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Peko. Until 1945, he was solely concerned with ‘mining promotions’. During the Second World War, he was
seconded to the mica mines in the Harts Range near Alice Springs, perhaps as an interpreter.
In 1945, he rented the old Telegraph Station north of the town at one Pound per week, it no longer being
required once the Post and Telegraph Office had been established in the town. The Reserve was revoked in 1954
and Perry obtained Pastoral Lease No 556 over part of the area, the balance being held by Grazing Licence 1279
issued on 17 September 1947, the whole being converted to Pastoral Lease No 1958 in 1957. A slaughterhouse
and a bore, all fenced, were completed by 1950. Perry also ran pigs and had a small dairy. The family established
a home in the old telegraph station buildings that by 1954 had been thoroughly renovated. It is recorded that Perry
had ‘done a very good job’ and ‘restored these buildings which are of considerable historic value’.
In February 1947 he purchased a butchery business from H V Gorey and the following month obtained Grazing
Licence No 1262 adjacent to Kelly Well for yards for the butchery business. In August 1947, he had 108 cubic
metres of freezer space at the butchery.
A number of drought years in the late 1950s curtailed pastoral activities and Perry went back to mining. In 1970
took up a lease to work the Eldorado mine. At other times, he had an interest in the Irish Emblem, Pannikan and
Brolga mines. He also won wolfram at Hatches Creek. He began to obtain land in the town and became something
of an entrepreneur. What was later an ice cream shop in Paterson Street was the centre of his activities.
Con Perry was noted for his hospitality and at the fanaticism with which he played bridge partnered by
Jerry Maloney. He was known to have a heart condition by about 1955, but he was 85 in December 1985 and a
big party was held to celebrate his 55th wedding anniversary. He was already ill and died on 28 February 1986
in Tennant Creek Hospital. He was survived by his widow and two daughters and is buried in the Tennant Creek
cemetery.
Centralian Advocate, 7 March 1986; Northern Territory Archives, F28, NTRS 246; Northern Territory Government Gazette, No 22 of
8 April 1954; Tennant Creek Times, 7 March 1986, 6 May 1988; H J Wilson, ‘The Heritage of Tennant Creek’, Report to the National Trust of
Australia (Northern Territory), 1995.
HELEN J WILSON, Vol 3.PETT, CATHERINE nee COOPER (1864–1926), school teacher and community organiser, was born on
17 November 1864, the second of eight children of James Cooper and his wife Eliza, nee McCarty, at Moonta,
South Australia. James, who was born in Scotland in 1833, arrived in South Australia in 1855 on Rodney and
married Eliza in 1860 in Moonta, where Catherine was raised.
Catherine trained as a schoolteacher and joined the South Australian Education Department in 1865.
On 14 May 1887, she married William Pett, a 28-year-old bachelor who listed his profession on their marriage
certificate as Minister of the Bible Religion although there is little information available to determine whether he
ever practised in such a position for any length of time.
In November 1888 Catherine, who was Assistant Head Mistress at the Grote Street School, was appointed
to take charge of the school at Palmerston, Northern Territory, after residents had lobbied the South Australian
government to replace the male teacher there, E P Kitchin, with an ‘efficient female’. Catherine and William
arrived in the township by Catterhun in January 1889. Catherine’s initial salary was 175 Pounds per annum—
45 Pounds less than the amount received by Kitchen, who had been appointed in 1879.
It is not clear whether or not William Pett found work or, if he did, what type of work it was, but there are
indications that he spent quite a lot of time away from Port Darwin. As early as March 1889 Catherine had written
to the Government Resident requesting permission to take in boarders, giving as her reason, ‘As Mr Pett is leaving
the company will make the house less lonely.’
Nevertheless, Catherine tackled her job with enthusiasm and immediately began to endear herself to the school
students and the community by arranging for regular school picnics and outings for the children, a task she seems
to have undertaken single-handedly, drawing some mild criticism from the press. While local newspaper editorials
praised her initiatives, which continued throughout her more than 20 years’ teaching in Port Darwin, they also
complained that she did not let others know of her plans so that they could provide support.
By June of 1889, she was causing concern of another kind amongst some members of the local school board
when she requested that the school be closed for two weeks, the time to be deducted from her future holidays.
The board granted the request and recommended that certain repairs be carried out to her premises, including that
‘a bathroom be built for the schoolmistress.’ However, J J Lawrie, on behalf of the board, added the following
comments to the South Australian officials: ‘While recommending that the request of Mrs Pett as to leave be
granted he would strongly point out the great mistake of sending to the Northern Territory a married lady, who, in
all probability will bear children. 1st. The physical strain upon a woman bearing children in this climate is so great
that she should not be burdened with any other occupation than the care of her family, as such occupation is certain
to be a secondary condition. 2nd. The moral effect of the schoolmistress conducting her duties up to the day of her
confinement is likely to be very prejudicial in a mixed school of boys and girls.’
On 10 August 1889, Catherine gave birth to a son, William, and duly took her requested leave. The following
year the local paper again praised her efforts in organising a picnic for the children at Mindel (now Mindil) Beach,
but again suggested, ‘It would be a wise plan if Mrs Pett contrived to secure the aid of the School board when
arranging for future picnics for the children. A great many people who would readily subscribe towards sport and
pleasure for the young ones never hear of the picnics until they are over and done with.’ After Catherine organised
a similar event in January 1891 it was clear that she had invited several of the parents as well and the paper pointed
out that, ‘The whole of the expense of this entertainment was borne by Mrs Pett who really deserves the greatest
credit for the liberality which she displayed and for the endless trouble she took to give pleasure to the little ones of