Thomas Hugh Cameron

  Noted events in his life were:

• source. roz taylor who writes:
He retired to live in Sydney & there are several addresses in the phone books, they are 1) 1930 130 Murriverie St, North Bondi (rented) ph: NO:FU9057 2) 1930 23 Wunulla Rd, Point Piper (Owned) PHONE NO: FU3965 3) 1935 294 Edgecliffe Rd, Woollahra (Owned) PHONE NO:FM 2690. 4)282 New South Head Rd, Double Bay, This is where he died. the chruch service was held in the Presbyterian Church, Ocean St, Woollahra. It is not known whether he owned any of these properties. He travelled extensively in the United Kingdom with his wife in 1922 & it was while travelling in Scotland that he saw a park in Edinburgh and on his return to Wellington had the park there modelled on the Edinburgh Park. the park was called "Cameron Park? & is still called that today. He was the mayor of the town at the time. His granddaughter (Pat Chrietensen) said that he was a gentle, generous man with a brilliant business mind which is probably why he was so successful with the launch and continued success of "The Western Stores" 1889 - 1963. When it was bought by Grace Bros which was taken over by Myers. In 1999 the store is no longer in operation closed due to lack of support.
TRANSCRIPTION OF LETTER WRITTEN BY T.H.CAMERON TO HIS BROTHER CONCERNING HIS CAPTURE BY NED KELLY . ORIGINAL HELD BY:THE Mitchell Library,Sydney- Donated by Grandson in 1947. (Note:- T.H. Cameron was 16years old at the time of writing this letter.) Glenrowan. 8/7/1880 My Dear Brother, You requested me in your last letter to give you the full details of how the Kellys were caught at Glenrowan. Well, as I was telling you I came up to Glenrowan and I went over to Reardons place and I was surprised to see nobody there, not even one of the children, nor anybody to tell me where they were, so I was coming home again when I met Jack Delaney and his two brothers, and I asked them where the Reardons were gone to and they said they didn't know, that they came up to Reardons to go hunting with them and they couldn't make out where they had gone to. So we decided to go up to Glenrowan and ascertain where they had gone to, and as we got close to the station, Ned Kelly came riding up to us and asked us who we were, we told him, and he said we must know that he was Ned Kelly. I told him that I knew who he was directly I saw him. "Well" he said, "that's all the better if I know that but he thought it was better to explain himself and that we had better accompany him over to the station." We went over and there were about 25 or 30 bailed up then and more arriving every now and again. After a bit, Curnow, his wife and sister and Dave Mortimer came down, and, of course, they were blocked at once, they were blocked at once, they had to take out the horse and put the buggy in the yard and tie up the horse. Most of us were down at Stanistreets gate and Byrnes was riding to and fro Jones Public House and brandy and he made us drink all round. I didn't want to at first but he made me. We were knocking about there all day, but we couldn't escape because they kept too sharp an eye on us. I was talking long time with Joe Byrnes and it was him told about the rails being torn up and that they came here to kill the police and black tracker. But what they wanted to do was too bad. After dark we all went over to the public house and they were all dancing and singing. Twice I said I would clear out and Jenny Jones heard me and she said that if I did she would tell Ned Kelly and 3 or 4 other chaps said the same and Jenny Jones overheard them and she said she would tell Ned if they attempted to do so. It was about this time, one o'clock, that Joe Byres gave me a fig of tobacco and I have it yet, and I have a cross and a small shield made out of one bullet Ned Kelly fired off at the police and I have some small revolver cartridges that I found near where Dan Kelly and Steve Hart were burned, and I have some other things that I got there. I will send them down to you if you like and I know where I could get one of their rings too, they will be relics, you know. It was between 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning that the police came up and then Constable Bracken got away and told them the Kelly were in the hotel and that there were about 35 persons locked up in the hotel. After the Kelly shot Hart, the police surrounded the house and didn't fire much till the Wangaratta Police came then they commenced shooting and it was something awful when the Beechworth police arrived, then more came from Benalla. Ai don't know how many police there were but I think there must have been fully 150 and all the fellows firing on that house at once. I can tell you it was something awful. The room I was in was fairly riddled with balls coming in every direction breaking the clock and other things on the mantlepiece and coming through the windows and hitting the table and sofa. That will tell you how close they were to us and the worst of it was they knew that we were in there. It was all nonsense of them saying that they would have let us out if we had tried to get out, see when Mick Reardon tried to get out how he was shot and the same with Martin Cherry, it was Sergeant Steele that shot Martin and Mick Reardon too. I was up at Wangaratta and I saw M.Reardon and he is getting on alright. The picture in the Sketcher where the prisoners escape is nothing like it, we did not fall down like that at all. I can't think of anything more at present but I will send you snatches at times when I think of it. I saw Ned Kelly after he was caught he was all covered with blood. Both the Kelly, Steve Hart and Byrne had strapped trousers and long coats and all these float hats. Ned Kelly trousers were strapped like this it looked so nice, all the others plain strapped. Every one of them had these fancy boots with large heels shooting under the feet. Dan Kelly and Steve Hart were the smallest of the four, being very little taller than myself. Jenny Jones was making very free with them, getting on their knees and dancing with them and kissing them. I think 6 months in gaol would do her no harm. If you want these things that I was telling you about, write and tell me and I will send. I remain your, Affec. Brother, T.H.Cameron. LIFE OF T.H. CAMERON 1864-1937 WRITTEN BY ROSLYN TAYLOR FROM INFORMATION IN GOVERNMENT RECORDS AND FROM 3 OF HIS GRANDCHILDREN. Thomas Hugh Cameron was born 31st May 1864 at Jeffcott Street, Melbourne the home of his parents. He was the third child and 3rd son of John Robertson Cameron and Marian Cameron nee Anderson. His father was a Railway porter with the Victorian Railways, working at Spencer Street Station until at least 1873 when his youngest child was born but by 1875 was living in Glenrowan, Victoria and was a Railway Gatekeeper. Records show that 5 of his six children were amongst the first children to attend the newly built school, which opened on 4th September 1876. Thomas was 12 at this time. His father died in 1880 when he was 16, and both of his older brothers had already left Glenrowan and returned to Melbourne to work. Thomas wrote a letter to his brother in Melbourne describing how he was captured by Ned Kelly and describing the capture of Ned Kelly, the letter is dated 8/7/1880 just 19 days before his father died. His mother was given her late husband's job of Gatekeeper, and within one year was renamed Gatewoman, the 1st woman to hold that position. She must have been delighted as she had three small children to feed and educate. She remained in that job until 1893 when she moved back to Melbourne and lived at Ascot Vale until her death in 1909. Thomas married Janet Florence Taylor, whose father owned "Goonoo Station" Wellington, in 1893. They had 2 sons and 4 daughters. Janet Taylor died in 1928 of Cancer. Prior to her death they traveled back to Scotland to visit the land of birth of the parents of Janet and the father of Thomas, and the writer has been told that they loved to travel. By 1929 Thomas's son, Maurice Charles,was managing the Wellington Branch of the Western Stores and Thomas living in Sydney, retired by 1930 (Sydney phone directory). He lived at several addresses in Sydney, mainly around the Rose Bay area. A far cry from his humble beginnings. He enjoyed his retirement and spent many hours with his 5 grandchildren. He suffered Diabetes in his latter years and was able to afford his own nurse. His grandchildren (now aged between 60 & 70) remember him as a very generous and gentle man, who had a wonderful analytic business brain. Not bad for a boy educated at Glenrowan public school! Thomas Hugh Cameron died on 4 August, 1937 at his home in New South Head Rd, Double Bay, Sydney. He is buried next to his wife at the Waverley Cemetery. The grave overlooks the Pacific Ocean, a fitting peaceful place for such a wonderful man. It has been a most fascinating exercise for me, researching the life of Thomas Hugh Cameron. I almost feel as though I know him and very proud that I named my eldest son after him, as I feel that with a namesake such as Cameron, I have given him an excellent person to look up to. THE HISTORY AND FOUNDATION OF THE WESTERN STORES. 1889 - 1963 WRITTEN BY: T.H. CAMERON SEPTEMBER, 1929. Sometime about the beginning of 1889 Mr. Wise purchased the Store in trade of James Wilde on the site which the present Store premises stand and as usual proceeded to sell same. At this time I was engaged selling off another store for Mr. Wise, Fogg Bros. Of Coonamble which took me till well into this year to finally wind up. Both A.G. Scott and myself were employees of Mr. Wise at this time and whilst I was busy at Coonamble he was assisting Mr. Wise at Wellington with Wilde's sale. When Coonamble was finished I came to Wellington and assisted Mr. Scott with other stock. This time a Chinaman came into the market in Dubbo. Mr. Wise tendered for and purchased this and Wilde's being nearly completed, we three journeyed to Dubbo. About this time Mr. Scott and myself formed the idea of starting up by ourselves at Wellington in a portion of Wilde's old premises which were available. We figured on opening an up to date drapery business, comprising clothing and mercery and had made all arrangements to finalise. I had a little money saved but I think Mr. Scott had practically none but good experience. We decided to see this Dubbo venture through for Mr. Wise and then to resign our positions with him and start immediately. Neither of us liked the job of giving him notice of our intentions but eventually I undertook to tell him as I had known him much longer than Mr. Scott. Mr. Wise seemed very much surprised and of course did not like the idea of losing our services. He thought for a very little while and then said in his characteristic way, "well, I am in this joint venture as well" and to make matters easy we decided on a partnership on a basis 50% Mr. Wise, 25% Mr. Scott and 25% myself, and Mr. Wise to find out the money required and to charge the new firm interest on the amount advanced. Besides, he was to buy the premises and rent at a low rental. This of course suited us much better as it enabled us to start as a General Store and at the same time we would be independent of any recommendation from Warehouses. All arrangements were made, partnership agreements completed, stocks purchased and with a flourish of trumpets the new Store was opened for business on September 14th, 1889 - just about 40 years ago. We carried on for some years on the basis mentioned but it was not very long before the firm had not only paid back Mr. Wise the original money awarded but purchased the premises as well. This meant that all were in equal shares. Eventually this business was floated into a limited company under the name of G.E.Wise & Co. Ltd. Up to the time of starting this new company, conditions in the Wellington district were very bad, 1888 being I believe, one of the worst years on record. However, when we started, the seasons improved, business was good and we made money very fast. Both Mr. Scott and myself did a great amount of work ourselves and drew very little out of the business. I took 3 pounds per weekends. I remember when I got married (1893) I increased it to 4 pounds and later on to 5 pounds, at which it stood for years - living was much cheaper in those days. This in short is the history of how the present Wellington business was inaugurated. We carried on for some years as G.E.Wise and Co. Ltd. And then decided to float this business into a Limited Co-Operative Co; the idea being to sell as many shares as possible to farmers and others and thus secure this trade. The new title was "The Wellington Co-Operative Stores Ltd". Although we sold a good many shares we found that the fact of being a shareholder did not do much towards influencing customers and as this new corporation did not synchronize with the class of business we were doing, we decided to again change the name to "The Wellington Stores Ltd.", which name it retained till the amalgamation with Brown of Dubbo, Barlow of Narromine, La Queens of Trangie and Wise Ltd. of Gilgandra to form the "The Western Stores Ltd." Branches of G.E.Wise were opened at Junee under the charge of Mr. N. Barnosconi and later on Wongarbon, under the charge of Jack Bennett and A. McCloud. Business at Junee was exceptionally good for many years and profits always good, but later when the motor car eventuated, business deteriorated and at present neither of these two branches pay to keep open. Mr. Bernosconi is now Manager of the Western Store and Edgleys Ltd. at Trangie. He joined Mr. Wise first at Wellington when he purchased Wildes Store and later on joined the firm of G.E. Wise & Co. Ltd. when operations were commenced in September 1889, thus he is easily our oldest hand with the possible exception of Mr. A.J. McCloud of Geurie, who first worked for Mr. Wise at Coonamble in 1888, but left for another position once or twice. Mr. Bernasconi has been continuous.

Thomas married Janet Florence Taylor, daughter of Samuel Taylor and Janet Lang, on 26 Sep 1893 in Goonoo Station, Wellington, NSW Australia. (Janet Florence Taylor was born in 1874 in Hay, NSW Australia and died in 1928 in Wellington, NSW Australia.)