Lambton Police

When Lambton began in 1864 the population grew quickly, and with it the need for policing. In 1868 one constable based in Waratah also had to cover Lambton, and the Newcastle Chronicle lamented that “at Lambton the absence of officers of the law frequently results in drunkenness and disgraceful rows.”

In 1870 the government appointed John Lee as Lambton’s first resident police officer, although initially there was no dedicated police station. In 1874 a correspondent described the office as being a shanty hut at the policeman’s home, consisting of “a straggling collection of timbers nailed together, with a broken-down shingle roof.” To rectify this situation, the government constructed at the east end of Dickson Street a building for a courthouse and police station, which opened in 1879.

In 1884 a contract was awarded for the erection of a residence for the senior officer stationed at Lambton. Construction was delayed for two years, as the preferred site had previously been promised to Lambton Council for a town hall. Finally in August 1886 the newspaper noted that “excavations are being made near the Courthouse and massive blocks of stone laid down for the foundation of the new police barracks.”

The police station in the courthouse building was used until 1933, when it was condemned as “unfit for human habitation”. Although the station closed and was then demolished, an officer was still assigned to Lambton and lived in the police residence. By 1946 there were calls for a police station to be re-established, and in 1954 a small office and lockup was built adjoining the police residence. This operated until the mid-1990s, when Lambton policing was once again covered from Waratah. The house in Dickson Street remained derelict and decaying for many years. However, the property is currently for sale, and as it is listed as a heritage item in the Newcastle Local Environmental Plan, there are hopes this significant 19th century building may soon be restored.

Sergeant George Salter and lock-up keeper Constable William Mahood at Lambton Police Station and Courthouse, 8 August 1898. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection, accession number 001 001053.

The former Lambton police residence in Dickson Street in August 2024, ready for restoration.

The article above was first published in the September 2025 edition of The Local.

Additional Information

An Historical Parish Map showing the location of the Police Barracks on Dickson St, west of the Court House. Historical Land Records Viewer

Overlaying a 1909 Water Board map into Google Earth suggests that at that time the west side of the building extended back further, and that there was a deck and/or verandah at the front. University of Newcastle, Living Histories.

A 1944 aerial photograph showing Lambton Police residence (yellow) and the outline of the foundations of the Lambton Courthouse demolished in 1937. NSW Historical Aerial Imagery

A 1954 aerial photograph shows that the office and lockup has been erected adjacent to the police residence, and that houses have been erected where the courthouse once stood. NSW Historical Aerial Imagery

A 1989 street directory still has a police station marked on Dickson St, Lambton.

Newspaper articles

Article Date Event Date	Notes
25 Apr 1868	"At Lambton, the absence of the officers of the law frequently results in drunken orgies and disgraceful rows, the majority of which take place on the Sabbath. In the face of facts like these it is high time, we think, that something was done to try and get the authorities to station a constable in [Lambton]."
11 Nov 1869	"We are glad to learn that the Government has, at last, deemed it proper to give police protection to the populous and rising township of Lambton. The Inspector General of Police has given the necessary instructions to Mr. Inspector Harrison to station a constable at Lambton, and those instructions are to be carried out immediately, and in the course of ten days hence the Lambtonians may expect the presence of a guardian of the peace amongst them."
31 Mar 1870	"The stationing of a police officer at Lambton, about two months ago, has already produced considerable reformation in that township."
7 Apr 1870	"Constable [John] Lee stationed at Lambton gave evidence …"
13 Jul 1871	Lambton constable, John Lee, appointed an Inspector of Crown Lands.
28 May 1872	"A gentleman from the survey department has been appointed district surveyor, and has been here measuring out the piece of land on the pastur age reserve, for the proposed extension of Lamb ton, near Peacock's dwelling, that was applied for to erect municipal chambers on. From what I learn the police station and lock-up are also to be built near here as being the most suitable and central situation for the three colliery town ships — Waratah, Lambton, and New Lamb ton."
16 Sep 1873	"At present the policeman stationed here was in an awkward position if obliged to take a prisoner in charge, for, having no lock up, he had no alternative but to take him to his own home and sit up with him all night."
24 Feb 1874	Police quarters at Lambton described as “a straggling collection of timbers nailed together to give shelter to the representative of the law.”
15 Aug 1876	"There has never since Lambton was a township been more need for a lock-up than during the present week end. On Sunday a woman of most disreputable character was walking about the streets in a state of intoxication ... Constable Price searched the town to find her. He at last found her near Mr. Avery's hotel, The constable took her in charge, but had no place to put her. Mr. Avery, however locked her up in one of his rooms, and was rewarded by being kept awake during the whole of the night by her striking matches, and knocking the furniture about in the room. At midnight Constable Frize was called up by another constable, who had a prisoner in charge for passing spurious notes at Singleton. The man was taken to Con- stable Daly's residence at Waratah, and had to be watched during the whole of the night. That such a state of things should exist in a district like this, is a disgrace to the Government."
18 Dec 1876	Tenders for the construction of the Lambton Court House have been advertised.
20 Feb 1877 19 Feb 1877	Foundation stone of the Lambton Court House laid.
9 Jan 1879 7 Jan 1879	"The new Court-house was formally opened on Tuesday … but there were no cases for trial." "Though the Court has been opened, there are many things yet required to make the premises complete."
28 Apr 1882 25 Apr 1882	"Alderman GRIERSON said he had heard it was the intention of the Government to erect Police Barracks on the reserve for Council Chambers, near the Courthouse, which he thought should be prevented."
20 May 1884	Tender for erection of Police Quarters, Lambton.
18 Jun 1884	"The tender of John Shaw has been accepted for the erection of police quarters at Lambton."
15 Aug 1884 12 Aug 1884	Government wishes to take the site allocated for Lambton council chambers site for the police barracks.
1 Jan 1885	Lambton Council meeting: "Letter read from Mr. Surveyor Allworth, asking Council to state proposals with reference to site for Council Chambers and the conditions on which, they would hand over the present site for police barracks."
19 Jun 1885	Revocation of council chambers site “with a view to the land being set apart for Police Purposes.”
2 Oct 1885	Senior Constable George Salter transferred to Lambton from Port Macquarie.
3 Jun 1886	Site for Council Chambers in Dickson Street has been resumed for police barracks.
6 Aug 1886	"I notice that excavations are being made on the reserve near the Court-house, and massive blocks of stone laid down for the foundation of the new police station and barracks. The building is to be a large and substantial one, and, when completed, will make an important addition to our police structures."
1 Nov 1886	"Senior-constable Salter at Lambton, has been appointed a sergeant of the second class, the promotion to take place from to day."
13 Nov 1886	"WANTED, three good SHINGLERS. Apply on the job, Police Barracks, Lambton."
9 Apr 1887	"From the inspector of nuisances leaving his notice book for examination, and referring to the cesspit near the new police barracks being of defective construction."
20 May 1896	"In connection with the removal of Constable D. Fay, lockup-keeper, to take charge of the Adamstown station, Constable Mahood, of Greta, has been appointed to the charge of the Lambton lookup, and will probably arrive to-day to enter upon his new duties."
16 Apr 1900	"Constable William Mahood, who has been in charge of the lockup for the past four years, has (on his own application) been removed to Newcastle. During the time he was stationed here, Mr. Mahood proved a zealous and faithful officer of the law, who discharged his duties in a quiet and unassuming manner, and totally free from bluster. His uniform courtesy and civility to all has won for him a host of friends who regret his departure and wish him every success in his new position. Constable Knight, late of Stockton, succeeds Mr. Mahood as lock-up keeper."
10 Nov 1904	"Sergeant George Salter, who has been stationed at Lambton for the last nineteen years, retired on pension from the 1st instant. During the time he was in charge of the Lambton station, Sergeant Salter has, by his uniform courtesy and kindness, won the esteem of the community, and his exceptional tact and knowledge of human nature. "
10 Apr 1911 9 Apr 1911	Funeral of George Salter, formerly the sergeant stationed at Lambton.
2 Jan 1920	Tenders for "Repairs and Painting, Sewerage Connections and Additions, Sergeant’s Quarters, Police Station, Lambton."
22 Aug 1922	"Lambton Courthouse has seen the end of its days of usefulness as far as the Justice department is concerned." "This court is perhaps the oldest in suburban Newcastle, and at one time boasted three sittings a week. Since then, however, they have fallen away to one a month, and as people can not afford to wait so long to have their troubles dealt with, they prefer to go to Newcastle."
23 Jan 1931	"Formerly, the sergeant for the district resided in the quarters about 50 yards from the actual police station. Recently, a change was made, and the new sergeant appointed temporarily does not reside in the quarters. The police station itself has no telephone, but there is a telephone in the quarters. Newcastle police, if they urgently required the sergeant, are compelled to wait for a ring from him on his periodical walks over to the telephone in the quarters."
31 Mar 1933	Expression of opinion from the Medical Officer for Health (Dr. H. G. Wallace) "that the lock-up keeper's quarters at Lambton Police Station were unfit for human habitation."
8 Sep 1933	"Lambton Council has decided to seek the subdivision of three acres of land ad joining the local police station, which is to be closed, owing to the unhealthy state of the building."
19 Feb 1936 18 Feb 1936	"Lambton Council decided last night to protest to the Police Department against the decrease in the number of police stationed in the municipality. Ald. S. Spruce, who raised the matter, said that the town was served by only one policeman for the greater part of the day. Ald. Spruce said that formerly, with a smaller population, there were three police men at Lambton. To-day there were only two, and one constable spent most of his time at Carrington."
4 Jul 1936	Police call box installed in Morehead Street, Lambton.
24 Aug 1937	Demolition of Lambton courthouse building.
25 Jul 1946	"Lambton residents are afraid to leave their homes at night because of the lack of police protection. No police were stationed in the district and the call-boxes, introduced by the Commissioner of Police had proved a failure, he said. The committee decided to recommend to the council that the Superintendent of Police be asked to station police at Lambton and New Lambton."
19 May 1952	"The Superintendent of Police in Newcastle (Mr. Swasbrick) will recommend that there be a permanent officer at the existing Lambton Police Station with a motor cycle and sidecar and that a cell be erected at the station."
13 May 1994	Only one police officer stationed at Lambton as at 29 April 1994.

Yankee Doodle Diddle

This 1904 image of a shop in New Lambton is a fine example of Ralph Snowball’s technical and aesthetic excellence in documenting the commercial life of his town. I have long wanted to write a story on Thompson’s store, but my knowledge to date can be expressed in a single sentence: Joseph Thompson operated a store on the south-west corner of Hobart and Wallarah Roads from 1901 to 1910.

However, as with many Snowball photographs a close inspection reveals a wealth of detail, such as the advertisements on the shed wall. Researching them led to some unexpected places. A search of the product names reveals that the United States Trading Company exhibited a collection of Nirvana Tea and Yankee Doodle Jams at the 1903 Newcastle Show. The company was run by Holmes Samuel Chipman, who proved to be a somewhat ‘creative’ entrepreneur.

Chipman was born in Canada in 1850 and moved to the United States in 1868 for study and work. In 1879 he arrived in Australia and established himself as a merchant. From 1881 he began a relentless campaign of registering a multitude of trademarks and patents for an astonishing variety of products: agricultural tools, musical instruments, medicinal remedies, cosmetics, hairbrushes, clocks, heating and illuminating oils, bicycles, carriage parts, and various foods and drinks. In 1883 he registered the trademark “Dr. Scott” to be used for “electric flesh brushes and electric tooth charms.” (The nature of these devices was one rabbit-hole too much for me and I leave them as an exercise for the reader’s imagination.)

In 1904 Chipman’s business empire crashed, having accumulated £27,500 of debt, equivalent to $5M today. In bankruptcy court Chipman admitted setting up multiple companies for the purpose of deceiving banks into providing loans. In August 1905 the US Trading Company was wound up, and Yankee Doodle Jam faded into history except for Snowball’s photo of Thompson’s store. The corner store is long gone, but unfortunately shonky businesses and financial fraud linger on.

Joseph Thompson’s store in New Lambton, 7 May 1904. Photo by Ralph Snowball. University of Newcastle, Living Histories.

A close-up of the advertisements for Nirvana Tea and Yankee Doodle Jam.

The article above was first published in the July 2025 edition of The Local.

Joseph Thompson’s Store

John Gillespie Thompson purchased portion 1451 of the Newcastle Pasturage Reserve, on the south west corner of Hobart Rd and Wallarah Rd, in July 1891. After his death the property passed to his widow Mary in 1898, and then subsequently to her son Joseph in 1902. (Vol-Fol 1021-233)

Portion 1451, purchased by John Gillespie Thompson in 1891. Vol-Vol- 1021-223

There are only a few passing mentions of Thompson’s store in the newspapers from 1901 to 1910. These occur mostly in reports of New Lambton council meetings when referring to the location of road or drain repairs, or location of tram stops.

1 Mar 1901 – Alderman Shepherd suggested that the Commissioners be asked to appoint a stopping place at Thompson’s store.
11 Oct 1901 – Alderman Dunckley moved, “That Mr. Thompson’s offer to supply the stone for the dish gutter, opposite his premises in Hobart-road, be accepted.”
24 Oct 1902 – The Mayor recommended that a mitre drain be cut in Wallarah-road, near Thompson’s store.
1 Nov 1906 – Letter from Mr. W. Atkinson, drawing attention to the state of the crossing over the tramline near Mr. J. Thompson’s store.
31 Oct 1907 – Alderman Beath suggested that a load of gravel be placed near Thompson’s store.
28 Jul 1909 – mention of “Joseph Thompson, of New Lambton, storekeeper”
28 Apr 1910 – Alderman Jordan brought under the notice of the Mayor the state of Hobart-road, near Thompson’s store.

Joseph Thompson’s store can be seen on panel 1 of George Henry Dawkins’ 1904 panorama. University of Newcastle, Living Histories.

Thompson’s store was an ideal location to place full size wall advertisements, as the Newcastle to Wallsend tramline ran past the store on Hobart Rd.

Water Board map showing the Wallsend tramline running along Hobart Rd in front of Thompson’s store, shaded yellow. University of Newcastle, Living Histories.

Holmes Samuel Chipman

Biographical Details

Most of these details are derived from the 1920 publication THE CHIPMAN FAMILY. A GENEALOGY OF The Chipmans In America, 1631-1920.

Chipman was born in Berwick, Nova Scotia, Canada on 22 December 1850. After graduating from school he worked as a school teacher in Nova Scotia 1866-1868. He moved to Boston USA in 1868 where he studied and then taught at the Bryant-Stratton Commercial College. He then worked in a number of jobs in Michigan, New York, New England, Minnesota, and California.

In 1870 he moved to Japan to work in printing and publishing, before returning to the USA in 1876. He moved to Australia in 1879 and set up a “general mercantile business”. Based on addresses given in trademark applications appears to have been initially based in Melbourne before relocating to Sydney in 1884. He married Julia Anna Ventrillion Tortat on 1 August 1882.

A December 1915 article about a house in Sydney that Chipman had at one time occupied, indicates that he had by this time returned to America. [Note that the 1920 genealogy says that Chipman moved to Australia “where he now carries on a business”, implying that he was still in Australia in 1920. I suspect that is incorrect, and due to the author reproducing the sentence from an earlier 1905 geneaology of the Chipmans.]

Chipman died in Oceanside, Nassau County in New York on 9 September 1941 and was then buried in the town of his birth, Berwick, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Holmes Samuel Chipman. From THE CHIPMAN FAMILY. A GENEALOGY OF The Chipmans In America, 1631-1920.

Shonky business

When I first started to write this article I was a little hesitant at characterising Chipman as a shonky businessman, but the more I learned of him the more it became clear that his entrepreneurial actions were of a highly dubuious nature.

The first suspicions arise when noting Chipman’s trademark registrations for “medicinal preparations” such as “St Jacobs Oil”, “Hamburg Tea”, and Minerva Tonic. These were stereotypical ‘snake oil’ medicines, made from inoccuous ingredients but claiming miraculuous powers to cure a wide range of ailments.

ST. JACOBS OIL, is the Most Efficacious Liniment Known. There is no Lotion or Embrocation in the world with which it can be compared, and the sale of it largely exceeds the sale of all other preparations combined which are advertised for similar use. ST. JACOBS OIL is an Established Cure of Marvellous Merit for Rheumatism, Neuralgia, Stiff Joints, Swellings, &c., and a sure relief from all aches and pains of every description. Every bottle of ST. JACOBS OIL Contains a Cure. It has never been puffed, but it has been thoroughly tried and never found wanting. It always does what is claimed for it that it will do. It has SAVED THOUSANDS OF LIVES, relieved Millions of Sufferers, and earned the Gratitude of the Nations.
Adverttisement for St. Jacobs Oil, 19 June 1897.

Many a serious illness might be spared by the knowledge that MINERVA TONIC, taken when the first symptoms of health failure manifest themselves, is a perfect safeguard in cases of Nervous and Physical Weakness, INFLUENZA, PROSTRATION, LOSS OF ENERGY, MENTAL DEPRESSION, ANAEMIA, INSOMNIA, LOSS OF APPETITE, IMPAIRED MEMORY AND VISION, AND SIMILAR WEAKNESSES OF THE SYSTEM. MINERVA TONIC restores the natural waste, and provides the requisite material for building up the system ou a sound and healthy basis. It creates a regular appetite and promotes digestion, acts on nerve and muscle at the same time, inflicts no injury on the constitution, and is in every sense of the word what its name implies – a perfect tonic that may be taken with advantage by patients of either sex. MINERVA TONIC is Necessary to Health. Strongly recommended in cases of BILIOUSNESS, TORPID LIVER, GASTRIC TROUBLES, HEADACHE, DIZZINESS, &c.
Advertisement for Minerva Tonic, 19 June 1897.

A second warning sign is the number of times Chipman is involved in court cases, either as plaintiff or defendant.

4 Sep 1894 – In court over damaged printing paper
24 Aug 1897 – Taken to court by employee for unpaid money
10 Mar 1898 – In court regarding a dispute over Minerva tonic
19 Nov 1903 – In court regarding a disputer over the supply of paper to the “Evening News”

The most damning evidence appears after the collapse of Chipman’s business empire, when he is questioned in the Bankruptcy Court over a number of days. (10 March 1905, 11 March 1905, 17 March 1905, 21 March 1905, 22 March 1905) In this testimony I found much that paralleled the actions of modern day fraudsters and failed business operators when they are brought to justice, in particular the frequent use of ‘convenient amnesia’, answering questions with “I can’t remember.” The court testimony brought to light a slew of financial irregularity and ‘creative’ accounting committed by Chipman.

Setting up of shell companies to obfuscate financial dealings
Avoiding liablities by moving assets to family members
Setting up multiple companies to fraudulently obtain credit from the bank
‘Paying’ debts with worthless shares in worthless companies
Exaggerating the prospects of company profitability
Making ‘guarantees’ of profitability that could not be fulfilled
Investing in mining companies that subsequently failed
Doctoring the company balance sheet by
- Inflating the value of assets
- Counting spurious and disputed ‘debts’ owed by other companies as assets
- Hiding of debts by offloading them to an associated company in New York
- Counting debts owed to him by insolvents as assets
- Counting assets twice
- Valuing assets by what he had originally paid for them, not what they were currently worth

Amongst all of this trickery my favourite discovery was when Chipman paid a cash bonus to a relative in New York. He then included this amount in his Australian company balance-sheet as an asset, because the relative had supposedly agreed to pay back the bonus! Of course, this never happened and the ‘asset’ was written off.

Trademarks and Patents

Applications for trademarks and patents by Holmes Samuel Chipman in Australia in the period 1881 to 1903:

Date	Type	Name	Description
26/8/1881	Trademark	St. Jacobs Oil	Medicinal preparation
28/11/1882	Trademark	Palace	Musical organs
12/12/1882	Trademark	Collins & Co.	Hardware, including shovels, spades, axes, hatchets, and other edged tools.
2/2/1883	Trademark	Buckeye	Mowing machines, combined with table rake or reaper or dropper, reaping and binding machines, threshing machines, and other agricultural implements
2/2/1883	Trademark	Hamburg Tea	Medicinal preparation
22/6/1883	Trademark	Dr. Scott	Electric hair brushes, electric flesh brushes, and electric tooth charms
6/6/1883	Trademark	Ansonia Clock Co.	Horological instruments, such as clocks, chronometers, and watches
6/7/1883	Trademark	Peep o’ Day	Horological instruments, such as clocks, chronometers, and watches
6/7/1883	Trademark	Electric	Electric hair brushes, electric flesh brushes, and electric tooth charms
4/12/1883	Trademark	Hollingsworth	Horse rakes and other agricultural and horticultural implements and machines
4/12/1883	Trademark	Taylor	Horse rakes and other agricultural and horticultural implements and machines
4/12/1883	Trademark	Moline	Ploughs and other agricultural and horticultural implements and machines
4/12/1883	Trademark	Buford	Ploughs and other agricultural and horticultural implements and machines
4/12/1883	Trademark	Goulds	Pumps and machinery of all kinds and parts of machinery including agricultural and horticultural implements and machines
4/12/1883	Trademark	Toledo	Vehicles and wood work as parts of carriages or other vehicles
4/12/1883	Trademark	Acme	Harrows and other agricultural and horticultural implements and machines
9/2/1884	Trademark	Manvel	Windmills
12/8/1884	Trademark	Colonist	Edge tools of every description, and tools or implements used in agriculture, horticulture, and manufacture.
12/8/1884	Trademark	Champion	Edge tools of every description, and tools or implements used in agriculture, horticulture, and manufacture.
21/10/1884	Trademark	CARPENTER	Musical organs
4/12/1884	Patent		Improvements in reaping and binding machines
9/4/1886	Trademark	Kismet	Watches, clocks, and all other horological instruments.
30/7/1886	Trademark	Vestal	Oils, including kerosene, petroleum, benzoline-naptha, and other heating and illuminating oils
30/7/1886	Trademark	Santa Claus	Oils, including kerosene, petroleum, benzoline-naptha, and other heating and illuminating oils
30/7/1886	Trademark	Dew Drop	Oils, including kerosene, petroleum, benzoline-naptha, and other heating and illuminating oils
30/7/1886	Trademark	Liberty	Oils, including Kerosene, Petroleum, Benzoline, Naptha, and other heating and illuminating Oils.
14/10/1887	Trademark	Snowflake	Oils, including kerosene, petroleum, benzoline-naptha, and other heating and illuminating oils
4/8/1888	Patent		Improvements in the treatment of saccharine juices and unrefined sugar.
7/12/1888	Patent		Improvements in the undergear of buggies and such like vehicles.
13/11/1894	Trademark	Minerva	Perfumery (including toilet articles, preparations for the teeth and hair, and perfumed soap)
4/12/1894	Trademark	Minerva	Mineral and aerated water, natural and artificial, including ginger beer.
9/7/1895	Trademark	Melba	Musical instruments
17/12/1895	Trademark	Minerva	Substances used as food or as ingredients in food
13/6/1896	Patent		An improved detective lock, principally useful for locking mail bags, cream cans, and other receptacles.
16/10/1896	Patent		An improvement in balls for ball-nozzles for distributing water and other fluids under pressure.
27/10/1896	Patent		An improved pneumatic carrier receiver and dispatcher for the same.
8/12/1896	Trademark	Greyhound	Bicycles
8/12/1896	Trademark	Explorer	Bicycles
5/1/1897	Trademark	Cyclops	Cycles
5/1/1897	Trademark	Raven	Cycles
5/2/1897	Trademark	The McKinley Bicycle	Cycles
12/1/1897	Trademark	Nirvana	Arrowroot, coffee, coffee and chicory, French coffee, chicory, cocoa, dandelion coffee, dandelion cocoa, carraways, cassia, cinnamon, cloves, chillies, coriander, farine, ginger, groats, ground rice, icing sugar, mace, mixed spice, meal (a mixture of oatenmeal and wheatenmeal), meal (digestive), maizemeal, mustard, nutmegs (whole), nutmegs (ground), oats (cooked rolled), oatmeal, pearl barley, peasemeal, peppers, pimento or allspice, rice split peas, sago, tapioca, tartaric acid, cream of tartar, bi-carbonate of soda, saltpetre, wheatmeal, curry powders and paste, egg powder, jelly, pudding powders, table oils, yeast and custard powders, lime juice cordial, lemon syrup, raspberry syrup, raspberry vinegar, tea, sago, flour, tapioca flour, desiccated cocoanut, honey, cornflour, self-raising flour, flour, hops, condensed milk, condiments, salt, biscuits, infants’ and invalids’ food, tinned meat, tinned fish, dried fish, confectionery, liquorice, macaroni, vermicelli, beer preservatives, butter and food preservatives, butter colouring, malt, dried fruits, crystallised fruits, dates, dog biscuits, extract of meat, finings for beer, wine, and coffee, drink flavourings, gellatine, isinglass, bread and cakes.
16/2/1897	Trademark	Blue Mountain	Cutlery and edge tools
4/6/1897	Trademark	Kumbo	Substances used as food or as ingredients in food
4/6/1897	Trademark	Tamilah	Substances used as food or as ingredients in food
23/11/1897	Trademark	Rhodia	Tea, coffee, coffee and chicory, French coffee, chicory, cocoa, dandelion coffee, dandelion cocoa, arrowroot, carraways, cassia, cinnamon, cloves, chillies, coriander, ginger, groats, ground rice, icing sugar, mace, mixed spice, meal (a mixture of oatmeal and wheatenmeal), meal (digestive), maizemeal, mustard, nutmegs (whole), nutmegs (ground), oats (cooked, rolled), oatmeal, pearl barley, peasemeal, peppers, pimento or allspice^ rice, split peas, sago, tapioca, tartaric acid, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, saltpetre, wheatmeal, curry powders and paste, egg powder, jelly pudding powders, table oils, yeast and custard powders, lime juice cordial, lemon syrup, raspberry syrup, raspberry vinegar, sago flour, tapioca flour, desiccated cocoanut, honey, corn flour, self-raising flour, flour, hops, condensed milk, condiments, salt, biscuits, infants’ and invalids’ food, tinned meat, tinned fish, dried fish, confectionery, liquorice, macaroni, vermicelli, beer preservatives, butter and food preservatives, butter colouring, malt, dried fruits, crystallised fruits, dates, dog biscuits, extract of meat, finings for beer, wine, and coffee, drink flavourings, gelatine, isinglass, bread and cakes.
27/9/1898	Trademark	Quaker	Agricultural and horticultural machinery and parts of such machinery
18/10/1898	Trademark	Extermo	Insect destroying preparation
22/11/1898	Trademark	Karma	Arrowroot, coffee, coffee and chicory, French coffee, chicory, cocoa, dandelion coffee, dandelion cocoa, carraways, cassia, cinnamon, cloves, chillies, coriander, ginger, groats, ground rice, icing sugar, mace, mixed spice, meal (a mixture of oatenmeal and wheatenmeal), meal (digestive), maizemeal, mustard, nutmegs (whole), nutmegs (ground), oats (cooked rolled), oatmeal, pearl barley, peasemeal, peppers, pimento or allspice, rice, split peas, sago, tapioca^ tartaric acid, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, saltpetre, wheatmeal, currie powders and paste, egg powder, “jelly” pudding powders, table oils, yeast and custard powders, lime juice cordial, lemon syrup, raspberry syrup, raspberry vinegar, tea, sago flour, tapioca flour, desiccated cocoanut, honey, cornflour, self raising flour, flour, hops, condensed milk, condiments, salt, biscuits, infants’ and invalids’ food, tinned meat, tinned fish, dried fish, confectionery, liquorice, macaroni, vermicelli, beer preservatives, butter and food preservatives, butter colouring malt, dried fruits, crystallised fruits, dates, dog biscuits extract of meat, finings for beer, wine, and coffee drink flavourings, gelatine, isinglass, bread and cakes
14/3/1899	Patent		Improvements in certain descriptions of oil-lamp burners.
17/10/1899	Trademark	Rem-Sho	Typewriters
10/04/1900	Trademark	Vervos	Patent medicines
22/01/1901	Trademark	Vitos	Manufactured cereal products and cognate substances
29/05/1901	Trademark	Busy Bee	Sewing machines
17/09/1901	Trademark	Countess	Sewing machines
20/05/1902	Trademark	Klenzene	a liquid preparation of ammonia
10/06/1902	Trademark	Coronet	Sewing machines
19/08/1902	Trademark	Bo-Co	Substances used as food or as ingredients in food
9/09/1902	Trademark	White-Pearl	Baking powder
3/02/1903	Trademark	Tamara	Tea and all other substances used as fpod or as ingredients in food
24/02/1903	Trademark	Kandena	Tea and all other substances used as fpod or as ingredients in food
24/02/1903	Trademark	Saratta	Tea and all other substances used as fpod or as ingredients in food

Some of the trademark applications include graphics of the product. The one for “Bo-Co” is weird and quite creepy.

New Lambton Panorama

Ralph Snowball’s 2 panel panorama of New Lambton. University of Newcastle, Living Histories.

The exact date of this panoramic photograph is uncertain. When originally loaded into the University’s Flickr site, the photo was ascribed a date of June 1896. This was clearly wrong, as both the General Roberts Hotel and the Sportsmans’ Arms Hotel can be seen, both of which were built in 1903.

Robert Watson suggests that the photographs may have been in a box “marked as June’06, and the transcriber has misread Snowball’s handwriting as June ’96.” Can we confirm that date or get firm evidence for a date range?

The evidence of the Commonwealth Hall

Commonwealth Hall, in Hobart Road. 1903-1912.

In the photograph, to the right of the Sportsmans’ Arms Hotel we see the Commonwealth Hall. This was erected in 1903 by the licensee of the Sportsmans’ Arms. The hall building was subsequently sold, dismantled and moved to Belmont sometime between July 1912 and December 1913. Thus the date of panorama is unambiguously somewhere in the range 1903 to 1913.

The evidence of the Tauranga trees

In March 1909 New Lambton Council “recommended that a row of trees be planted on the east side of Taurangua road, from the intersection of Lambton road to Hobart-road”, and in June 1909 the Mayor reported that “the tree planting in Taurangua-road had been completed, and the park fence had been repaired.” As there is no sign of these trees in the photograph, it strongly suggests the photo was taken before June 1909.

The evidence of the shelter shed

In October 1903 the parks committee of the New Lambton Council recommended “that the council clerk obtain specification and cost of a shelter shed to be erected in the park, 24 x 12, with moveable front awning (2) that the shed be erected between the 5th and 6th tree guards.” At their meeting on 18 November 1903 the council resolved “that the tender of W. Knight be accepted for the erection of a shed in the park for the sum of £31, including labour and material.” The shed had been constructed and in use by the cricket club by August 1904. Snowball’s photograph shows the shed between the 5th and 6th tree guard, so the photo must date from after November 1903 when the tender for construction was accepted.

The evidence of the park tree guards

In a July 1907 meeting of New Lambton council …

The Mayor reported that the work of erecting tree guards in the park had been commenced. Sufficient timber had been ordered to complete 27 guards, 17 of which would be erected in park No. 1 and 10 in park No. 2.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 25 July 1907.

No. 1 Park is Harker Oval today, and No. 2 Park is Regent Park today. We know from the erection of the shelter shed that some tree guards were at the park in 1903, so the 17 guards for No.1 Park mentioned in the 1907 council meeting are additional guards. Snowball’s panorama photo shows a number of tree guards along Hobart Rd whose whiteness indicates they are fairly new, thus suggesting the panorama dates from not long after July 1907.

Conclusion

Based on the evidence above I conclude that the panorama photo is definitely in the range July 1903 to December 1913, almost certainly in the range December 1903 to June 1909, and probably in the range July 1907 to June 1909.

Horsfield’s Lease

I recently became aware of an 1886 subdivision map of New Lambton, held in the State Library of NSW archives. One of the interesting aspects of this map is that it shows details of lot leases.

1886 New Lambton subdivision map showing leased lots shaded with cross-hatching. State Library of NSW.

This is important because when the colliery opened in New Lambton in 1868, the coal company only leased their land, and did not start selling land until 1886 after their coal operations there had ceased. This is in contrast to the neighbouring Lambton Colliery, who from their very beginning in 1864 sold land in the Lambton township to miners. So unlike Lambton where it is possible to inspect land title records in the Historical Land Records Viewer to determine who lived where, in New Lambton prior to 1886 determining who occupied what land is much more difficult.

Inspecting the 1886 subdivision map gives a snapshot of land occupation in that year, and in particular throws light on this previously undated Ralph Snowball photograph in the Living Histories site, captioned as “Unidentified family, New Lambton”.

Horsfield’s Lease, New Lambton. c. 1885-1890. Photo by Ralph Snowball. University of Newcastle, Living Histories.

Looking at lots 34-39 in Section S and lots 10-14 in Section Z, we see a roughly rectangular area of land marked as Horsfield’s Lease.

Noting three other leases on the map – Lucas’ Lease in Section S, Gould’s Lease in Section R, and the Wesleyan Church in Section J – we see that these align with the buildings we see in Snowball’s photograph.

In the 1886 map the dividing line between the northern and southern lots in Section S is shown as a straight line. This is where the gully/creek runs down the hill between Addison Rd and St James Rd. This is made clearer in a later 1901 subdivision map, where the line of the creek has been added. The Snowball photograph matches the map, as we see a creek running along the northern border of Horsfield’s lease.

1901 subdivision map of New Lambton. National Library of Australia.

Having established that Snowball’s photo is probably of Horsfield’s Lease, a search of Trove provides confirmation in this 1883 advertisement for the sale of William Horsfield’s Leasehold property.

Advertisement for the sale of William Horsfield’s Leasehold property at New Lambton. Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 29 September 1883.

We see in Snowball’s photograph the two houses mentioned in the advertisement – the smaller two room house and the larger 5 room house, and a garden between the houses and shed. If you look really closely you can even see one cow in the fenced paddock.

The 1883 advertisement is for 6 acres of land, and notes that it “will be sold in one lot or subdivided.” In the 1886 map the area marked as Horsfield’s measures only 3.5 acres, which suggests that in 1883 only 2.5 acres of leasehold land was sold.

Google Earth view showing the location of Horsfield’ Lease in New Lambton.

Google Earth oblique view showing the location of Horsfield’ Lease in New Lambton.

Approximate location of the Horsfield’s Lease photo, St James Rd, New Lambton, March 2025.

Dating the photograph

In the photo there is no sign of any of the streets in that area having been made yet. In particular the Portland Place road near the Wesleyan Church is not visible. We know that section of road existed in 1896 as New Lambton council voted …

That Portland-place from the New Lambton estate boundary to Cromwell-street be gravelled 21ft wide, at a cost of £25
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 13 January 1896.

As Snowball’s photographic career started in 1885, this places the Horsfield Lease photo in the definite range 1885 to 1896.

After New Lambton council formed in 1889 they quickly set about making and improving roads, and thus needed a good supply of gravel. In 1890 they opened up a quarry near Hincks lease at the top of Addison Rd and arranged for the construction of a tramway to carry the gravel 400 yards down the hill. In Snowball’s Horsfield’s lease photo there is no sign of either a roadway to the quarry or a tramway, indicating that the photo is probably before 1890.

Also, a close examination of the buildings in the photo shows that almost all seem to be located on blocks of land marked as leases on the 1886 map. Land sales in this area only commenced in March 1886, and assuming that people would start building houses on their land soon after purchase, this suggests the photo can’t be too many years after 1886.

In conclusion, my best guess for the date of the photo is within the range 1885 to 1890.

Adamstown Hotel

In 1869 Thomas Adam purchased from the government 54 acres of land south of the road running between New Lambton and Merewether. He soon resold the land to Thomas and Henry Bryant, who in 1870 submitted a plan for a 190-lot subdivision named “Adamstown”, including streets named “Thomas”, “Henry” and “Bryant”.

Matching the usual pattern of emerging mining communities, one of the first blocks of land sold was for a hotel. In June 1874 Edward Reay purchased the north-west corner of Union Street (Brunker Road today) and Victoria Street. In September 1874, 150 years ago this month, Reay obtained a publican’s licence and opened the “Adamstown Hotel”. Just two months later Adamstown’s second hotel opened across the road, and in 1902 the town reached its peak of four hotels, a notably abstemious total compared to neighbouring suburbs.

In 1905 when John Court was the licensee, Tooheys Limited bought the hotel. They demolished the original building and erected in its place a modern brick structure at a cost of £2200. After the hotel re-opened in November 1906, the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate noted that “the design of the hotel is entirely different to the usual run of these buildings, there being no colonnade or balcony over the footpath, but in place of them there are large verandah and balcony arcades in the central part of the main front.” Ralph Snowball photographed the crisp new building one week after its formal re-opening. However, this second incarnation of the hotel did not last long. In 1927 increased motor traffic necessitated widening of the main road. All the properties on the west side of Union Street including the Adamstown Hotel, had eighteen feet shaved off their front, and required major renovations and rebuilding. Two more alterations were to affect the hotel. In 1947 its address ‘changed’ when Union Street was renamed Brunker Road, and then in the 1980s the pub’s name changed to the “Nags Head Hotel”.

Court’s Adamstown Hotel, Adamstown, NSW, 26 November 1906. Photo by Ralph Snowball. University of Newcastle, Living Histories

The Nags Head Hotel in Adamstown marks 150 years of operation in September 2024.

The article above was first published in the September 2024 edition of The Local.

Additional Information

The original building

Lot 5 of Section 15 of DP60, purchased by Edward Reay in June 1874. Vol-Fol 189-153.

Water Board map overlaid into Google Earth, showing location of Adamstown Hotel, and the Royal Hotel. Newcastle University, Living Histories.

The 1906 Building

The new Adamstown Hotel, erected for Toohey’s, Limited, contains 20 large rooms, bar, parlours, dining, billiard, lodge, and bed rooms, cellar, bathrooms, etc., providing every convenience necessary for the working of a modern hotel. The buildings throughout are of brick on concrete foundations, and no wood partitions are used in any part. All the public, rooms are on the ground floor, from which a bold and handsome stairs leads to the upper, floor, on which the bedrooms, parlour, lodge, and bath rooms are placed. Separate access is given to each room from corridors or passages. The ceilings and cornices of ground-floor rooms are of stamped steel from the Wunderlich Co. The design of the hotel is entirely different to the usual run of these buildings, there being no colonnade or balcony over the footpath, but in place of them there are large verandah and balcony arcades in the central part of the main front to Victoria-street. The building, being on a corner block, at the intersection of Union-street and Victoria-street, has two fronts. the design for which has been well thought out architecturally, and it has, with its bands, tuck-pointed front, bold block cornices, pediments, finials, and central arcade treatment an imposing effect. Mr. Thomas W. Silk, of Bolton-street, Newcastle, was the architect, and Mr. B. G. Pearce, of Hamilton, the builder.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 1 December 1906.

Advertisement for newly re-opened Adamstown Hotel. Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 1 December 1906.

The Nags Head Hotel

I have not been able to find concrete evidence of exactly when the hotel’s name changed to The Nags Head. It was still called the Adamstown Hotel in 1977. Page 8 of Ed Tonks’ book “No Bar To Time” says that “reportedly the name change to Nags Head occurred during 1989.”

Licensees of the Adamstown Hotel

Edward Reay – 1874 to 1884
James Taafe/Taffe/Taffee (1885 to July 1889)
John Reay/Rae (July 1889 to Oct 1890)
Richard Simmons/Simmonds (August 1891 to August 1894)
Edward Reay (August 1894 to February 1898)
- The August 1894 article states that the transfer was to John Reay, but that is probably an error. John Reay was in Africa from 1893, and the 1895 gazette shows the licensee to be Edward Reay.
Septimus Turnbull (February 1898 to February 1903)
John Court (February 1903 to April 1907)
John Probert (April 1907 To March 1912)
James Edward Connor/O’Connor (March 1912 To July 1914)
Robert Everson/Emerson (July 1914 to approx. Feb 1923)
William John Mills (approx. Feb 1923 to April 1923)
Robert Everson (April 1923 to April 1925)
Edward Fitzlan/Fitzallen (April 1925 to May 1925)
John Albert Dalton (May 1925 To January 1928)
R H Everson (January 1928 to March 1938)
Edward Mark Bird (March 1938 to Jul 1949)
Henry Bonomini (1950 to at least 1955)

Newspaper articles

Article Date Event Date	Notes
12 Sep 1874	"At the police court, Newcastle, on Wednesday, a publican's license was granted to Mr. Edward Reay, on the application of Mr. C.W. Rendett, solicitor, for an hotel he is about starting at Adamstown."
5 May 1906	"The Adamstown Hotel, erected over 33 years ago by Mr. Edward Reay, and purchased recently by Toohey and Co., is being demolished to make room for a modern and up-to-date building. The hotel was the first erected in the locality."
11 Sep 1906	"The new hotel, erected by Toohey and Co., on the site of the old Adamstown Hotel, is drawing near completion. The building is of a substantial character and design, and is a striking contrast compared with the buildings in Union street. The new hotel will be completed early next month, and the cost exceeds £2000. The structure contains 22 rooms."
22 Nov 1906 19 Nov 1906	"A free smoke concert to commemorate the completion and opening of the Adamstown Hotel took place in the new building on Monday last. Mr. John Sheedy presided over a fair attendance, and several toasts and complimentary speeches followed. The hotel was erected by Toohey, Limited, at a cost of £2200, and is of an attractive appearance."
1 Dec 1906	"The new Adamstown Hotel, erected for Toohey's, Limited, contains 20 large rooms, bar, parlours, dining, billiard, lodge, and bed rooms, cellar, bathrooms, etc., providing every convenience necessary for the working of a modern hotel."
16 Jan 1919 14 Jan 1919	"Mr. Edward Reay, one of the first to settle in Adamstown, died at the residence of his grandson, Mr. J. Court, in Sydney, on Tuesday. His funeral took place yesterday. Mr. Reay built the Adamstown Hotel, the first in the locality, about 45 years ago. He was 78 years of age."
2 Feb 1927	"John Albert Dalton was given permission to make material alterations to the Adamstown Hotel, Adamstown. Mr. J. Griffiths appeared for the applicant. The police reported that, due to the Main Roads Board wanting to widen the street, the hotel, among other buildings, would have to be moved back. This would mean that practically a new building would be erected, which would greatly improve the locality. Twelve months was allowed in which to complete the building."
14 Mar 1927	"TENDERS Invited, closing Noon, MONDAY, 28th MARCH, for erection and completion of the Adamstown Hotel, Adamstown, for Tooheys, Limited."
14 Nov 1947	Union St renamed to Brunker Rd.
7 Aug 1953	"Proposed alterations to the Adamstown Hotel, Adamstown, estimated to cost £3000, were approved. Mr. A. Nathan, supporting the application, said the alterations would include a portion of the building previously excluded from the premises. The work is to be completed within nine months."

Centre Pit Tragedy

At 4.15pm on Tuesday 8 November 1878, tragedy was unfolding beneath the earth. At the bottom of the 60-metre-deep Centre Pit shaft of Lambton Colliery, three men were struggling to breathe and desperately fighting for their lives.

In an age prior to electric fans, ventilation was achieved by burning a fire at the bottom of a shaft so that the rising heat would draw stale air out, and draw fresh air in. However, the Centre Pit shaft, located in present day Blackbutt Reserve, was proving troublesome that Tuesday.

After several unsuccessful attempts to get the furnace to ‘draw’, workmen called in 25-year-old acting mine manager Thomas Seymour. At 4pm, Seymour and miner Robert Brown descended the shaft via rope and bucket. A few minutes later engineer William Short also descended only to find the other men in dire circumstances. Brown was unconscious and Seymour nearly so. Short struggled to get them into the bucket to lift them to safety, but with poisonous air rapidly sapping his own strength he had no choice but to return to the surface alone. In desperation, six other miners descended the shaft but were only able to retrieve the lifeless bodies of Seymour and Brown. Lambton colliery management later presented these six with awards recognising their courageous efforts.

An inquest commencing the day after the accident returned a verdict of death “by being suffocated by the foul air due to the want of a proper system of ventilation.” Unfortunately, as was standard in that era, the inquest did not attribute any blame or recommend any remedial actions. The fatalities were just accepted as a natural consequence of a dangerous industry. The Jim Comerford Commemorative Wall at Aberdare, with the engraved names of 1793 miners killed in the Northern Coalfields, shows that fatalities peaked in the 1940s. Thankfully the numbers have steadily declined since then. The wall records just 20 fatalities in the last quarter century, where previously that many often died every year.

David Hutchinson, one of the six rescuers awarded for courage in the 1878 tragedy, with his family at New Lambton in 1892. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 001 000929

The names of Robert Brown and Thomas Seymour on the Jim Comerford Commemorative Wall at Aberdare.

The article above was first published in the August 2024 edition of The Local.

Additional Information

The shaft of Lambton Colliery where the accident occurred was located in present day Blackbutt Reserve, in the vicinity of the animal exhibits off Carnley Avenue. At the time of the accident in 1878 it was known as “Centre Pit”, but later called “Mosquito Pit”, as evidenced from testimony in a court trial in 1887.

“An under level ‘drive’ was driven from the bottom of the shaft to the centre (or Mosquito) pit, running a small ‘drive’ or slope into it, so that the water flowed down.”
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 5 May 1887.

For more information on Mosquito/Centre Pit and the tragedy of 1878, refer to my Mosquito Pit page.

Jim Comerford Commemorative Wall

The Jim Comerford Commemorative Wall, with the names of miners killed in the northern coalfields, is located at the rear of the Mining and Energy Union building at 67A Aberdare Rd, Aberdare.

Comerford Commemorative Wall – Years 1816 to 1877

Comerford Commemorative Wall – Years 1877 to 1891

Comerford Commemorative Wall – Years 1891 to 1903

Comerford Commemorative Wall – Years 1903 to 1912

Comerford Commemorative Wall – Years 1912 to 1922

Comerford Commemorative Wall – Years 1922 to 1931

Comerford Commemorative Wall – Years 1931 to 1940

Comerford Commemorative Wall – Years 1940 to 1948

Comerford Commemorative Wall – Years 1948 to 1958

Comerford Commemorative Wall – Years 1958 to 1974

Comerford Commemorative Wall – Years 1974 to 2004

Comerford Commemorative Wall – Years 2008 to 2021

David Hutchinson

David Hutchinson, one of the trustees of the New Lambton Lay Methodist Church property in Rugby Road. Vol-Fol 1075-124.

Mrs. Elizabeth Hutchinson, wife of Mr. David Hutchinson, a well-known and respected resident of New Lambton, died at her residence, Westcourt-road, on Tuesday evening, after a long and painful illness. The deceased was in her 70th year, and was born in Chorley, Lancashire. With her husband she arrived in the State in the year 1870. Soon after arrival they settled down at what was then known as The Huts, now New Lambton, and for the past 36 years their residence in the locality has been continuous. When in good health the late Mrs. Hutchinson was an earnest member of the Lay Methodist Connexion, and her remains will be taken to the church this afternoon, where a short service will be held. The funeral afterwards will proceed to the Sandgate Cemetery per train.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 25 January 1907.

Mr. David Hutchinson, an old resident of New Lambton, died at his residence, Westcourt-road, at an early hour yesterday morning. The deceased was in his 70th year, and for the past ten years had suffered from paralysis, and for a long time was bedridden. He was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England. He came to New South Wales in the year 1870, and for the past 40 years he lived continuously in New Lambton. He worked as a miner while in health in the Lambton Colliery, and was one of the rescue party that went down the shaft at the time that Messrs. Seymour and Brown were suffocated at the Lambton Company’s Centre Pit. He was a prominent member of the Lay Methodist connexion. His wife predeceased him some five years ago, and his only family relations are two grandsons and two great grandchildren. The funeral will take place this afternoon.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 16 November 1911.

Newspaper articles

Article Date Event Date	Notes
30 Jul 1890	Commonage land court hearings - David Hutchinson granted portion 1186 for £20.
19 Jul 1900	Report on a celebration tea for the Lay Methodist Church in New Lambton. David Hutchinson is listed as one of the ten original trustees of the debt associated with the building of the church. "Especial thanks are due to Mr. David Hutchinson, who deposited deeds of his property with the A.J.S. Bank, Wickham, when first commencing building. He is now in great trouble, his daughter Maggie being dangerously ill, having been bedfast and in the care of Dr. Stapleton for a number of years, and is now in Dr. Andrew Nash's charge."
25 Jan 1907 22 Jan 1907	"Mrs. Elizabeth Hutchinson, wife of Mr. David Hutchinson, a well-known and respected resident of New Lambton, died at her residence, Westcourt-road, on Tuesday evening, after a long and painful illness."
16 Nov 1911 15 Nov 1911	"Mr. David Hutchinson, an old resident of New Lambton, died at his residence, Westcourt-road, at an early hour yesterday morning."

Army Encampment, 1897

Prior to Federation in 1901, each Australian state was responsible for its own military defence. In NSW, volunteer forces were formed and trained in various localities, and they held annual encampments where multiple units gathered for extended training and drills.

In 1897 a camp was held in the flat area of Hamilton South known as Blackburn’s Oval. This was located near the Merewether Hotel (now the Mary Ellen) operated by Edward Blackburn. Over 60 tents were erected to accommodate 550 men, comprising the 4th Infantry Regiment from Newcastle, a field artillery unit from Sydney, and the mounted No. 3 Lancers Squadron from Singleton and Maitland. The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate reported that “the four days’ military encampment commenced on Friday night under most unfavourable weather auspices, a strong southerly gale, with pouring rain, rendering the condition of the men under canvas far from pleasant.”

Each day was filled with drills and parades, with the main exercise held on Monday. Woken at 3:30am, the troops formed up on the parade ground and were told of an ‘enemy’ force having landed at Belmont and heading to Newcastle. The infantry, cavalry and artillery proceeded to Charlestown and engaged in a 90-minute mock battle that repulsed the ‘invaders’ in time for breakfast at 8.30am.

Returning to camp and a few hours rest, the soldiers held another exercise in the afternoon. Upwards of 7000 spectators crowded onto the Glebe Hill and the spoil heap of the old Hamilton colliery to watch “the troops rushing to and fro, the cavalry galloping around, with the air thick with smoke as the big guns reverberated.”

The camp ended on Tuesday with general satisfaction at its success, apart from the departing troops’ complaints of “insufficient and commonplace” food rations. Newcastle continued to host annual military encampments in the vicinity, with the last held in September 1914. Blackburn’s Oval was used for sport up until 1923, after which the area was developed for housing.

Army Camp Blackburn Oval, Hamilton South, NSW, 23 May 1897. Photo by Ralph Snowball. University of Newcastle, Living Histories.

Pacific Highway, Hamilton South. Motorists now drive where the military once drilled.

The article above was first published in the May 2024 edition of The Local.

Additional Photos

Newcastle Libraries Collections Online has a number of photos of army encampments held in the inner city area. The photograph below is undated in their collection, but it is almost certainly the encampment of 1897.

Army camp (Blackburns Oval), May 1897. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 001 000171

The collection has one photograph of an earlier encampment held in 1895 …

Military camp at Newcastle, 8 November 1895. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 001 001463

… and multiple photographs of the encampment held on the old racecourse in April 1903.

Army encampment at Old Racecourse, Newcastle, 13 April 1903. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 001 001618

Army encampment at Old Racecourse, Newcastle, 13 April 1903. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 001 001620

Troops at Old Racecourse, Newcastle, 14 April 1903. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 001 001619

Troops at Old Racecourse, Newcastle, 14 April 1903. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 0001 001621.

Lancers at Old Racecourse, Newcastle, 14 April 1903. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 001 001616

Portion of Parrott’s 1893 map of Newcastle, annotated with the position of the 1897 encampment on Blackburns Oval adjacent to the Hamilton Pit, and the 1903 encampment on the old racecourse. National Library of Australia.

Blackburns Oval/Ground

The Lost Football Ground Newcastle website has a good summary of Blackburn’s Oval/Ground. Edward Blackburn became the licensee of the Merewether Hotel in August 1893, and continued until September 1907 when his licence was cancelled after receiving three convictions in three years. The first mention I can find in Trove to Blackburn’s Oval/Ground is 4 Apr 1900, and the last mention on 10 September 1923.

Overlaying old Water Board maps into Google Earth, we can see that the Hamilton Pit slack (spoils) heap from which Snowball’s photo was taken, was located in the vicinity of where Thomas St is today. Thus the army encampment was in the area where the Pacific Highway passes through today.

Note that reports of the army encampment of 1897 variously describe it as being in Hamilton or Merewether. Edward Blackburn’s hotel was located on Glebe Rd on the northern edge of the Merewether municipality. Thus across the road, the sporting ground known as Blackburn’s Oval was located in the Hamilton municipality.

Craigies map with the municipal districts of Newcastle (red borders) that shows Blackburn’s hotel (blue star) was in Merewether, while Blackburn’s Oval across the road (red star) was in Hamilton. National Library of Australia.

Appendix – Date of the Snowball photograph

The Ralph Snowball photograph of the army encampment from the Living Histories site used in this article, originally had a date of 23 May 1899. After researching for this the article I am certain that the correct date is 23 May 1897, for the following reasons.

Searching Trove for information about army encampments in May 1899 reveals no results.
Searching Trove for information about army encampments in May 1897 reveals lots of articles, with details that align with the photograph – its location next to the spoil heap of the Hamilton Pit, the number of tents, the presence of infantry and cavalry.
The listing for Box 137 of Snowball’s glass plates that commences on 22 May 1897, shows four photographs taken of “Encampment, Merewether”.

Ralph Snowball Box 137 listing. University of Newcastle, Living Histories.

I have subsequently corrected the date in the Living Histories site.

Newspaper articles

Article Date Event Date	Notes
28 Apr 1894 26 Apr 1894	"On Thursday 38 men were inspected by Warrant-officer Thompson and passed into the ranks of the Singleton Half-Squadron of Lancers, which is now, therefore, duly formed."
4 May 1897	"A communication was read from the officer commanding the 4th Infantry Regiment, asking in the event of an encampment for between 500 and 600 men being held at Merewether, on the 22nd to the 25th instant, if arrangements could be made for supplying water at a spot indicated on a plan which accompanied the letter. Under the circumstances it was decided to grant a free supply of water, and also lend a meter to check the consumption; but all the required pipes and connections would have to be supplied by the military authorities, and the work carried out at their expense by a licensed plumber."
11 May 1897	"The military encampment to be held in Newcastle this month is being looked forward to with considerable interest."
18 May 1897	"Captain Hilliard, the military staff officer for Newcastle, having completed the surveying in connection with the encampment for the No. 3 Squadron New South Wales Lancers and the 4th Infantry Regiment, to be held at Merewether on 22nd, 24th, and 26th inst., Captain Luscombe yesterday had a fatigue party at work putting up the tents. It is expected that the whole of the arrangements will be completed by to-morrow evening."
19 May 1897	"In view of the contemplated encampment of the volunteer forces of the northern district, to be held during this and part of next week, the scene of operations, adjoining the A.A. Co.'s Hamilton pit, has undergone a complete transformation. Upwards of 60 tents have been erected, giving the place a very picturesque appearance."
22 May 1897 21 May 1897	"The officers and troops from Morpeth West Maitland, and East Maitland who are to take part in the military encampment arrived at Honeysuckle Point station by special train at 8.37 last evening, and marched off at once to Merewether to camp under canvas for the night, with the elements anything but favourable to camping out."
22 May 1897 21 May 1897	"The military encampment at Merewether commenced last night, and despite the unpropitious state of the weather it was expected that 550 men of all ranks would be under canvas. These consist of the A B D E and H Companies, who will be reinforced by two guns from A Battery Field Artillery, who will arrive here by special train today from Sydney. The Maitland and Singleton Lancers will arrive by train to-day to take part in the proceedings."
24 May 1897	"The four days' military encampment at Merewether commenced on Friday night under most unfavourable weather auspices, a strong southerly gale, with pouring rain, rendering the condition of the men under canvas far from pleasant."
24 May 1897	"The military encampment at Merewether attracted a large number of visitors yesterday. The particularly fine specimens of horseflesh to be seen in the Lancers' lines excited considerable admiration among the visitors.” At Fort Scratchley and Shepherd's Hill "there will be shot practice by the No. 6 Company at a target to be moored at sea. Residents in the neighbourhood are reminded to open their windows, to avoid them being broken by the force of the concussion."
25 May 1897 24 May 1897	Detailed description of the sham fight and mock battles undertaken by the encamped soldiers.
25 May 1897 24 May 1897	"Those who considered that a military encampment would have no attraction for the general public must, after yesterday's experience, admit that they are very bad judges of the public taste. From an early hour in the morning, crowds began to gather at the Merewether camp, comprising men, women, and children of all ages and sizes, and, as the day wore on the numbers increased rapidly. After 2 o'clock, when the grand attack was commenced in the direction, of Hamilton, the Glebe Hill and the slack heap of the old Hamilton pit were literally black with people. There could not have been less than 7000 spectators, and though few, if any, really knew what was going on to cause the troops to be rushing to and fro and the cavalry to be galloping around the outskirts of the attack formations." "The air at one time was thick with smoke, and still the reports of the big guns reverberated."
26 May 1897 25 May 1897	"The encampment at Merewether was broken up yesterday afternoon, the whole of the troops, headed by the 4th Regiment Band, marching out shortly after half-past 4 o'clock, fairly tired out after their few days' continuous training."< /br> "There would, however, need to be better commissariat arrangements. The rations allowed to the men during this camp have been insufficient … The meals, though wholesome, were of a common-place description, and those who required drinks - other than tea and water - had to pay for them. On the whole the camp was run with more than a due regard to economy, and it would not be out of place if an effort were made before next year to stretch the Government purse strings in this matter."
26 May 1897	"The troops who have just come out of the encampment hope that arrangements will be made by which they shall get more liberal rations when they next go under canvas."
27 May 1897 26 May 1897	"All the paraphernalia used in connection with the late encampment was brought into the city yesterday and stored in the drill hall of the military buildings in Hunter street."
4 Sep 1914	Last reported army encampment in the inner Newcastle suburbs.
4 Nov 1915	"An immediate, and strong protest should be made against the determination of the military authorities to abolish the Newcastle encampment, and to centre the large number of recruits from Newcastle and the northern district in Sydney."

New Lambton Quarry Tramways

“There are at present no streets that can lay any claim to the name – they are simply cart tracks and foot tracks and when one of these becomes too bad to travel on owners of vehicles simply go and pick out another.”
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 29 March 1886.

Such was the state of roads in New Lambton in 1886 some 18 years after the town began. The need to improve the streets was a major impetus for formation of New Lambton council and was extensively discussed in their very first general meeting in March 1889. To turn rutted dirt tracks to solid roadways the council needed gravel, and as they owned no land, they sought assistance from the local collieries.

For the roads in the southern half of the town, the New Lambton Land and Coal Company allowed the council to obtain material from their quarry at the top of Addison Road. To transport the gravel down the hill, in 1890 the council constructed a 400-yard tramway down to Evescourt Road.

For the roads in the northern half of town, Thomas Croudace, manager of Lambton colliery and mayor of New Lambton, agreed in 1891 for the council to use the company’s quarry in the pit paddock hillside. As before, a tramway was constructed to get material down to the streets. Unsurprisingly, the combination of skips, rails, and a steep incline proved irresistible to local lads. In October 1891 a 13-year-old boy was severely injured when the skip he was riding down the hill left the rails.

After the initial construction of roads, the council does not appear to have used the Lambton colliery quarry again. The company sold the land to developers in 1956 and the location of the former quarry is now hidden by housing. In Addison Road the council purchased the quarry in 1896 and continued using it until the 1920s. The land is vacant today, but still has a few reminders of its past use lying amongst the undergrowth.

A 1906 view over New Lambton, with the Lambton colliery quarry in the hillside above. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle University, Living Histories.

The Lambton colliery quarry is now obscured by housing.

At the top of Addison Road a drill hole in a fallen rock is a reminder of the site’s past use as a quarry..

Portion of Barrett’s 1910 map showing the Lambton colliery quarry, and the New Lambton Council quarry at the top of Addison Road. Newcastle University, Living Histories.

The article above was first published in the December 2023 edition of The Local.

Additional Information

New Lambton colliery began operations in June 1868 and a township soon formed around it. The following year The Newcastle Chronicle reported on the progress of the town, including the state of the roads …

As yet no streets have been formed, and, with the exception of a kind of a main road, leading through the mostly inhabited part of the township, there is no other thoroughfare, and from the multiplicity of the stumps that are still visible, even in close proximity to the houses, perambulating the village in a dark night must be a difficult undertaking. It would be most advisable for the residents to take early steps for making one or two tolerably passable streets, for the lack of this convenience in any township is a serious drawback.
The Newcastle Chronicle, 16 September 1869.

Despite this advice for better roads, seven years later the roads were still in need of much attention.

Bad roads are now the order of the day, and between Old and New Lambton they are in a very bad and almost impassable state, owing chiefly to the recent heavy rain.
The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, 5 August 1876

Twelve years on, the lack of decent roads was a leading inspiration for the residents of New Lambton to press for the creation of a municipal council.

It is rumoured that an effort is to be made to have this town incorporated and proclaimed a municipality. There are at present no roads or streets other than the main road to Newcastle that can lay any claim to the name. They are simply cart tracks and foot tracks and when one of these becomes too bad to travel on owners of vehicles simply go and pick out another, which for a time suits them, and so on. If the place was incorporated, this state of things would soon become a thing of the past, because regular streets would be laid out, made, and maintained, and every traveller and resident would enjoy the benefit – a benefit which would far more than recoup the few shillings per year the inhabitants would pay in rates.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 29 March 1886.

Addison Road Quarry

Within a year of the council being formed in 1889, the Improvement Committee was seeking permission from Alexander Brown (managing director of the New Lambton colliery) to use their quarry for road making materials. At the council meeting of 12 March 1890 the committee recommended …

That a deputation wait upon Mr. A. Brown to see what terms he would allow the council to open out quarries upon lots 36 and 37, near Mr. Hincks’ house; also to see upon what terms he would allow the council the use of 400yds of rails and sleepers. 2. That a tramway be laid from the proposed quarries down to near Mr. Hilton’s place, a distance of about 400yds; also that a tip and shoot be erected.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 14 March 1890.

Lots 36 and 37, Section R, DP1949 – the location of the quarry referred to in the 12 March 1890 meeting of New Lambton council. SIX maps.

The 12 March 1890 meeting of New Lambton council refers to the quarry being “near Mr Hincks” house. Land title Vol-Fol 1468-110 shows that Richard Hincks’ property was at the top of Addison Rd, opposite the quarry. Sometimes the newspapers referred to the quarry as “Hincks quarry”, simply because it was near his house.

Property of Richard Hincks. Vol-Fol 1468-110.

The improvement committee’s report recommended that a tramway be laid “down to near Mr. Hilton’s place, a distance of about 400yds”. Land title Vol-Fol 992-68 shows that Matthew Hilton owned lots 22 and 23 near the bottom of Addison Rd.

Matthew Hilton’s property, Addison Rd, New Lambton. Vol-Fol 992-68.

We have no information on the exact route of the tramway, but a straight line of 400 yards in length (shown in yellow below) matches the distance between the quarry and Hilton’s property.

The quarry (left) and Hilton’s property (right), with the distance between them being approximately 400 yards.

The council’s request to use the colliery’s quarry proved successful. The council meeting of 26 March 1890 reported …

From the Mayor and Alderman Gray, who had interviewed Mr. A. Brown, when that gentleman offered to allow the council to work the gravel quarry on lots 36 and 37 on the New Lambton estate at the rate of 4d per yard, and the use of rails and sleepers for a tramway free of charge
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 28 March 1890.

The council then called for tenders to construct the tramway.

Four tenders were received, resulting in the tender of Hinton & Co., being accepted for the sum of £23 18s 6d. The tender of Hinton and Co. was also accepted for the construction of a tramway hopper, for the sum of £79 18s.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 16 May 1890.

Hinton completed the tramway, but being more work than he anticipated he asked the council for extra payment. The curt response was that …

… the contractors to be informed of the previous decision of the council to the effect that they cannot feel justified in paying extras, as the work for which extras are claimed was provided for in the specifications.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 16 August 1890.

In February 1896 the council resolved to “negotiate with the New Lambton Company for the purchase of lots 36 and 37, section S, near Hinck’s, for a quarry” and also “to place the tramline in order.” The Company agree to sell the the two lots for £15 each, but after a further inspection of the site the Mayor reported that …

… he was of opinion that the council would act wisely in purchasing four allotments from the New Lambton Co., as it was clear the gravel extended with a much larger face in the two allotments through from the present quarry. Alderman Williams moved, “That £50 be offered to the company for the four lots.”
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 21 February 1896.

The sale of 4 lots of land totalling 1.2 acres was completed in September 1896.

Sale of land from “The New Lambton Land and Coal Company” to “The Borough of New Lambton”, September 1896. Vol-Fol 1203-130.

In October 1896, the newspaper reported that

A boy named Benjamin Taite met with a painful accident yesterday morning. He was walking along the rails of the Quarry line, and somehow or other slipped and fell on his arm, breaking both bones near the wrist.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 26 October 1896.

It is not absolutely certain which “Quarry line” is referred to, but I strongly suspect that it is the Addison Road quarry line, as this is the quarry recently purchased by the council and which they had expressed their intention earlier in the year “to place the tramline in order.”

There are various references to the quarry in the ensuing years. At a 1924 council meeting, correspondence was received from “S.A. Mining Company, granting permission to council to remove gravel from Hincks’ quarry.” At first glance, this appears a little odd, as the council owned Hincks’ quarry, so why would they need permission from the Scottish Australian Mining Company? This can be explained by viewing the extent of the quarry in a 1944 aerial photograph, and overlaying land boundaries, and noting that the quarry extended into Scottish Australian Mining Company land holdings. Presumably this extension westwards was because that was where good gravel could be obtained.

A 1944 aerial photograph overlaid with council’s 1896 purchase of land for a quarry (white) and the extension purchased in 1925 (purple), which shows that the quarry also extended westwards into the land holding of the Scottish Australian Mining Company.

In October 1924 New Lambton Council …

… on the recommendation of the Mayor, decided to increase its quarry property. The council will acquire two blocks of land at a cost of £25 each. This land adjoins Hinks’s quarry, and includes another block. The land contains gravel for street construction and repairs.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 9 October 1924.

This land purchase (lots 3 and 25 of Section S of DP1949) was completed in April 1925. Vol-Fol 3735-122.) There is a brief mention of Hincks’ Quarry in 1926.

The steam lorry had been engaged for the fortnight in street patching with gravel from Fern Quarry. The motor lorry arrived on July 8, and was being used in carting gravel from Hincks’ quarry, and was doing good work.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 15 July 1926.

After this date there are no more mentions of this quarry being actively used, presumably because the council was now sourcing its gravel requirements from the larger Fern Quarry (located on Peatties Road Kotara) that they purchased in August 1926. (Vol-Fol 3808-23)

Lambton Colliery Quarry

A note on street names: The Lambton colliery quarry was used for the construction of streets in the northern part of New Lambton, on the Commonage. Due to a mix up many of these streets were given one name by the council, and a different name by the Lands Department in Sydney. Eventually the council had to give way to the Lands Department names. Hence a number of street names mentioned below in council reports are now known by a different name. See the article “Sadly Bungled Street Names” for further details.

In June 1890, Thomas Croudace, alderman on the New Lambton council and also manager of the Lambton Colliery …

… offered on behalf of the company, to allow the council to quarry chatrock on the Lambton Company’s estate at a price to be fixed at a future date.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 7 June 1890.

Chatrock is gravel smaller than pea gravel, but larger than sand. In April 1891 the council made formal moves to request use of the Lambton colliery quarry.

Alderman THOMAS moved, that a deputation, consisting of Aldermen Capewell, Lonsdale, and Hitchcock, wait upon Mr. Croudace, and ask his permission to use the colliery quarry for Dent and Gibson streets contracts.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 24 April 1891.

The Mayor (Thomas Croudace) intimated that he would do his utmost as regards letting the council have gravel to make Dent and Gibson-streets.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 8 May 1891.

The request was granted and the council then called for tenders for the extracting gravel from the quarry. In July 1891 the contractors, Messrs Friel and Curran, wrote to the council …

… stating that the gravel in the colliery quarry was much heavier than in Russell-street, and asking for consideration; the means of conveying it would also be inconvenient and costly.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 3 July 1891.

Although no formal resolution of the council regarding the transportation of gravel is recorded in newspaper reports, the council decided that a tramway down the hill was required, and sought the co-operation of the Lambton Colliery in its construction. In October 1891 the council resolved …

… That Aldermen Lonsdale and Capewell wait upon Mr. F. Croudace in regard to the speedy completion of the quarry tramway … The MAYOR and Alderman DEAN reported that Mr. F. Croudace had promised to provide rails and sleepers for the tramway in Dent-street.”
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 23 October 1891.

With a lack of worksite security combined with the lure of adventures, soon afterwards the paper reported that

ON Tuesday evening a serious accident happened to a boy, aged 13 year, son of Mr. Simeon Davies, New Lambton. It appears the boy, with a companion, was riding on some full skips, which were being brought down a steep incline from the quarry in the Lambton Colliery paddock. The skips left the rails and threw the boys off, injuring the boy Davies severely. He was at once conveyed home and medical assistance procured, when it was found that his arm had suffered a compound fracture, and his leg was fractured above the ankle. It is feared the injuries to the arm will necessitate amputation. The boy at present is in a critical condition.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 29 October 1891.

It is unclear when the council ceased using the Lambton colliery quarry as a source of gravel. The last mention in the newspapers is in June 1892 where the Mayor is permitted to engage men “in quarrying gravel in Russell-street, also in the colliery quarry.” Presumably after the council purchased the Addison Road quarry in 1896, there would have been little need to use the Lambton colliery quarry.

Portion of Parrott’s 1893 map, that shows the Lambton colliery quarry, the tramway leading down to Wickham Road, with the words “Tram” and “Quarry” colourised for emphasis. National Library of Australia.

Close up view from 1906 of the Lambton colliery quarry and the path of the former tramway down to the streets of New Lambton. Newcastle University, Living Histories.

In a 1938 aerial photograph the path of the quarry tramway can be clearly seen leading from the former quarry near the intersection of Croudace St and Russell Rd, down to Wickham Rd. Newcastle University, Living Histories.

The land on which the quarry was located was sold by the Scottish Australian Mining Company in July 1956 (Vol-Fol 7114-143) and by the mid 1960s suburban development of the area was well underway.

Aerial photography from 1966 shows ongoing suburban development in the former Lambton colliery pit paddock and quarry area. NSW Historical Imagery.

Other New Lambton quarries

The reports of the meetings of New Lambton council mention numerous other local quarries in the period 1899 to 1938. Some of these are named by location. Some are named after a person, although it is often not clear whether the person is the owner of the quarry, the main worker in the quarry, or just someone who lived nearby as was the case with Hincks’ quarry.

Newspaper articles

Article Date Event Date	Notes
16 Sep 1869	Report on the first year of New Lambton's development, including the state of the roads.
5 Aug 1876	Bad roads between Lambton and New Lambton.
29 Mar 1886	Report on the state of New Lambton, and the desire for a municipal council to improve the roads.
14 Mar 1890 12 Mar 1890	Council requests use of the New Lambton colliery quarry, and the erection of a tramway down the hill.
28 Mar 1890 12 Mar 1890	Council's request to use the New Lambton colliery quarry granted by A. Brown.
11 Apr 1890 9 Apr 1890	New Lambton Council decides that "tenders be invited for the formation and laying of about 400 yards of a tramway."
16 May 1890 14 May 1890	New Lambton Council - tender for construction of quarry tramway and hopper awarded to Hinton and Co.
7 Jun 1890 4 Jun 1890	"Alderman CROUDACE offered, on behalf of the company, to supply the ashes and to allow the council to quarry chatrock on the Lambton Company's estate at per yard; the price to be fixed at a future date."
16 Aug 1890 14 Aug 1890	“From Messrs. Hinton and Co., contractors for the quarry tramway and hopper, asking for extras”
4 Jul 1890 2 Sep 1890	"the matter of obtaining eight skips for the tramway connected with the quarry be left in the hands of the supervising committee and Alderman Thomas"
24 Apr 1891 22 Apr 1891	"The foreman reported verbally that the Mayor had promised to allow the council to obtain gravel from the colliery quarry. Alderman THOMAS moved, that a deputation, consisting of Aldermen Capewell, Lonsdale, and Hitchcock, wait upon Mr. Croudace, and ask his permission to use the colliery quarry for Dent and Gibson streets contracts."
8 May 1891 6 May 1891	The Mayor (Thomas Croudace) "intimated that he would do his utmost as regards letting the council have gravel to make Dent and Gibson-streets."
5 Jun 1891 3 Jun 1891	New Lambton council resolution that "the matter of calling tenders for quarrying gravel in the Lambton Colliery quarry be left with the Mayor."
3 Jul 1891 1 Jul 1891	"From Messrs. Friel and Curran, stating that the gravel in the colliery quarry was much heavier than in Russell-street, and asking for consideration; the means of conveying it would also be inconvenient and costly."
23 Oct 1891 21 Oct 1891	New Lambton council, seeking co-operation from "Mr. F. Croudace in regard to the speedy completion of the quarry tramway."
29 Oct 1891	A 13 year old boy is injured while riding the skips down the tramline from the Lambton Colliery quarry.
17 Jun 1892 15 Jun 1892	"That 1s 4d per cubic yard be paid to any men the Mayor may engage in quarrying gravel in Russell-street, also in the colliery quarry."
7 Feb 1896 5 Feb 1896	New Lambton council seeks to purchase the Addison Road quarry.
21 Feb 1896 19 Feb 1896	"From Mr. Alexander Brown, managing director of the New Lambton Company, offering lots 36 and 37, section R, for £15 each as a quarry, the council to pay cost of transfer."
19 Mar 1896 17 Mar 1896	Motiona at New Lambton Council "That the managing director of the New Lambton Land and Coal Co. (Mr. A. Brown) be requested to dedicate and align Carrington Parade and Addison-road for the purpose of enabling the council to form and make the roadway to the quarry in a proper manner."
26 Oct 1896 25 Oct 1896	"A boy named Benjamin Taite met with a painful accident yesterday morning. He was walking along the rails of the Quarry line, and somehow or other slipped and fell on his arm, breaking both bones near the wrist."
22 May 1913 21 May 1913	"The recent rains had caused the hill on the Addison-road to slip away, and blocked the road to the gravel quarry."
11 Sep 1924 10 Sep 1924	Correspondence from "S.A. Mining Company, granting permission to council to remove gravel from Hinck's quarry, at the same royalty and conditions applicable to Fern quarry, until such time as the latter quarry was again available."
9 Oct 1924 8 Oct 1924	Decision by New Lambton council to extend the Addision Rd quarry by purchasing two adjoining blocks of land.
15 Jul 1926 14 Jul 1926	"The steam lorry had been engaged for the fortnight in street patching with gravel from Fern Quarry. The motor lorry arrived on July 8, and was being used in carting gravel from Hincks' quarry, and was doing good work."
24 Aug 1950	"A landslide in Addison-road, New Lambton, was not due to mine subsidence, according to an expert's report. An inspection of a nearby disused gravel quarry indicated the underlying strata consisted of about four feet of clay shale sub-soils lying on a bed of hard conglomerates."