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correspondent reported that now the townsfolk only required ‘a blacksmith shop, a church, and an auctioneer’s
mart to complete the town.’
On 16 March 1900, after Crush had obtained a publican and billiards license, the Times reported the official
opening of the establishment which was appropriately called, reflecting the political climate of the time, the
Federation Hotel: ‘Our local hostelry now being finished and the license granted a few residents met at the invitation
of host and hostess Crush on Tuesday to celebrate the evening with a social house warming. Mr W J Byrne
occupied the post of chair. About a dozen were present and a very enjoyable evening was spent, an impromptu
program of songs being rendered by the company which broke up and dispersed at 11 pm after success to the
venture and the toast of health, wealth and property to the host and hostess had been done justice to in bumpers.’
The hotel quickly became a social meeting centre for the region, as well as being the venue for the ‘settling up’
at Brocks Creek sports days and racing meetings. Crush was active in both racing and cricket events, serving for
many years as the honorary secretary of the racing club as well as being ‘mine host’ at his hotel.
By May 1901 Crush was also secretary of the newly formed Brocks Creek branch of the North Australian
League, which took up many local issues. Amongst the first was a resolution that ballot boxes at up country polling
centres should be opened immediately on closing of poll. Other issues dealt with included the removal of the
warden’s office and local court from Burrundie to Brocks Creek; a complaint to the Postmaster General regarding
a scurrilous and indecent article which appeared in the Sydney Truth headed the ‘Black North’, with a request that
the paper be banned from the region; a submission that W J Byrne was a suitable person for the position of Justice
of the Peace; and lobbying for a doctor to be appointed to the Brocks Creek area.
In late November 1901 Tom Crush was recorded as taking a key part in what the newspaper described as a
small historic ceremony that occurred at Brocks Creek on the King’s Birthday when the first federal flag in the
district or perhaps in the Territory was hoisted. Miss Minnie Smith, the maker of the flag, performed the actual took
place at the Zapopan mine site. In December of the same year, the Northern Territory Times reported on Crush’s
overall influence in the community: ‘We understand there are to be sports at both Brocks Creek and Pine Creek
during the forthcoming holiday season on a liberal scale. So far as we can learn Mr T Crush is the moving spirit
at Brocks Creek’.
He apparently also had a fine voice and was often recorded as providing musical entertainment at functions,
such as the Christmas dinner parties hosted by the nearby mine managers, sporting day settling up functions, and
dinners for visiting dignitaries. The Brocks Creek branch of the North Australian League hosted one such dinner
in February 1902 for the Member of Parliament, C E Herbert, ‘to mark their appreciation of his efforts on behalf
of the NT in the SA Parliament’. The newspaper reported that ‘Host Crush provided a capital dinner and Brocks
Creek turned up practically en masse to do justice to it’.
The Brocks Creek races, which Crush had helped organise and the ‘settling ups’ which followed them, were
amongst the most popular events in the region, the success of which was often credited to Crush. The report
in the 1903 edition of the Northern Territory Times was typical: ‘The atmosphere was throbbing with music,
instrumental and vocal and the usual toasts were proposed and responded to with that outspoken eloquence which
is a characteristic of these convivial gatherings, the predominant note in all the oratory being unstinted praise of
the Hon Sec Mr T Crush and his committee for their successful inauguration and management of a really enjoyable
race meeting’.
Crush appears to have expanded his business interests during this time. In June 1903 his tender for the purchase
of the Adelaide River Police Station was accepted and by September of that year he was also managing the
Goldfields Hotel at Yam Creek. For a time it appears sports meetings were held in both the Yam Creek and
Brocks Creek settlements but as mining operations slowed down combined meetings were held, the venue being
Brocks Creek. Crush, along with Fanny, again received praise in the press from the Brocks Creek correspondent.
By 1905 the population of the region had declined and the Brocks Creek Goldfields racing club was officially
declared defunct with the funds presented to the Brocks Creek Sports Club, which continued to host regular racing
meets and sports days. Tom and Fanny Crush continued to play key roles in the community functions. In July 1907
they took a trip to England to visit family. They returned to the Territory in February 1908 with Tom destined to
pursue a new career in politics.
When the Territory’s representative in the South Australian parliament, V L Solomon, died later that year,
Tom Crush, who had shown an interest in community and political affairs for some years, decided to stand for
the seat in the by-election. He stood for the Labor Party, which had become an active force in South Australia,
and was thus the first Territorian to successfully contest the seat for Labor, even though a Pine Creek miner and
former Adelaide alderman, James Robertson, had stood for the party in 1905. When Crush won the seat, it brought
Labor’s strength in the South Australian Parliament to 20 out of 42 seats.
Crush quickly became a popular member amongst his parliamentary colleagues and received endorsement
from his Territory constituents as well. He strongly promoted the Territory’s interests in South Australia. Although
he apparently did not give his maiden speech until October 1909, the Northern Territory Times reported him
‘as having given... a good sensible speech [dealing] exclusively with the Territory—its needs and its possibilities.
Mr Crush expressed himself strongly in favour of the direct Pine Creek to Oodnadatta route for the railway’.
He also spoke of the mineral potential of the Territory and the need for better voting facilities. The newspaper
reported that ‘Mr Crush is to be congratulated on having survived what must have been a trying ordeal. First the
Northern Territory is not an easy or pleasant subject to discourse upon and secondly, with exception of his election
campaign, he has had no previous experience as public speaker’.
In the March 1910 election Tom Crush won the seat again, despite some local brawling over who was the
‘official’ Labor Party team in the Territory. Crush’s running partner was Frank James who missed out to well