THIS photographic studio image featuring six young ladies from Bathurst was used to make personal Christmas cards in 1906. A blackboard in front of the girls says: “Compliments of the Season from the George Street Fan Push.” Most girls are holding a multicoloured decorative fan that each girl had made to enter in a local Halloween Fair. Spare fans were designed and made to allow the girls to sell to help raise money for St Stephen’s Church. Five of the girls have artificial hair pieces and large broad-brimmed hats or caps.
My article this week will concentrate on what was happening with children in Bathurst in November and December 1906.
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A Halloween Fair in the Masonic Hall ran from Wednesday afternoon, November 1, 1906 to the following Friday evening. The event raised about £130, which was added to the St. Stephen’s Church funds. On the final night’s session, two competitions were decided.
In the nail driving competition, Miss J. Hamilton came first and Misses O. Moore and P. Lindsay were second and third respectively. The apple competition (for ladies) was won by Miss J. Hamilton, and the same competition for boys by F. Burgess. Music was rendered during the evening by Nicholls’ orchestra.
On the afternoon of December 4, 1906, a little girl named Celia Barker, aged nine years, was admitted to Bathurst District Hospital suffering from serious burns about the face, head, neck and arms. The unfortunate child, who resided with her parents at Avoca, several miles beyond Oberon, was filling a lamp with kerosene at about 9pm on the Monday when the light flared up and ignited her clothes.
She was brought into the hospital and her condition was so serious that very slight hopes were entertained for her recovery.
On December 6, the National Advocate reported that the nine-year-old girl had succumbed to her injuries the previous afternoon. Her remains were to be removed to the residence of her parents, Mr and Mrs Henry Barker, of Avoca, over 20 miles beyond Oberon, and she was to be interred on Friday in the Catholic Cemetery, Shooter’s Hill.
The funeral arrangements would be carried out by Mr W.S. Hodge of Keppel Street, Bathurst.
The unfortunate little girl was a member of a family of six, the eldest of whom was 11 years old.
The annual exhibition of the Bathurst Art Society was held in the Masonic Hall where there was a good collection of children’s exhibits. Julian Ashton officiated again in the capacity of a judge.
Some of the results included: Oil painting - May Austin and Pearl Whatley; Water colour - Vera Whalan; Black and white - Stanley Tinning; and Water colour - Violet McKee.
Other junior winners included Miss B. Carpenter, Miss A. McKenzie, Miss F. Sinclair, Miss B. Gibson, Miss May James, Miss L. Kempthorne, Pearl Whatley, Alice Oakes, Edna Craig, May Austin, Edna Blomfield, Doris Heath and Mary Thompson.
Many children attended the series of open-air entertainments in Machattie Park provided by the Bathurst District Band in pursuance with their contract with the Bathurst Municipal Council.
They were very popular with the public of Bathurst as evident from the fact that the crowd which thronged the park on Christmas night on the occasion of a sacred concert was estimated to have exceeded 8000 persons.
The program was much appreciated by those present. The band played several items, Misses Taylor and Alice Howells sang vocal solos, and Master C. Lewins and Mr A. Hobson tended cornet solos.
Miss Lewins and Messrs Horace Pascoe and L. Williams acted as accompanists, and Mr F. Martin performed the secretarial duties.
