Just inside the main entrance to Parramatta Park is an obelisk which marks the spot where Lady Mary Fitzroy, wife of Sir Charles Fitzroy, former Governor of New South Wales, received fatal injuries in a driving accident on December 7, 1847.
The Governor and Lady Fitzroy, accompanied by Lieut. Charles Masters, were setting out to attend a wedding in Sydney, when the four horses attached to their carriage became frightened and dashed wildly down the hill from Government House.
The carriage struck a stump, throwing the occupants violently out. The Governor escaped practically unhurt, but Lady Mary and Lieut. Masters were so seriously injured that they died the same day.
The maddened horses careered along George-street as far as Church-street, where they crashed into a building which stood on the site now occupied by Tattersall’s Hotel. As a result of the tragic happening, a gloom was cast over the whole Colony.
Subsequently Governor Fitzroy had an entrance made to the Domain (the Park) at Macquarie Street, and he used this instead of the George-street one. The obelisk was unveiled on Centenary Day, 1888.
Old Government House, Parramatta
Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW),
26 October 1933. http://monumentaustralia.org.au/
Louisa Lawson: Henry Lawson’s crusading mother This book, written by Lorna Ollif, tells the story of Louisa Lawson (nee Albury). who was born in 1848, near Mudgee. In 1866 she met and married Peter Larsen, a Norwegian seaman – she was only 18, while Peter was 14 years her senior. Peter was a gold prospector…
As previously explained, the Bailey and Cashman families took over the crossing service from about 1832 or soon after – both families competed for customers, each having a boat ready at any time. Old timers tell us that when a boat was required on the northern side, a hurricane lamp would be lit and slowly…
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For more than 60 years, Australia has played a vital role in space tracking owing to its geographic location and its technical know-how. A high point was reached at 12.56pm (AEST) on 21 July 1969 when the Apollo tracking station at Honeysuckle Creek, near Canberra, transmitted live television of Neil Armstrong stepping onto the surface…
Although not heard as much these days the saying, shoot through like a Bondi tram, was very common in the early 1900s. There was a time when Sydney was one of the world’s great tram cities and Bondi Trams shot through Paddington like, well, a Bondi Tram. In its heyday, Sydney’s tram network was the…
If you didn’t attend our August event you missed a great day. Betty Candy’s talk was a great success bringing over 60 guests to hear her. It’s amazing how many people didn’t know about this part of our history. Don’t miss out on future talks.
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