Tuesday 31 July 2012

Taphophile Tragics


I was taken by the design of these markers.


Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, Saturday, 9 June 1906 -
We regret to have to record the death of Miss Emily Dare, a lady whose long residence in Parramatta was characterised by many acts of true, unostentatious charity and good works. The end came at her residence, in Taylor Street, on Wednesday. Miss Dare was the daughter of Mr. Alexander Ellison Dare, who, some 50 years back, ran the flour mill at the foot of Smith Street, Parramatta. At that time the family lived in Smith Street in the cottage afterwards occupied by Dr. Phillips. The family were always staunch supporters of St. John's Church. Her brother is Mr. A. H. Dare, flour merchant, Sydney. Her sister was Mrs. John Harris, who predeceased her, and she was an aunt of Mr. F. H. Dare, the manager of the Granville branch of the Commercial Bank. The funeral, the arrangements for which were entrusted to Messrs. William Motcalfe and Co., took place on Thursday morning in the St. John's burial ground, the Ven. Archdeacons Gunther and Langley officiating, and there being a large attendance at the graveside. During the portion of the service held in St. John's Church, the choir sang a favourite hymn, 'Hushed,blessed are -the dead,' and at the close Mr. Alfred Barry played the 'Dead March in Saul.' Many beautiful floral tributes were sent in.


Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, 6 May 1937 -
Mr. Francis Henry Dare, of Elderslie, Harris Park, who died at the age of 74, was the eldest son of Mr. Alexander Dare, and a grandson of Mr. Alexander Ellison Dare, a pioneer of the Parramatta district. He was educated at All Saints' College, Bathurst, and later joined the staff of the London Chartered Bank. He transferred to the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, in whosj service he continued until his retirement nine years ago. For 33 years he was manager of the Granville branch. Mr. Dare is survived by his wife, a son. Mr. H. S. Dare, manager of the Commercial Bank at Bogan Gate, and two daughters. His elder son was killed In the war.

This is an entry in Julie's Taphophile Tragics meme.

Monday 30 July 2012

Pop Up


There's a trend at the moment for "pop up" restaurants - temporary eateries set up in public spaces for a short time. This one is associated with the Master Chef TV show.


Wednesday 25 July 2012

Man's best friend


I'm not very good at street photography, I like the moment but its out of focus.

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Taphophile Tragics


I'm not sure whether this is Samuel Marsden's resting place, I couldn't see his name at all, but it seemed to be in the right location on the map and its certainly the Marsden family tomb.

Reverend Samuel Marsden, 1833, by Richard Read JuniorReverend Samuel Marsden, 1833, by Richard Read Junior
Watercolour


Samuel Marsden (1764–1838) was born at Farsley, Yorkshire, England on June 24, 1764. In 1790 the Elland Society, an evangelical group within the Church of England which sponsored the education for the ministry of promising youths, sent him to Magdalene College, Cambridge. In January 1793 he accepted an appointment as assistant to the Chaplain of New South Wales. Marsden arrived in the colony on March 10, 1794 with his wife and young child.

Marsden became the first rector of St John's Church Parramatta from its opening in 1803 until his death on May 12, 1838. Marsden's religious activities included the establishment of an orphanage and school in Sydney in 1801. He undertook a range of missionary activities amongst the Aborigines and organized the first Christian mission to the Maoris. He traveled across to New Zealand on a number of occasions.

This Yorkshire chaplain was a man of strong personality and deep religious conviction. He was appalled at the vice and immorality displayed by the convicts in the settlement and was determined to establish moral order in the colony. Acting as both a clergyman and civil magistrate he was at times a controversial figure. His reputation for extreme severity as a magistrate earned him the title of the" flogging parson".


Marsden was also involved in many aspects of colonial life including farming. By 1802 he had acquired 201 acres in grants and had purchased an additional 239 acres from other settlers. His holdings gradually increased to 3,631 acres by grant and 1,600 by purchase in 1827. In 1803–05 he made several reports to Governor King and to Sir Joseph Banks on the prospect of sheep breeding and wool growing.

Samuel Marsden was Senior Vice-President of the Agricultural Society which was formed on 5 July 1822. As early as 1811 he sent the colony's first commercial shipment of wool to England and continued to play a prominent role in the development of agriculture in New South Wales.

A lot more information on Samuel Marsden may be found in the Australian Dictionary of Biography.


This is an entry in Julie's Taphophile Tragics meme.

Monday 23 July 2012

Yellow


Royal Exhibition Hotel on Chalmers Street near Central Station.

Friday 20 July 2012

Sky Watch Friday


A beautiful winter's day in Hyde Park.

For more Sky Watch from around the world, drop in to the home of Sky Watch Friday.

Thursday 19 July 2012

MUMSA


These girls are members of MUMSA, the Macquarie University Muslim Students' Association, conducting an awareness and education campaign in Hyde Park one weekend to tell people that Muslims aren't "scary people". No idea why one of them was dressed as a bear.

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Taphophile Tragics


The Sydney Gazette, Saturday, 10 April 1819

WEDNESDAY.-This was a day of serious trial for the murder of William Cosgrove, a settler and district constable upon the Banks of the South Creek,- on the1st of the present month; by the discharge of the contents of a musket loaded with slugs into his body, of which wounds he died the following day. The prisoners were Timothy Buckley, by whom the gun was fired; David Brown, and Timothy Ford, all of whom had been in the Colony but six or seven months, and prisoners in the immediate employ of Government, and who unhappily had not renounced those propensities which sooner or later were to lead them to an unhappy end.

The first witness called was Thomas Cosgrove, brother of the deceased, whose testimony was conclusive of the fact. This witness stated, that his murdered brother was a district constable at the South Creek; and that he having seen, and believing the three prisoners at the bar to be bush-rangers, requested him, the witness, to join in pursuit of the suspected persons all of which was readily complied with, and a pursuit accordingly commenced. This was about one in the afternoon; the deceased went up to the three men (the prisoners at the bar), and found them in conversation with two young men who were brothers of the name of York, one of them a son-in-law of the deceased. The deceased called to the prisoners at the bar, declaring his willingness to point them out throad to the place they were enquiring for, namely the" Five mile Farm ;' but appearing conscious that they were armed bushrangers, he hesitated not to require their giving themselves up to him, he being a district constable. This evidence further proved that the prisoners at the bar were in conversation with the two Yorks for many minutes prior to the pursuit which was proposed and persevered in by all the persons who joined in it by the manly boldness of the district constable, who, although a man in good circumstances, had reconciled the apprehension of danger with his manifest line of duty.

This witness, who seemed in his evidence to enter-ain no sort of feeling that could be construed into a vindictive sentiment, went further on to state, that one of the Yorks, the eldest, had joined in the pursuit; that his murdered brother had repeatedly required the three fugitives to surrender themselves; that Timothy Buckley, who had the musket, turned round repeatedly and levelled at them; that one of the fugitives, Ford, had attempted to wrest the piece from him, but did not succeed ; that the pursuers behaved them-selves with great courage and with the most determined zeal in apprehending these three stout men, one of whom was armed with a gun, and appeared only to await the moment of murder until the difference of celerity in his pursuers should mark the most needful object. Brown, who was the taller and most powerful of the three, turned several times upon Buckley, who had the gun, and told him to keep a good look out on such a man, meaning the man who was closest in pursuit, and this was the deceased; who was armed with a pistol, but did not discharge it until after he had received the contents of the musket into his side, breast, and lungs, the charge consisting of eleven or twelve slugs; his pistol afterwards went off, but hurt nobody. Stricken with death, the poor man then sat down on a bank; was taken home; and lived in anguish until the following day.

This witness declared himself the brother of the deceased; and in the sympathetic feeling of humanity, received from the Judge Advocate the following much to be remembered sentence of condolance. "Witness, you have done your duty to Society ; you have acted well in the performance of that duty, and the world has much to regret that you have paid so dearly for it, in the loss of a brother, and of a good member of Society." Cornelins Ryan sworn.-Witness went last Thursday to the house of the deceased to get some wheat ground at his steel mill ; and prior to any other communication the deceased asked him if he had seen, three men of suspicious appearance, whom he considered to be bushrangers; to which he answered affirmatively, and consented to go with the deceasedwhom he knew to be the constable of the district, in pursuit of the run-aways; that the three men, now the three prisoners at the bar, were enquiring of the two Yorks the right road to the Five mile Farm; andt he deceased- telling them he would show them the right path, they all ran off; on their doing which the deceased ordered them to deliver themselves up to him, as he was the district constable ; that they nevertheless continued to run ; the man (Buckley ) who was armed with the gun, repeatedly turning round, and presenting it at the nearest of his pursuers ; that the deceased was armed with a pistol, which went oft' on the instant after the explosion of the musket, the contents of which lodged in his body. Other witnesses gave evidence to the same effect, proving the murder in the clearest possible manner; and also that the whole three of the prisoners at the bar were actuated by the self-same spirit of hostility, determining on the taking of life rather than surrendering themselves to justice.

The evidence being too clear to admit of a defence, the prisoners when called upon acknowledged being together on the unhappy occasion, Brown and Ford making no further observation than that the gun was in the hands of Buckley, from whom Ford would have wrested it, as appeared by the testimony of Thomas Cosgrove; but no conception could be entertained that his endeavour so to wrest it was well intentioned; and with respect to Brown, every witness had sworn that when the three were running from their pursuers, he said repeatedly to Buckley, " don't fire until there is occasion." He stated upon the contrary that his expression had not been until there is occasion, but that his actual expression had been, "do not fire, for there is no occasion." Every witness had distinctly sworn to the expression with which he had been challenged, "do not fire until there is occasion for it;" and he became of course a principal in the murder.

Timothy Ford, a very young man, apparently not exceeding two or three and twenty years of age, was placed on the right hand of Buckley, who was in the center ; and from every appearance seemed to have reconciled himself to an unavoidable destiny. The hour of trial and the hour of death are so closely connected in the case of murder, that this unhappy creature had death precisely in his view, and as much as animated nature would afford, he might be esteemed the appearance of a moving corpse. The unhappy men upon each side of him defended themselves upon the principle that they could not prevent the firing; but why they, would the voice of reason say, associate with a man whom they could not control, bind, or manage, armed with a loaded gun, and conscious of a punishment resulting to all connected with him for any crime he should himself commit.

The only doubt, His Honor observed, was whether the Court was in the possibility of discerning between the unfortunate men at the bar any difference or distinction of crime. That there was only one musket was an established fact; and that this one musket was the identically presumed defence of all, not mattering (in whose particular hand it was, circumstances had sufficiently shewn. The only point upon which the Court could doubt of an equal criminality was, whether there might not have been in the course of the transaction a forbearance, a kindness which even in the criminal would be looked at by his judges with regard; but here nothing of the kind appeared. The man who fired the gun there could be no doubt respecting; but it was the entire wish of the Court to discover if possible a difference in the degree of guilt between the prisoners. One man endeavoured to wrest the musket out of the hands of the actual murderer; and it is only presumable that if he had got possession of it, he would have committed identically the murder committed by his companion. The man, Brown, had repeatedly desired Buckley, by whom the piece was eventually discharged, not to fire until it was necessary. In the terms until it was necessary there was a tendency to murder.

The investigation had been long and patient; and for what reason? not to pass a verdict for a murder which was clear in its proof, but to consider whether either or both of the accompanying persons were guilty as principals or as merely accessaries, the Court considering that its judgment would be final, and establishing its verdict upon proofs which left no doubt behind them. Men meeting and combining in an illegal pursuit, what mattered it of what cast or colour their pursuit might be, they were all equally liable to every danger that might accrue therefrom; and here were three men, escapers from their Government employ, travelling from place to place with a loaded gun; a gun loaded with eleven or twelve slugs; the whole of which were deposited in the body of a man whose duty it was to apprehend them, and who in the mild performance of his duty was horribly murdered. Brown had said that his words were not "do not fire until there is occasion, but that his expression was, "do not fire, for there is no occasion." In this turn of expression there is a strong difference; but the entire weight of evidence is against him. The Court has been particular upon the point, and every witness has sworn particularly to the expression which brings this prisoner to the crime of murder as its immediate instrument & adviser. You heard the unhappy man who was murdered among you say that he was a district constable; you also heard him require you to give yourselves up to him; you, Brown and Ford, it is melancholy to remark, saw repeatedly the prisoner Buckle turning round and levelling his piece at his pursuers; and at length you heard the explosion; one of you, that is Timothy Ford, having repeatedly told the actual murderer Buckley to keep a strict eye upon his nearest pursuers; having also endeavoured to wrest the gun away from the man who had it, how was it possible to say for what purpose; the whole of his conduct was against the slightest sentiment in favour of him. His Honor the Judge of the Court went to considerable length in the retrospection of an evidence which admitted, not of contradiction; and performed the painful duty of passing sentence of condemnation with that degree of energetic sympathy which has ever distinguished him as a Gentleman of feeling.

The unhappy men were yesterday executed.

This is an entry in Julie's Taphophile Tragics meme.

Sunday 15 July 2012

Friday 13 July 2012

Sky Watch Friday



Catch a train to the pot of gold.


For more Sky Watch from around the world, drop in to the home of Sky Watch Friday.

Thursday 12 July 2012

Wednesday 11 July 2012

NAIDOC Week


NAIDOC Stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. NAIDOC celebrations are held around Australia in July each year to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

"The theme for NAIDOC Week 2012 is Spirit of the Tent Embassy: 40 years on.

"They dared to challenge – this year’s theme celebrates the champions who lived to renew the spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through the establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1972. Forty years ago, the embassy became a powerful symbol of unity. Its founders instilled pride, advanced equality and educated the country on the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. To move forward, we must acknowledge our forbearers, learn from their experiences and ask ourselves… what have their sacrifices meant for me and my family today?"

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Taphophile Tragics


Henry Edward Dodd died on 18 January 1791, approximately one year after the first burial in the cemetery. Dodd was superintendent of convicts employed in cultivation at Rose Hill and his was the first public funeral in the colony. His headstone is the earliest in situ in Australia. It was an indication of the esteem in which Henry Dodd was held that when the colony was facing famine, a headstone was provided. It is simply inscribed H. E. Dodd 1791.




This is an entry in Julie's Taphophile Tragics meme.

Monday 9 July 2012

Kylie


Kylie does piercings in a tattoo parlour in Kings Cross.

Friday 6 July 2012

Bentley


I've seen Bentley around town a few times in the last couple of years but this is the first time I've met him properly (after chasing his owner around the supermarket).

Thursday 5 July 2012

St John's Cemetery - the wall


Unfortunately, no records survive that detail any aspect of the construction of the wall; brickmaker, builder and cost are all unknown. The bricks are, however, the typical apricot colour and similar in texture to other bricks known to have been made in Parramatta. Many of the bricks in the wall have impressed arrowhead marks. John Clew’s bricks, distinguished by his elongated heart frog mark and by their speckled markings due to impurities in the clay, were subsequently used to repair the walls. He had a particular affinity for the cemetery and its wall and, when dying, requested he be buried “as close to his beloved brick wall as possible”. His grave is alongside the northern boundary. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it.



I'm not sure but I think the scratches in some of these other bricks may also be maker's marks.

Wednesday 4 July 2012

St John's Anglican Cathedral, Parramatta



After visiting the old cemetery I thought I'd take a look at St John's Cathedral. It wasn't open so I have no idea what the inside is like. Some history:

On 23rd July 1802 St John's was declared an Anglican parish by Governor King. While the Reverend Richard Johnson, Chaplain to the First Fleet, came to Parramatta on the fortnightly basis to conduct a service on the banks of the Parramatta River, Reverend Samuel Marsden was the first resident minister of St John's. In 1796 he dedicated a makeshift building of two old huts at the corner of George & Marsden Streets as the first church building in Parramatta. These huts no longer exist.





The original church building on its present site in the Church Street Mall, was opened in 1803 but as the needs of the church family changed, so did the building. The twin towers which stand today were constructed by 1818 making them the oldest surviving part of any Anglican Church in Australia. They are built from handmade sandstock bricks, possibly by convicts, and overlaid with a stucco render giving the appearance of stone. The choice of design is attributed to Elizabeth Macquarie, the wife of Governor Lachlan Macquarie, who was inspired by a ruined church in Reculver, Kent in England.

The church building of the early 1800s, except the towers, was demolished in the early 1850s after a severe storm and subsequent deterioration meant that the building was no longer fit for use.

The new building was opened in 1855 and by 1882, the church family had expanded so much that the building needed to be enlarged. The well-known architect firm of Blacket and Son was commissioned to design transepts which completed the building as it is seen today.


Nowdays the congregation is very different to what it would have been when the church was first established.

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Taphophile Tragics


St Johns cemetery was established on the outskirts of Parramatta as a general burial ground for all denominations. Formerly the Parramatta stock paddock, it is the oldest existing European burial ground in Australia, the first interment being James Magee, a convict’s child, buried 31 January 1790. It contains the remains of notable persons associated with the foundation of the colony and many graves of those identified as having arrived with the First Fleet. There were ten burials in the cemetery by the end of 1790 and a further 67 in 1791.



I spent a while trying to find the notable graves listed in the guide which I had downloaded before my visit but had limited success. Their map was very difficult to follow and I wasn't sure that some of graves are still marked. I'll show you those that I did find over the next few weeks.


Its a really interesting little place and a surprise to find, located as it is next to a massive Westfield complex and surrounded by apartments and light industry. Well worth a visit but I'd recommend getting yourself onto a guided tour. Not sure who runs them, probably the Parramatta Historic Society, but the Parramatta Visitors Centre or the St John's Cathedral would know.


I gather the cemetery fell into disrepair at some stage. Its good to see that its now being well cared for.


This will show you its location, hemmed in by modern development just across from the rail line in Parramatta.