Benaud Stories

Captain Jean Benaud

Biography

Australian Mariners of the Past

Courtesy of Trove Richmond River Herald 11 June 1918 (edited)

Captain Benaud once had a rather unique experience. It was whilst in command of the small 27-ton schooner Midas, trading to the Brunswick River, and whilst at anchor there that a gilt truck and a cask of tallow were picked up. Captain Benaud, in company of two others, a sawyer named John Boyd, and the master of a barge, set off to walk along the beach to see if there had been a wreck. A few miles along they saw a dismasted vessel, laying bottom up, and as it was low tide she was high and dry. Boyd walked to her, and striking her on the bilge with a stick he was carrying, exclaimed, “God help the poor fellows that belonged to her; they are all gone.” What was the surprise of the party when they heard a loud smothered cry, followed by “Coo-ee.” That some one was inside was certain, and to get at them Boyd ran six miles to get an axe, with which a hole was cut in her bottom, and two men were released from their perilous position. Their story was that the vessel they had just so miraculously been released from was the schooner Swift, 47 tons, commanded by Captain Terrell, which had sailed from Moreton Bay to Sydney on May 4th, 1849, with a cargo of wool, tallow, and pine wood; in addition to Messrs. Brown, Gee, and Richardson (passengers) and the captain, there was a mate and three seamen on board. When about 12 miles north of Cape Byron on Sunday, the 6th, she was caught in a squall and capsized. The rescued men were Mr. Robert Gee and Mr. James Brown, who were in the cabin at the time of the accident. When the schooner turned bottom up, the cabin floor and fittings gave way, and fell down on to the deck (which had now become the floor) and the two unfortunate passengers were afloat with their heads against the keel, to which they clung. As she lay on the beach, the tide flowed in and out, and at high water it was only by keeping their noses and mouths close up to the angle formed by the keel and the timbers that they were able to breathe, and the water would occasionally, when a heavy sea rolled on to the beach, wash entirely over their faces and almost suffocate them. In this dreadful position they remained from the Sunday until the Tuesday afternoon, when the wreck was fortunately discovered.

THE NAVIGATION OF THE MANNING, AND THE WRECK OF THE STEAMER. GIPSY.

Courtesy of Trove Empire 10 May 1856

To the Editor of the Empire.

Sir – Will you allow me to reply to a letter which appears in the Empire of Saturday last, referring to the loss of the Gipsy steamer on the bar of the Manning River, the writer of which is either afraid of signing his name manfully, or is totally unacquainted with his subject.
He positively states that nine-tenths of such wrecks (meaning coasting vessels) could be avoided by common prudence on the part of all concerned; namely, owners, masters, and the Government.
About the owners and Government I have nothing to say ; but when he accuses the coasting masters or skippers as being, in “numberless instances, both morally and professionally, incompetent;” and that “grog-drinking, tobacco-smoking, and profane swearing, are the leading features in their character,” he states most gross and deliberate falsehoods, and cannot possibly know the class of man he is accusing.
Let me ask the writer, whoever he may be, who has done more for the colony than the old coasting skippers! They, and they only, have found entrances to the several rivers which are the outlets for the produce of the interior, which produce must either have remained and rotted on the stations, or cost more than its value in carriage to a very distant port for shipment to Sydney. They have risked their lives in finding channels over dangerous bars, for the good of the colony at large, and ought not to be scandalized by a mere man of to-day in fact, a nobody without a name.

I now come to the next part of his letter, where he attacks me personally. He states that “many of these skippers are appointed to the charge of vessels without any reference to their previous experience in the navigation of a given river. Such has been the case, I believe both as to the Pluto, and Gipsy steamers respectively.
The commander of the former was allowed on all hands to be an excellent practical seaman, and to be very attentive to his duties as master; but he was totally unacquainted with the navigation of the Manning previous to his appointment to the Pluto.”
Now, as I was master of the Pluto during the time she was running to the Manning, I feel bound, in justice to myself, to contradict such gross falsehoods, reflecting on me in my professional capacity, and can tell the “Person Interested,” &c. that I was well acquainted with the navigation of the Manning and all the other rivers on the coast before my appointment to that steamer. I have had sixteen years experience on all parts of the coast, and defy him or any one else to say anything against me as a coasting master. I am well known, and not ashamed of my name ; let him write in his own proper name. If he had not mentioned me his letter should have passed unnoticed, as it deserved. He must be some meddling busybody who has taken hold of a subject quite foreign to his calling. I should advise him in future to confine himself to things within his own limited understanding; or rather,
Let the cobbler stick to his last.
Trusting you will favour me by inserting this in your journal,
I am, sir, your obedient servant,

JEAN BENAUD
Master and owner of the brigantine Uncle Tom formerly master of the Pluto,
Newcastle, 8th May, 1856

Richard Grainger Benaud

Nearly Sixty Years Ago

Courtesy of Trove Richmond River Herald 13 November 1936

THE RICHMOND RIVER IN 1877. FIRST TRIP OF STEAMER “SARAH L. HIXON.”

Writing from Cootamundra, where he now resides Mr. R. G. Benaud (brother of Mr. L. F. Benaud) who for some years was in business in Coraki, where he was an alderman and Mayor of Coraki Municipal Council, says: —

“I read with very great interest the articles recently published in the ‘R.R. Herald’, of the early days of the Richmond, and splendid record of many of the pioneers. Some of the incidents I can well remember, and many, names of the people mentioned recall very happy memories. My first recollection of my advent to the Richmond was in the year 1877, when I made the trip from Grafton to Lismore in the tugboat ‘Alchymist‘, owned by Mr. J. T. Fenwick, who at that time owned quite a fleet of vessels at Ballina, which was then a busy shipping port, and one of the best towns on the North Coast. The ‘Alchymist‘ was under command of Captain Archie Pragnell, Mr. Dan Callaghan was engineer, and Mr. Bill Eyles fireman and deckhand.

On arrival at Lismore I opened business as a watchmaker and jeweller in a shop in Woodlark-st., almost opposite Exton’s store. I remained for three months, and then returned to Grafton to mature future plans for the conduct of a more extensive business. Later, I returned to Lismore, my second advent being by the regular route – steamer from Grafton to Chatsworth, thence by coach over what was then a newly-opened bush track to Woodburn, and by steamer to Lismore. There was no South Woodburn in those days, and the coaches took passengers and mails across, by a small hand-pulled punt to Woodburn, which then boasted of the post office, Court House, Commercial Bank, two large stores and two hotels, besides other business premises. I think there were three or four sugar mills, also on the north side, and Woodburn was a lively and busy centre.

While awaiting the arrival of the steamer on which I was to travel from Woodburn to Lismore I found there was great interest amongst shipping folk, as it was the first trip by Fenwick’s modern river steamer, ‘Sarah Hixon‘ which ran an excursion from Ballina to mark the occasion. Bedecked with bunting and looking spic and span, the new steamer, with her graceful lines, was greatly admired as she steamed up to Gollan’s wharf, where I boarded her.

The ‘Sarah‘ was designed by the well-known Sydney shipping architect, Mr. Walter Reekes, and there was but one vessel, ‘The Pheasant‘, in Sydney Harbor superior in speed. The ‘Sarah‘ proved herself a splendid seaboat on her voyage from Sydney to the Richmond, and was voted a distinct advance on any North Coast river passenger steamer. I was delighted to see Captain Archie Pagnell in charge on the bridge, and Bill Eyles deckhand, both formerly of the Alchymist, but the engineer was a newcomer. We had a good crowd on board, and reached our destination after a quick run up the river early in the afternoon. I duly opened business in one of a terrace of modern shops in Molesworth-st., opposite Mrs. S. Cottee’s Freemason’s Hotel, then a single-storey, and (I think) single-roofed timber building, at the rear of which was Glasgow’s sawmill. Lismore was then a very small place, with unformed streets and footpaths, a quagmire in wet weather, and grass (foxtail) several feet high everywhere. Adjoining my shop on one side were: Kellaway’s ‘Star’ printing office, E. W. Allingham (solicitor), and C. Lobliner, fruiterer; then the public school on the corner, opposite the post office, in charge of Mr. Daniels. On the north side of my place was Hunt’s saddler’s shop, a residence, then in off the street Geraghty’s boarding house, and at the corner of Molesworth and Woodlark Streets Mr. James Baillie’s residence and blacksmith’s shop. Opposite, on the river bank side, was a hotel, which, I think, was built of slabs, and whitewashed.

It was at this time I first met Mr. Tom Brandon, then serving his apprenticeship with Mr. Hunt, saddler, a fellow apprentice being Ernie Herman, and the shop foreman was Mr. Tom Bourne. In those days the demand for saddlery and harness was very great, and Hunt’s was a busy factory. The most modern building in Woodlark-st. was Paulson’s Hotel. A small hand-punt, ferried traffic across both Arms, and at that time the ferry-man was Mr. J. Mitchell, who for years conducted a bakery business in Grafton.

Steamer services with Sydney were irregular, due to the bad state of the river entrance. I think the Company’s vessels in the trade were the Platypus and Coraki, while Nicoll’s boats were the Richmond, Bonnie Dundee and, later, Lismore, which used to berth at Coleman’s wharf. The number of sailing vessels in the timber trade, was very large, many going above the town to load. There were only bridle tracks leading to outside places from the town, and present-day residents can hardly conceive the difficulties, draw-backs and privations undergone by the pioneers. I have seen timber laden waggons, drawn by bullock teams, bogged in Molesworth and other streets, which were then not metalled.

It was not long after my arrival that Lismore was incorporated. Mr. James Stocks was the first Mayor and, I think, Mr. Peard, Town Clerk. The development of the town and the whole district has been phenomenal, and what the future holds for this great heritage under closer settlement nobody can conceive.”

The Misses Benaud