From: C P [computerise@emailaccount.com] Sent: Saturday, 8 July 2006 14:48 To: John Ness Subject: Located on Internet:- The Carcoar branch of the Commercial banking Company of Sydney opened on 13th April 1863 in premises rented from Barnard Stimpson at 25 pound per quarter. In what was the first attempted daylight bank robbery in Australia the original premises were held up by the bushrangers John O'Meally and John Gilbert on the 30th July 1863. The robbery was thwarted by the bank assistant Mr Joseph Parker. A Mr James McDonald was the manager at this time. A letter dated 25th April 1876 from the manager Mr R.A. Waddy to Head Office urged the acceptance of the price of 550 pound for the land owned by Mr J. M. Pierce in Belubula Street to build the new building. In another letter dated 27th February 1877 he asked Mr T.A. Dibbs at Head Office if plans for the new building had been submitted to him yet. Erection commenced on either 30th March 1877 or September 1877 at a cost of 3,213 pound with the building contractor being a Mr Steniford and first opened for business on 1st July 1878. An article in Bathurst Times dated 10th July 1878 reads: On Monday last the Commercial Bank was opened for the transaction of business for the first time. The manager, Mr McKillop, invited the townspeople to participate in a congratulatory "fiz". The invitation was liberally responded to, and the healths of Mr and Mrs McKillop, and also the health of the contractor, Mr Steniford, were drunk with enthusiasm. Like many of these country monuments to the early banking industry the building was designed by the noted architect, George Allen Mansfield (1834-1908). He was also responsible for the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Abercrombie House at Bathurst, the original A.M.P. Building, the Australia Hotel and was the architect to the Education Department. Mansfield was one of the founders of the Royal Institute of Architects and became its first President. He also had the honour of being the first colonial born architect to be elected as a Fellow to the Royal Institute of British Architects. The structure is solid brick with stucco rendering to resemble stone. Most internal joinery is Australian Cedar, including the bank counter. The vault door and many of the internal fittings were supplied by the ironmonger, F. Lassetter & Co. of George Street, Sydney. The magnificent ceilings are pressed metal with ornate cornices being some 17' (5.1m) on the ground floor and 12' (3.6m) on the first floor. Originally the lighting was by gas supplied by the Bank's own petrol vapour generating plant. The mast at the rear of the building is all that remains of this plant. Letter dated 8th June 1876 from R. A. Waddy to Head Office asking for a new revolver and ammunition, also cartridges for the Tranter revolver on the premises. Letter dated 27th February 1877 from R. A. Waddy to Head Office concerning the disobedience of his assistant A. H. Gennys. Article in the Bathurst Times 3rd July 1878. On Thursday last, an accident occurred to a lad named Kinanty,in the employ of Mr McKillop, of the Commercial Bank. He was on his way to the Post Office, and owing to the darkness of the night, he ran with full force against a post in front of that building, and inflicted a very severe gash on his tongue. A lamp is sadly needed here, as also one on the bridge. We suppose when our municipality is formed all existing evils will be remedied. J. A. McKillop developed a cheque form that was much harder to alter after it had been written out. This type of fraud was common place at the time. It is not known if the cheque came into general usage, but copyright was applied for in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and at Stationers' Hall, London. See Carcoar Chronicle, 23rd July 1881. Converted to receiving office of Mandurama on 28th February 1966. Building to be kept open from 1.00 P.M. to 3.00 P.M. on business days. Bank circular No.6487. J.L.Cobb married Barnard Stimpson's daughter. Cobb was manager 1863-1865. Stimpson was elected first Mayor of Carcoar in 1879. Building renovated in 1913 at a cost of 295 pound. According to Ces Clark Whose family ran The Enterprise Store for nearly 30 years, a bucket brigade brought water from the well at the back door to fight the fire at the Royal Hotel in the 1940s. Their efforts were in vain as it burnt down. Stephen Ware visited Carcoar on 8th July 1989 and related the following information. He started with the bank as a clerk on 22nd August 1952 and stayed here for approx 15- 18 months before being transferred to Dubbo then Blayney. While he was here he stayed at the pub. Although the practice was frowned upon most of the clerks signed the vault door, Ware's signature is on the top left-hand area. Athol Burgess was manager at the time and was very much of the old school. His son Ian Burgess is now manager of C.S.R.. Burgess owned an Austin A7 and if they had to go to Blayney, Ware had to walk up the hill from the village as the Austin wouldn't make it with the extra load. There was an underground water tank at the back of the bank and the clerks first job each morning was to pump water from the tank to a holding tank on the top verandah. The pump was a large lever operated horizontal unit and when Ware once complained that it leaked badly, wetting him each time he used it, Burgess gave him a hessian bag to throw over the leak. Ware swears that he saved Burgess' life one day. He had been instructed not to disturb Burgess in his office but Bill Renolds, the butcher from next door, had urgent business with the manager and insisted on seeing him. Ware went out of the banking chamber and around to the side entrance where Mrs Burgess let him in. Clerks were not permitted to use the managers door. Burgess was very comfortable with his feet up on his desk and said he would see Renolds in 10 minutes. Ware went back to the banking chamber and eventually Burgess emerged. Just as he stepped through the door the ceiling collapsed behind him, it appears the water holding tank also leaked and the pressed metal ceiling had held the water until the weight was too much for it and the lot ended up on the managers desk. About 15 years ago the bank was once again under attack. It appears a group of soldiers returning from manoeuver had put their possessions in the old City Bank (owned by G. Braddon) and a simulated mortar grenade was accidentally fused in the house. Geoff Braddon grabbed the bomb and with only eight seconds before detonation and a large fuel depot in the back yard, he ran through the front door and threw it into the street. The bomb rolled down the hill and came to a stop under a vehicle belonging to Film Australia which was parked outside the C.B.C Bank. The resulting explosion was quite spectacular, the force blowing the etched glass skylight above the bank front doors out, smashing it to pieces. List of branch managers. 1863 - 1863 James McDonald, started April, finished November. 1863 - 1865 J. L. Cobb 1865 - 1872 R. W. McKellar 1872 - 1874 J. J. Ashe 1875 - 1877 R. A. Waddy 1877 - 1895 J. A. McKillop 1895 - 1899 William Alexander Osborne 1899 - 1918 O. M. Smith 1918 - 1925 A. H. Hole 1925 - 1931 E. F. Welsh 1931 - 1940 R. B. Adam 1940 - 1947 N. S. Done 1947 - 1958 Athol V. Burgess 1958 - 1962 S. J. A. Dean 1962 - 1966 Frank Hardiman The original Carcoar Branch was the scene of the first armed bank robbery in Australia when held up by the Ben Hall gang in 1863. The bushrangers also robbed a mail coach nearby and, when they were chased by three police officers from Carcoar, captured the luckless pursuers and took their uniforms, which they then used in their robberies. During the robbery, a shot was fired, with the only casualty being a quart bottle of ink. If the carpet in what was the banking chamber was lifted, the ink stain was still clearly visible on the floorboards. In the 1970's the old Branch was the residence of the Kinghorne family, whose daughter Roxanne was on the staff of Blayney Branch.