Almanac SANFL History: John Chipp Hamp
Thanks to Nick Haines for sending us this story, and for Bernard Whimpress’s involvement in the process too.
John Chipp Hamp
(Born: 11/11/1861 Mount Wedge, South Australia – Died: 6/3/1904 Johannesburg, South Africa)
Just over a decade ago Lindsey Darby was walking on the Yunta property (275km North-East of Adelaide) that she and her husband manage when she noticed a piece of metal on the ground. At first she thought it was just an old bottle top and ignored it. But something inside her said pick it up and have a look which she did. It turned out to be a medal with a footballer on one side and a name and date (1883) on the other. Not recognising the name, Lindsey put the item in her jewellery box and forgot about it.
One day Lindsey heard of the SANFL History centre and wondered if they could help in unravelling the story of this medal. Upon receiving the medal Christine Halbert (Manager of the SANFL History Centre) passed an image and information of the medal to two of the centre’s volunteers, Clint Giles and Nick Haines, who have had experience in solving such mysteries, and they set to work.
Initially things didn’t go well as the likely names Kemp and Hemp were investigated and nothing came up. Even a trip to the library to check Births, Deaths and Marriages turned up nothing, after cross checking any remote possibilities.
It was looking like the medal’s story might remain a mystery until Clint took another look at the medal and said he thought it might be “Hamp” not Hemp or Kemp. And that’s when all the little pieces started to fit into place.
WHO WAS J.C. HAMP?
J.C. Hamp was John Edward Chipp Hamp. He was born on 11th November 1861 in Mount Wedge and raised there on the western side of the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia.
His father, John, was a 26-year-old sheep farmer who had arrived with his family in South Australia in July 1838 aboard the Duke of Roxburghe.
His mother, Ellen (nee Donnelley), was 27 years old. John was one of their seven children. Ellen’s family arrived in 1850 and settled at Port Lincoln. She married John there in 1858 and went to live at Chickerloo Station.
John boarded at Glenelg Grammar School along with his younger brother (Walter Edward). John was an outstanding scholar and was dux of the school in 1882 and was presented with a gold medal for this achievement. He was also keen on sports, and he won the award for best bowler 1882 for the Glenelg Grammar Cricket team. He also captained the school’s football team in 1881.
Upon matriculating he was articled to Fenn and Hardy, and after studying law and passing his exams at Adelaide University he was admitted to the bar in July 1888.
WHAT WAS THE N.P.F.C?
The N.P.F.C was the North Park Football Club. Founded in 1878 it was initially captained by Daniel Jefferis Kekwick, whose family lived on Le Fevre Terrace. Daniel Kekwick played alongside his brother William and their younger brother Percy went onto play for South Adelaide, and was Sturt’s first captain when they joined the South Australian Football Association (SAFA) in 1901.
Well known businessman William Sharland Senior was President and prominent supporter of the club and his sons played for the team with William junior not only played but filled the role of secretary. The family lived at 3 Kermode Street – opposite the parklands.
North Park were what is known as a “Parklands team” being a team that played in the Parklands but weren’t in an organised competition. This changed in 1881 when they joined the Adelaide and Suburban Association.
At the start of the 1883 season Hamp lined up in the North Park second twenty and was a regular member of the side that took out the premiership that year and the next. Prior to the 1885 season a meeting at the Prince Albert Hotel on 5 March resolved that the combined Adelaide and North Park football clubs would enter two teams, one as Adelaide in the SAFA and a junior side as North Parks in Adelaide and Suburban Football Association (ASFA). Adelaide wore red and black colours and North Park chocolate brown and blue. North Park’s football life was short. On 22 March 1887 season a club meeting at the Southern Cross Hotel (*1) decided that North Park would participate under the name of Adelaide Second Twenty in the ASFA and North Park ceased to exist.
THE LATER LIFE OF J.C. HAMP
Hamp married Agnes Strathearn Smith Samson on 23 December 1890 at St Andrews church Wakefield Street, Adelaide. Agnes was the daughter of George Samson a baker and grocer on Unley Road. They went onto have two children. Stuart (born 1892) and Thelma (born 1896).
Hamp became a prominent criminal lawyer in Adelaide, was involved in many high-profile cases and renowned for his expert cross examination of witnesses. He also sat on the Unley Council for some time.
He departed for South Africa in 1903 and established law offices there, quickly gaining a reputation in Johannesburg before being struck down with enteric fever (typhoid) and dying three weeks later on 6 March 1904 and is buried in the Braamfontein cemetery in Johannesburg.
Agnes Hamp moved the family went to Western Australia where she remarried in 1912. JC and Agnes’s son, Stuart, enlisted in the AIF and was killed in action at Gallipoli on 7 August 1915.
Football Dinner –On Thursday evening
The annual dinner in connection with the North Park Football Club took place at the Parisien Restaurant (*2). Mr. W.H.Sharland (the President) proposed “ The S.A.F.Asso- cation,” To which Mr. A.J. Diamond re-responded at length. Mr. J.E. Woods then proposed “The A. & S.F. Association” to which Mr. R. Whitfield (the chairman) replied. After a vocal contribution Mr. G.M Evan gave the toast, “The North Park Football Club” Messrs. J.D. Stephens (captain) and W.H. Sharland, jun. (Hon. Secretary), responded, the latter informing the company that only one Association match had been lost and they had a balance to the good of the club of 40 goals 128 behinds, and that financially their position was a good one. The President then presented each of the first twenty with a gold medal, and six of the second twenty with a silver medal, remarking that he hoped this would be the means of encouraging the players to still greater achievements. After sundry other speeches, interspersed with vocal music, the meeting terminated by the singing of “Auld Lang Syne”.
“Evening Journal”, Saturday 22 September 1883 |
(*1) – The Southern Cross Hotel was at 65 King William Street. It ceased trading in 1974.
(*2) – The Parisien (sic) restaurant was better known as Cafe De Paris and situated at 6 Rundle Street (just east of Beehive Corner).
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Any ideas how the medallion ended up at Yunta?
Like Swish, I have many questions.
Why did he leave Australia? Why does a successful criminal barrister suddenly take off?
Excellent work putting this together!
History would otherwise have been forgotten.
Thanks for this. Like Swish, I wonder how the medal got to Yunta.
Mention of the Kekwick family opens a whole can of Kekwicks.
Several of us at ASSH(SA) have discussed aspects of the family at some length.
In 1840, widower Daniel Kekwick emigrated to South Australia with his family, including sons Daniel and William Darton. Another son, James remained in England but joined the family in Adelaide in 1858.
Son Daniel’s family included the three boys, Daniel, Percy and William who all played football for the North Park Football Club. Later, Daniel moved to Melbourne. He was married in 1886 and appears to have spent the remainder of his life in Victoria.
Their uncle William Darton Kekwick was the second-in-command of the John McDouall Stuart expeditions of 1960-1862. William died in 1872, aged 48, while a member of the Gosse expedition to the north-west of South Australia. His grave is in Blinman, in the Flinders Ranges.
Edwin Huntley Kekwick, son of James and cousin of Daniel, William and Percy played cricket for North Adelaide in the early seasons of Electorate cricket in Adelaide. He also played two matches for South Australia. In a match against Sturt in 1902, Kekwick (227*) and James Matthews (141*) combined in an undefeated record partnership of 289 for the tenth wicket, The record still stands.
Edwin was the father-in-law of Australian Test fast bowler Tim Wall.
The aforementioned James Matthews represented South Australian in cricket on seven occasions between 1900/01 and 1901/02 taking 14 wickets (best 5/95) and scoring 179 runs. He didn’t get much of a look in as a bowler in the match against A.C MacLaren’s English team in 1901 when an aging George Giffen took 7/46 and 6/47.
Matthews was also a member of three North Adelaide Football Club premiership teams in 1900 (as centre half forward), 1902 (half forward flank) and 1905 (full back).
Also, I wonder if the R.Whitfield mentioned in the Evening Journal article above was the owner of “Whitfield’s paddock”, site of the dairy farm that, in 1898, became the Prospect Recreation Ground and then Prospect Oval?
A fabulous yarn.
Hi, Hamp family are relatives of late Husband. Family history Has John Edward Chip. son Stuart did not go with his mother and sister to WA. after his father died. He worked as a stockman on property near Melrose
in the mid north. Maybe he had his fathers medal and it got lost there. Later moved to Qld where he enlisted in Qld Light horse. Was killed in Dardenelles 1915.