Tag: Frederick Fels

Blessing Stuckgold was the daughter of Moritz Stuckgold and Rosa Stuckgold (nee Fels, daughter of Frederick). She was my Father’s elder sister, my beloved Aunt Bronia. Moritz Stuckgold was the first Managing Director of City Loan, Mortgage and Finance. My Father was named for his Grandfather – he was Frederick Stuckgold. In the latter part of her life, Bronia lived with her companion, Mary Goddard, in Avenue Road Mosman. She passed away circa 1981. She was cremated at North Shore and her ashes were spread  among the Gardens. Moritz and Fred  are also interred there. My grandmother Rosa lies separately at Rookwood, most likely alongside her Father, Frederick Fels. Now read on …

HERITAGE
May – June 2010
by Pamela Smith BA (Hons.)
History, Springwood Historians

Have you ever wondered how
streets, parks and other landmarks
acquire their names?

Fels Avenue, located in the vicinity
of Springwood Public School, for
example, was named for Frederick
Fels who purchased land there in
the latter part of the 1890s.

Fels, born in Warsaw Poland in
1858, travelled to England then to
America in the 1880s, on the pretext
of buying goods for his business.
He left behind a wife, who he
subsequently divorced, and several
children when he married his
second wife, Dora.

Relatives consider the pair had
been previously acquainted before
Dora left Poland destined for
America and marriage.

Frederick married Dora when her first
marriage arrangement did not take
place.

The couple arrived in Australia in
1889 where Frederick manufactured
butter coolers and canvas bags
before moving into the more
lucrative market of money lending
initially financed by his wife.

Dora, an enterprising lady, set up
her own dressmaking business
which perhaps gained her the title
of Madame Fels.

It seems that Frederick was ever
mindful of his debt to the deserted
family in Warsaw because he sent
money back when he was
financially able.

Son Stanley migrated to Australia in
1896, and moved in with Frederick
and Dora when they lived at
Annandale.

Stanley’s arrival – and perhaps the
financial position of Dora and
Frederick – encouraged the
migration of the remaining Fels
family.

The Springwood property
was purchased by Frederick and Dora in
1899. It comprised of several acres of
land forming the border between
Valley Heights and what is now Springwood.

Frederick Somers had been the
original owner of a conditional
purchase in the 1880s. The
property had been put in Dora’s
name which was common practice
for that time because it safeguarded
the wife in the event of her
husband’s bankruptcy or eluded
death duties if he died.

In 1900, the Fels moved into their
newly built Springwood home. Fels
Ridge/ Felsridge, as it was known,
was a stunning example of early
uncluttered Federation-style
architecture. As the photograph
below illustrates, several t all
chimneys soared high above the
tiled roofline of the commodious
brick home, while the front veranda
and upper storey balcony
overlooked a wonderful circular
driveway.

The driveway and remnants of what
had been a well-attended garden
(although greatly reduced in size)
were still intact when an inspection
of the property was made in 2000,
as was part of the original house.

Financially comfortable, the Fels
were able to employ Thomas Jones
and George Mills as gardeners and
to attend to any maintenance of
Felsridge. Double gates located on
Bathurst (now Macquarie Road)
once marked the entrance to the
property.

Dora and Frederick continued in
their separate businesses and
Frederick, who was described as a
‘financier,’ occupied rooms at 295
Pitt Street, Sydney.

In a move that would prove
unfortunate the childless couple
adopted Dora’s niece and
Frederick’s granddaughter.

In 1907, Frederick was a trustee of
Martins Lookout. He is said to have
had a great fondness for the local
flora and fauna of the area and – at
his own expense – put a man to
work clearing a track some two or
three miles out from Springwood.

The Nepean Times newspaper later
regaled the splendour of hidden
streams, tumbling clear pristine
waterfalls and stalactites,
unhindered and undisturbed, which
formed from the minerals in the
water. Rare ferns grew in great
profusion along the track and great
stacks of giant logs lay petrified on
the wilderness floor.

A public spirited man, Frederick
donated a sum of money to the
Springwood School of Arts building
fund in 1907.

In 1908, he was elected vice
president along with Messrs.
Charles Rosenthal, Grant and
Foster and retained the position the
following year.

He was elected to the committee
when the first annual general
meeting was held in the newly
erected Springwood School of Arts
building, in 1913.

Fels was also a member of the
Springwood Progress Association.
During 1908, Frederick – with the
assistance of Mr Maidment,
proprietor of the Royal Hotel –
installed a Rider-Eriksson hot air
engine on the Springwood property
to pump water for domestic and
irrigation purposes from the gullies
below the house. There is no evidence
to suggest if they were successful.

In 1914, Frederick founded the
Mortgage and Loan Finance
Company of Australia.

Sadly, he died the following year .
The years following Frederick’ s
death were troubled and turbulent
for Dora and the trouble stemmed
from the earlier adoptions.

Frederick’s first wife appealed his
will because most of his estate had
been bequeathed to their mutual
granddaughter, Miss Blessing Fels-
Stuckgold.

Eventually the Supreme Court
overturned the terms of Frederick’ s
will and the estate was divided
between Blessing and Frederick’ s
first wife.

The latter died five years later and
rests, perhaps somewhat
uncomfortably, with Frederick in
Rookwood Cemetery.

Fels is remembered in the
Springwood street name.
The name of Miss Blessing Fels-
Stuckgold appeared in local
newspapers around 1915, along
with other young ladies who raised
funds for wounded soldiers during
the First World War.

Like most of the other large estates
in the area the Fels estate was
subsequently subdivided and Dora,
or Madame Fels, left the mountains
around 1920.

Family information suggested she
lived in Mosman during the early
1930s, however, the date and place
of her death are unknown.

Local myth had the house burnt to
the ground in the 1968 fires,
however, an inspection in 2000
revealed that the central spine of
the house remained intact along
with the driveway, a well in the
garden and plants from the original
garden.

Today the property is known as Blue
Gum Lodge and functions as an
Anglican Youthworks Outdoor
Centre.

References:
Blue Mountains City Council Image Collection.
Nepean Times, Various editions.
New South Wales Births, Deaths
and Marriage indexes.
Sands Indexes, Various editions.
Springwood Historians, The Making
of a Mountain Community: A
Biographical Dictionary of the
Springwood District.

Frederick Fels’ children were more or less Rosa, Stella and Stanley Fels. While Stanley was Frederick’s son, it’s not entirely clear who Stanley’s Mother was: family rumour suggested that Stanley may have been illegitimate.

The court case, dealing with  Frederick’s Estate, was appealed all the way to the Privy Council. It can be found as Fels vs. Fels, in  Kings Bench.

Frederick Stuckgold met his Grandmother, Frederick Fels’ first wife, in Palestine circa 1940. How she might have come to be interred beside him at Rookwood at a later date seems quite a mystery.

Dora Fels lived in St Elmo Street Clifton Gardens. Her house still stands today.

Freddy Stuckgold, of 40 Redan Street Mosman, married twice and had a son and a daughter. His daughter was named Vivian Stuckgold. She herself is interred in the graveyard of the village of Kefar Tavor in the northern Galilee. Her children and grandchildren still live in the modern state of Israel today.

I am, of course, Fred’s son.

Erskineville, NSW 2018.