BERNARD SMITH
Born: 1815c., Stirling, SCOTLAND
Married: Henrietta GRESSWELL on 19.10.1842, in Perth, Swan River Colony (Perth 45/42). She had been born on 7.12.1824 in London, England and Christened at St. James, Westminster on 2.1.1825, the daughter of John GRESSWELL of London and Henrietta nee MOULDING of Wiltshire (See 1837 census of the Swan River Colony). Further studies have placed John GRESSWELL in Burgh le Marsh, Lincolnshire where he was baptised on 28.11.1798, the son of William GRESSWELL and Mary nee WOOD. Of his wife's origins, no trace has been found. Henrietta Smith died on 26.3.1920 in Perth, W.A. aged 95 years (Perth 410/1920).
.
CHILDREN
Emma Amelia
John Joseph
Henrietta Maria (Ettie)
Henry Edward (Harry)
Mary Elizabeth
Alfred William (Joseph) Gresswell
Caroline Louisa
Eliza Louisa
Eliza Ellen
Frederick John Gresswell
Agnes Clara
Laura Emily
John Smith's eldest son, Bernard, born in 1814 in Stirling, Scotland and educated at The Monk's School in Dublin, travelled to Australia with his family. All references to his birth in his new country record it as being in 1815 but a close examination of the dates on documents indicate that his birth took place between mid-September and mid-October in 1814. Seventeen and educated when the Regiment left Chatham for Van Diemans Land, by the time he arrived in Perth he was acting as Paymasters' Clerk for the Detachment.
In 1840 the War Office appointed him Civilian Staff Clerk to the then Commandant, Col. Irwin, and on 25.4.1840 an advertisement appeared in the Perth Gazette over the name of Bernard Smith offering a collection of garden, flower, and fruit seeds for sale. For the rest of his life he seems to have been referred to as a "merchant" and this could be his first venture into the world of private enterprise.
Never one to make a quick decision, Bernard obviously felt that he now had the sercurity to settle down. He married Henrietta Gresswell on 19.10.1842. He gives his age as 28 and Henrietta gives her's as 18. Again this Catholic family had to do without the rites of their religion. It was not until the following year that the first Catholic clergy arrived in the Colony. In "Undaunted Spirit" Lucille Quinlan states that Polly Smith was born in 1852 in Howick St., later Hay St., at Bernard's home. In later years this position in Howick Street was occupied by the premises of Smith and Co. Almost certainly this was where the Smith family made its first home and where Bernard and, and probably his brother, Michael, first began their business.
Emma Smith, Bernard and Henrietta's first child was born in 1844. In September 1847 Bernard was appointed to the Roads Trust and in January 1849 to the Perth Town Trust. In February of that year he appeared in the Civil Court in a case against J.P.Beete (who had been Smith's Commanding Officer and an acting Governor). That case had its initial public airing in the October of the previous year. The "Independent Journal" of 7.10.1848 carried in its official Government Gazette capacity the following:-
In the Civil Court of Western Australia.
Later that year, during September, he was elected to the position of Secretary of the Temperance Society. This was a busy time for Bernard who was making a mark for himself in the Colony despite the general prejudice against Catholics. He made no secret of his religion and conformed strictly to its laws and precepts. In July 1850 he called a meeting to form a company to run a steamer on the Swan River and in 1851 he was one of the founding members of the Perth Mechanics Institute. During the same year he transferred his employment to the Commissariat where he seems to have spent the rest of his working life as a storekeeper.
On 8.1.1846 Sister Ursula Frayne of the recently created Order of the Sisters of Mercy arrived in Fremantle on board the "Elizabeth". Bishop Brady had brought back a number of religious and lay Catholics to begin the work of the church in the colony. Among the laymen was Terence Farrelly who remained staunchly pro Bishop Brady during a major schism in the newly formed Bishopric. He also went on to marry Henrietta's sister, Caroline.
In 1850, due to financial mismanagement, Bishop Brady had to return to Europe on a fundraising trip and to defend himself against charges brought by his assistant, Dr. Serra. Despite some friction between the two, Sister Ursula accompanied him and left the completion of the new Native Children's Cottage not to the Vicar-General, Dominic Urquhart, a Serra supporter, but to Bernard Smith. This led to some friction which is obliquely alluded to in a letter dated 12.7.1850 from Sister Ursula to:-
Dear Mr Smyth [sic]
The salutation at the beginning of this letter is an interesting error. When he joined the army in 1813, Bernard's father had signed his name "Smyth".
Bernard was also instructed in the same letter:
"Should you know of our dear Sisters being in want of flour, tea or sugar, you may safely order them in any necessary quantity for the convent and children's house only, as I have in my hands the means to pay....
Elsewhere in this letter was a warning to remain neutral in the feud between the priests:
I will take this opportunity of advising you as your friend not to take any part in disputes between Bishop Serra and Dr. Urquhart. Remain quite neutral and advise all Catholics that you can influence to do the same. You will soon see that this is your best plan as well as your most Christian mode of acting....... I will also inform you that Dr. Brady, Dr. Serra and Father Urquhart are all much blamed by persons in authority in Europe. It is now the duty of the Sister's of Mercy in Perth to remain quite neutral taking no part in the matter, and the people will do well to follow their example. There is no one in Perth that I can tell this to but yourself. You are bound in honour not to speak of it to any person whomsoever.
In July 1850 Bernard called a meeting to form a company to run a steamer on the Swan River and in 1851 he was one of the founding members of the Perth Mechanics Institute. During the same year he transferred his employment to the Commissariat where he seems to have spent the rest of his working life as a storekeeper.
In October of 1851, the Vatican suspended Brady from his position as Bishop of Perth and banned him from returning to Perth. Anticipating this verdict, Brady left Rome prior to its decision and had already embarked for Western Australia. In her biography of Ursula Frayne, Catherine Kovesi Killerby explained the events following Bishop Brady's return to Perth from Rome:
Shortly after his arrival in Perth, Brady began legal proceedings against Serra. All of Brady's original purchases of land had been in bought, not in the name of the Catholic Church, but in his own name. He now sues Serra for what was rightfully his, and refused to recognise any letter from Rome suspending his position unless delivered to him by Archbishop Polding himself. The Court ruled that the Catholics of Western Australia vote for members of a board of Trustees to administer diocesan property on their behalf. But when it came to voting for these trustees, the Catholic community divided into bitter camps of Bradyites and Serraites.
On 5.5.1852, Bernard wrote a letter to the Colonial Secretary:
Sir,
The five Trustees were Revd T Donovan, T Little Esq., Mr Jno Smith, M Butler and B Smith. Terence Farrelly, Bernard's brother-in-Law was a leading Bradyite and one can imagine some interesting conversations between the two daughters of John Gresswell.
In 1854 Bernard Smith built his home in Adelaide Terrace and named it "FERN HILL". The early years of that road are described in a number of publications but perhaps the best "domestic" description was given when Mrs W.J. Eastcott of Yarloop wrote to the Western Mail columnist, "Cygnet", in 1935 of the Adelaide Terrace fifty years before. She gave a view of a residential thoroughfare which has gone forever but was current during the last years of Bernard Smith's life.
There used to be a number of small low houses on the north side of Adelaide Terrace from Lord Street. Lady Campbell lived in one, Dr. Lapsley in another. Further along past the next street there were more of these low houses. The Spencers lived in one, the Leeders in another. Further along on the hill Sir Malcolm Fraser lived. He had a crippled son who used to ride a little pony to school led by a maid or a boy. His was the largest house on that side of the Terrace.
The Smith's had some illustrious neighbours but the really satisfying part of this account is that after some ten years research this was the first informal sight the writers' had of the builder of "FERN HILL". "Barney" Smith indeed!
1858 saw the first elections held for the Perth Town Trust and Bernard was elected as a representative for East Ward, a position he continued in for another thirty years.
As part of his civic duty Bernard Smith attended a meeting on 17.10.1862 to form the Perth Benefit Building, Investment and Loan Society. The meeting had been called by George Stone, whose brother in England was a noted author and proponent of Building Societies. George Stone was the first Chairman, Bernard one of the Trustees, Michael Smith one of the first directors and his brother-in-law Terence (Fred) Farrelly another. J.T. Reilly, another prominent Catholic, and later to become the father-in-law of one of Bernard's daughters was the first Secretary. Quoting from an article in Milestone 116, the P.B.S publication for 1978:
Nominal borrowing and lending rates were set at a modest 5 and 7 percent respectively. They were to remain unchanged for fifty seven years. In some respects, the very enthusiasm which launched the Society created unreasonable expectations. To the distinguished board the PBS was an instrument of social reform complementing the business operations of the Western Australian Bank. Thrift, frugality, sobriety, responsibility, civic-mindedness, stability, decency, and the creation of a house-owning middle class respecting property rights were all amongst the announced virtues of membership. It was all good Victorian stuff in keeping with the times. But their enthusiasm for the social good led the board into several major errors.
J.T. Reilly resigned as secretary in 1864 over the retrospective salary offered him of £24. The second Secretary resigned over a matter of several missing receipts. The third resigned to take up the position of manager of the Bank of Western Australia in Geraldton. Fourth to hold the position of Secretary was "the widely trusted and cheerful Bernard Smith". An advertisement appeared in the Inquirer of 4.3.1868:-
PERTH BUILDING SOCIETY
Under his stewardship the Society began to grow and became a major force in home financing by the time he retired from the position in 1892, just prior to his death. In Highgate which was an area of housing mainly financed by The Building Society is a Smith Street.
The name "Perth Building Society" no longer exists in the business community of Perth. In 1987 the directors changed its name to the "Challenge Bank".
This was a busy time for Bernard Smith because the Inquirer of 11.3.1868 recorded yet another activity :-
NEW BUILDING FOR THE SISTERS OF MERCY, PERTH.- We have been requested to publish the subjoined resolutions, which were adopted at a meeting of the Roman Catholic community of Perth, held a few days since, for the purpose of devising means of affording the Sisters of Mercy increased house accommodation, rendered necessary in consequence of their taking from the Poor House the Catholic female children heretofore resident......... ..... Proposed by Mr. Farrelly, seconded by Mr. Gorman, that the plans and specifications of the building, prepared by Mr. B. Smith, and now before the meeting, be approved of................... Proposed by the Rev. P. McCabe, seconded by Mr. Brady, that the following people be requested to solicit subscriptions towards the erection of the Building, viz., Perth - Messrs B. Smith, J. Gorman, J.T. Reilly, and T. Farrelly; ............... Proposed by Mr. Reilly, seconded by Mr. Gorman, that the best thanks of this meeting are due, and are hereby tendered, to Mr. B. Smith for his kindness in preparing the plans, and specifications submitted to, and approved of, by this meeting. Proposed by Rev. M. Gibney, seconded by Mr. Reilly, that Mr. B. Smith be requested to superintend the works...................
Needless to say, by the middle of July in the same year, the building was completed and around £2000 had been subscribed to the fund.
With its usual mixture of fact and almost fact the "Western Mail's" column "Old Time Memories" of 14.12.1917 recorded:
Mr. Bernard Smith was among Perth's oldest and most useful citizens. He was the first Secretary of the Building Society of which he was one of the founders, as well as a member of the City Council for a number of years. Mr Smith, with Mr. George Glyde, sen., and Edmund Stirling, planted the avenue of trees leading along Forrest Avenue to the East Perth Cemetery, as well as laid the first portion of the river wall that now forms the Esplanade.
In 1991 the Authors walked along Terrace Drive and studied the boundary between Adelaide Tce.-fronting and Terrace Drive-fronting buildings and were able to find substantial portions of the river wall still in existence.
Apparently a stickler for protocol, Cr. Smith was led into some controversy late in 1875, and a letter from a defender appeared in the W.A. Times of 5.11.1875:-
Sir. On reading the report of the proceedings of the City Council published in last Wednesday's Inquirer, I was highly amused at what appeared to have fell from Cr. Wilkinson during the discussion that took place with regard to the new Fire Engine. He snubbed poor Cr. Smith with the remark that "it only showed his ignorance of the rules of the service," when the latter stated that he did not think Mr. Hillman, as captain of the Fire Brigade would be under the command of Colonel Harvest, when working his men at the scene of any fire that may take place in the town.
Mr. Alfred Hillman of the Western Australian Bank head office and Captain of the Metropolian Volunteer Rifles, kept diaries of his day-to-day activities and also made mention of many of the personalities in the Colonies. In his position as an Auditor for the Perth Building Society he makes mention of his problems in the Novembers of 1880, 1882 and 1883 when he found some errors in "old Smith's" accounts. In December of 1881 he wrote:
...... Held meeting of Building Society directors to adopt Report for last year. We altered old Smith's phraseology a little and made it more suitable for presentation tomorrow evening.
On Monday 20th November 1882 he recorded that:
....old B. Smith was elected unopposed for East (Ward).
In 1888 Bernard finally retired from civic life and did not contest for his ward in the City Council elections. He did keep the position of Secretary to the Building Society but he was finally feeling his age and began winding down his involvements.
On Proclamation day, 21.10.1890 there was a large procession through the streets of Perth and a group of six "Old Colonists" marched, by invitation of the organisers. Bernard Smith accepted the invitation to be one of those six.
At the age of 77, on 24.6.1892, Bernard Smith died at his home. The West Australian of 25.6.1892 records:
We regret to record the death of Mr. Bernard Smith, of "FERN HILL", Adelaide Terrace, which took place at his residence, early yesterday morning. Mr. Smith was one of our oldest and most respected colonists, and though his death was not unexpected, his familiar figure will be much missed. He was at one time an officer in the Imperial Service in this colony, having been long connected with the old Commissariat Department, in which he was a highly trusted and greatly valued servant. When the Commissariat ceased to exist, Mr. Smith retired on a well-earned pension. For many years he represented one of the Wards in the City Council, of which body for some considerable time he was the senior member, and acted as the "locum tenens" of the Chairman or Mayor in the absence of the latter, and his opinions always possessed great weight with his fellow Councillors. He also occupied the position of Secretary to the Perth Building Society for about thirty years and discharged its duties with exceptional credit to himself and the Society. Mr. Smith was also one of the founders of the Swan River Mechanics' Institute, and a good deal of the success it has attained is due to his unwearied labours on its behalf, as chairman, committeeman, and for some time its secretary. Of late years Mr. Smith's health had failed him, and towards the close of last year he was seized with paralysis, and though, after a long illness he rallied sufficiently to enable him to get about again, he was evidently failing rapidly. He became seriously unwell again, recently, and yesterday morning, about six o'clock, he died at his residence, at a ripe old age. Mr. Smith married a daughter of the late Mr. John Gresswell, of Perth, by whom he had several sons and daughters. The funeral will take place this afternoon at half past three o'clock.
His funeral is recorded in the same Journal the following Monday:
The funeral of the late Mr. Bernard Smith took place on Saturday Afternoon, when the body of the deceased was interred in the Roman Catholic Cemetery. The Very Rev. A. Bourke officiated. The procession which followed the body to the grave was a long one, a large number of persons, besides the relatives and friends of the deceased, attending. The chief mourners were Messrs. H. Smith, J.H. Smith, A. Brady, and V. Brady, and the pall bearers were Messrs. T.F. Quinlan, M.L.A., G. Glyde M.L.C., Lieut. J.A. Campbell, Messrs. G. Dent, sen., J.C. Chipper, and P. Kelly. The funeral was conducted by Mr. P. Reilly.
The procession would have walked to the East Perth Cemetery, up Forrest Rd. along the avenue of trees which Bernard himself had helped plant. In later years his remains were removed to the new Karrakatta Cemetery.
Bernard Smith (from the few likenesses of him remaining), a short, stout, balding man with large, white mutton-chop whiskers, is now buried along with many members of his family beneath a large memorial at Karrakatta. His life was one of service to the community and his Church. He was not able to reach the heights of society in this very class-concious colony because of his religion and his parentage and so is not remembered in printed histories other than as an occasional footnote but he undoubtedly was one of the shapers of our State.
HENRIETTA MARIA SMITH (nee GRESSWELL)
Daughter of John and Henrietta Gresswell
Born: 7.12.1824, London, ENGLAND
Married: Bernard SMITH on 19.10.1842, at Perth in the Swan River Colony (Perth 45/42).
Henrietta Maria, John Gresswell's eldest daughter, as Bernard Smith's wife gave birth to twelve children, beginning with Emma in 1844 and her last child, Agnes Clara was born in 1865. It is hard to accept in these enlightened days that those are virtually the only facts known about the life of this woman. What can be inferred is that she was that paragon, the dutiful Victorian wife. She bore and raised a brood of children, she kept her house and garden in order and she acted as hostess for her husband. If it sounds like a dull or self-effacing life then it must be remembered that this was the ideal to which the majority of women aspired in that era. Unless she kept a diary, or was mentioned in someone else's, then the only method of knowing a woman of that time is through the verbally transmitted memories of her children and grandchildren. If these are lost then her personality is lost. All that is left is the list of children she brought into the world.
Shedding a little light on her activities is a report in the Catholic Record of 14.8.1879:-
CATHOLIC ORPHANAGES BAZAAR
Luckily the Western Mail ran a column called "Old Time Memories" which was written by "Hugh Kalyptus". Henrietta Maria Smith seems to have been a favourite of "Hugh" as she was quoted on several occasions. Through these snippets some further clues to her character are available to us.
On 14.12.1917 "Old Time Memories" included the following information about Henrietta:
Mrs. Smith enjoys the best of health, her faculties being exceptionally bright, while her conversation about the days that are gone, when she was so active in displaying her interest in the welfare of the aboriginals, assisted by her old friend and neighbour, Francis Fraser Armstrong, "the blackfellow's friend", is highly entertaining and instructive. One of Mrs. Smith's sons is a retired postal official and resides close by the family home, as do, also, several other members of her large family circle.
On 1.4.1920 the column was headed with the following paragraph:
During the past week Northam's oldest female resident (Mrs. Lydia Lockyer) and Mrs. Henrietta Smith, our senior female citizen, passed away. They were women of extraordinary virility, and retained their faculties to the last. Mrs. Lockyer had attained her ninetieth year while Mrs. Smith had celebrated her ninety-fifth birthday. They both originally hailed from England, and remained in Western Australia from the time of their first arrival; and each has left a large number of descendants, to the third and fourth generation. Mrs. Smith, for many years, had the distinction of being Perth's oldest continuous resident, she having arrived at Fremantle from London in the year 1829 (sic) with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Gresswell, who were passengers by their own vessel, the Jolly Rambler, ninety one years ago. Mr. Alfred Smith, one of the deceased lady's sons, is part proprietor of the Adelaide Quiz newspaper; and Mrs. Charles P. Reilly, of Kojonup, is one of her daughters. Mrs. Smith's husband, the late Bernard, founded the Perth Building Society, and was that institution's first Secretary - a position Mr. Smith retained up to the time of his death. Of a pleasing personality, the late Mrs. Smith was a companionable little lady, whose delightful descriptive powers, concerning the vicissitudes of Perth's earliest pioneers, afforded widespread pleasure to her large circle of friends.
Henrietta Smith was buried with her husband beneath an impressive family memorial at Karrakatta cemetery.
"FERN HILL"
Built 1854
In some stories places become as important as people. To the authors of this volume that has happened with "FERN HILL". Beginning with annoyance that the building had been demolished, illegally, just three years before research on this history commenced and continuing with a largely fruitless search for a photographic record of the site, "FERN HILL" has occupied a large portion of the time spent gathering material for this book. Over a decade of searching has produced just three photographs and a sketch of the original building and one photograph of the small cottage on the grounds which was built some years later. It seems strange that a building which stood for nearly thirteen decades should have been so little recorded.
The written record is a little better and is detailed in this separate section as it has gained a life of its own and deserves its own biography.
Lucille Quinlan, in her book "Undaunted Spirit" writes of the home which Bernard and Henrietta built some twelve years after their marriage:
Bernard Smith had not long before married John Gresswell's daughter and acquired from J.S. Roe part of the original grant of the Colonial Surgeon, Dr. Collie. The land covered with zamia palms and native shrubs sloped pleasantly down to the river from Adelaide Terrace. The brick cottage Smith built there, shaded with vine trellises and mulberry trees and known as Fern Hill remained a colonial landmark into the era of multi-story office blocks of concrete and glass.
Much later Bernard Smith's widow, Henrietta, recalled the problems the young couple faced building "FERN HILL". She spoke of the difficulty of clearing the bush, trees and zamia palms from the block with the shortage of labour in the colony. The biggest hurdle was making the bricks and Bernard's merchant brain soon leapt to an innovative solution as is related in "Undaunted Spirit":
Profiting by a hot and uncomfortable occasion when Governor Kennedy had been present in the tiny pro-cathedral in Lord Street, the Catholics pressed their claim for the vacant site in Victoria Square. According to his widow, Bernard Smith's influence as an old colonist and secretary to the Military Commandant was the deciding factor.
"FERN HILL" was built in 1854 and the National Trust citation records it as:-
A one-storied colonial cottage with hipped roof and verandah across the front. Big square-paned windows. Brickwork mostly cement rendered. Clear glass fan-shaped transom over front door. An odd wooden ceiling still in dining room.
When his wife's parents became too old to keep up with their orchard on the slopes of Mt. Eliza a cottage was built for them on the grounds of "FERN HILL". This was remembered by a Mrs Fonceca in an article published in the West Australian;
The Cottage as we always knew it, has been wonderfully preserved, through Mr and Mrs Nichols's care, with its trim croquet lawns and, flower-decked paths always a joy to behold, a tribute to those venerable pioneers, Mr and Mrs Gresswell............... The new flats stand on part of the lawns and the Cottage, greatly strengthened with additional brickwork, is sheltered to live anew. "FERN HILL", the house nearby, stands in its simple old-time dignity, a place where many a footsore wanderer found kindness from the gracious family of bygone years.
After the death of Bernard Smith, "FERN HILL" was loaned to the Church which used it in 1895 as the first hospital in Australia for the newly arrived Sister's of St. John of God. When the Sisters moved to their next home in Subiaco the widowed Henrietta moved back to her home.
The Cottage was home to Bernard and Henrietta's second son, Henry Edward (Harry), for a number of years.
Journalist Mary Ferber, in the Daily News of 5.1.1967 wrote of "FERN HILL" and of its later years:
In 1923 the property was bought by Mr Herbert Horsfall, a civil engineer who had formerly been in the service of the Nizam of Hyderabad (and who designed the railway bridge over Blackwall Reach for the W.A. Government. It was never built.)
Madge Horsfall, when asked by the National Trust for some details of "FERN HILL", replied, in part:
The spring was there at the foot of our "bank" as we called the slope, when we lived there, among thickly set bamboos. Bracken fern grew all over the bank and well up into our garden on top.
One of the old almond trees still yields nuts. It is in the lawn behind "FERN HILL" - west side.
Mary Ferber gave the information that an English couple, Mr and Mrs A.T. Blackburn, with student sons, occupied the west flat and concluded with the question:
And how long "FERN HILL" will stand in a street filling with offices and multi-story flats is anyones guess. Of its kind it is the last.
The cottage was used as offices for a time as the business centre of Perth encroached into the once residential Adelaide Terrace. Eventually it became decrepit and was vacant for a number of years. The National Trust listed "FERN HILL" as part of the State's heritage but the concrete and glass mania of the seventies saw the end of this historic home. On 30.6.1977 the original cottage was demolished, without a demolition order!
Currently standing on the site of these historic homes is the Langley Plaza. Directly over the site of "FERN HILL", the home of one of the original members of the Temperance Society, sits the appropriately named "Fenian's Bar"!
Son of John Smith and Elizabeth Mary Cherry
Died: 24.6.1892, Perth, Western Australia (Perth 476/92).
Born 1844, Perth, Western Australia (Perth 414/44).
Born 1846, Perth, Western Australia (Perth 754/46).
Born May 1848, Perth, Western Australia (Perth 1124/48).
Born 3.6.1850, Perth, Western Australia (Perth 1473/50).
Born 8.11.1852, Perth, Western Australia (Perth 1954/52).
Born 7.2.1855, Perth, Westren Australia (Perth 2736/55).
Born 13.4.1857, Perth, Western Australia (Perth 3800/57).
Born 7.2.1860, Perth, Western Australia (Perth 5217/60).
Born 20.2.1862, Perth, Western Australia (Perth 6262/62).
Born 30.9.1863, Perth, Western Australia (Perth 7342/63).
Born 10.8.1865, Perth, Western Australia (Perth 8691/65).
Born 9.9.1866, Perth, Western Australia (Perth 9527/66).
Between Bernard Smith, Plaintiff and John Picton Beete, Defendant
Whereas an Action has been commenced in this Court at the suit of the above named Bernard Smith against the above named John Picton Beete, to recover the sum of Fifteen pounds, fifteen shillings, and upwards, due on a Bill of Exchange dated 10th September, 1842, drawn by the said John Picton Beete on one Mr. Ridley, payable at sight to the said plaintiff. And it being alleged that the said John Picton Beete does not reside within this Colony, a Writ of Foreign Attachment has been issued returnable on Tuesday, the 10th October next, wherein Lionel Sampson, of Perth aforesaid, Merchant, is Garnishee.
NOTICE is hereby given thereof, and that if at any time before final Judgement in this action, the said John Picton Beete or any person on his behalf, will give such security and notice required by Act of Council, 8th Victoria, No. 4 intutule......Act to facilitate Actions against Persons absent from the Colony and against any Persons sued as Joint Contractors, the said Attachment may be dissolved.- Dated this 18th day of September, one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
BERNARD SMITH
Whether this case was proceeded with in his official capacity or not is difficult to determine. When the case came to Court the property of the defendant at Rottnest was sold by order of the Court but it was not stated that the proceeds were to be made over to the plaintiff.
I have heard that Dr. Serra has made some efforts to prevent the building of the Native Children's Cottage, but I know you are too upright and honest to be hindered by any person in the discharge of your duty. I therefore hope to hear that the building is now completed. Should you, however, Through mistake or otherwise, have been induced to stop the building, I must remind you that you have acted contrary to the contract drawn up and signed, the due performance of which contract I expect.....
We the undersigned representatives of the majority of the Roman Catholic Community of Wn Australia, have the honor to inform you, for His Excellency's consideration, that at the meeting held in the Court House today, for the purpose of selecting Trustees of the property in dispute, there appeared a Majority of seventeen present and of 150 votes by petition, in favor of the five Trustees named in the margin, seeing which Dr Brady, the Chairman, most ??????????? and contrary to the custom established for conducting Public Meetings, declared the opinion of the minority as carried, and without putting the question to the vote, or dividing the House at once dissolved the Meeting.
For the correctness of these assertions we beg to refer His Excellency to Captain Bruce, T.M. Yule Esq.,and Messrs I Helms and A Shenton who were present during the whole proceedings, and also to Mr John Chipper, who, having been appointed Teller by mutual consent, can give evidence as to the Majority of the Meeting being in favour of the Trustees nominated by the party of the Rt Revd Serra,-
Under these circumstances, and considering the great inconvenience experienced by the Roman Catholic Community of this Colony in not having a Superior or head recognised by Government, we , in the name of the four hundred Catholics we represent, as expressed in the enclosed petitions, earnestly request His Excellency to acknowledge as superior of our church in this Colony the Right Revd Dr Serra, who is appionted by the proper authority, and supported by the majority of our Community
We have the honor to remain
Your most obedient servants
Timothy Donovan R C Chaplain
Ed Barron
Bernard Smith
J.M. Butler representing Plains, Toodyay and York districts
John Thompson representing Bindoon
John Maguire representing Belvedera, Bunbury, Dardanup and the Vasse.
John Smith.
On the south side there were three or four large houses. Old Mr. Armstrong lived in one, his son in another, Barney Smith in another. Then there was vacant ground and a little further on Judge Burt's place, where he lived and died. The next big house was Sir Edward Stone's. From Stone's Hill as it was called right down to the police station were poor little houses.
The same attitude kept expenses down. There was no fulltime staff and no premises. George Stone waived initial legal fees and directors were unpaid. Business was conducted each Saturday evening in the reading room of the Swan River Mechanics Institute in Barrack Street; a practice to which the fiery librarian soon took exception.
NOTICE
Mr. B. SMITH has been appointed Secretary to the above Society, vice Mr. DeCourcey Hillman, resigned,
J.G.C.Carr, President.
Now, Sir, allow me to inform Cr. Wilkinson (A Captain though he was) that Mr. Smith was perfectly correct in his supposition, and could well have returned him the compliment, for Colonel Harvest has not the power to interfere with Captain Hillman or any other persons, unless they are wearing the volunteer uniform, and as Captain Hillman and various members of his corps do not intend to form the Fire Brigade as "metropolitan Rifle Volunteers", it is not at all likely that they will place themselves under the command of Colonel Harvest by wearing (and spoiling) their red tunics.
Yours Truly, CITIZEN. Perth, Nov. 3rd,1875.
Died: 26.3.1920, Perth, W.A.
At a preliminary meeting held in the Young Ladies School Room, Perth Convent, on Wednesday, 16th July, to make arrangements for a Bazaar to take place in November next, in aid of the Orphanages (Boys' and Girls'), a Working Committee of twenty-one members was formed with power to add to their numbers; and a sub-committee of management was appointed with the following ladies as officers:- Miss C. SMITH, President; Mrs. B. SMITH, Treasurer; Mrs. MEWS, Secretary; Subscriptions and donations thankfully received.
Demolished 29.6.1977
During 1844 and 1845 mulberry trees were planted in anticipation of a silk worm industry. There was widespread hope that this would have been a viable industry as an orchard of these trees had been planted in East Perth and another further inland at Mulberry Hill Farm. Other major plantings had been made. The "FERN HILL" trees must have been planted a decade after their introduction into the colony. In the 1870's some of the "FERN HILL" trees were removed to "HILL SIDE", the pretty riverside home of John and Henrietta Gresswell, Henrietta Maria's parents.
................ When plans were being formed for the new church, Bernard Smith was busy clearing the ground for the house (Fern Hill) and setting up a kiln for baking bricks on the site. He had found a good spring of fresh water on the eastern boundary and was learning the art of brick-making with the clay on the property. An idea presented itself: why not invite the Benedictine monks to use his kiln and his clay to make bricks both for the new church and his new house? Father Griver accepted the suggestion with gratitude. In return for the use of the spring, the clay and the kiln, the Benedictine monks who trudged over daily from Subiaco gave the Smiths one brick out of every twenty they made. So Bernard's house was built, and in 1914 his widow recalled in vivid detail how, with intervals for prayer and very frugal meals, the eight Benedictine brothers toiled all the daylight hours over the brick-making. For Angelus bell a monk would strike a trowel on a stone and work would cease while they sang the praises of the Blessed Virgin. When evening came they chanted Vespers and trudged home through the sand to Subiaco.
He wanted to be close to the Irwin St. University for the benefit of three scholarly daughters; Madge, Muriel and Connie.
The house was kept for the Horsfall sisters after Mr and Mrs Horsfall went to live by the sea - but they never came back to live here.
Under "FERN HILL"'s corrugated iron roof is a shingle roof, making the house cool in summer.
One of the Mulberry trees..... grew near the foot of our slope and was of course always raided by children. The land below had all sorts of fruit trees in it - I can only remember mango and guava - and was irrigated by criss-cross deep channels.
When we first moved to Fern Hill in 1923, the block on the opposite corner was empty and a cow grazed on it. An old picket fence went round most of the block and people used the block as a short cut, diagonally across it.
"The Cottage", i.e. the house on the corner, was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery when we were there.
I planted the Jacaranda tree. I used to say it was for me to sit and knit under when I was an old granny! We also planted the tall palm behind the house.
