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A few weeks ago, I spent a few hours with my fourth cousin, Michael Arendsen, at Dromana. He is the son of past pupil, Wendy Dempsey, and grandson of Kilbreda’s first male student, Frank Dempsey. Frank was here from 1905 to 1907 and is pictured in the centre of the 1907 photo, and Wendy finished in 1935. Both went on to other schools. Frank to McCristal College, the forerunner to St Bede’s.
The Dempseys feature prominently in Mentone’s Catholic heritage, with Eileen (left), Frank’s sister, being one of our first ever pupils.
Two generations further back, Frank and Eileen’s grandmother, Anne McCaughey (née Kelly) and her sister-in-law, my great-great grandmother, Mary Anne (née Andrews), who was born at Brighton in 1849, were instrumental in bringing the Catholic Church to Mentone. As part of my tours, I tell the story of how these two ardent workers visited local Catholic families to raise money to build the first St Patrick’s Church, which sat about where Room 47 is now. This had followed an invitation from Sir Matthew Davies, who had proposed that he would donate a block of land to the first group who could come up with the money to build a church. And, so it was that St Patrick’s Mentone, a little wooden church, was built there and opened in 1885. It served the parish for 20 years until a more solid, brick structure, was built next to it.
Anne and James McCaughey had sailed in early 1867 for America, marrying at Providence, Rhode Island in March, 1867. Their first child, Cassie, was born there and the second on board ship on their way to join the rest of the family here in Cheltenham. The McCaugheys had a fruit shop in Mitchell Street, Mentone, according to family tradition, but I can’t recall ever reading of shops in that area.
Mary McCaughey married Tom Dempsey, who is pictured on page 14 of Leo Gamble’s, St Bede’s College and its McCristal Origins.
Tom was a horse trainer and the property stood about where the petrol station is on Balcombe Road. Frank went on to be a successful jockey, winning the Caulfield Cup three times and narrowly missing the Melbourne Cup by a nose on Eurythmic in 1922, from memory.
He led the jockeys Premiership on a number of occasions and travelled to England to ride there for few seasons. He mixed in glamourous circles as his letter of introduction to the Jockey Club in England attests.
The Right Honble
The Earl of Derby
Jockey Club
I am giving this letter to Frank Dempsey who is our leading lightweight jockey, he is looked upon as one of our straightest boys a very decent well behaved young man & I feel sure if he gets any chance at all he will make good – God gave me a voice and He gave him “hands”. Need I say more. I leave him in your care.
Yours very sincerely
Nellie Melba
On board the ship which took him to England in 1925, to take up riding engagements with Sir Thomas Hyde, Frank met and became friends with the 1925 Australian cricket team on their way to fight for the Ashes. Friendships with many of those players were formed and, in particular, with Bill Ponsford.
When Michael was born, his grandfather put him on the list for MCC membership. His proposer was Bill Ponsford, for whom there is now a stand at the MCG and who captained Victoria’s cricket team. Ponsford made centuries in his first and last tests for Australia and made a record partnership of 451 against England in 1934 with Don Bradman.
Damian Smith
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