Ray, The Bull Street area would have taken a battering in 1955. It was in direct line of the water flow from the Oakhampton breach. It has always been thought the Oakhampton breach was deliberate and indeed the path of the water became the course of the mitigation scheme developed in the years following the flood. I was seven at the time and still have vivid memories of what went on. We had endure several floods in the years before 1955 but they only flooded the streets and low lying houses. We missed out and would stay at home watching the water rise against our brick fence. In 1995 it didn't stop and my father made the decision to get us out but returned to protect the castle. He and Adrian decided to leave when a pole floated around the corner of Hannan and Wolfe Street with a black snake curled around it and a tortoise swam between his legs. We had 3' 7" of water in the house and ;lost everything. We lived for a few days at the old Tally Ho factory on the outskirts of Rutherford until I was evacuated to live with my cousin in Cessnock. The rest of my family lived in a caravan in the backyard of Bill Jack (Jack's Motors on High Street) on Aberglasslyn Road Rutherford. We eventually move the house to Aberglasslyn Road. The site you found the photo on has some great Maitland building shown. Quite a few of them were built by my Grandfather, Charles Taylor who had a workshop in Banfield Street that would not have been far from Bull Street. The buildings include, Walka Waterworks, Maitland Courthouse, and Benholme on Regent Street. Thanks for asking the original question. What's you family name from Bull Street? Phillip Carruthers Brisbane, Australia +617 3273 5531 ----- Original Message ----- From: Ray To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2009 12:54 PM Subject: Re: [HV] Sketch of Long Bridge WEST MAITLAND Hello again Phillip. Thanks for this. What a great bit of local and family history that item makes. I wonder if they were grateful that it didn't collapse whilst they were walking on it. I was not aware that the bridge had collapsed. When I searched under "Long Bridge" Maitland at the National Library of Australia pictures web-site, there were lots of photos of concrete work being constructed on the bridge, which I was unaware of; so this would now explain it. At the time of the flood, Phillip, we were living in the western suburbs of Sydney, and being a kid, I had no idea at that stage that the family had originated in Maitland, still living almost adjoining the Long Bridge at the time of the flood -- in Bull Street, formerly called Thompson's Lane -- on the eastern side, on my John THOMPSON ancestor's original Veteran's land grant which had stretched right across from Thompson's Lane to Regent Street; so from the photos at the NLA, it would seem that the entire grant would have looked like a river then. Phew! Thanks for sharing this interesting item. Regards again: Ray

Hi Phillip. I've trimmed most of your note below. Thanks for pointing out those other Maitland photos on the NLA web-site. I've had a great time looking at some of them. How nice for you to have all of those tangible remains of your grandfather's workmanship! Lucky you. You asked about my Bull Street family name/s. The original grant was to ggg g-father: John THOMPSON -- 30 acres (if my memory is correct) as an inducement to stay in NSW rather than for the government's having to pay repatriation fares back to Britain, upon the disbandment of the Royal NSW Veteran Corps. His only daughter: Ann THOMPSON married Edward HAWKINS (who had been the convict overseer of the Newcastle Bridge Party, which built the original Long Bridge at Maitland -- as well as lots of other wooden bridges in the area.). Edward seems to have obtained most or all of this land from his father-in-law; and worked it as a farm, as well as opening and running the Thistle Inn at the Regent Street end of the Long Bridge. Upon the death of Edward HAWKINS the land was sub-divided to be shared equally between each of his 10 children (or the offspring of those already deceased). Accordingly, the 'owners' then became: Only son: John Edward HAWKINS and his wife Charlotte DAY. 9 Daughters: Nancy Maria (nee HAWKINS) and her husband Richard Parsons HEWITT / HEWETT. Susannah Sophia (nee HAWKINS) and her husband Samuel BOGGS. Ann Elizabeth / Elizabeth Ann (nee HAWKINS) widow of Leonard Cahill CHEETHAM. Sarah Lane HAWKINS (unmarried -- but had at least one child to Hugh John McDONALD) The children of Mary Ann Annabella (nee HAWKINS) deceased wife of Joseph Downing WOODS. Amelia Jane (nee HAWKINS) wife of George Henry CHAPMAN. Matilda Fowler (nee HAWKINS) wife of Charles Frederick RICHARDS. Husband of Caroline Mooney (nee HAWKINS), deceased wife of Rufus Samuel BURR. Flora Ann (nee HAWKINS) wife of Samuel Joseph SOLOMON. Regards & thanks again: Ray ----- Original Message ----- From: "Phillip Carruthers" <[email protected]> The site you found the photo on has some great Maitland building shown. Quite a few of them were built by my Grandfather, Charles Taylor who had a workshop in Banfield Street that would not have been far from Bull Street. The buildings include, Walka Waterworks, Maitland Courthouse, and Benholme on Regent Street. > > Thanks for asking the original question. What's you family name from Bull > Street?

Ooops, Phillip, I forgot to add that the original Veteran grantee: John THOMPSON had THOMPSON descendants who married TAYLORs in Maitland, but I don't see "Charles" amongst the names given to me of that family grouping. cheers: ray ----- Original Message ----- From: "Phillip Carruthers" <[email protected]> > The site you found the photo on has some great Maitland building shown. > Quite a few of them were built by my Grandfather, Charles Taylor who had a > workshop in Banfield Street that would not have been far from Bull Street. > The buildings include, Walka Waterworks, Maitland Courthouse, and Benholme > on Regent Street.