Stop 5
Katherine Town
“Katherine or Catherine?” – One of the town’s oldest quirks is its very name. Explorer John McDouall Stuart named the Katherine River in 1862 after his sponsor’s daughter Catherine (with a C). Somehow, the town ended up as Katherine with a K – a spelling debate that local history buffs still joke about! It’s an early hint that Katherine was destined to do things its own way.
The Railway workshops 1940s
This today is the site where the Katherine Club stands today. At this workshop the North Australian Railways (Commonwealth Australia) serviced their rolling stock during the war years in the top end. Local man Fred Pascoe worked on the engines along with many other men. In the 1960s the Federal Government hired a Japanese workforce which came to Katherine and dismantle the workshop and take away the iron from this site for shipment back to Japan.
The Catholic Church, Katherine, First Street
The first Catholic church for Katherine was gifted by Edward Collins ‘Cowboy’. It was a Sidney Williams Hut that was left over from World War II. Cowboy’s wife, Anna Cubillo, was deeply religious, and her husband gifted this building to the church so Anna could fulfill her dream of having a resident Priest live and deliver mass to the community of Katherine. Father Orman was the first Priest to live in the back of this building in the 1950s. The building was bought through the Army Decommission Unit.
Ted Fuller's Butcher shop 1947 – 1974
Ted Fuller was the local butcher who supplied the Katherine community with fresh cuts of meat. He had an interesting concept of pricing his beef and pork. All cuts of meat were 9 pence, whether premium or not. This little shop has withstood three harsh floods, 1957, 1998 and 2006. In the early 1970s, this butcher shop became the local printing house for the Katherine Informer, the first local newspaper for Katherine. Sylvia Wolf and Alex Wood launched the first run of newspapers and a gossip column that locals looked forward to every week.
The Uniting Church of Katherine
The Uniting Church of Katherine was originally the home of Cowboy and Anna Collins. It was a World War II Sidney Williams Hut. He sold the property on First Street to the Uniting Church. In-Land Missionaries, lay preachers came to Katherine with a team of young men and developed the building with stonework that is still visible at the front of the building today. A book was created about the history of this building by historian Simmone Croft that is held in the Library at the Katherine Museum.
The Old Town Hall (CWA)
The old fibro asbestos hall was owned by Sarah Shaw, who ran it as a boarding house on the main street in Katherine. It later became the CWA's home in 1937. Pat Lawley Brown ran this with many other women in Katherine. They were a dedicated bunch that loved to cook and sew. In 1979 – 1980, it first became a café with lovely bamboo furnishings, serving apple pies, iced coffees, spiders (Coke and ice cream), sandwiches, scones, and on Fridays, a special of Ryvita Biscuits with mashed eggs. Tea and coffee were also served. Evelyn Sheratt made the apple pies, and they were to die for!
Katherine Stores
The shop was built in 1926. McAdam and Gill sold the shop to Kitty and John Bernhard in 1931, and after the war, Kitty and her husband sold the shop to Bert Nobbs and Sid Tennyson, who then sold it to the Cox family. In 1951, Les Cox and Cowboy Collins went into partnership to operate Katherine Stores. Les then bought Cowboy’s share and Katherine Stores began its long history as a grocery, haberdashery and home hardware store. The shop was built in 1926, and while Les and Cowboy were in partnership, Cowboy contracted a local builder to build the façade at the front of the shop. The plastered embossing was crafted by local identity, Bill David. It still exists on the front of that building today. Les and Fay employed many local people. They were the next biggest non-government employer in the town, giving teenagers their first job and work experience. They also had a bush order service that enabled people in the bush to have their goods transported to outlying stations. Les and Fay later sold their shop to Richard Dolan in 1984.
Commercial Hotel (Crossways), Today the Stuart Hotel
The Commercial Hotel was managed by Tom and Daphne Kennedy in 1951. It always seemed to be the second choice of preferred drinking houses, and the early history of this hotel was often held in stories of an unsavoury nature. It was commonly known as the ‘Bloodhound’ bar, where fights were often seen. In the late 1960s, when the meat works opened, many of the workers drank there. In the early 1980s, it became one of the most loved and only nightclubs for young people to dance at. The disco era was well on its way, and the nightclub had various names: Mopokes, Monsoons, Rios, and Wings. Probably not in this order!
Picture Theatre
The first picture theatre for Katherine was built during World War II to entertain the troops. This picture theatre was located in the vicinity of No 8 Stutter Street. After the war ended, Jack Neal bought the theatre and ran it from that site for many years, but later moved it to Katherine Terrace on the corner block where Red Rooster stands today.
CHALLENGE:
Katherine Town was officially gazetted on July 15, 1926, almost six months after the first train crossed the old railway bridge on January 26, 1926. Remnants from the last hundred years of history are still found within its walls and on the shopfronts.
Find and photograph five historical signs or shopfronts.
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