By Cathy Jones
The land bounded by Ardittos Lane to the north, Elva Street to the east, Redmyre Road to the south and Homebush Road to the west was purchased by Robert Joshua King and Mary Ann Balmain, wife of surveyor and Strathfield Council Town Clerk John Hope Balmain, in 1903. Prior to this time, it was largely considered unusable due to the presence of a watercourse and creek (which is now a Sydney Water closed stormwater conduit). King and Balmain subdivided the two allotments into 66 feet wide blocks fronting Redmyre Road and The Avenue (later Churchill Avenue), a new street to link Elva Street and Homebush Road. The land was auctioned as the ‘King Estate’.
The land was gradually taken up with the last allotments sold in 1914. Many of the sales did not correspond with the original subdivisions, a number of purchasers preferring narrower frontages. A convenant was placed on most sales requiring ‘one main building only on the said land and such building shall be a double fronted…and be built of brick and/stone with roof of slates and/or tiles and shall not cost less than £300”.
21 to 67 Redmyre Road are built on the ‘King Estate’.
Land on part lots 53 and 54 were sold to Josephine Ringland, wife of James Ringland, clerk in July 1912 by King and Balmain. Council records indicate building of the new house in 1913 by builder George Wordsworth. The house was named ‘Araluen’.
In 1914, the house was sold to Mary Henderson Carrie of Strathfield. The house was named ‘Echuca’. She was the owner until 1924, though the house was rented to Andrew Whiteley, a wool appraiser from 1917 to 1924.
In 1928, the house was sold to real estate agent Edward McCausland (d.1936) and his wife Mary. By 1938, the house was transferred under the terms of will to Dorothy McCauseland, probably his daughter. In November 1951, ownership transferred under the will of the late Dorothy McCausland to Keith Conyngeham McCausland, car salesman and Jean Conyngeham Fullford, wife of Mervyn Fullord, a sales representative. Keith McCausland sold his half share to Jean Fullford, likely his sister. The house was renamed ‘Camelot’, when owned by Fullford.
References
Department of the Valuer General NSW – Valuation List – Valuation District of Strathfield 1924, 1930 and 1960
Fox & Associates, Strathfield Heritage Study, 1986
Sands Directory for Sydney and Suburbs 1900-1932
Strathfield Council Valuation Lists 1894 to 1920
Strathfield Council Notices of Land Transfer (1927-1960s)
Strathfield Heritage 