Superintendent Martin Brennan 1Clarence River Advocate (NSW : 1898 – 1949), Friday 13 September 1907, page 8, ‘the well-known and popular member of the New South Wales police force, who recently retired after lengthy and valuable service, published a book in 1907, ‘Australian Reminiscences,’ in the form of 14 stories, concerning personages more or less interesting whom he met on the Braidwood goldfields and elsewhere‘, reports the Clarence River Advocate. The adventures of Captain Morrison ( Downes Morrison, who was also known as Lionel Rochester, (of the Rochester Arms Hotel at Sapling Point ) and his wife are detailed in Chapter Two.
These adventures begin as noted below ‘publicans competed to quench the thirst of the population and the proprietor of the Great Eastern Hotel, Newtown, (or perhaps the Great Southern Hotel, Newtown) had an enterprising solution, advertising barmaids from Sydney, who were to arrive by special coach‘.
While the name of the establishment (Great Eastern or perhaps the Great Southern) and some of the details (such as how many barmaids) differ among the many reports, the general storyline is the same.
Licensees – Yet to be understood
Location – Newtown
In the News
In the 1920’s many newspapers including the Smiths Weekly 2Smiths Weekly (Sydney, NSW : 1919 – 1950), Saturday 14 February 1920, page 17, the Braidwood Dispatch and Mining Journal 3Braidwood Dispatch and Mining Journal (NSW : 1888 – 1954), Friday 20 February 1920, page 2, the Gosford Times and Wyong District Advocate 4Gosford Times and Wyong District Advocate (NSW : 1906 – 1954), Thursday 18 March 1920, page 14 and the Illustrated Sydney News 5Illustrated Sydney News (NSW : 1853-1872), Saturday 15 June 1867, page 9 reported on life on the goldfields.
The Good Old Days – A year after the discovery of gold at Araluen (-1853) 30,000 people were on the field and 110 publicans competed to quench the thirst of the population. One, more enterprising than the rest, placarded the streets with a notice which read: ‘Marvellous Attraction! The proprietor of the Great Eastern Hotel, Newtown, resolved on keeping in advance of his brethren in the trade has specially selected in Sydney regardless of wages and expense, six attractive young barmaids, who will arrive by special coach on Wednesday to minister to the requirements of his patrons. A full band — miners from the entire Valley — respectfully invited to roll up.’ Wednesday evening found, the town en fete; Chinese lanterns lit up the street, and enormous crowds gathered about the Great Eastern, which had been rendered more attractive by the addition of a large marquee and a ball-room 150ft long. The shivoo lasted until 5a.m. next day and was a huge success, so boniface said. GDM.
Richard Kennedy had many anecdotes of the roaring days of the field, which he shared under the non de plume of Old Hand, though a series of articles written in 1907 for the Braidwood Dispatch, dealing with the early history of Araluen. 6Richard Kennedy. Braidwood Goldfields. 1850’s – 1860’s. Compiled by Roslyn Maddrell. 4th Reprint. Bayprint, Batemans Bay, NSW. 2010, page 25. He writes:
On one occasion the proprietor posted in the most prominent positions of the centres of population the following: — ‘The proprietor of the Great Southern Hotel, determined in keeping in advance of all others in the business, had selected in Sydney, regardless of expense and wages, twelve attractive barmaids, who will arrive by special coach on Saturday morning to attend to the requirements of my patrons.
A full band of engaged miners from the Valley were invited to roll up. When night came the streets were lit up with Chinese lanterns. A large temporary structure was erected close by for refreshments; the spacious ballroom, 180 feet long, had temporary bars erected the entire length to meet the requirements of the occasion.
The business of the night – After the reception of the great crowd by those barmaids the business of the night began, and was kept as lively as your readers could imagine until 5 o’clock next morning, and by this the proprietor of the Great Southern had made a large sum of money, and many of his patrons were found next morning in many instances in a very poor plight, and some woke up next morning to find it was not at home in their huts they were, but in the police cells, and had to remain there until Monday morning to appear sorrowfully before the Police Magistrate to have to part up for their fun on Saturday night.
A barmaid’s distress – Now, most of those barmaids of the Great Southern gave satisfaction to the proprietor, with the exception of one, who was the most ladylike and the handsomest of all, who was considered too particular and stuck-up. After a few weeks this young lady went to the proprietor of the hotel with tears in her eyes and complained that she was being subjected to the grossest insults from some of the diggers because she would not degrade herself like the others. So he said she was no use to him, and told her she could go, but refused to pay her wages.
Life on the goldfields – a Ball in 1867
The Barmaid’s rescue – There was a young man of the name of Brown (a very decent fellow), and this young lady had made his acquaintance during her short stay at the Great Southern, and the next time Brown came to the hotel ‘ she made known to him her troubles, and that she did not know what to do, as she had no money and that she was a stranger to everybody in that strange, far-away place. So Brown advised her to remain as she was a little while, and that he would go at once and see the Sergeant of Police and see what they could do for her. Brown saw the Sergeant and told him the girl’s story. The Sergeant then and there went and saw the girl, and she repeated to him the story she had told Brown. Then the Sergeant interviewed the proprietor and spoke to him about allowing the girl to be insulted by the miners, and he told the Sergeant that she was no good to him, that she was too much of a stand-off, and that she would have to leave the premises within 24 hours. The Sergeant then said to him: Well, pay the girl her full wages. You engaged her for six months at 30/- a week.’
He said he was not liable and would not pay her. The Sergeant then told him he would find he was liable, and that she would summons him immediately for, breach of agreement, and then in all probability there would be such a revelation that she would be the cause of him losing his licence. This frightened Mr. Great Southern, and he said: ‘I want no court work. I will pay her in full now and let her go.’ The Sergeant, who was a kindhearted, good man, told the young lady she would be paid her wages in full, that whilst she was packing up her clothing he would go down to another hotel, where he thought he could get her employment as manageress, the proprietor being a single man.
A new place of work – So he rode away, and it was not long before he was back with the good news that he had got her a place at £2 a week. She shed tears of joy and said to the Sergeant: ‘May God bless you, for had it not been for you I would have been turned out penniless.’ At this stage the new master (Lionel Rochester, who was also known as Downes Morrison) 7Martin Brennan, Reminiscences of the Gold Fields, Chapter 2. Captain Morrison’s Adventures, William Brooks & Co. Castlereagh St, Sydney. 1907. Forgotten Books.com. 2016 drove up to the door, when the Sergeant introduced him to Miss Summers (for that was the young lady’s name – also noted as Lucy Somerset, or Lucretia Florence Russell), and he drove her down to his hotel (Rochester Arms Hotel at Sapling Point) and made her full manageress of the place. Miss Summers became a great favourite at this hotel, and the business increased fourfold.
Success at a new hotel – Miss Summers was always civil and polite to all comers, and possessed a cheerful disposition and gave not only satisfaction to her master, but gained the respect and esteem of all classes, and hundreds of miners who frequented the Great Southern at Newtown during her term there transferred their custom to her master’s hotel, as her influence for good soon became widespread. About 12 months after Miss Summers was installed as manageress in her new home she married her master, and ran the hotel successfully for years after, and in later years, when business in the Valley was becoming slack, they sold out their business for £2,000 and took their passage for Old Ireland, the possessors of a large fortune.‘