In this instalment of Our History series, Campbelltown Library historian ANDREW ALLEN puts the spotlight on humanitarian Caroline Chisolm (1808-1877) and her links to Campbelltown:
Well-known humanitarian and supporter of immigrant female and family welfare in Australia, Caroline Chisholm, had an important link to Campbelltown.
An “Immigrant’s Home” was established here – part of Chisholm’s scheme to place new immigrant women into country situations where they would not fall prey to the temptations and poor conditions rife in Sydney for single women.
A public meeting was held in 1842 and resolved to “form a home for Immigrants in Campbelltown upon the plan adopted by Mrs Chisholm”. They felt that “it would afford great facilities to the settlers in the district, besides being attended with numerous advantages to the Immigrants themselves”.
The girls were described by local historian JP McGuanne in a 1920 article for the Campbelltown News as “a jollyhearted lot, blessed with superfluous vigor and clean, well-balanced minds, trained to resist any moral or personal deterioration”.
Several prominent local citizens were acknowledged in the same article as ‘straightening their twist of circumstances’.
One such person was John Hurley who provided Caroline Chisholm with a building to operate out of. Hurley also provided financial assistance to the scheme.
His obituary notes that “Mr Hurley came to her (Mrs Chisholm) and besides materially helping her by his influence and purse in her admirable scheme he gave her a large house in which the immigrants could find a home whilst awaiting a situation”.
John Hurley had accumulated enormous wealth during his life, largely through property ownership. Campbelltown’s Hurley Park is named in his honour.
Where was the Immigrant’s Home? The building was in the ‘V’ that divided Appin Road and Old Menangle Road.
The home was covered in an article from a 1908 issue of The Town and Country Journal. The issue provided a very poor photograph of the building with an accompanying article.
There are some references placing the building at the former Visitor Information Centre or ‘Quandong’, brought about by references to a school. However, research has disproven this theory.
The building was built in the 1830s and existed as late as the 1970s. In later years it was lived in by the Keller family.
In a 1979 library oral history interview, Aileen Haydon remembered “there was a block between Old Menangle Road and Appin Road and there was a very old house there that the Kellers lived in. It was very old spread across the block. I understand it was a migrant centre when they were bringing the migrants here”.
The building was used as an Inn following the closure of the immigrant centre.
