After completing his education in 1886, Yeomans entered the workforce with Packard and Sanders, a well-known Adelaide firm of surveyors. He remained with them for two years, gaining valuable experience in fieldwork and mapping. His early career then took him into the Engineer-in-Chief’s Department of the Colony where he was contributed to the surveys of two important South Australian railway lines – the Oodnadatta to Alice Springs extension and the Blyth to Snowtown line. These were quite demanding undertakings, requiring not only technical skill but also resilience in the face of harsh working conditions.

Following this, he was engaged for four years on the construction of the Happy Valley Reservoir outlet tunnel. This ambitious project required tunnelling through a hill to create a stable water outlet. Yeomans, along with the construction manager Mr. J. J. Leahy worked as two tunnelling teams, digging from opposite sides of a hill. Their tunnels met in the middle with an error of less than three-quarters of an inch (about 1.78cm). For a young engineer in his early twenties, this was an extraordinary achievement and an early sign of his exacting standards.

Happy Valley Reservoir Outlet Tunnel c. 1894
(Courtesy of the State Library of South Australia B 24021/28)

Where’s Charlie?

Can you spot a young Charlie Yeomans proudly admiring his work in the photograph above? Hint: He would have been about 24 years old when this photo was taken.

Click this link to record a response anonymously and see if you are correct!

References

MUNICIPAL ENGINEERS (1928, June 18). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 – 1954), p. 8 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129131788

Public Works. (1895, July 26). Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1954), p. 7. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article165891900

In 1895, Yeomans left Adelaide for the Western Australian goldfields, where he was appointed chief surveyor for the London Exploration Company, a position he held for four years. His responsibilities included mapping and surveying new mining areas in some of the most remote and demanding parts of the colony.

Life on the goldfields was rugged, but Yeomans seemed to thrive in this environment.

A story from this period reveals a lighter side to his personality. On one occasion, while working in the remote ‘Granites’ region, he found a tree with a tin plate bearing the inscription “M.T. ’28.” Apparently, it had been left there by Michael Terry, the explorer. Nearby he found another piece of tin on a tree marked “B.C. 32,” which he believed was left by a cynical prospector. Seeing the humorous side of the situation, Yeomans marked on a paper from his cigarette tin that he “had no idea the tree was marked 32 years before Christ” and that if the finder of his message called at the Stock Exchange Club in Adelaide, he would find “a dozen bottles of beer awaiting him on ice”. The beer was never claimed.

(Source: Advertiser (Adelaide, SA: 1931 – 1954), Friday 19 April 1935, page 9)

After four years in Western Australia, Yeomans joined the service of the Gold Exploration Company as chief surveyor and was working in Johannesburg, South Africa when the Boer War broke out on the 11th of October 1899.

[Editor Note]
This humorous anecdote probably shows that, alongside his technical skills, Yeomans carried a sense of camaraderie and good humour — traits that would have made him popular among colleagues.

 

 

References

BACK AFTER 53 YEARS (1939, February 18). Recorder (Port Pirie, SA : 1919 – 1954), p. 4. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article96296363

Cut among the People (1935, April 19). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 – 1954), p. 9. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37281976 

MUNICIPAL ENGINEERS (1928, June 18). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 – 1954), p. 8 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129131788 

 

With a strong sense of patriotic duty, and with the approval of his employers (as mining operations were now suspended) Yeomans made his way to Durban and enlisted in the Imperial Light Infantry on the 21st of October 1899, throwing himself into active service.

He saw action in some of the fiercest fighting of the campaign including the Tugela Heights engagements, a series of hard-fought battles to relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith. His performance there led to his appointment as a Sergeant to the Bodyguard of the Commander-in-Chief, a prestigious posting that placed him at the heart of the British campaign. With the Bodyguard unit, he served across Cape Colony, Orange River Colony, and the Transvaal, often under dangerous and demanding conditions.

For his service, Yeomans was awarded two of the most highly regarded campaign medals of the war: the Queen’s Medal with six clasps and the King’s Medal with two clasps. His service record first lists him as Corporal, Service Number 940 in the Imperial Light Infantry then as Sergeant, Service Number 22269 in the Commander Chief’s Bodyguard Unit.

Boer War Listing for C.M. Yeomans – Imperial Light Infantry
(Source: Boer War Records)

  Boer War Listing for C.M. Yeomans – Cic Body Guard
(Source: Boer War Records)

Queen’s medal (showing 4 clasps)	King’s medal (showing 2 clasps)
(Source: The Australian Boer War Memorial) https://www.bwm.org.au/medals.php

When the war ended, Yeomans chose to remain in South Africa, where he continued to work as a mining engineer/surveyor. This marked the beginning of a period in his life where his engineering skills would take him around the globe.

References

MUNICIPAL ENGINEERS (1928, June 18). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 – 1954), p. 8 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129131788

Roe, C. (1998) Oz-Boer Database project, Retrieved October 16, 2025, from https://members.pcug.org.au/~croe/ozb/oz_boer_more.cgi?record=23521

The Australian Boer War Memorial (n.d.), Medals https://www.bwm.org.au/medals.php

From 1902 to 1904, he was appointed chief surveyor of the East Rand Proprietary Mines in South Africa, one of the largest and most profitable gold-mining companies in the world at the time. The East Rand mines were technically demanding, requiring constant innovation and this position placed him at the cutting edge of mining engineering in the early 20th century. In 1904, he moved to Mexico, taking up the role of chief surveyor and railway engineer for the Elo Mining and Railway Company. Here, his task was formidable: to build a narrow-gauge railway (3 ft. 3 in. or about 1.0 m in width) through the mountains at 13,000 feet (or nearly 4 km) altitude. Such work required not only engineering skill but also physical endurance in extreme conditions.

By 1908, Yeomans was travelling again, this time to Java, where he was engaged to report on a proposed 240-kilometre railway line for a French syndicate.  In 1909, he returned to Australia, where he became manager of Payne’s Find Gold Mine in Western Australia. The mine was part of a new goldfield discovered only a few years earlier, and Yeomans’ leadership there added further breadth to his already diverse career in mining and surveying.

However, by 1918, Yeomans found himself back in South Australia at a very different crossroads. At the age of 47, with the First World War in its final year, he enlisted on the 18th of January 1918 and was deemed “fit for home service”. Private Charles Yeomans served with the 4th Military District Reserve Guard at Mitcham Camp, but after 86 days, he requested and received adischarge on the 18th of April 1918.

Charles Yeomans Enlistment (L) and Discharge Papers (R)
(Source:  National Library of Australia – Record MT1486/1)

Following his brief enlistment, Yeomans was employed as an assistant surveyor to the Adelaide Corporation (now the Adelaide City Council). During this period, he supervised the wood-blocking of Adelaide’s roads, a construction technique that laid timber blocks beneath a tarred surface, providing smoother, quieter streets for a growing city.

[Editor Notes]

1. The blend of international and local experience in mining and railway engineering demonstrated Yeoman’s capacity to adapt his knowledge to diverse landscapes and climates, laying the groundwork for his most significant civic achievement — his appointment as Town Clerk of the Henley & Grange Council. 
2. At the late stage of the WWI, older volunteers with essential civilian skills were released from duty so they could return to important work increasingly in demand as the state prepared for post-war recovery.

 

References

MUNICIPAL ENGINEERS (1928, June 18). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 – 1954), p. 8 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129131788

National Archives of Australia, Charles Maddison Yeomans Wold War I Enlistment Records,  Retrieved October 16, 2025, https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=60234993

In 1923, Charles Maddison Yeomans accepted the role of Town Clerk and Engineer for the relatively new Corporation of Henley & Grange. For the next eight years, until October 1931, he applied the breadth of his international engineering and surveying experience to the growth and improvement of the seaside townships.

(Source The News, Monday, June 18, 1928, page 8)

During his years in office, Yeomans planned and managed many projects to improve the Henley and Grange foreshore: stabilising the sand slopes, reclaiming frontage where useful, and generally improving the beachfront amenity for bathing and public use.

He quickly became a popular and respected Town Clerk, his standing in the community reflected in the naming of the Henley Beach children’s playground he conceptualised, designed, supervised and contributed to the construction of, as “Yeomans Playground”. At its southern entrance, ornate C.M. Yeomans Gates were erected near the musical merry-go-round that stood at the end of the sideshows.

Young women on a fence, with the Yeomans gates just behind c. 1926
(Source: H&GHS Collection)

The playground was a major attraction of its time, featuring a scenic railway, giant swings, slippery dip, see-saws, round-about, swinging boats, walking beams, horizontal bars, and even a large dolls’ house. Built at a cost of about £500, (or about $50,000 in 2025 after inflation) it represented a significant investment in recreation and community life. At a time when public play spaces were scarce, this facility provided local children with a safe and purpose-built area for recreation. It also reflected new thinking about child development, health, and community wellbeing in the 1920s.

Yeomans Playground, Esplanade, Henley Beach c. 1926 (looking south)
(Source: H&GHS Collection)

  Yoeoman’s Playground 1927 (looking north)
(Source: The Register, Saturday, January 29, 1927, page 8)

Another of his schemes was the construction of bathing houses at Henley Beach, described at the time as “being 15 ft x 25 ft (4.5m x 7.6m) and attractively finished in concrete with leadlight doors”. Each would contain a shower bath and electric light, be fully floored, and have provision for ventilation. These facilities gave residents and visitors alike greater access to the beach, at a time when “surf bathing” was becoming a defining feature of South Australian coastal life. People leasing them were required to pay £110 cash (or about $11,000 in 2025 after inflation) for the construction of a bathing house and were granted a 10-year lease at £0 2s 6d a year (or about $12.50 in 2025 after inflation). Bathing houses became the property of the Council when the lease expired.

(Source: The News, Wed, Nov 21, 1928, p. 6)	Bathing Houses @ Henley South (Source: H&GHS Collection)
	(Source: H&GHS Collection)

Yeomans was also responsible for the designing and construction of a concrete road near the Viaduct at Henley Beach in 1925-6. At the time it was said to be “one of the finest bits of concrete work of its kind in Australia.” It was constructed at a cost of £8,000 (or about $785,000 in 2025 after inflation) and offered a durable, smooth, and modern roadway over an area which was often flooded in winter. It was reported in December 1925 that as a tribute to the commendable way in which the men had done the work, Yeomans entertained them on completion at the Henley Town Hall.

Later (possibly in the 1950s) the Highways Department pulled the road up and buried a lot of the concrete in the creek along Cudmore Terrace.

Workmen spreading reinforced concrete over the low lying section of Viaduct Rd, Henley Beach
(Source: News, Thursday 17 December 1925)

In 1926 he organised construction of three miles (nearly 5 km) of new kerbed footpaths (made ready for tar surfacing) and the renovation of Kirkcaldy Road (now Grange Road), to improve pedestrian and vehicle movement.

He also managed a project for the extension of floodlighting along the Henley foreshore after the existing lights were damaged and in disrepair and presented a schedule to Council for nine additional lights to be installed at Kirkcaldy and another ten for Grange.

(Source: The News, Wednesday, November 21,1928, page 6)

(Source: The News, Wednesday, December 17,1930, p.10)

 

[Editor Note]
These projects (and the many others he was involved in designing but not mentioned here), demonstrates Yeomans’ commitment not only to engineering excellence but also to community improvement. His initiatives balanced innovation with practicality and helped to ensure that the townships of Henley and Grange possessed infrastructure and amenities that would serve generations of residents and visitors in years to come.

 

References

BACK AFTER 53 YEARS (1939, February 18). Recorder (Port Pirie, SA : 1919 – 1954), p. 4. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article96296363

Brightening Henley (1925, June 23). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 – 1954), p. 4 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129737697 

HENLEY BEACH AND GRANGE (1927, January 29). The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 – 1929), p. 8. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54878217

Henley & Grange Historical Society, Journals No. 17 (1996), No. 30 (2009) and No. 32 (2011)

HENLEY BEACH ROADS. (1926, July 28). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931), p. 13. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46534015 

Henley Floodlighting (1930, December 17). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 – 1954), p. 10 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128955192

Henley Improvements. (1927, January 29). The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 – 1929), p. 8. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article54878214

Lighting at Henley Beach (1928, November 21). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 – 1954), p. 6 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129020683

MUNICIPAL BATHING HOUSES. (1928, May 26). The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 – 1929), p. 3. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56636311

MUNICIPAL ENGINEERS (1928, June 18). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 – 1954), p. 8 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129131788

NEW BATHING HOUSES (1927, May 26). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 – 1954), p. 12 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129149843

Reserve Bank of Australia (n.d.), Pre-Decimal Inflation Calculator, https://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/annualPreDecimal.html

WORKMEN SPREADING REINFORCED CONCRETE OVER LOW-LYING SECTION OF VIADUCT ROAD, HENLEY BEACH (1925, December 17). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 – 1954), p. 18 (HOME EDITION). Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129748856 

 

 

Yeomans was a confirmed bachelor. He was a member of the Henley Beach Gollywogs Bachelor’s Club, and boarded locally, possibly at the Ventnor Guest House on the North Esplanade at Henley Beach and perhaps at local hotels during his time on Council.

Gollywog Bachelor’s Club Honour Roll
(Courtesy of Anne Wheaton)

Ventnor Guest House
(Courtesy of the State Library of South Australia BRG 400-1-52)

Despite his unmarried life, Yeomans had a deep interest in child welfare. Each year, he invited the schoolchildren of Henley and Grange to a free picture show at the Henley Town Hall, which he personally funded. On the day, he would arrive early, standing in the walkway between the dress circles with a bag of lollies, handing one to every child who passed. He also gave talks at schools about his overseas travels and spoke at Anzac Day and Remembrance Day assemblies, often bringing apples with him to distribute amongst the students afterwards.

 

References

BACK AFTER 53 YEARS (1939, February 18). Recorder (Port Pirie, SA : 1919 – 1954), p. 4. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article96296363

Henley & Grange Historical Society, Journal No. 32 (2011)

After leaving Council in 1931, Yeomans gradually withdrew from public life but still remained active in community and veterans’ organisations. He continued as a long serving member of the Stock Exchange of Adelaide Club and of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers’ Imperial League (R.S.S.I.L.), now called the RSL. He served as the inaugural Vice President of the Henley & Grange Sub-Branch in 1924.

On Coronation Day, 12 May 1937, he presented a sundial to Henley Beach School on behalf of the sub-branch, recognising the children’s efforts on Anzac Day.

(Source: The Mail, Sat, May 22, 1937, p. 8)

Opening of the C.M. Yeoman’s Gates 22/8/46 (Source: H&GHS Collection)

He served as Vice President of the Blinded Soldiers’ Association, and in a personal gesture of support, he wove scarves by hand for blind veterans. His other hobbies included music and the collecting of photographs and locomotive plates. He also procured broken jewellery from city emporiums and repaired them. At Christmas he gave the mended bangles, brooches, and other ornaments to the Adelaide Children’s Hospital to distribute to patients and to outback children who visited the city.

However, by 1944, his health was in decline, and he spent time as a patient at the Lady Galway Home for Convalescent Soldiers at Henley Beach before it closed in 1946. During time there, he was deeply moved when the Henley Beach School named the entrance to a new playground the “C.M. Yeomans Gates”, in recognition of his generosity and longstanding interest in children’s welfare. The photograph (above – right) taken at the official opening of the gates on the 22nd of August 1946 shows Yeomans (seated) among the attendees. At that time, he would have been 76 years old.

Sadly, his health continued to decline and Yeomans died at his family home in Prospect, on the 27th of June 1948. He was buried at the North Road Cemetery, and on the day of his funeral the Henley and Grange Town Hall flag flew at half-mast in his honour.

Death Notice (Source: The Chronicle, Thurs. July 1, 1948, p.39)

Funeral Notice (Source: The Advertiser Mon. June 28, 1948, p. 8)

Grave and headstone of Charles Yeomans @ North Road Cemetery
(Photo by Roger Edmonds, 2025)

In recognition of his service, Yeomans Avenue in Henley South was named in his honour. Later, in the 1960s, a group of 96 South Australian Housing Authority flats across 14 three-storey blocks were built nearby and also named “Yeomans.” These buildings were given a fresh external renovation in 2019–20.

Yeomans Flats @ Henley South
(Photo by Roger Edmonds, 2025)

Small bronze plaque on LHS wall of Yeomans Flats
(Photo by Roger Edmonds, 2025)

 

References

BACK AFTER 53 YEARS (1939, February 18). Recorder (Port Pirie, SA : 1919 – 1954), p. 4. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article96296363

Family Notices (1948, June 28). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 – 1954), p. 8. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/43772500

Family Notices (1948, July 1). Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 – 1954), p. 39. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/8705583

HENLEY AND GRANGE “DIGGERS.” (1924, May 12). The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 – 1929), p. 13. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57396128 

Henley & Grange Historical Society, Journals No. 17 (1996), No. 30 (2009) and No. 32 (2011)

Out Among The People (1944, August 24). Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 – 1954), p. 35. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92803437

Returned Soldiers’ Gift To School (1937, April 24). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 – 1954), p. 27. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74353989

Community Industry Housing Assocation (2019). Multi-million dollar housing maintenance program to improve homes and boost economy, Retrieved October 27 2025, https://chiasa.org.au/multi-million-dollar-housing-maintenance-program-to-improve-homes-and-boost-economy

Charles Maddison Yeomans distinguished career reflects a man who met challenges across continents — from the mines of Africa and the mountains of Mexico to the evolving suburbs of South Australia. Combining technical expertise with civic purpose, he helped shape Henley and Grange during a period that valued planned community spaces, improved infrastructure, and seaside recreation. His legacy stands as a reminder that modern suburban life was built by those whose abilities, talents and vision extended widely but whose deepest commitment remained to their local community.

People who visit our History Room @ Ngutungka Henley (which was Yeoman’s office while he was Town Clerk and Engineer) often admire the magnificent 180cm wooden-framed photographic panorama of the Henley Beach foreshore on display. Yet few know its origin and the name of generous benefactor who commissioned and presented it to the local community. Click the photo below to discover more!

(Source: H&GHS Collection)

The research for this story has been compiled from both primary and secondary sources, including those in the State Library of South Australia, Trove, the research portal of the the National Library of Australia, the National Archives of Australia, other websites and from Henley & Grange Historical Society Journal articles, the content of which can sometimes be based on personal recollections. While every effort has been made to substantiate the historical accuracy of the sources used in this story, the Henley & Grange Historical Society cannot guarantee that it represents a complete or fully accurate account of Charles Yeomans’ life. The story is presented in good faith and is not intended to offend any person, living or deceased.

As with many historical reconstructions, minor inconsistencies can arise between different sources. For instance, accounts vary on Yeomans’ age at his death. His World War I enlistment papers list his birth as 28 September 1870, and his death was recorded on 17 June 1948 — which would make him 77 years old at the time. However, his funeral notice cites 76 years, while his headstone claims 78!

 

Generative Artificial Intelligence has been used to assist in refining the narrative by improving flow and grouping related details without altering the factual integrity of the research.

Researched and edited by:
Roger Edmonds
B. App Sc, (App Geology), Grad Dip T. (Sec), Grad Dip Ed. (Ed Computing)

October, 2025

A purpose-built clubhouse was quickly judged too expensive, so the committee purchased a condemned railway carriage in 1930 for under £30 including delivery. The carriage was painted, lit with electricity arranged by Cyril Stobie (of “Stobie pole” fame), and fitted with duckboard paths, cyclone gates, and modest conveniences built at a cost of £10.

The clubhouse is the railway carriage in the background of the photograph above.

By the time of the official opening on 12 April 1930, the Henley Beach Golf Club had truly come to life. The Mayor of Henley and Grange, Mr. E.W. Mitton, drove the first ball before a crowd of 300 spectators. The day’s highlight was an exhibition match between Rymill and club captain G. Howard, with Rymill comfortably winning with a score of 37. The fledgling club had achieved something remarkable in less than a year.

‘The Advertiser‘ newspaper described the opening:

Trove http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128989263

 

The biggest ongoing cost was rent for the land, and the committee looked for ways to offset it. One solution was subletting the paddocks for grazing. At first, former Mayor D.J. Beck grazed cattle during weekdays, paying a fee per head, while golfers had the ground on weekends. Later, leaseholder Alfred Stanford took over, halving the club’s rental payments in exchange for grazing rights.

Image source: H&GHS Collection

This arrangement brought in much-needed revenue but created obvious difficulties. Fairways were often shared with livestock, and golfers had to contend with cows, fences, and droppings as part of play. Despite this, optimism was high. In 1930, the club ambitiously laid out an 18-hole course, extending into new areas of the paddocks. Yet, the decision backfired, as the low-lying ground proved unsuitable and was frequently waterlogged.

The coexistence of grazing animals and golf had its limits.

Flooding soon became the club’s greatest enemy. The distributary of the Torrens regularly burst its banks after spring rains, leaving sections of the course unplayable.

Flooding at Grange c. 1935, Image source: State Library of South Australia B 70378/30

At one point, holes 14, 15, and 16 were abandoned, leaving the club with an awkward 15-hole layout. Eventually, the decision was made to relocate the course further north, onto two pieces of land straddling Grange (formally Kirkcaldy) Road near the junction with Frederick Road.

New location of the golf course (Kirkcaldy Rd. is now Grange Rd.)
Image source: H&GHS Collection

The clubhouse carriage was shifted from near Victoria Street to a position on the south side of Grange Road, just east of the T-junction with Frederick Rd. where there was a small red-tiled jarrah cottage that became a meeting place for the women.

Associates Meeting Hall – Image source: H&GHS Collection

Members launched more working bees to clear boxthorn, reeds, and thistles, plant couch grass, and even build a flood bank in 1932 to protect part of the course. Grazing of animals to keep the grass levels down but the incomplete removal of goats, sheep, horses and cows manure deposits from fairways before matches added nuisance value to the players.

Goats posed the most problems!

The Associates — the women’s section of the club — played a vital but often underappreciated role. They organised bridge evenings, dances, and other social events to raise funds, contributing substantially to the club’s survival. Yet their work was sometimes taken for granted. In 1935, sports reporter and committee member Arch Bell raised the issue, pointing out that the Associates’ funds had been absorbed by the main committee, leaving the women without even petty cash. When his motion for prize money support was rejected, he resigned in protest, though later withdrew after a compromise was reached.

 State Library of South Australia B 7798/285

Relations improved, and in 1936 the Associates were recognised with their own championship cup. The women also responded to practical requests — such as refraining from wearing high heels on the course and carefully smoothing footprints in bunkers. Over time, their enthusiasm for the game grew, and women golfers became an increasingly important part of the club’s identity.

Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129924575

The Depression of the 1930s brought lean years, with many members unable to pay their subscriptions. Yet by the end of the decade the club was recovering, with numbers boosted in part by the growing popularity of women’s golf. Optimism returned, and it seemed Henley Beach Golf Club had secured a future.

World War II changed everything. By 1940 the committee had suspended championships, instead using competitions to raise money for the Fighting Forces Fund. Landlords agreed to reduce rent for the duration of the war, but the difficulties of maintaining the course and keeping members engaged became overwhelming. In February 1942 the club decided to go into recess, paying rent until July but suspending activities. Hopes of re-forming in 1943 were dashed when the land was sold, and the new owner required the club to vacate. Arrangements were made to wind up its affairs.

After just 13 years, the the short history of the Henley Beach Golf Club ended. Its short life left behind only memories of improvised sandhill courses, railway carriages, grazing cows, determined working bees, and the community spirit of those who kept it going against the odds, only to vanish under the pressures of floods, finances, and finally war.

Ron Jones was a local identity of Henley and Grange and played at the Henley Beach Golf Club in the 1930s.

In this (edited) 1988 audio podcast below he talks with George Willoughby from the H&GHS about those times.

The Minute Book and other records of the Henley Beach Golf Club were presented to the Henley & Grange Historical Society in 1994 and were the main source of information for the original article on the Club published in the 1996 H&GHS Journal 17.

This 2025 website story is an abridged version of the text from that article with embedded multimedia from HBGC records and the H&GHS Collection.

Horses were the “engines” of Henley and Grange before machinery. Farmers used them to haul ploughs, pull carts of produce, and transport building materials across sandy, swampy terrain.

Horses launch a boat at Grange c. 1930
[Image source: H&GHS]

Horses used in construction of the Torrens Outlet c.1937
[Image source: SLSA]

Badenoch’s deliveries van 1941
[Image source: H&GHS]

Blacksmiths were also vital. Albert Ide, who lived on Grange Road, shod horses, repaired carts, and even built carriages. Shoeing a horse was both a necessity and an art, requiring strength, skill, and patience. Such trades supported a local economy built entirely around horse power, long before the age of motor cars.

Albert Ide with ‘Bob the wonder dog’
[Image source: H&GHS]

By the late 1800s, Henley and Grange beaches became exciting hubs for horse racing and training. The flat, firm sand at low tide provided the perfect surface for speed trials, while the surf itself was used to strengthen horses through swimming. Races were festive events, drawing crowds who then flocked to local hotels. Sometimes horse swimming races were organised — a thrilling and unusual spectacle.

Exercising horses at Grange, 1934 — the beach remained a training ground long after racing ended
[Image source: Trove]

The founders of the Grange Investment Company, Messrs Blackler and Fisher, were deeply involved in South Australian racing and bred horses on their properties. William Blackler later established Fulham Park Stud, which became one of the most important breeding establishments in the state. Although organised racing on the beach ended by the 1930s, horse trainers continued to bring their mounts to exercise on the sand, keeping the tradition alive for decades.

Hunting became popular in the mid-1800s after rabbits, hares, and later foxes were released in the Reedbeds. Local gentry and landowners organised hunts that set off from The Brocas at Woodville and galloped west across open land to the coast. Between fifty and a hundred riders, dressed in traditional English hunting gear, must have been an impressive — if intimidating — sight as they thundered past.

The finish of a hunt at Grange Road, 1906 — a spectacle that often angered farmers
[Image source: Trove]

Not everyone welcomed these hunts. Farmers often suffered damage to crops and fences, and some took a stand. One of the most notable was Reuben Simmonds, who in 1869 confronted a hunt party with a blunderbuss after repeated trespassing. Reports describe a scuffle in which his son was horsewhipped, showing just how heated these clashes could become. Hunting continued into the 1920s, but gradually shifted north and west as land was subdivided and farming intensified.

Beyond farming and racing, horses also played vital roles in law and order and defence. The Reedbeds Cavalry, formed in 1860, required each volunteer to supply their own horse, uniform, and weapon. They trained on swampy ground, drilling several times a week, and were a visible reminder of the colony’s reliance on mounted forces.

Police officers too depended on their horses. From 1886 to 1890, the proprietor of the Henley Hotel had to provide stables and forage for the local mounted constable. Later, when the Henley police station was built on Military Road, stables were included behind the cells. Photographs from the early 1900s often show mounted police at community gatherings, their horses steady in crowds where cars could not go. Public horse troughs, such as the one near Henley Jetty, ensured animals were cared for in the heart of the township.

Mounted constable on Henley Beach, 1913 — police patrols relied on strong, steady horses
[Image source: SLSA]

The arrival of the horse tram in 1883 transformed Henley. Starting from Thebarton and branching from the Hindmarsh line, the trams brought day-trippers in comfort to the beach. At the Ramsgate terminus, horses were swapped for fresh teams, housed in nearby stables. Double-decker cars carried thousands of passengers, though without canopies — strong coastal winds could easily topple them.

Henley horse trams, 1905 — four cars waiting at the Ramsgate terminus
[Image source: SLSA]

Even flooding of the Reedbeds could not stop horse transport. When trams could not pass through deep water, taller “horse buses” were brought in to ensure travellers reached their destination. On one record-breaking day in November 1884, Henley horse trams carried 8,353 passengers, demonstrating just how popular the service had become. The trams remained in service until 1909, when electric trams finally replaced them.

Learning to ride was a favourite pastime for children and adults alike. Hollard’s Riding School in Grange, Saltbush Riding Club in the 1950s, and others offered lessons, trail rides, and access to paddocks that stretched inland. Dorothy Lanyon, who arrived in 1914, fondly recalled moonlit rides along the hard sand all the way to Semaphore — memories that remained vivid decades later.

Riding school party at West Beach, 1954 — learning to ride was a favourite pastime
[Image source: SLSA]

Sheba the dancing horse with owner Kerry McFie, 1994 — a much-loved local performer
[Image source: Kerry McFie]

By the 1980s, Sheba, the “dancing horse,” became a community icon. Owned by Kerry McFie, Sheba performed at Rotafest and carnivals, delighting crowds with tricks and Western-style displays. She was also in demand for lessons, especially with children, showing how the bond between people and horses continued even after they disappeared from daily work life.

For much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, horses were everywhere in Henley and Grange. They pulled milk carts, baker’s vans, and even rabbit sellers’ wagons. Marett’s store at Grange had its own hitching rail so customers could tie up while collecting supplies. Many homes advertised “good stabling” as a selling point, sometimes describing the stables in greater detail than the house itself.

Hitching rail outside Henley Square shops, c.1900 — a place to tie up while fetching supplies
[Image source: SLSA]

Even as cars became common, horses lingered in everyday life. Trotting was trialled at the Grange Recreation Ground in the 1950s, though complaints about noise soon ended the experiment. Horses continued to be agisted on open land east of the beach until the Housing Trust developments of the 1960s, when suburban growth finally squeezed them out.

By the 1970s, suburban councils banned backyard stables, marking the end of the horse as a daily feature of local streets. Garages replaced stables, and children no longer collected manure for vegetable gardens. Yet horses did not disappear entirely. Riding clubs along the River Torrens provided spaces for agistment and training, and horse owners still exercised their mounts at dawn on Henley Beach, a practice that continues today under council by-laws.

Backyard stables in Johns’ Lane, 1950s — horses still lived among suburban homes
[Image source: H&GHS]

Even in recent years, horses have appeared in community life — from mobile blacksmith demonstrations at the Torrens Outlet to mounted police patrols during the Covid lockdown. Their enduring presence reminds us that Henley and Grange grew up with horses, and the hoofprints in the sand still echo a long and colourful history.

This post is largely an abridged version of an article appearing in the 2024 H&GHS Journal [No. 45] “Horses at Henley and Grange” written by Marie Hagen.

Sources:
Henley & Grange Historical Society
National Library of Australia, Trove website, http:/trove.nla.gov.au
State Library of South Australia
‘Over the Viaduct to Henley Beach’,1997, Australian Electric Transport Museum [SA] Inc. ‘The Horseman of West Torrens – William Blackler,’ The West Torrens Historian Vol 16, no 1 ‘From Sand and Swamp to Seaside City’, H&GHS
‘Policing in H&G, Bob Potts’, H&GHS J20, p.9-10.
‘Built and launched at Grange’, H&GHS J25, p.12-13.
‘History of Agriculture in South Australia’, Department of Primary Industries pir.sa.gov.au (accessed 23/5/2024)
Talk to H&GHS 20th Sept 2023, Dr Philip Stott, European species
Lockleys’ Riding Club History, website
Souvenir of the Henley and Grange 29th Regatta Jan 1933
Kerry McFie, Sheba’s Dance, 2017, Openbook Howden Print and Design