Barrenjoey lighthouse was converted to the automatic system on 13 August 1932 and the lighthouse keeper was withdrawn. On Saturday 25 March 1933 visitors to Barrenjoey
lighthouse witnessed the official handing over of the visitors’
book to officials of the Historical Society. Captain M.J. Lowe
said that the Society was determined to leave no stone unturned in keeping matters of historical interest before the
public. In handing over the book, the Minister for Commerce,
Mr Stewart, praised the work of the Society. Mr P.W. Gledhill
read an interesting paper on the history of the lighthouse.
On 9 June 1933 the Commonwealth Government granted the
Society permission to erect a cairn near the beach at Collins
Flat. The Society believed that this was where Governor
Phillip was speared on 7 September 1790. The cairn was
officially unveiled on 23 September 1933 by the Minister for
Health, Mr C. Marr. Overwhelming historical evidence has
since shown that the spearing took place at Manly Cove, near
the ferry terminal.
In conjunction with Manly Council, the Manly, Warringah and
Pittwater Historical Society in December 2006 erected a
plaque on the Society’s cairn on West Esplanade regarding
the spearing of Governor Phillip. The actual wording on the
plaque is as follows:-
ERECTED BY MANLY, WARRINGAH & PITTWATEER HISTORICAL
SOCIETY IN CONJUNCTION WITH MANLY COUNCIL, 2006.
A monument was erected on the eastern headland of Barrenjoey and unveiled by the Minister for Defence, Sir Archdale
Parkhill on 13 July 1935, to mark the position of the first lighthouse erected in 1855. The Minister also named the area
around the lighthouse “Gledhill Lookout” in honour of Mr P.W.
Gledhill. Using stones from the first lighthouse, a cairn was
erected at “Gledhill Lookout”. It was unveiled by Captain Lowe
on 21st November 1936.
Captain Lowe presided over the erection of a stone monument
at Brooklyn to commemorate the discovery and naming of the
Hawkesbury River by Governor Phillip in June 1789. It was
unveiled on 17th June 1939 by T. J. Hartigan C.M.G., Commissioner for Railways.
After sixty years as a municipality, Manly held its diamond
jubilee in 1937. Captain Lowe was appointed chairman of the
Jubilee Committee and a wide-ranging program of celebrations
was organized. Relics of old Manly, including historic letters,
documents and photographs, were exhibited in the window of
Cooper’s department store in the Corso.
A large audience was attracted to Manly Art Gallery on Tues-
THE SPEARING OF GOVERNOR PHILLIP
NEAR THIS PLACE AT MANLY COVE ON 7 SEPTEMBER 1790,
DURING AN ABORIGINAL FEAST ON A BEACHED WHALE, THE
FIRST GOVERNOR OF NSW, CAPTAIN ARTHUR PHILLIP RN,
WAS SPEARED IN THE SHOULDER BY AN ABORIGINAL MAN,
WIL-LE-ME-RING, WHEN PHILLIP APPROACHED HIM. THE
GOVERNOR MADE A FULL RECOVERY.
day, 9th March 1937, when Captain Lowe presided at a lecture
entitled “Peeps into the Past” delivered by Mr P.W. Gledhill.
Michael James Lowe died at Yaralla Repatriation Hospital, Concord, on 6th January 1953 and was privately cremated. He was
80 years old.
Shelagh Champion, June 2014
MW&PHS outing to Bobbin Head in the 1930s. Captain Lowe on the right
hand side and Mrs Lowe fourth from the left.
Peninsula Historian
Vol 7 #10 October 2014
Page 8
WHAT’S ON
Manly Art Gallery and Museum
JOSHUA YELDHAM: SURRENDER
19 September - 2 November 2014
An exhibition exploring the work of one of Australia’s most
unique and creative contemporary artists, through film,
painting, photography and sculpture. This exhibition reveals
Joshua Yeldham’s creative inspiration, and spiritual journey
into the Australian landscape, in particular Pittwater and the
Hawkesbury River, a region he has known since childhood.
The exhibition takes the audience on a journey past jagged
sandstone cliffs, along river banks, through twisted spotted
gums and oyster leases, recording the beauty and
timelessness of the landscape.
Manly, Warringah and Pittwater
Historical Society Inc.
Established 1924
Patron
Alan Ventress BA DipLib
Manly Library
Manly Library Artists' Book Award 2015
Entry to the biennial Artists' Book award opens Monday 1
September 2014. Entries close 5pm Friday 6 February 2015.
Any artists' book created in the past two years is eligible to
enter.
Mona Vale Library
8 - 22 September - FREE History Week event: Photographic
display 'The Great War'
President
Jim Boyce
0402 096 080
jimboyce37@gmail.com
Treasurer
Barbara Davies
9997 6505
barbara_davies@hotmail.com
Quarantine Station Lecture Series
Minutes Secretary
Clive Halnan
0410 867 685
cehalnan@bigpond.com
Sunday 21st September
Brookvale Show
Sunday 26th October
Archivist
Vacant
Frenchs Forest Show
Saturday 1st November
Editor
Richard Michell
9401 4525
newsed@webplus.net
TAILPIECE
This will be my last issue as Editor. I have enjoyed my time very
much and can only hope that at least some readers have had a similar experience.
Best wishes to the Society and may it prosper for another 90 years
(at least!). Richard Michell
Peninsula Historian
Vol 7 #10 October 2014
Postal Address
PO Box 695 Manly, NSW 1655
Website
www.mwphs.com
Page 9
$35
per
person
RSVP by 4 November 2014
To The Treasurer MW&PHS Inc, Box 695, PO MANLY 1655
I/We ......................................................... .................................................................
Address ....................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................
Will be attending the MW&PHS Cocktail Party on Tuesday 18 November 2014
Cheque/Money Order for $............... enclosed
Peninsula Historian
Vol 7 #10 October 2014
Page 10