Part Two of a 5-part series
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THE significant contributions of the two Alf Stephens, father and son, enriched the local district.
Both were enterprising in the building trade and prominent as aldermen and sportsmen.
After he had completed Bowral Court House, during 1898 Alf senior visited his old home in England.
Upon return he served as Bowral mayor for two terms from 1899 and was appointed magistrate in 1900. He was also a prominent member of the Methodist Church, took a keen interest in the work of the Friendly Societies, and was Noble Grand of the local Lodge of Oddfellows.
In 1903 he secured the contract to build four railway stations on the Western Line from Sydney - at Leura, Lawson, Hazelbrook and Woodford.
The contract specified that the work had to be completed within six months, so with the family he rented a cottage at Lawson to be on the spot. His elder son, also Alfred, aged 16, had just finished school and assisted in the work. Together they went on to take up many building contracts including lucrative government work both locally and in other districts, as far afield as Taree.
Their local jobs during the early 1900s included the Superintendent’s residence at Berrima Gaol, Robertson Public School and Post Office, Sutton Forest Post Office and later Bowral’s Empire Picture Theatre that opened in 1915.
Alf senior was a member of the Surveyor’s Camp cricket team, one of two Bowral teams - the other being the Young Men’s Association Club.
In 1911, when the Berrima District Cricket Association was formed, Alf became its president and served until 1915. The secretary was George Bradman who worked as a carpenter for Alf and whose young son Don would commence his cricket career in Bowral.
It was lawn bowls, however, that was Alf senior’s favourite recreation in later years. He was a foundation member of the Bowral Bowling Club and in 1913 his offer was accepted to erect a small clubhouse facing the bowling green that was situated where Corbett Gardens is today.
In 1917 Alf senior retired, handing the business over to his son Alfred (then 30 years old) with provision for his younger son Norris Albert (Norrie) to become a partner when he turned 21 years.
Alf senior moved to Manly with his wife Elizabeth and died there of heart disease in 1924, aged 54 years. His knowledge, enterprise and skill passed on to his sons who continued to provide the district with many outstanding homes and public buildings.
THE elder son, Alfred, was born in 1887 and attended Bowral Superior Public School where he was awarded the Dux of School honour in 1902, at age 15 years.
As a youngster he developed a keen interest in various sports including cricket and joined the school cricket team, playing in district competitions from the age of 12. After assisting his father with the building of the four railway stations on the Katoomba line, he worked with him in Bowral and gained experience on various projects.
One being the removal and re-erection of a cottage originally erected in Merrigang St about 1896 that bore the name Upper Bowral Store.
In 1903 they removed it in sections to Bong Bong St, then mainly a residential area, and it was rented out as a dwelling. When Alf senior and his wife took a trip to England in 1906, young Alfred looked after the family building/merchant business in Bowral.
In 1913 the father took the entire family to England after he had drawn his AMP endowment of 1000 pounds.
War broke out while they were there and it was with anxiety they faced the boat trip back to Australia. It turned out to be quite an adventure, as their ship was chased by the infamous German warship the Emden in the Indian Ocean, but they made it home safely.
While in England, Alfred junior met Miss Agnes (Lily) Peel, who lived at Grantham, Lincolnshire. She later came out to Australia and they married at Bowral in 1915; subsequently they had two daughters, Peg and Joan, and a son John (Jack).
By 1920 the family business was flourishing under Alfred junior’s control and he kept up a keen interest in cricket - as a lad he was scorer for his father’s Surveyor’s Camp team and joined it when he left school.
He became president of the local cricket association in 1919 and captain of the Bowral first grade team in 1921 - holding both positions until 1960.
He soon became known around town by the nickname ‘Skipper’ or ‘Skip’ for short.
To be continued
This article compiled by PHILIP MORTON is sourced from the archives of Berrima District Historical & Family History Society.