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Henry Scanlon (1902-1987) - Miners Federation official. Recorded 10 February 1984. Part 1/1.

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William Fitzpatrick (1915-2002) - District Councillor. Recorded 13 February 1991. Part 2/2.

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SummaryWILLIAM V. FITZPATRICK
Recorded 13th February 1991
Part 2/2

00:51
Portion 22 - James Taylor

1:00
Location of boarding house property Portion 25.

1:30
Population, Four Mile Ck. 360 people lived there. There was a one teacher school which his father and his eldest sister attended.

1:50
Fred Fletcher – he picked up his sister.

2:11
Children attended Four Mile Ck. School. Miner’s kids didn’t attend “Superior” schools. It was a stage above Primary School. East Maitland School was a superior school.

2:33
Lawsons. David Baker walked out from the bush to the school. (David has researched the info in a book).

3:18
Lillias Brown – James and Alexander’s sister. Purvis kept lending Lillias money to work the Anvil Creek Mine.

3:42
Anvil Creek Colliery – 1860s.

4:10
Farthing's Platform (Greta Platform).

4:48
Reg Wyndham.

5:01
Professor Edgeworth David.

5:23
Reason for naming of Greta seam – “that quality coal”.

5:41
Brief history of Greta township. 1840. Merewether was the secretary to the governor – who decrees Greta would be its name, not Anvil Creek. All names including Colliery names came from England.

7:21
Stanford Greta – before Stanford Merthyr came along.

7:45
Richard Potts – the Dagworth seam.

8:14
Trenchard and Henry Adams about 1880. Adams was a bank manager in Maitland.

8:32
? Trenchard who may have been a bank manager put in a couple of tunnels – one J&A Brown bought called Pelaw Main – another the East Greta Co. bought which they called Stanford Merthyr. The 2 tunnels were Stanford Greta tunnels

9:06
Edward "Ted" Pepper – did a lot of the boring.

9:29
Paddy Scanlon.

9:37
Henry Scanlon.

10:27
Mick Scanlon – a boxer and Henry’s brother.

11:11
Jack Scanlon.

11:13
George Elliott.

11:21
Elliott (mother's maiden name) – James’ mother.

11:56
John Elliott 1825 – his wife was a Sadlier.

12:14
Mary Elliott.

12:27
George Elliott.

12:39
Brief history of Elliott family – came out on the Nimrod.

12:57
Location of Elliott's blacksmiths, Maitland – opposite the Bridge – where the Library is. “Dawn In The Valley” - The grandmother was a Consadine who settled in Buchanan. Simple was the miller and came to Maitland.

15:46
James’ brother in law was Harold McGregor from Brunker Road Broadmeadow. His mother was a Lenegan.

16:15
A.B. Sparkes – Because of drought the cattle were let go and they went to Buttai – Bloomfield owned so much land. They bought land off “the old” Bloomfield – (4,000 acres).

17:43
William Price – worked in conjunction with Elliott at the meat works at Buttai. There were three schools.

18:29
Recollection of the "Jew Boy's" – Tracey (sp?) the teacher at the 1st school)

20:20
Fr Terry – cattle rustling.

22:11
John Andrews, Mary Smith.

23:01
Austin Fitzpatrick (grandfather) 1857 – came to Maitland got a job with Vinden

23:24
Brief history of grandfather

23:35
Solomon Vinden – merchant involved in the Greta Coal Co. Then interested in kerosene shale.

24:49
William Keane geologist involved in the Anvil Creek area.

25:20
Meatworks started in 1867. His grandfather, with four horses given to him by Eales, he began carting tallow from Shamrock to Morpeth. Also going to Buttai. This is how he met the Elliotts.

28:12
First coal found at Four Mile Creek

28:26
The "Bloomfield" seam

28:46
Reason for open cutting of mine – really fine clay was there too. “If there was coal beneath where the clay was out you could open cut it.” He was paid the royalty for the coal.

30:03
Bill Lewis manager – James showed them where they could get coal without breaking a lease and with the miners on side, on the first day they dug down 13ft of coal, in the first day 3,000 tons were taken – after 3 weeks there was a severe storm and it flooded the mine.

30:55
Recalls flooding of Four Mile Creek.

31:35
Eric Newham

31:50
Athol Lightfoot – open cut technique.

32:42
Recollection of R.W. Miller's first mines - 220 acres.

33:43
"Oakwood" Colliery.

34:42
Number of shafts, Four Mile Creek

34:54
Thickness of coal seam, Four Mile Creek.

35:03
Reason for not mining - all seam – soft coal.

35:13
Description of early Brown's residence roofed with iron bark shingles.

36:58
Boundary fence put there by the Chinese. The fence posts were pointed. Brian Scanlon mentioned this.

37:12
Recollection of Four Mile Ck.one roomed school with porch. Separate pit toilets.

37:42
Location of Four Mile Ck. Public cricket ground. Methodist church and various houses. Brown’s houses. South side of Shamrock Creek.

38:17
Location of miners' residence

38:52
Shamrock Creek Colliery – (James’ dad)

39:05
Old Bloomfield Colliery, (James’ grandfather) Miners who worked were Thompson, Allen, Bellfield.

39:54
James & Alexander Brown – Two alternatives to get the coal up on to the Metford Road – Shamrock Creek Road.

40:10
Corduroy Bridge - a log bridge with 4 stringers across it. There were 66 working the mines in that area. They mainly all lived around the area.

41:04
Jim Walsh – the manager

41:12
"Baron" John Brown was born near Four Mile Creek in Portion 27.

41:30
Recalls story of missing boy for 9 days c.1888 told by Brian Scanlon.

45:10
Jimmy Walsh – grew up to be the manager of Riverstone Meatworks.

45:38
Quality of Shamrock Creek clay – wasn’t porous clay and was used in the bricks for Buchanan School.

46:50
Recalls house burning down. His father’s house.

Tape duration: 47:46 Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

SubjectFour Mile Creek Colliery (N.S.W.)Coal mines and mining -- New South Wales -- HistoryFour Mile Creek CollieryFitzpatrick, William Vaughan, 1915-2002 Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

PersonJack Delaney Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Depicts or Relates ToHenry Scanlon (1902-1987) - Miners Federation official. Recorded 10 February 1984. Part 1/1. Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

CreatorFitzpatrick, William Vaughan, 1915-2002Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010CollectionVoices of the Hunter Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Date Created13th February 1991Identifier439B Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Job Identifier439B

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