Mostly assembled from research by Norm Barney and Ross Edmonds
Next to Newcastle City Hall is a little park, sometimes bright with flowers, that goes by the name of Christie Place. The Christie for whom it is named is one of Newcastle’s more colourful (in a good way) former mayors, Colin Christie, whose civic career was paralleled by his musical enterprises.
Newcastle book collector and historical researcher Ross Edmonds recently acquired a battered old bound volume of sheet music that once belonged to this musical mayor, prompting some interest in the man behind the place name.
Christie was born in Newburgh, Fife, Scotland, in 1836 and was 13 when he arrived in Australia with his parents in 1849, and took a job at the Kings Station near Jerrys Plains in the Upper Hunter Valley. According to former journalist and historian, the late Norm Barney (whose wife Daphne is a descendant of Colin Christie) the youngster moved from Jerrys Plains to Maitland to become an apprentice bootmaker. He moved to Sydney to practice his trade, then moved to Newcastle – introducing new boot-making machinery to the district. Like many other people in the colonies at that time he also tried his luck on the New Zealand gold diggings – apparently with little success. By 1859 he had moved to Newcastle where he soon abandoned boot-making and operated a tiny shop trading as a “poulterer and general dealer”. Also in 1859 he married Elizabeth Paynter and the couple began a family. Christie’s mother is said to have been the first person to run a school in Newcastle.
In 1870, and for some years around that time, he was licensee of the famous Black Diamond Hotel.
He had a love of music and, according to Ross Edmonds: “he decided to try to turn his interest in music into a source of income which was needed to support a large family”. He married three times and had 13 children by his second wife, 12 of whom played musical instruments including the piano, cornet, piccolo, cello and violin. “Colin Christie’s Quadrille Band” was composed of his family members. This group later became known as the Christie Family Orchestra, playing regularly at picnics, weddings and balls. According to Norm Barney, Christie also had two children from his third marriage and one of those – Christina – achieved some local fame under the stage name Tina Marshall.
An early trace of Christie’s musical entrepreneurialism is an 1871 newspaper advertisement for a ball in the Victoria Assembly Rooms. It said admission for gentlemen would be two shillings, with ladies admitted free of charge. Music would be provided by a string band conducted by Colin Christie.
By mid-1872 Christie was advertising a “Select Quadrille Party” at the City Hall every Saturday and Monday night from 8 to 10 o’clock – admission one shilling. “City Hall”, in this context, had nothing to do with local government in Newcastle – it was simply a hall available for various uses. This “City Hall” was in Newcomen Street and had started life as Newcastle’s first Methodist church in 1845. In 1877 Colin Christie, then aged 41, took over the management of the City Hall, enlarged it and changed its name to the Lyceum Hall. To begin with he ran the hall as a dance and music academy
By the 1880s Christie – still running the now-enlarged City Hall – was getting involved in politics. His talent for self-promotion and his reputation for determination must have held him in good stead since by 1890 he was mayor. This was the year that electric light came to Newcastle, and one of Christie’s daughters had the honour of switching on the supply. Christie also campaigned for sanitary reform and is said to have introduced concrete guttering to the district.
Always on the go, Christie briefly turned the Newcomen Street Lyceum into an ice skating rink as well as a dance hall. He also took up mesmerism (hypnotism) and became one of the colony’s leading exponents of Pitman’s shorthand (then known as phonography). He was, in fact, a close acquaintance of the inventor of shorthand, Sir Isaac Pitman.
Christie took a trip back to Scotland in the early years of the 20th century, got elected to the local council of Newburgh and seemed set to become mayor when he decided instead to return to Australia. In 1914, at the age of 78, he stood again for Newcastle City Council. He died two years later, in June 1916.
The Newcastle Morning Herald published some of Colin Christie’s reminiscences in 1909, and Jen Willetts has helpfully transcribed them on her splendid website, freesettlerorfelon.com
Christie’s obituary can be read here:
Ross Edmonds writes:
In mid-1874 an advertisement appeared saying: “Mr Christie and Family will appear in Mr Harris’ Assembly Rooms where they will give a vocal and Instrumental Concert: The programme will be performed by Juveniles from 3 years to 13 years of age. It will consist of solos on the violin, piano and piccolo with choruses and Songs of Scotland.” The concert must have met with a reasonable response because Christie took it on the road. By November he and family were appearing in the School of Arts, West Maitland followed by Morpeth and Hinton.
The advertisement gave the full program and half those items were musical pieces included in an album that I recently purchased with Colin Christie’s name in it. It’s condition can only be described as poor with many tears to the music sheets and sometimes pieces missing altogether. However it gets worse! One piece is titled “Sybella Polka by Franz Becker. Newcastle” and there is only one other copy known – and that is in a private collection. This would be great news were it not for the fact that none of the pages of music are there: Its only the cover. It was printed J.A. Engel in York St. Sydney so why put Newcastle on the title page? Well, Becker was living in Newcastle when he wrote the piece, having arrived from Germany and settled in Newcastle in 1869. An advertisement in The Newcastle Chronicle of October 23, 1869 reads: Herr Becker, late organist at a church in Germany, having taken abode in Newcastle, will give a class for Junior Pupils under 16 years of age… Pianofortes perfectly tuned. Three weeks later he gave a performance on the organ at St. John’s Anglican Church in Cooks Hill in which the audience enjoyed “a rare treat”.
The first mention of the Sybella Polka occurs two years later in an advertisement which said that Herr Becker’s 5th Concert would be held in the Newcastle School of Arts. The program included four pieces by Becker, including the Sybella Polka to be played by the Newcastle Artillery Band. This piece was also on the program for a concert held in Sawyer’s Paddock near Maitland where it was played by the West Maitland Volunteer Band in March 1874. Becker often sent copies of his latest compositions to local newspapers which usually resulted in some free publicity. In 1877 the publication of sheet music for “The Newcastle Election Gallop” was mentioned in several newspapers. It was dedicated to Dr Bowker, a well known doctor in Newcastle and the successful candidate in the election.
Becker continued to give concerts and music classes until moving to Queensland in 1879. One such performance in Newcastle, when he and other musicians gave their time free of charge, was for a Benefit Concert in aid of Newcastle Hospital where it was said that “he presided at the piano.” The NMH said: “He has always been most willing to give of his services in the cause of charity. He has also considerably elevated the musical taste of this city and we think he should not be allowed to leave our midst without some substantial recognition of his services.” Nor was this sentiment confined to Newcastle as it was reported that: “A number of pupils and admirers of Herr Becker…. gave him a complimentary concert at the Mechanics Institute in East Maitland… The hall was filled by a fashionable audience showing the high esteem in which he is held by the people of the Hunter District…” Another successful complimentary concert was given him in the Morpeth School of Arts in March 1879 shortly before he left for Queensland.
After moving to Charters Towers, a few years later he relocated to Bundaberg. Another piece he wrote while there was titled “The Kanaka Polka” which was all too appropriate for his new home town. He died there in 1897 and his funeral was well attended, reflecting the high esteem in which he was held in that locality.
The other Novocastrian who features as a composer in Christie’s album was Robert Bishop Theobald. He and his wife arrived in Sydney from England as assisted immigrants in 1853. There is a reference to a ‘Theobald’ playing in an orchestra in the Royal Victoria Theatre in Sydney during 1854 though with no first name, or initial, we can’t be sure it was him. There are references to him in various newspapers during 1858 though the first one advertising his services as a music teacher doesn’t appear until 1859 when he describes himself as a “Professor of Music and Languages” with a room in Liverpool Street. There were, however, plenty of men advertising their services as teachers of music and/or languages and Theobald struggled to make a living. His wife also advertised for pupils in a school she ran for “young ladies” but there was never enough money so they decided to see if their prospects would be more favourable in Newcastle.
The first advertisement identified by Trove for Theobald’s new school, known as the ‘Collegiate School’, in Newcastle appeared in 1865. Operating out of a large room adjacent to the Wesleyan Chapel in Tyrrell Street, the school prospered and in 1870 he moved to bigger and better premises in Church Street known as ‘Ocean View House’. He and his family were apparently moving in the right social circles as a notice appeared in various newspapers 1868 informing readers that James Edward Hannell, son of James Hannell MLA and Mayor of Newcastle, was to marry Adeline Matilda, daughter of Mr R. B. Theobald, Collegiate School, Newcastle. This was a double wedding held in Christ Church Cathedral with Fanny Ann, daughter of James Hannell, marrying Joseph Wood, of Castlemaine Brewery fame and fortune.
Theobald’s role as a composer gives him some lasting recognition. His earliest published pieces are the ‘Rosella Schottische’ which appeared in 1859 and ‘The Barnstaple Manor Quadrille’ which was published in the early 1860s. This was followed by ‘The Cricketers’ Quadrille’ which appeared in March 1862. The SMH described it as “a lovely set of quadrilles dedicated to the United Elevens of NSW and Victoria… As a memento of a very exciting period in connection with the late friendly contest between the two colonies and old England, we recommend it to our readers…” Apparently it proved to be popular as a second edition was published in 1865 and a third in 1874 when The Newcastle Chronicle said it could be purchased from Mrs Paine’s bookshop in Hunter Street. It is this last edition that is in Colin Christie’s album.
In 1867 Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, one of Queen Victoria’s sons, graced the Australian colonies with a visit, and as far as most people were concerned this was the most exciting event they had ever experienced. The ship on which he sailed was the ‘Galatea’ and a host of hotels were renamed the Galatea along with various pieces of music with that name dedicated, of course, to the Duke. One such was the Galatea Polka composed by R. B. Theobald which appeared in March 1868.
Henry Parkes was able to take advantage of the anti-Irish, anti-Catholic sentiment in NSW in the election of 1869 by claiming that a secret agent had uncovered information about a nest of Fenians. Some were said to be living in or near Kiama. Parkes, however, was not able to present any compelling evidence and his opponents were soon taunting him about “the mystery of Kiama”. Obviously, in reference to this political chicanery, Theobald’s next piece of music was titled ‘Le Mystere de Kiama” which he dedicated “To the wives and daughters of the Australian politicians.”
The following year Theobald published ‘Prince Arthur’s March’ for the pianoforte at the price of two shillings. It was “to be had at all book and music shops.” This piece is also included in Christie’s album and, as an indication of Theobald’s growing reputation, a review appeared in The Illustrated Sydney News. It said: “For two or three years the Sydney market overflowed with the musical efforts of all kinds of colonial composers – song, dance and instrumental music. Since then there has been a dearth of this kind of publication, and we have the pleasure in noticing this little addition to our stock of colonial music recently brought out by Mr Theobald. The melody fastens itself readily on the ear, and has been very pleasingly harmonised. We have little doubt that in these days of military excitement, it will soon be added to the repertoire of each volunteer band and that we shall hear the sweet strains of ‘Prince Arthur’s March’ on our local parade ground.” Later that year Theobald followed this up with ‘The Prince’s Return Polka’. All were published in Sydney.
As an indication that Theobald musical and teaching career was doing well, he was able to donate a guinea to the Newcastle Hospital Fund at a time when most people gave much less. It also seems to have made him a target for at least one thief as it was reported that “an old fashioned silver watch, double case, was stolen from the house of R. B. Theobald in Newcomen Street, Newcastle.
Theobald and his wife continued to run their private school until 1876 when a notice appeared in the Newcastle Chronicle saying that Mrs Theobald’s school for young ladies would resume on 16th January, however Mr Theobald’s school would not resume until 24th January due to severe illness. As it turned out, that was to be the day he died. The newspaper said: “It is with regret that we have to announce the death of a gentleman who has done much to forward the interests of this district by imparting to the minds of many of its youth the blessings of a sound English education. For many years Mr R. B. Theobald held a first class position in this town as the head of a Commercial Academy and many of our rising citizens owe much of their success to his mental training…. His remains will be interred in the Christ Church cemetery. He was 58 years old.
At some point, probably in the 1880s, Christie found the condition of his music sheets deteriorating and bound them in an album. Predictably, all but one of the other music sheets in the album, apart from the ones by Becker and Theobald noted above, were published in London. They are a variety of English, Scottish, Irish and French compositions such as ‘Pretty Polly Hopkins’, ‘Irish Ballad’, a Highland set of quadrilles, ‘Le Prince Imperial’ (a French quadrille dedicated to the Empress Eugenie), a comic piece titled ‘Very Suspicious’ and others in a similar vein. The one published in Australia was done so by J. R. Clarke at Sydney. He was the main publisher of music sheets in Australia during the 1850s to the 1880s. It is titled ‘The Bonnie Hills of Scotland’ and features a lithograph of Miss Julia Mathews, which is rare, though this one has a tear some from side to the other! The composer is unknown however it says the arrangement for piano is by George Peck who was the musical director at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Sydney.
In conclusion, it is fair to say that the Colin Christie Concert album, in conjunction with the newspaper reports of the concerts he and his children gave in Newcastle and the surrounding towns, provides us with a window into the importance of music in this community during the 1860s and 1870s. Battered and torn, the album is a cultural artifact and rare survivor from a time when the provision of mass entertainment was so different from what it is today. In an age when there was no electronic entertainment and travel was difficult, the local community had to provide whatever entertainment they could by drawing on the talent of local musicians and performers. People such as Christie, Becker and Theobald – along with many others – did provide some cultural enrichment in the lives of working class people .
