You Are Here : Home / Libraries/ Local and Family History / 150 Years of the City of Ryde / People

People

Shipyard workers, Kidman & Mayoh, Putney, January 1920. Kidman & Mayoh were contracted to build wooden ships as steel was difficult to obtain during WWI. The workforce included a few skilled shipwrights, bush carpenters and timber workers from the North Coast of NSW. Some local Putney people got jobs as blacksmith & labourers. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 4796497. Kidman & Mayoh Shipyard / 5

Children in fancy-dress for fund raising for Princes Regent Swimming Club, 1932. The club was formed in 1932 by around 20 families who lived in the area bounded by Princes, Regent, Wade, Osborne and Waterview Streets. With Council’s support, they obtained a lease from the Sydney Harbour Trust and created an enclosure on the river. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 4892143. Princes Regent Swimming Club / 3

Brush Farm Carpentarian Reformatory in 1910: laundry. In 1894, three quarters of a century after it was built, Brush Farm House became the Carpentarian Reformatory which was established to train boys in useful agricultural skills and trades and to prepare them for adult life. It was described as ‘an institution without walls’. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 4954653. Brush Farm / 4

Giuseppe Giuliani (c.1841-1900) and his wife Marghetia Crameri (c.1859-1940) and son Virgilia Charles Giuliani. The Giuliani’s were Swiss-Italian migrants who lived in the Marsfield area from the late 19th century. Joseph Giuliani served as an alderman on Marsfield Council from 1897-1900. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 4892089. Giuliani family / 4

Hugh, Nettie, Nell, Jack & Bob Christie children at play, Marsfield 1893. The Christie family emigrated from Scotland, and built their house on 22 acres of land they had purchased at Marsfield in 1892. In this photo the two older boys are the ‘horses’ and the ‘carriage’ is an old timber box. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 507584A. Christie family / 1

Mr & Mrs Christie with their children, Nell, Nettie, Hugh, Johnnie & Bob, 1893. Robert Gordon & Mary Christie emigrated from Scotland, and built their house on 22 acres of land they had purchased at Marsfield in 1892. The family cleared the land and built a little wooden house. Here they are dressed in their Sunday best! Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5075858. Christie family / 2

Section of the crowd at the official opening of Ryde Civic Centre. The administration building of the Ryde Civic Centre was unveiled on 15 August 1964. Here the crowd is looking up at the new modern building based on the design of the AMP building at Circular Quay. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5089557. Ryde Civic Centre / 6

Five generations of the Wicks family, 1908. Descendants of Robert Wicks and Sarah Wicks (nee Weavers), early pioneers of Ryde and North Ryde. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5089948. Wicks family / 1

Putney Public School, 1924. With wings and wands, these girls were ready for a Christmas pageant. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5158133. Putney Public School / 2

Local French community outing in Putney Park around 1920. Putney Park was a popular destination for picnics and days trips. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5158435. Putney Park / 5

Jim Stanbury in racing skiff in front of Ryde wharf, 1900. ‘Big’ Jim Stanbury was a sculler who settled in Ryde after marrying Dolly Jordan, daughter of the proprietor of the Royal Hotel. He first won the world title in 1891 and held it until 1896. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5159091. Stanbury family / 1

Volunteers packing soldiers’ comfort parcels at Ryde Town Hall December 1940. Ryde’s local patriotic fund during WWII consisted of six sub-committees which collected money and made parcels and comforts for the troops. Beginning with 288 parcels in 1940 it reached a peak of 3645 parcels in 1944. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 548118A. Ryde Patriotic Fund / 1

Gordon Millar with melons and pumpkins grown by his father William at the back of the Millar family home in High Street, Gladesville around 1924. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5481279. Millar family / 2

Debutante Ball, Masonic Hall Eastwood, 26 September 1934. Debutante balls were an important event in the social life of the community and took place in the town halls and masonic halls throughout the area. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5481627. Debutantes / 1

Jim Hull and his dog ‘Rover’, North Ryde 1938. A boy and his dog. Such a scene crosses decades. In later life, Jim served as a Councillor on Ryde Council from 1982-1999, deputy mayor 1987-1995 and mayor 1995-1997. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5481678. Hull family / 1

Orphan girls St Brigid’s Orphanage, Ryde, c.1938. On the left is Squireville, originally the home of James Squire Farnell. These buildings operated as an orphanage for the first eight decades of the 20th century. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5481872. St Brigids Orphanage / 5

Coxs Road, North Ryde. Bikes & trikes! Five children outside Hortons shop in Cox’s Road, North Ryde. The substantial two-storey building in the background is the North Ryde School of Arts, now the location of the North Ryde Community Hall and North Ryde Library. The children are identified as Barrie Hicks, Marie Hicks, Carol Keegan, Terry Morony and Fred Horton. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5482143. North Ryde / 3

Charles Blaxland 1810-1888 on the verandah of Cleves, around 1888. Charles Blaxland was the son of Gregory and Elizabeth Blaxland. Here we see him sitting on the verandah of his river-side house Cleves which was located on the western side of Charles Street, Putney. He must have had cold feet. Note his furry slippers! Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5482615. Blaxland family / 1

Sarah Kate (Kitty) Barton and the family dogs. Here they are having afternoon tea at Nyrangie, Linsley Street, Gladesville around 1900. Kitty Barton’s father was Henry Francis Barton, the Master in Lunacy at the Gladesville Asylum. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5485576. Barton family / 5

Harold Hicks (left) picking fruit with two of his uncles in Wick’s Road, North Ryde c.1924. The Hicks were significant land holders in the North Ryde area and members of the Baptist Church. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5579201. Hicks family / 1

Year 5 Ryde Public School students, Australian sesquicentenary, 1938. Dressed in wattle costumes, these school girls were celebrating Australia’s 150th birthday, its sesquicentenary in 1938. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5579449. Ryde Public School / 7

Shirley Beauchamp and her younger brother outside 42 Delange Road, Putney, around 1928. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5579511. Beauchamp family / 2

Mrs Jane Eliza Beauchamp (nee Holdsworth). Mrs Beauchamp feeds her ducks in the backyard of 42 Delange Road, Putney c.1928. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 557952A. Beauchamp family / 1

Members of the Gladesville branch of the Voluntary Workers Association. The VWA members are outside Karoola, 46 Frederick Street, Ryde, the home they built for William & Lanetta Jackson. William was severely injured in WWI; in this photo he holds his baby daughter. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5579589. Voluntary Workers Association / 3

Group of patients seated on the terrace at Weemala, c.1923. Weemala was opened in April 1907. It was the new site for The Home for Incurables, originally established in Redfern in 1900. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5579791. Weemala, Ryde / 22

Helenie Women’s Hockey Team North District section, at Ryde Park 1938. The people in the photograph have been identified as following: Back row left to right - unknown, Anne Bain, unknown, Elma Sheridan, unknown, Waverney Webb; middle row - Peg Shelby, Mavis Hicks, June Hardy; front row - Edie McKee, unknown. This hockey team was named ‘Helenie’ after the historic home of the same name in Meadowbank. Sports such as hockey and tennis were an important part of women’s lives. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5755662. Hicks family / 4

Cecil ‘Bill’ Ewings, in the uniform he wore as toll collector on Ryde Bridge, 1936. The original Ryde Bridge was opened in December 1935. Financed by a grant of £53,000 and a loan of £80,000, tolls were introduced to repay the loan. These charges were collected until midnight on 30 June 1949. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5756006. Ewings family /1

Private School Miss Chatfield. In addition to government and denominational schools, small private schools operated in the area from the early days of settlement until the middle of the 20th century. Miss Chatfield’s school was located at Marsfield, at the old Eastwood Council Chambers, corner of Abuklea and Herring Roads. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5756111. Eastwood / 30

Susannah Katherina Schardt, 1872-1934. Susan Schardt was born in Queanbeyan in 1872 and, though visually impaired, worked tirelessly in the cause of humanity throughout her life. Initially opening a ‘Home for Incurables’ in Redfern in 1900, the Ryde venue Weemala was opened in April 1907. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 7280025. Weemala, Ryde / 27

Ernest Benson, an unidentified woman on a horse with Val Archer in toy car and Edna Benson on rocking horse ‘Comet’ at Bensonville 1920s. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 7516215. Benson family / 7

Ryde Library staff. Maud Mary (Mollie Donaldson) (seated right) was the Chief Librarian with Ryde Municipal Library from 1951-1962. Ryde Library Service.

Headstone of Deighton Taylor and Rachel Taylor (nee Henning) in Field of Mars Cemetery. She is better known to Australians by her maiden name, Rachel Henning, the author of the most widely circulated collection of private correspondence ever published in Australia The Letters of Rachel Henning. Ryde Library Service.

Plaque of Johnnie O’Keefe in Macquarie Park Cemetery. Johnnie O’Keefe was a rock & roll singer; famous for ‘Wild One’, ‘Shout’ and ‘She’s my baby’. He had 29 Top 40 hits in Australia between 1958 and 1973. Ryde Library Service.

The resting place of the ashes of Michael Hutchence at Northern Suburbs Crematorium. Michael was a musician, singer-songwriter and actor who co-founded the rock band INXS. Ryde Library Service.

Opening of Ryde Civic Centre, 1964. Well-dressed official guests at the opening of the Ryde Civic Centre in August 1964. Typical of the time were the hats and gloves.

Albert Sayer, Stan Jensen and Alf Tyrell at Eden Park, 1938. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 690; negative 23/5.

Rural Bank, Ryde staff. Cnr Blaxland Road and Devlin Street, Ryde, 1973. L-R Top: David Holden, Rodney Ede, Ross Fielding, John Roche, Jim Giles. L-R Bottom: Heather Atkins, Barbara Rubcic, Patricia Mann, Lynn Worthington. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 2391; negative 110/28A.

Maypole dancing, Ryde Public School 1908. A maypole is a tall wooden poll erected as part of various European folk festivals around which a maypole dance often takes place. In Australia, this tradition continued at least until the 1960s. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 3430; negative 142/21.

Miss Green’s children’s dance group 1940s. Miss Green operated a dance studio in Gladesville on Victoria Road, corner with Hepburn Street. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 3567; negative 146/29.

Buffalo Lodge no 130 members, Ryde. Standing: H Armstrong; G S Turner; C A Abrahams; F Gibson; R Talbot; W I Coffey. Sitting: G Hatton; A Mercer; M Barnes; B W Goodchild; J Hampson. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 3757; negative 152/37.

Crowd at the Tennyson Swimming Baths in the early 1920s, Beach Street, Tennyson Point. Before the building of the Ryde Swimming Centre, river swimming baths were a popular form of entertainment and exercise. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 3894; negative 156/28.

Putney Public School, 193 Morrison Road, Putney, 1970 Class 5A. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 4075; negative 161/35.

Hazel Lois Linsley born 1902 with her toy horse and cart full of flowers. She was the daughter of William Hessell and Annie Linsley. The Linsleys lived at Ermington Park. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 4307; negative 170/9a.

Miss Australia, Tanya Verstak, trying on a Constellation vacuum cleaner during a tour of the Hoover Factory, Meadowbank 1960s. What people are asked to do for a publicity shot! Ryde District Historical Society. Image 5295; negative 203/15.

Joyce family outside their bag hut c. 1914 in Pellisier Road, Putney during WWI. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 5371; negative 205/21.

Wood chopping, Eastwood. Les McIntosh & Jock McCarthy holding notice of competition to be held on vacant land at rear of Eastwood Hotel, Rowe Street, Eastwood, May 1921. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 6205; negative 238/8.

The St Julian family of Culloden Road, Marsfield 1920s. It’s great to see people just having fun!. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 6212; negative 238/15.

Winner of St Anne’s Anglican Church ‘Queen’ competition in 1930. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 6697; negative 254/24.

Early Ryde Hospital Auxiliary. Voluntary work has always been important to the fabric of society. Here we see the women of the Ryde Hospital Auxiliary. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 6754; negative 256/13.

People wearing masks in Herring Road, North Ryde, 1919. Look familiar? During the 1919 Influenza Pandemic, citizens were encouraged to wear masks, just as we are now. Ryde District Historical Society. Image 10186; negative 360/01.

Ready for the Hunt at Eastwood House. Edward Terry, his wife Isabel and their family lived at Eastwood House from the 1860s. The estate initially consisted of 90 acres but was expanded with the purchase of an adjoining 170 acres to the north. Edward Terry, Ryde’s first mayor, is third from the left. Ryde Library Service. Acc. 5004403. Terry family / 10

Back to top