This week, Roy decided it was time to tell you about a place which he visited a few months ago and which he absolutely loved, the Chifley Home in Bathurst. Roy has visited many historic places and homes, but the Chifley Home was one which really captured his imagination. Not only was it the home of a really important man, it was a home which was so typical of the era, and which was largely as it was at the time when the Chifleys lived there. On top of that, most of his friends know all about Bathurst and racing, or the gold rush, but so few of them know about its famous son so Roy thought it was time to remedy that!
Ben Chifley was one of the most popular and most respected of Australia's Prime Ministers. He was elected as the leader of the Labor Party after the death of John Curtin in 1945. John Curtin died in office and was replaced briefly by Francis Forde, but Chifley took over the leadership only 8 days later, becoming Australia's 16th Prime Minister. His home in Bathurst was purchased in 1972 by the local council and opened as a memorial to the Chifleys. If you would like to visit, Chifleys Home is in Bathurst (NSW), at 10 Busby Street and is open from Saturday to Monday for guided tours at 10am and midday. If you visit, make sure to check out the education centre next door to the house itself before joining one of the fantastic guided tours of the Chifley Home. If you can't be there for a guided tour though, you can still wander around the outside of the house and read the interpretive signs.
Ben Chifley was a fascinating man and, today, many of the children find him a slightly odd candidate for the 'top job'. He had a humble beginning, born in Bathurst, the son of a blacksmith, and only ever had a basic school education. At the age of 14 he started going to work, and his third job was with the railway. He would stay working with the NSW Railways for 25 years, working up to being an engine driver by the age of 27. In fact, the train which he drove has recently returned to Bathurst and can be seen outside the station. Despite having only a basic school education, Chifley was by no means uneducated. He was an avid reader and a regular at various evening classes.
At the age of 28 Ben Chifley married Elizabeth McKenzie and soon after they moved into the house now known as Chifleys Home. He was not the owner of the house though. The house was purchased by Elizabeths parents and is actually just across the street from her childhood home. In 1920, 6 years after their marriage, the house was given to Elizabeth by her parents and it was Elizabeth who arranged for Ben to have joint ownership of the home, though he had to pay her 10 Shillings for this! Although they did instal a few modern amenities, like electricity and water, and Ben's job as Prime Minister meant they were one of the first houses in the area with a telephone, Chifleys Home is a reflection of the man himself, modest, humble and down to earth. Many of the furnishings have been altered from other uses (an old piano became a bookcase) and even the Prime Ministers Study doubled as the spare bedroom! If you would like to learn more about Chifley or his house, click here or here.
