Addison, Thomas and Catherine
Catherine Addison
Catherine Addison (nee Dolan)
Catherine Addison (nee Dolan) was born in 1832 in County Carlow, Ireland and died on 5 September 1898 at Glynde, aged 65 years. Catherine arrived at Port Adelaide from Plymouth, England, on 25 June 1855 aboard the 'Sea Park'.
Catherine married Thomas Addison on 31 May 1863, settling in Athelstone, where she lived for nearly 33 years. Together they had seven children: Peter, Ellen, Catherine, Mary Anne, Margaret, Janet and Jane.
Catherine was a well-loved and highly respected member of the local community, in no small part due to her kindness and generosity to the poor and needy. After her passing, it was noted: 'Her kindness and benevolence were unostentatiously bestowed on the poor and needy... So quietly did she carry on her good work that members of her own household did not know all, and only learned of many of her kindly deeds during her illness, when grateful recipients of her bounty told of what she had done.' - The Advertiser, 1898, p 4.
Her funeral was notable for an especially large attendance, with more than 60 vehicles following the coffin to its destination and two vehicles required to transport wreaths, crosses and flowers to the Roman Catholic Cemetery, West Terrace.
In commemoration of Catherine's devoted life and works, her children presented an altar surmounted by a Lourdes statue to the Church of the Annunciation at Hectorville, where she had been a constant and faithful attendant. A solemn ceremony to bless the altar. The occasion drew such a large gathering that the church could not accommodate all who wished to attend.
Thomas Addison
Thomas emigrated from Scotland in 1856. He was born in about 1828 in Scotland, and he died at Athelstone on 1 September 1884 and is buried in the Athelstone Independent Cemetery.
The Addisons of Athelstone
Catherine and Thomas were married at St Patrick’s Church, Adelaide on 31 May 1863.
They purchased a portion of the Maryvale Estate, now part of Athelstone. Their land was 40 acres, the southern half of Section 303. They financed the purchase by obtaining a mortgage from Henry Mildred of Clairville Estate, now part of Campbelltown.
Section 303, in total, was 80 acres. Its borders were Gorge Road, Stradbroke Road (formerly Bells Road), Maryvale Road and the current southern border of St. Ignatius College. A large part of the Addison’s land is now occupied by St Ignatius College. It adjoined Thorndon Park and was originally purchased by Lord Petre of Thorndon Hall in Essex. He was a speculator who never saw the land. Lord Petre sold the land to a gardener, Charles Pitt, and it was then broken into two halves and sold 24 years later.
Thomas Addison bought the whole section, purchasing the southern half first and farmed the land. His family continued as farmers for over a century. The decision to purchase the southern half of Section 303 first meant that the family home was established by Fifth Creek. It was surrounded by eucalypts with a dam nearby. The house was built using creek stone, another reason for placing it adjacent to Fifth Creek4. The quarry at the creek also reportedly supplied the stone to build the Athelstone Institute. The second half of the section, adjacent to Gorge Rd, cost the Addisons £425 in 1865.
This herd of cows, pictured on the site where St Ignatius’ College now stands, belonged to the Ryan brothers. The land had previously been owned by Margaret Addison, daughter of Catherine and Thomas Addison, who married James Ryan on 15 August 1911.
Margaret Ryan was a foundation member of the St Aloysius’ Branch of the Hibernian Australian Catholic Benefit Society (HACBS). Her sympathetic and charitable nature was expressed in caring for the sick and poor.
Peter Addison
Peter Addison was born at Athelstone on 24 May 1864 and was educated at Miss Bollon’s school in Athelstone. He was interested in local government and was associated with council work for 10 years, eventually becoming Chairman of the Campbelltown Council for 8 years. He was a noted athlete and won a championship cup for the mile, quarter mile and 220 yards. He spent his working life on the family farm, market gardening and fruit growing. He married Alice Stewart on 21 January 1886 in St Ignatius’ at Norwood. Peter Addison died on August 20, 19215.
Of the six Addison sisters, Catherine and Margaret married the brothers Robert Joseph Ryan and James Ryan. Robert Ryan was a Campbelltown Councillor for a period.
Jane Addison married Michael Daly, the first Mayor of Campbelltown, on 1 June 1911 at Norwood. She died on 9 July 1951.
It was Catherine’s sons James and Robert Ryan, and Jane’s daughter Mrs Catherine Atkinson, who eventually sold 30 acres of the old farm to St Ignatius' College.
Ellen Addison was never married and died in 1891.
Janet Addison married Harry Underwood on 13 April 1899 in Port Pirie.
MaryAnn Addison, 26, married Edward Christopher Augustine Naughton, a gardener from Paradise, on 8 May 18956.
Peter Addison was the last to farm the property as a whole. He stayed on the property until his death in 1921. He gave metal from his Torrens Valley Quarry to help build Gorge Rd. After his death, the family owned a piece each.
The last members of the family to work the land were Bob and Jim Ryan, who were the sons of Robert and Catherine Ryan, and also Mrs Catherine Atkinson, who was the daughter of Michael Daly and Jane Daly.
Mrs Catherine Atkinson was the former Mayoress of Campbelltown and was married to Mayor Owen Herbert Atkinson.
The Atkinson family owned part of the Black Hill above the nursery, but the Government later acquired it back as part of the Black Hill Conservation Park7.
Bob Ryan, Jim Ryan and Catherine Atkinson were the only ones of the third generation to actively farm the Addison property.
Researched by Local History volunteers.
References
Warburton E (1986) 'From the River to the Hills: Campbelltown 150 years', Corporation of the City of Campbelltown.
Local History folder LH BI 00001 Addison.
The Advertiser (1898) 'How Not to Farm', 6 September, p. 4, accessed 20 Nov 2025.
The Express and Telegraph (1917) 'Biographical', 4 May, p. 1, accessed 7 November 2019.