Sydney Town Hall; just imagine all the protests, political rallies, meetings and celebrations associated with this historic building.
SYDNEY TOWN HALL CIRCA 1910
One thing I wasn’t aware of was its role during the 1913 smallpox epidemic, especially as the main vaccination centre.
The disease had been introduced to the city by a steward from Vancouver who was serving aboard the S.S. Zealandia. While in port he had a liaison with a young woman employed at an underwear factory in Chalmers Street, who then infected a number of her fellow workers.
S.S. Zealandia.
When news of the outbreak became public there was a mad rush for smallpox vaccine, particularly at Sydney Town Hall.
A crowd of over 2,000 people heaved and surged to and fro in front of the side door of the basement of the town-hall at lunch-time yesterday. The scene suggested the ‘early’ doors crush as a musical comedy theatre in the days before the queue system was introduced….Six motor cars drawn up outside the town-hall were waiting for ladies, dressed to the height of fashion, hats with big ostrich feathers and all, who were struggling to get nearer the front in this heterogeneous crowd. (Daily Telegraph, July 8 19130
Unfortunately the worst of human nature was on display. Mothers holding babies were pushed aside, women fainted, and some people were actually trampled underfoot in the crush.
Just a mild case of panic!
Thankfully, most children were vaccinated at school.
Once the first wave of vaccination subsided it became a far more orderly process. The Daily Telegraph published the following photographs under the heading; HOW VACCINATION IS CARRIED ON AT SYDNEY TOWN HALL.
There was a major ‘conflict of interest’ when an application was made by the Anti-Vaccination Society to hold a meeting at the Town Hall. The application was refused on the grounds that it was not in the public interest.
Meanwhile very strict quarantine rules had been put into place. On July 3 1913 a proclamation was issued by the Governor-General declaring that the entire area within a 15 mile radius of the Sydney General Post Office would fall under an embargo;
No person who has not been successfully vaccinated shall leave the proclaimed quarantine area of the metropolitan district of Sydney, in the State of New South Wales, for the purpose of journeying to any other State.
As the months went by the patience of residents regarding the lack of free movement began to run out.
‘A meeting of nearly 1000 people in the Sydney Town Hall last night carried unanimously a motion of protest against the quarantine embargo, and resolved to send their protest to the Prim Minister. The meeting was presided over by the Lord Mayor (Ald. Cocks), and the speakers included the State Premier (Mr Holman)….There were a good many interruptions, but in support of the main object of the meeting unanimity was vigorous and undoubted. (Daily Telegraph, Oct 23 1913)
Not surprisingly the main argument against the embargo continuing was the huge financial cost to the city. Also, because only one person died during the epidemic many considered the quarantine laws to have been the result of ‘a stupid scare’. In fact, it was a ‘relatively’ mild form of smallpox.
It was not until November 26 that quarantine ended, after a period of 145 days!
NOTE – Although only one life was lost among over 1,600 cases, those infected suffered greatly. The following is taken from the official report of the Director-General of Public Health for the year ended 31 December 1913.
‘The scalp and the male and female genital organs were frequently invaded. In all the more severe cases, the palms of the hands and soles of the feet were attacked…the formation of the pocks beneath the thick skin of the soles was often attended by a great deal of pain, and these pocks usually became inspissated [thickened] and formed brown seed-like bodies, which had to be dug out with a knife on convalescence .’ Good grief!
This report included a number of photographs of patients. This 3o year old was unvaccinated and is shown six days after his rash appeared.
OK, let’s end on a happy note;
SANTA VISITS THE SYDNEY TOWN HALL
‘No operatic star nor any public celebrity during the year has received anything like the ovation in the Town Hall that Father Christmas was accorded there last night. Nearly a thousand children of the poorer parts of the city were there, expecting the benign old gentleman to greet them.‘ (Sydney Morning Herald, Dec, 25 1913)
TO READ THE FULL ACCOUNT OF THE EPIDEMIC IN SYDNEY, CLICK HERE.
NOTE – MANY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION, INCLUDING DISREPUTABLE DOCTORS
