On October 7, 1984, the Member for Heathcote, Rex Jackson, unveiled a memorial to Charles Harper and at the same time renamed Helensburgh Park, where it was erected, Charles Harper Park.

Present on that day, during centenary celebrations of the beginning of mining in the Helensburgh district, were 150 of Charles Harper's descendants.

In 1983, St Augustine's Anglican Church at Bulli was planning some building works in its churchyard. All the old headstones on the graves were to be removed as it was planned to create a small memorial park with the headstones erected on concrete slabs at the western end of the churchyard. Members of the Helensburgh Historical Society wanted one of the memorials moved to Helensburgh. The monument in question stood on the grave of Charles Harper who died on August 4, 1888, aged 53.

Charles Harper left Waratah colliery at Newcastle to take up the position of mine manager at Coal Cliff Colliery in the Illawarra from June 20, 1879. In November 1883, Mr Harper's valuable work and dedication while at Coal Cliff Colliery were recognised at a reception held at Broadhead's Clifton Hotel on the night of Monday, November 19. A large gathering of colliery workers was present for the presentation of a testimonial and a purse of sovereigns. After the presentation, about 50 of the employees sat down for a meal provided in the assembly room of the hotel. It is interesting to note that the purse containing the sovereigns was made by the Sisters of St Joseph's Convent at Bulli of red silk inlaid with Morocco leather.

Just days later, Mr Harper was supervising the drilling near Heathcote in search for good coal seams on land belonging to the Cumberland Coal and Iron Mining Company. Using a diamond drill, an excellent seam of coal was discovered on November 22, 1884, at only 850 feet from the surface.

By September 1885, tenders were called for the sinking of a main shaft 16 feet high and 1000 feet deep for mining operations to commence. In 1887, the name of the mining company was changed to Metropolitan Coal Company of Sydney Ltd as it had been floated in London with a capital of £300,000. By then, 35 men were employed in the operations. Rowe and Smith laid down a branch line connecting the colliery to the newly constructed Illawarra Railway Line.

On Saturday morning, August 4, 1888, Mr Harper was supervising the transportation of an engine from the Illawarra railway line to the airshaft at the colliery. As the engine was being hauled by a steam locomotive up a gradient of 1 in 12, the cable snapped under the strain and the recoil of the cable hit Mr Harper, sending him over the embankment. He suffered severe head injuries and died just one hour later.

As there was no cemetery established in Helensburgh, the family decided to hold his funeral at St Augustine's Church at Bulli. The cortege left his Helensburgh home about 10am on Tuesday, August 7, 1888, and proceeding by road to Bulli the line of carriages, buggies and riders on horseback increased at every small hamlet on the way to Bulli. Charles Harper was buried near where the victims of the Bulli Mine disaster were buried 17 months earlier.

The miners who worked with Mr Harper started a movement in 1889 to honour his memory by erecting a monument above his gravesite. Monumental mason John Hendry of Corrimal Street, Wollongong, was contracted to erect a fitting memorial. It would stand about 12 feet high and it was planned to unveil the memorial the day prior to the anniversary of his death. The date had to be postponed due to wet weather and it was rescheduled to take place on August 17, 1889, in the presence of his widow and children.

What was once a gravestone in St Augustine's Churchyard at Bulli is today a memorial in a park to the founding father of Helensburgh.

Information courtesy of Carol Herben OAM.  Call 0409 832 854 or email  sycado6@bigpond.net.au