The Legacy of Sir Sidney Kidman

The Legacy of Sir Sidney Kidman

Sidney Kidman (and an unknown man) at the back
of the North Kapunda Hotel

Tomorrow, (September 2nd) is the anniversary of the death of Sir Sidney Kidman (1857). Once Australia's wealthiest man, and largest property owner, who conducted the worlds largest horse sales at the rear of the North Kapunda Hotel.

It is said Kidman never swore and instead would say "Jolly Tinkers" in the place of swear words.

I thought it prudent to share some of the charities that Sir Sidney and Lady Isabel Kidman distributed their wealth too over their lifetimes, and after Sir Kidman's Death'.

May their legacy inspire, and their memory live on...

Upon the anniversary of the death of Sir Sidney Kidman, here is a list of the benefactors of his generosity, in life, and also in death
During the First World War, Sir Kidman donated 3 Ambulances, 2 Fighter Planes, 200 Horses, wool and meat for the Australian troops. He also promised all his workers who served, a job upon their return. His donations also extended to wives who lost their husband in war paying them a small fund of money to help cover costs of raising families without a father.

The Will of Sir Sidney Kidman

Donations were made to the Salvation Army and the Red Cross – and also the Royal Flying Doctors.
The Kidmans also donated their house and estate in Kapunda, “Eringa” to the education department in 1920 – to this day the grounds are still the Kapunda High School, with the old Manse the front office.

From Sir Kidman's Last Will and Testament:
£500 Salvation Army Adelaide
£500 Home for Incurables, Fullarton
(Adjusted for inflation this is equivalent to about $45,000 today)
£250 Minda Home
£250 Adelaide's Children Hospital
£250 The Institution for the Blind – Brighton
£250 The Protestant Children's Home
£250 The Royal Institute for the Blind at North Adelaide
£250 The Australian Inland Mission
£250 The Adelaide Benevolent and Strangers Fund
£250 The Queens Maternity Home
£250 The Adelaide Hospital
(Adjusted for inflation this is equivalent to about $22,792.68 today)
£150 Methodist Children’s Home at Magill
£150 The Angorichina Hospital for Tubercular Soldiers.
£150 The Adelaide Central Mission
(Adjusted for inflation this is equivalent to about 13,675.61 today)
£100 Kapunda Congregational Church
£100 The Kapunda Hospital
£100 The Orphan Home at Mitcham
£100 The Courthouse for Invalid children and Aged People
(Adjusted for inflation this is equivalent to about $9,117.07today)
£15,000 was distributed between old employees of Sir Kidman

(Adjusted for inflation this is equivalent to about $1,367,560.85 today)

Written by Allen Tiller © 2017

First published 1 September 2015

Revised March 23rd 2017

First published on The Haunts of Adelaide:

http://hauntedadelaide.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/the-legacy-of-sir-Sidney-Kidman.html

Calculations made via: http://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/annualPreDecimal.html

John Henry Smyth-Blood

John Henry Smyth-Blood

SLSA:15811

Dr Mathew Blood was not the only famous Smyth-Blood to come from the town of Kapunda, his second son, John Henry Smyth-Blood also made his mark on the world.

John was born in “Croissard Cottage “, near Corofin, Springfield, County Clare, Ireland on the 10^th of December 1840. He grew up in Kapunda and was educated in the local schools.

John got work as a member of the construction teams building the Overland Telegraph lines as a storekeeper in the 1870’s, later he worked as the Post Master and Telegraph Officer at Peake Station, before moving to Auburn where he established himself with the Freemason Lodge.
As a Freemason, he served as Grand Master and Secretary, and later as Treasurer.

Bloods Creek was named after John, Bloods Range.
“Bloods Range” is a large mountain formation stretching across the Northern Territory and Western Australian borders. It is crossed in its valleys by the Hull and Docker Rivers.  It was given its name by explorer Ernest Giles on the 14^th of March 1874 when he first looked upon it from the top of Mount Curdie.

John was also mentioned in the writings of the explorer, Baron Forest.

Mary Blood (nee Enock)

John married Mary Enock (1852-1929) and together they had five children: Matthew Henry (1876-1912), John Johnnie (1881-1950), William Frederick (1884-1913), Kathleen (1887-1948), and Margaret Marion (1890-1920).

 John died in Auburn at the age of 49 in 1890. He was buried in the Kapunda Cemetery on Clare Road.
His funeral was attended by a large crowd of people from Kapunda, Auburn and surrounding towns. His funeral cortege was led by fifty members of the Auburn and Kapunda Freemason Lodges, with full regalia. His hearse was also covered in Freemason regalia. Canon Whittington conducted Johns burial, with Mr F. Tothill, the Worshipful Master of the St John’s Lodge of Auburn reading the Masonic Service.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2017

Bibliography

http://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+9940

1878 'GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.', Adelaide Observer (SA : 1843 - 1904), 17 August, p. 3. , viewed 23 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article160112830

1890 'KAPUNDA, MAY 19.', South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), 20 May, p. 3. , viewed 23 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47236343

Northern Territory Government, 2017, Northern Territory Place Names Register, Viewed 23 April 2017, http://www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/placenames/view.jsp?id=10955

Dr Matthew Henry Smyth-Blood. - Kapunda

SSLA 9945

Dr Matthew Henry Smyth-Blood.

Doctor Matthew Henry Blood-Smyth was born on the 26^th of November 1806 at Ballykitty, County Clare Ireland to Matthew and Dorothea Blood (nee Ingram).
Matthew would later reverse his surname to Smyth-Blood, stating “I was born a Blood, and a Blood I will die!”, thus forever he will be remembered as a Blood!
Matthew grew up in Ireland and studied medicine. In 1831, at the age of 25, he became a qualified medical practitioner, being admitted to Medical Association of Ireland nine years later in 1840.

In 1833, at the age of 27, he married his third cousin, (a descendant of Thomas Blood),

Matthew Blood aged 26
Source:: Andrea Blood-Smyth Payne Family Page
photo 1832

Marianne Charlotte Blood at Ennis, County Clare Ireland on March 14^th.
 Marianne was born on the 4^th of April 1816 at Applevale, County Clare Ireland, making her (about) 17 years old when she married Matthew.
Together they had 11 children;Dorothea (1835 – 1887), Marianne (1836 – 1925), Matthew (1838-1875), William (1839- 1905), John (1840 – 1890), Susannah (1842 – 1906), Frederica (1847- 1903), Elizabeth (1848 – 1870), Neptune (1850-1851), Mary (1851-1933), Frances (1853 – 1854)

The Bloods decided they would sail to the new colony of South Australia. Matthew took a position as “Ship Surgeon Superintendent” onboard the sailing vessel “Success”. The voyage spanned from the 27^th of September 1847 until January 1848 when the ship arrived at Port Adelaide.
Matthew and Marianne then made their way to Kapunda where Matthew took the position of Mine Doctor under Captain Bagot, a family friend back in Ireland.
 The pair took up residence in-between Mine Square and the mines proper (there is a plaque marking the spot where they lived on the south-east side of Mine Square, Kapunda).

Marianne Blood - photo: SSLA 15813

On the 28^th of April 1856, Matthew Blood was honoured with the task of laying the foundation stone for Christ Church Kapunda after being in charge of raising funds to build the Church and Hall.

Matthew would work as the official mine doctor until 1860. In the same year (1860) he founded the Kapunda Freemason’s “Lodge of Light No. 410 I.C.” of which he became the Lodge’s first Master.
Also in 1860, Matthew was officially titled with the position on “Surgeon” with the “Kapunda Volunteers” (sometimes referred to as The Kapunda Rifles) one of two citizen military forces established in Kapunda, the other being the Kapunda Mine Rifles.
In 1862, Matthew and Marianne left Kapunda for New South Wales where Matthew took a job as Kapunda Mine Medical Officer as the Cadia Copper Mine.
 It was during this period that Matthew became interested in photography, a passion that would inspire him until his death.

Upon his return to Kapunda, Matthew, now inspired by his new hobby, took hundreds of photographs of people and places in Kapunda. He used a camera specially built for him by notable professional photographer James Uren.
On the 13^th of July 1865, Dr Matthew Henry Smyth-Blood became the first Mayor of Kapunda a title he held until 1867, and would later hold again from 1877 to 1878.
during his first stint as town Mayor, Matthew co-hosted (with James Crase) the first royal visit to South Australia, that of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Alfred, second son of Queen Victoria.

Portrait of Mr & Mrs Blood
Source: Andrea Payne Family Page

The Prince travelled to Kapunda to see the mines he had heard so much about, but the mine manager, at the excitement of his miners, gave them all the day off to see the Prince, so the mine was not running. Instead, Prince Alfred spent his entire day at the North Kapunda Hotel enjoying festivities and making speeches!
Photos of the event were taken by the official photographer, Stephen Nixon and are most likely held in the State Library or Museum.
 (Interestingly, in the 1880s a photographic business with the name “Blood & Nixon” was registered. It was owned by Matthews youngest son, John who was in partnership with Charles Nixon, Stephen Nixon’s son.)

Dr Blood was loved by many in the town and was known for his prodigious use of “snuff”, a type of tobacco that is sniffed into the nose. He sat on the board of the Kapunda Hospital, worked as a Magistrate, a Justice of the Peace, and on the local School Board.

Dr Blood's death notice, Kapunda Herald 30 March 1886

Doctor Bloods death shocked the people of Kapunda. Dr Blood was such a well-known and popular figure in Kapunda that The Kapunda Herald newspaper sold out on Friday the 30^th of March due to the obituary tribute that was written for him by newspaper staff. The obituary had to be reprinted the following day for those that missed it in the first printing. 

His final day he spent seeing to the needs of a local man named Mr Christopher. He returned home and readied to go out again. He was in his room when he called out to Marianne. Marianne rushed to see what was wrong, and when she got to Matthew, he said: “Mary, I cannot see you!” He then gasped three or four times and died in front of her upon his bed.

Dr Blood's Funeral Notice, Kapunda Herald, 30 March 1886

Dr Blood’s funeral procession was one of the longest ever seen in the region and followed his body out to the Clare Road Cemetery from Christ Church. He was buried on the 31^st of March 1883 at the Clare Road Cemetery, row O-54.

Marianne lived on Kapunda and was often seen with her constant companion, Miss Howe, who had been her daughters Governess and educator. Marianne passed away on the 5th of January 1900 and was buried alongside her husband.

Want to learn more about Matthew and Marianne Blood’s family, visit the website “The Blood and Dingle Genealogy Pages” written by Andrea Payne here: http://www.andreapayne.com/

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2017
www.AllenTiller.com.au

Bibliography:

(1929), 'Memories of Kapunda and District by a Circle of Friends’, Kapunda, SA.

1883 'Advertising', Kapunda Herald, 30 March, p. 2. , viewed 12 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106575068

1883 'DEATH OF DR. BLOOD.', South Australian Weekly Chronicle, 31 March, p. 21. , viewed 12 Apr 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92719984

Births Deaths and Marriages South Australia, Civil Registry, D.1883/Book 127, Page 407 

Blood, Matthew Henry Smyth (1808-1883)' 2012. Trove, viewed 12 April 2017 http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1487340

Burke’s Peerage Ltd, Burke's Irish Family Records, pages 142-152, American Editions, MCMLXXVI, NSW State Library.

Dehaene's Almanac 1853, Blood M.H. Justice of the Peace, page 67, SA Gen & Heraldry Society, Adelaide, Microfiche

Noye, R.J. (1968), 'Early South Australian Photography: The R.J. Noye Collection’, Adelaide, SA.

Statton, J. (1986), 'Biographical Index of South Australians 1836-1885’, Adelaide, SA.

Charlton, Rob 1971, The History of Kapunda, The Hawthorn Press, Melbourne, SBN 7256 0039 x

Extreme Emergency Causing Notice – Kapunda

Extreme Emergency Causing Notice – Kapunda – South Australia

Lord Palmerston Hotel - Main Street Kapunda

During World War Two, the Japanese military had spread its army across Asia, marching towards Australia with a ferocity never before witnessed in modern warfare.
 City after city fell to the Empire as they moved ever southwards. Singapore fell, and soon Australian soldiers were fighting even closer to their homeland than expected, and the threat of coastal invasion became much more real and terrifying with the bombing of Darwin

.

 By 1942 however, the tide was beginning to turn, and it was now the Japanese who were beginning to worry, so much so in fact, that they began to evacuate their own people from possible invasion points by moving them to their furthest north island of Hokkaido.

Bank of Adelaide - 1907 - Kapunda

 If the Japanese had made it ashore and invaded Australia, the South Australian Government had devised a plan that would come into action if an “extreme emergency causing notice” had to be served. Which would demand all banks in South Australia in metropolitan areas transfer their funds to a head office, or state headquarters? If the banks head office was interstate, then transfers would be into the country or regional areas as a means of isolating them and making them harder to capture before important documents could be destroyed.

 The clearinghouse for Associated Banks in South Australia was to find its new home in Burra, where several of the States banks were already represented, these being the Bank of Australia, The National Bank of Australasia Ltd, and the Commercial Bank of Australia Ltd.

 Banks that were choosing to station their headquarters in other towns, would also have to have a representative stationed in Burra to change their cheques through the clearinghouse.

  Other banks were choosing other regional areas, the Bank of Adelaide made plans for its administration to work from Saddleworth, whilst the Adelaide office would be moved to Kapunda, the headquarters to Balaklava and its Port Adelaide, Hindmarsh and Rundle Street branches would all be moved to Angaston in the Barossa Valley.

English, Scottish and Australia Chartered Bank - Kapunda 1871

 The Bank Of Adelaide also made plans to move its Enfield, Keswick and Unley branches to Freeling, whilst its Hindley Street, Pulteney Street and Gouger Street branches were to go even further north to Spalding, and the office on North Terrace to Booborowie!

 The English, Scottish and Australian Bank Ltd was looking towards Clare, while the Head Office of Sydney based bank the Commercial Banking company of Sydney Ltd, was looking to go south to Naracoorte. The Commonwealth Bank made moves for Waikerie, and our very own State Bank had chosen Yacka for its escape plan.

The Savings Bank of South Australia chose Kapunda, and made moves to secure buildings in the town, one being the former Baptist Church on Hill Street (now the Kapunda Museum) of which the basement, measuring 60ft by 40ft, and having two stairwells was considered extremely valuable to the bank, but they also needed somewhere to use as accommodation for the staff they would need to move to the former copper mining town.

Kapunda's Main Street circa 1880

   The Savings Bank of South Australia also purchased the once grand Lord Palmerston Hotel which was situated in the main street of the town, and after serving as a hotel, and horse sales yards, became the Kapunda Coffee Palace before falling into a state of disuse and neglect.

 The Lord Palmerston Hotel, on the ground floor, had a bar, dining room, four other rooms and a kitchen, and on the first floor another 11 rooms that could be used as bedrooms, more than ample for the staff's requirements if ever the move had to take place.

 Fortunately for South Australia, the Japanese never got this far, and an “extreme emergency causing notice” never had to be served.

 Unfortunately for The Lord Palmerston Hotel, it became severely neglected and order to have it demolished was passed through the council. The hotel once sat where the Kapunda news-agency sits today. The corner would look much grander with this old beauty of building still standing upon it!



researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2017
www.AllenTiller.com.au

First published on  The Haunts of Adelaide - Tuesday 14th April 2015
http://hauntedadelaide.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/extreme-emergency-causing-notice.html
Revised March 23rd 2017.
 Photo's supplied by The State Library of South Australia

Map Kernow: Map the Miner

Map Kernow: Map the Miner

If you've ever visited Kapunda before, you would remember passing the giant Cornish miner Statue at the southern end of town.

“The Big Miner” as he is known to some, was constructed in 1988 and opened officially on June 5th, 1988, built by Ben Van Zetten who agreed to design and build him when it was suggested by local John Davidson that a memorial be built to commemorate the influence the Cornish Miners had on the town.

The local Rotary club of Kapunda organised a funding campaign and successfully raised the money needed. Over the year’s other local volunteer community groups and the local council have helped to assist in beautifying the grounds around the Statue making it a focal point for tourists entering the region

The plaque on the miner reads;
"This statue is a monument to the profound, role and contribution of the Cornish miner in the Kapunda and in due course in other mines in South Australia. The Kapunda mine, established in 1844, was the first successful metal mine in Australia and contributed greatly to the economic development of South Australia. Up to its closure in 1878 ore to the value of more than £1 million was produced and up to 340 men and boys, mainly from Cornwall were employed."

In June 2006, local teenager Aaron Ashton was arrested after setting a fire as a “prank” at the base of the statue. Ashton claimed in court proceedings that he did not think the statue would be made from flammable materials and that he did not intend to destroy the statue.
 He pleaded ‘Not Guilty’ to the damage caused, estimated to be around $95,000, but was found guilty by Judge Muecke in 2007, and sentenced to several years in gaol for his crime. 

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2017

Bibliography

Fewster S, 2008, Teen vandal's idiocy destroyed tourist icon Map the Miner, The Advertiser, viewed 24 March 2017, http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/teen-vandals-statue-of-idiocy/news-story/115c070b8bc98d9dd38515c8b116e168

Monument Australia. 2010. Map the Miner | Monument Australia. Monument Australia, viewed 1 March 2013, http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/technology/industry/display/50956-map-the-miner.

Ghosts of Kapunda Part One: Davidson Reserve (The Duck Pond)

Ghosts of Kapunda 

In 1876 Kapunda was a bustling town, full of miners, pubs, and settlers from across the world looking to earn a living or get rich. It was soon to be the town that saved the South Australian colony from disaster with its rich Copper load, and then to become a town of horse and cattle sales...and in this day and age, it has earned the very misleading title of “Most Haunted Town in Australia”.

  On July 21st 1876 the Kapunda Herald reported a story titled “Haunted Houses and Ghost Stories” 

The newspaper article told the story of a malicious ghost which had been seen around the town, scaring women and children down by the local dam, which is now known as Davidson Reserve (known locally as “The Duck Pond”).

The ghost appeared to be a figure shrouded in white, some people at the time saying the ghost could be Mr Richards, a local School teacher, who drowned many years before in the dam.

Mrs W. Tuckfield witnessed the ghost for herself one Saturday evening. She was coming into the main street of town, near the mill offices, and the ghost rose up out of the newly built culvert, crossed the road in a rush and disappeared into the plantation.

This sighting caused a great shock for Mrs Tuckfield, and the additional telling of her story of the encounter, and those of other witnesses to the ghost, greatly distressed local children and built somewhat of a reputation for the town as a place of ghosts and hauntings.

The Police, worried about the effect the ghost was having on the locals, staked out the neighbourhood for a couple of nights, watching and waiting patiently for the reappearance of the ghost, but it seems ghosts do not manifest for the local boys in blue, as the ghost has not been seen nor heard since...

A practical joke, or a real ghost? No-one at the time was sure...

© 2013 Allen Tiller

first published on The Haunts of Adelaide:

http://hauntedadelaide.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/ghosts-of-kapunda.html

Tuesday 6th August 2013

revised 23 March 2017

Wwww.AllenTiller.com.au

“Haig” The War Tank

“Haig” The War Tank

 

On Tuesday the 16^th of April 1918 Kapundites came out in their droves to see a real-life Army tank in their town,
 As part of a national tour, the Government’s “War Loan Tank” arrived to much fanfare in Kapunda in the early evening. It was met at the southern end of town by the Mayor, Mr Jeff’s along with a procession of school children arranged by teacher Mr Murphy.

The War Tank was in the control of Lieutenant Colley, who, at the corner of Thompson's gave a rousing speech outlining the Australian war effort overseas, and how the people back home can contribute.

 The Kapunda Town Band played from the balcony of the North Kapunda Hotel whilst the tank was driven to Mr Thompson corner (Where the town information centre sits today on the corner of Hill and Main Street).
 The Commonwealth Bank provided two escorts who travelled with the tank to collect donations from the townsfolk to support the war effort overseas.
 Townsfolk and business were very generous with their donations, by the end of the evening £1.700 had been raised, with a promise by Mr Shannon to the Mayor that he would raise it to an even £2,000.
 The Sir John Franklin Lodge, I.O.OF. M.U. donated £700, and £300 from the Salem Tent No. 8 Rechabites.

The township of Kapunda had already raised £ 30, 000 by 1918, plus Sir Sidney Kidman had given £50,500 of his own money, as well as donating wool, meat, 200 horses, 2 planes and 3 ambulances (the townsfolk of Kapunda also raised enough money for one more ambulance).

(Kidman also guaranteed the jobs of his workers who went away to war, and gave monetary assistance to the families of his employees who lost their father, husband or son overseas in battle.)

 The tank later returned to Kapunda in October of the same year for the seventh war loan tour. Then headed off to Angaston in the Barossa Valley the next day to continue its money-raising endeavour. By the end of its second visit, the townsfolk of Kapunda had donated £11,000

The photo above is from The State Library of South Australia [PRG 280/1/17/384], part of the Searcy Collection. It shows the war tank “Haig” out front of Thompson building (with what is now The Professionals in the background). On the tank are Lieutenant Colley and the Mayor on-board. In front is Mr Kidman’s 35hp Overland Tourer, registration number 4926

Researched and written by Allen Tiller

www.allentiller.com.au

£ = Australian Pounds – a pre-decimal currency.

1918 'Kapunda Herald', Kapunda Herald (SA : 1878 - 1951), 11 October, p. 2. , viewed 21 Mar 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article108282426

1918 'Kapunda herald', Kapunda Herald (SA : 1878 - 1951), 19 April, p. 2. , viewed 21 Mar 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article108280471

St John's Cemetery Clean Up April 1st 2017

The Kapunda Royal Visit: 1867

The Kapunda Royal Visit

In 1867, Kapunda was graced with a Royal visit from the then Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Alfred,

Queen Victoria's second son.

 Whilst in South Australia on a Royal Tour, Prince Alfred made a visit to Kapunda on November 6^th, coming to Kapunda via train direct from Adelaide Station.

Once the Prince arrived at Kapunda Train Station, which had been adorned with pine branches and fronds (as had much of the town, simple decorations for simpler times), The Prince was whisked into an awaiting carriage.

The Prince's ornamental carriage made its way towards the centre of town, surrounded by soldiers, and a large crowd of cheering and adoring Royal fans, keen to get a glimpse of the Prince.

 Throughout the town, large Union Jack flags waved next to large banners with the words "Welcome to our Sailor Prince” written across them, also around the town were family crests and the flag of St George.

Prince Alfred was taken via carriage to Mr Crase's newly refurbished North Kapunda Hotel. After a tour of the hotel from top to bottom, the Prince retired briefly to a sitting room upstairs carefully prepared for his arrival.

 Not long after, a banquet held in his honour commenced in the rear ballroom (now demolished) of the hotel. Amongst the many dishes served was one dish usually reserved for the dining room of the Queen, and only served within the walls of the Palace. The Prince was very curious about this and asked for the cook to brought to him for questioning.

  The Prince questioned the cook on his preparation of the meal, asking how he knew the recipe. The cook informed the Prince, that he had indeed been the Queen's personal chef previous to arriving in Australia, and now cooked and served in The North Kapunda Hotel. Upon hearing of the Royal Tour, he had become excited, and prepared the specialty Royal meal in the Prince's honour, to make him feel a little more like he was at home.

 After a number of hearty speeches by town dignitaries, the Prince and Mr Crase himself, and three cheers of “Hoorruh”, Prince Alfred made his way back to the Kapunda Railway Station, where he boarded the Royal Train and made his way back to Adelaide continuing his tour of the country.

Researched and written by Allen Tiller