George Stone (31.7.1854 - 1918) ran a small abattoir business in Kembla Heights and employed his brother-in-laws Edward James Rutty (1861-1936) and William Rutty to drive cattle up to Kembla Heights servicing the local coal mining community. It seems he was a generous man, but even he had his limits and advertised in the Illawarra Mercury 16.8.1900 that those owing debts of more than three months would be sued. Around 1900 George opened a butchery near Mt Kembla Pub and his brother-in-laws worked for him as butchers. Unfortunately George was forced to close after a 4 month long strike 1909-1910. He and his wife Nora and family left the mountain for Dunoon and lived out the days in Northern NSW (Birchmeir 2011:2).

Information from: 'A history of the Rutty's Bus Service 1925-2001' John Birchmeir 2011 and 'Henry Stone 1821-1908 of Mt Kembla' by Kevin C. Stone 2001

Image from the collections of the Mt Kembla Heritage Committee

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At 2 pm on the 31st of July, 1902 a rock fall in a waste area pushed out gas that had been collecting there into the tunnels where 241 men were working by the light of naked lights on their caps. When the gas reached the light of a wheeler, it ignited and exploded, whipping up coal dust setting off a series of further explosions that intensified as they reached the entrance to the mine. Ninety four of the men and boys work at the coal mine would die, along with two rescuers. Mt Kembla's blackest day. 

"At 2pm on July 31, 1902, Mt. Kembla colliery exploded, killing 96 men and boys. The Royal Commission into the disaster confirmed that gas and coal-dust were responsible for the explosion, and found that the only thing that could have avoided the explosion was the substitution of naked lights with safety lamps." From University of Wollongong Library Archives

​H H Brown built a general store on the Stafford's sub division (part of William Stafford's 30 acres Lot 129).

The architect was Carl Webber and the tender was gained by Thomas Ryan. The store was situated across the road from Mt Kembla public school on the corner of Cordeaux Road and Benjamin Road. A second story was built circa 1914. The store burnt down in 1973. Today the site of the store is a residential block. 

Image from the collection of the Mt Kembla Heritage Centre via John Stafford on Kembla Jottings Facebook.

Unveiling of the Memorial Fountain commemorating the Mount Kembla Colliery Disaster on the 12th August, 1905 by the Mayor of Wollongong Ald J A Beatson. It was erected deliberately in the center of town principally to remind the people of Wollongong of the heroism of Major MacCabe (1856-1902) and William McMurray (1854-1902) who died trying to rescue the trapped miners.  It soon proved to be a traffic hazard and was moved from here to Wollongong Rest Park, Globe Lane in 1937. However, after many years in that park where it was vandalised, sentiment was changing and there was a push to move it to "its rightful place on the Mount". Fred Kirkwood is quoted as saying "After all the survivors were gone... that's when I stopped to think....I'll try to get the monument back to Kembla..." (Piggin and Lee 1992:246). It was moved to the Mt Kembla Church yard in August 1973.

​1907 Mt Kembla Post Office and residence built for Mr J Pinkerton, with a tender accepted from W Alger. The Post Office and Store was later sold to Andy Wilson who was postmaster from 1915-1924, he also ran a horse drawn bus service from 1919 before purchasing a T Model Ford bus in 1922 for 325 pounds. Mr James J. Benham was the postmaster for nine months from 1924-1925, then sold the store along with the Mount Kembla Motor Service including the Model T Ford bus  for 700 pounds to Edward James Rutty Snr who ran it from 1925-1943.  When Edward Rutty died in 1943 his wife Sarah was acting postmistress until her son Leslie Rutty took over in 1946 to 1953. Mr Gordon Ralph Hodges is postmaster from 1953 to 1965, followed by George Selwyn Thompson from 1965-1976. Information from 'a Profile History of Mount Kembla', Kevin Stone 2002 and 'Kembla, Keira and around the Lake a history of Rutty's Bus Service Wollongong 1925-2001', John Birchmeier, 2011.

The store was purchased and run by  Merv and Di Boatswain for about 35 years from the 1980s. It was heritage listed in the 1990s. Today the building is a residential home. 

Image circa 1920s from Noel Murray's collection who's mother Ivy is standing in front of the post office. 

Herbert H Brown announced his intention to build a Hall for recreation such as games and meetings in August of 1912. Images dating from 1913 show a second story added to Mr Brown's store that served as a hall. 

Mt Kembla evidently also had its own bank as in November of 1912 the newspaper reported that "The local branch of the Government Savings Bank has been removed fro the post office to Mr. E. H. Brown's Store" (Illawarra Mercury 8.11.1912). The store stood across the road from the school until it burnt down in 1973.

Image from the collections of Mt Kembla Mining Heritage Inc

William "Bill" Rutty, a young Mt Kembla wheeler then contract miner, bought his first car in 1923. To help pay off the purchase he'd hire out his 1818 seven seater Buick for week end and evening trips. When he saw that the local Post Office and Motor Service Business for sale, he asked for a loan from his father who initially refused him and from the seller Mr Benham. With the wooden bodied Mode T Ford bus included in the sale along with Bill's Buick, so began E.J. Rutty and Son Bus Service on the 6th of February 1925. Bill's father Edward Rutty devoted himself to running the store and as Post Master would deliver mail on horseback to Kembla Heights and the Cordeaux River Valley. Young Bill took charge of the bus service with the help of local drives including his cousin Barney Munn and future brother-in-law Ted MacCallen, and later his brothers Jacko and Les. The Ruttys were able to purchase their first bus in 1927, a 18 seater Chevrolet lovingly known as the butter box due to its shape. They soon outgrew the Mt Kembla stables turned bus depot and Bill moved the depot besides his new home at Mt Keira in 1937. As the business grew the bus depot was moved again in 1963 to Figtree. In 1953 the Mt Kembla Post Office and Store were sold and by years end Bill's mother Sarah Rutty passed away. 1955 saw the bus service business change its name to Rutty's Bus Service Pty Ltd with the three brothers as directors. The Rutty bus service grew over the years to a fleet of more than 50 buses spanning three generations when it was sold in 2001.

Information from 'Kembla, Keira and around the Lake - A History of Rutty's Bus Service Wollongong 1925-2001, John Birchmeier, 2011.

Image "T" Model Ford Bus outside Mt Kembla Post Office Store from the Noel Rutty family collection. 

The old American Creek Chapel had served its community for over 70 years, but by the 1930s it was "badly damaged by termites" (Woolcott & Kirkwood 2007). Fred Kirkwood, the church warden moved on the 29th of January 1932 to build a new church, later that same year on the anniversary of the disaster the foundation stone was laid by the Rev T Terry. The old church was demolished and replaced with a new church orientated east - west instead of south - north as the old church had been orientated. Mr Caldwell, the builder of the church placed a time capsule in the church steps. The church was completed on the 4th of September 1932 but was not consecrated until the 13th of March 1938 by Archbishop Mowll. Rather than dedicate this church to a saint, at Fred Kirwood's insistence the church was dedicated to the Soldiers and Miners of the village who lost their lives in World War One and in the 1902 disaster by the Rev. Edward Walker. The baptismal font was gifted to the church by F J Fishlock in 1933.

'The Soldiers' & Miners' Memorial Church Mt Kembla N.S.W. A short history 1857-2007', Helen Woolcott and Neville Kirkwood, 2008. 

Image the new church in 1969 from the collection of Illawarra Images.

Australian Iron and Steel (AIS) open Nebo Colliery on the site of the old Kerosene works at Kembla Heights. Nebo was the most up to date and first fully merchandised coal mine for its day. AIS had purchased the assets of Mt Kembla collieries Ltd in 1945 which included: the village of Kembla Heights; the then operational Mt Kembla colliery; the railway line to Port Kembla; and the  site of the Pioneer Kerosene Works.  In 1993 Nebo amalgamated with Wongawilli and Kemira Collieries to form Elouera Mine.

Image from the collections of Illawarra Images.