Hammondville was born out of the depression, through the vision and persistence of one man; Canon Robert Brodribb Stewart Hammond, who was born at Brighton, Victoria, on June 12th, 1870. He studied for the Anglican Mission and was ordained in 1894. In 1918, he began his long and notable ministry at St. Barnabas’ Church, which is still located on Broadway today. He died as Archdeacon on May 12th, 1946.

 

On the 12th February 1932, he called a meeting at St Barnabas Church for married men who wished to apply for the kind of accommodation which he proposed to provide. The church filled to over flowing and as a result 800 applications were received from people who asked to be allowed to participate in the project.

 

The condition for a family’s entry to Hammondville required that there be at least three young children and that the parents be unemployed and evicted or under notice of eviction from their present residence. The homes were not going to be a gift; they had to be paid for on a rent-purchase basis. It was proposed that these simple homes would cost about one hundred pounds ($200) to build on a site that was valued at about twentyfive pounds ($50). The pay back arrangement was that they would pay five shillings (50c) a week for three years and seven shillings and six pence (75c) a week thereafter until the cost of the house was met.

 

The original land that Canon Hammond acquitted was 13 acres and it is believed that he raised money on his own life insurance policy to purchase this land. The land was portion of an original 700 acres granted to Thomas Rowey in about 1828.

 

Before any of the houses were built a team of unemployed men from the Hammond Hostels near St Barnabas Church volunteered to clear the land and make the roads without any expectation of remuneration. When the land was cleared a carpenter, bricklayer, plumber, painter and several other men with building experience were employed: each to help others. It was a successful team effort. A camp was established and the work proceeded.

 

The road from Liverpool was full of pot holes; a dust heap when dry and a quagmire when wet.

 

Hammondville was officially opened by the New South Wales Governor Sir Phillip Game on Sunday 25th November 1932. Nine “pioneer homes” as they were known had been completed. Further land was slowly acquired until the total area of the settlement exceeded 200 acres and by the of 1939 110 timber houses has been built and the families had been installed. The building programme continued. The 111th house was donated by the "Daily Mirror" newspaper. It was on Walder Road, near Stewart Avenue. 

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Hammondville had many benefactors who helped in various ways including the financing of home construction. Some of these folk including Sir Samuel Walder, Frederick Stewart, Rodney Dangar, Walter Bushell (Of Bushells Tea) and ex Senator George Forster who was on the Hammondville trust Staff. These people and many other benefactors often visited the school. The Rotary Club also raised funds to aid the cause. 

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Mr Ian McLain was the first Resident Manager and when he resigned in March 1938 Mr Walter Stenbeck was appointed.

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Some families did not survive the "rugged life in the bush." These were few and the families that stayed had one another and they developed a strong bond of community. The village was isolated being 3km to Liverpool with very little access transport. Radio was still in its infancy but unless you had a battery operated set it was useless as there was no electricity in Hammondville. 

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It was some years before the electricity was finally connected. This was a gala day for all the residents and most turned out for the "turning on" ceremony which was held at the telegraph pole next to the main gate of the school. A platform had been erected for the offical party and was bedecked with flags and bunting. The honour of throwing the switch was bestowed upon Lady Stewart, wife of Sir Frederick Stewart. As she rose to the occasion one local resident (overcome with excitement) ran forward and like De Groot of Harbour Bridge fame beat her to it. Amid a large murmur from the crow. Canon Hammond ushered him from the stage turned the switch off and the ceremony proceeded much to the delight of all concerned. 

 

The electricity was the "shilling in the meter" system. This meant that residents weren't faced with hefty electricity accounts. People kept a "shilling jar" and when the meter man came to collect the money he always left a few shilling behind. 

 

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