Terowie Train Station - Hidden Secrets

Terowie Train Station - Hidden Secrets

<Begin Transcript> 

The mid-north town of Terowie sits 220 kilometres north of Adelaide, in South Australia. It is an important landmark town in the state for its many historical buildings. Terowie Train Station opened in 1880 when the broad-gauge railway line from Adelaide reached the town. The first train arrived on December 14, 1880, carrying Sir William Jervois, Governor of South Australia
 Not long after, a narrow-gauge line from nearby Peterborough was extended to Terowie station. Terowie railway station, from then on, was used to unload goods from the broad-gauge line, onto trains on the narrow-gauge line, to move goods through the state, and interstate.

 The Adelaide to Red Hill railway line was extended to Port Pirie in 1937, taking away some of Terowie’s train traffic.  When Leigh Creek Coalfields opened, traffic through Terowie increased again, but this line was soon made obsolete with a new Stirling to Maree line opening in 1957. The Port Augusta to Broken Hill line was converted to a standard gauge, which saw railway lines north of Terowie converted to broad gauge in1970, making Peterborough the breakpoint of gauges and rendering Terowie obsolete.

During World War Two. A large military camp was established close the railway station, enabling the military to move troops and ammunition swiftly across Australia to wherever needed. The break of gauge at Terowie meant that the town was vital for the Silverton to Burra, Adelaide to Perth and Adelaide to Alice Springs routes. During the War, all north-bound men and goods were transhipped at Terowie.

While changing trains on the 20^th of March 1942 at Terowie U.S. General MacArthur made a speech about the Battle of The Philippines, in which he said:. “I came out of Bataan and I shall return”.

The Terowie line was reduced to a crossing loop with the line closing in July 1988,

Today Terowie is a historical town much loved by its residents. The train station stands as a monument to the railway workers that opened up the outback to exploration, commerce and tourism. <End Transcript>

Researched by Allen Tiller

J.P. McGowan: “The Railroad Man”

J.P. McGowan: “The Railroad Man”

John Paterson McGowan was a South Australian born pioneer in Hollywood. Born in Terowie, South Australia, John was known professionally as J.P McGowan and acted in over 235 movies. He also directed 257 movies, wrote 31 movies and produced with his company, ‘Signal Film’ 22 movies.
 McGowan is the only Australian life member of the Screen Directors Guild.

 McGowan was born on  February 24, 1880, in the mid-north town of Terowie. His father worked on the trains there, but the family soon moved south to Islington to the railyards where his father worked as a locomotive fire-stoker and labourer.

 McGowan fought in South Africa during the Boer War, and from here was plucked to work in films in America. His first film appearance was in a 1910 silent movie called ‘A Lad From Old Ireland’. McGowan worked for Kalem Studios at this time and went on to star in and direct 33 episodes of the serial adventure movies series ‘The Hazards of Helen’.

 McGowan married Helen Holmes, and together they started their own production company ‘Signal

Films’. They had one child together before their relationship fizzled out. They divorced in 1925.

 In his later career, McGowan directed John Wayne in The Hurricane Express, a 12-movie series produced by Mascot Pictures.

McGowan served as the executive secretary to the Screen Directors Guild from 1938 until 1951 (known later as the Directors Guild of America).

McGowan suffered from heart disease in his later years. He died on 26 March 1952, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. His ashes were interred in a niche at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, California.

J.P. McGowan impressive resume on IMDB; https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0569645/

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

Bibliography

Donaldson, D., ‘The First Australian in Hollywood’, NFSA (2019), https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/first-australian-hollywood

Jaunay, G., JP (John Paterson) McGowan, (2019), http://www.jaunay.com/mcgowan.html

Worden, L., ‘J.P. McGowan, SCV Film Pioneer’(2013), https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/lw2355.htm