History on the run

Extract from: Heritage Report, Robert Demkiw, June 2016

 

ORIGINAL OWNERS:

It is acknowledged that the Jukembal people were the original owners of the land around Tenterfield and their territory covered an area from Glen Innes to Stanthorpe (Halliday 1988, p.1.) and details of the language groups in the Tenterfield Region are provided in Table 4.1 of the Tenterfield LGA Aboriginal Heritage Study (Richards 2013, p.15). It is also likely they lived and managed the land that was occupied by Tenterfield Station and used the resources offered such as the natural watercourse that rises above Pelham Street in Section 47 and crossed Section 32 and terminates at a dam in Section 31 as shown in a 1865 plan of the town area of Tenterfield surveyed by Frank S Peppercorn (HLRV Crown Plan N1-1834).

 

STATUTORY HERITAGE LISTING:

‘KEBA’ House is listed as an item of local heritage significance in Schedule 5 Environmental Heritage of the Tenterfield Local Environmental Plan 2013. The property however, is not listed as an item of State heritage significance under the NSW Heritage Act. Nor is it listed on the NSW State Inventory. Items of local significance listed by Councils are usually listed in the State Inventory as a matter of course.

 

The property is not listed by the Australian Institute of Architects in the Register of Significant Buildings in NSW nor is it listed in the 1986 edition of the National Trust Register. However, it was recommended for heritage listing in the 1997 Tenterfield Main Street Heritage Study undertaken by Suters Architects Snell Pty. Ltd.

 

OWNERSHIP DETAILS:

 

This property was originally part of Tenterfield Station and leased by Sir Robert Ramsay Mackenzie from about 1839 and by Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson from about 1840. Mackenzie was granted a licence to occupy the land in 1842 and Donaldson’s lease was granted in 1844 (Halliday 1988, p.8). When the Land Commissioner George James MacDonald visited the station on 20 May 1845 it was noted that 88 persons were employed, with stock of 460 cattle, 79 horses and 32,310 sheep on 160,000 acres (Register of Squatters and Graziers 1833-1849).

 

The Australian Joint Stock Bank (AJS Bank)

The bank was formed at a meeting held on 27 October 1851 at the Royal Hotel in Sydney where it was determined that the capital would be £250 000 pounds raised from 25 000 £10 pound shares. A “Deed of Settlement” was made on 29 December 1852 and that the bank would be known as ‘The Australian Joint Stock Bank’ (Deed of Settlement 1853) and it was incorporated by an Act of the NSW Parliament in 1853. The Deed was the Articles of Association for the bank.

On 21 April 1893 the Sydney Morning Herald reported on suspended trading due to a shortage of funds. The article listed 149 rural branches in New South Wales, including the branch at Tenterfield, and twenty in Queensland. It appears that because of this situation, the bank was registered with limited liability and became known as the Australian Joint Stock Bank Limited. In 1910 the bank changed the name to the Bank of Commerce Ltd and remained as such until 1931 when the Bank of New South Wales acquired the business. (Guide to Australian Business Records) www.gabr.net.au/biog/abe001

 

The Australian Joint Stock Bank was opened in 1859 in Naas Street as the first bank in Tenterfield and was managed by H. P. Abbott. In 1871 it was moved to Charles Pavel’s stone building in High Street and in 1891 a new building was erected in Rouse Street (Halliday 1949, Halliday 1988, p.147). The building in Naas Street appears to have been used as a bank residence until the new building in Rouse Street was erected in 1891 (Halliday 1988, p.101).

 

The Bank purchased the property on 7 October 1859 from John Morris (Official Assignee of the Insolvency Court) and Frederic King as cited in the Title Deed of Robert Henry Miller (Purchases Index Book 2172 No.302). And, it appears that the bank opened for business on 22 November 1859 as the Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser of 10 March 1860 carried an advertisement for the bank signed off by Henry P. Abbott, Manager. In addition, on 28 January, 1860 the Sydney Morning Herald printed the Bank’s half yearly report as at 31 December, 1859. The report stated that a branch had been ‘recently opened at Tenterfield’.

 

Roger Hardinge Braham

According to the Tenterfield and District Historical Society, Mr Roger H. Braham leased the subject property for a number of years before it was purchased in February, 1966. Roger Hardinge and Patricia Mary Braham purchased the property on 7 March 1966 as stated in the Title Deed (Purchases Index Book 2782 No. 964).

Mr Braham OAM was a Notary Public and solicitor and has had a practice in Tenterfield for some fifty years. He was the principal of Stuart, Cook and Braham Solicitors (http://www.stcb.com.au).

 

The Commonwealth Electoral Roll for 1963 listed Roger Hardinge Braham and Patricia Mary Braham as resident at 17 Naas Street, Tenterfield. On 2 January, 1968 the Canberra Times reported the birth of the Braham quintuplets on 31 December, 1967 at the Royal Brisbane Womens Hospital. The proud parents were Roger and Mary Patricia Braham.