The Hotel was built in the early 1900's as coal mining was rapidly developing in the rich coal seams of the Hunter Valley. The Neath Colliery coal lease was aquired by the Wickham and Bullock Island Coal Company during 1903.
A settlement developed at Neath. It was described as a "calico" mining village. Between 1910 to 1915 the mining employees totalled some 300 people. Tent and bag "humpies" housed the miners and their families
The tents and temporary dwellings were soon converted to rough sawn timber houses with corregated galvanised iron roofs. Along side the mining village was a football field and a gymnasium.
In contrast to the "calico" village work began early in the century on the 'Neath Hotel'. A subsatantial three storey building, even today, with steel floor joists ( provided by the same Scottish company who supplied the materials for the Sydney Harbour Bridge). It also boasts, as do most of the hotels in the Valley, the 'Iron Lace' balustrading which was shipped as ballist from foundries in England and Scotland.
The Barker Boys used to drink at the Neath Hotel before and after they went to war. This is where they more than likely met "Harry" Littlefair, if they did not already know him from working in the mines.
The Miners Lamp
Joseph Henry "Harry" Littlefair
In 1891 in the pleasant beach side Newcastle suburb of Merewether, NSW a child was born to Joseph and Sarah Littlefair. He was christened Joseph Henry but was to be known most of his life as "Harry". The Littlefair family moved from Merewether to Weston, a settlement near Neath, and Harry took employment in the mines. The advent of war and the tragedy of Gallpoli generated great patriotic zeal and Harry attempted to enlist not once, but five times.
On a winters afternoon, with the days work being done at the nearby Neath Colliery, Harry strolled into the Neath hotel's bar with a mate for his usual miners's black pint and a yarn before continuing on his way home for the evening meal. Presently he beckoned the hotel's landlady to him and in a noisy buzz of conversation which flowed around the bar said to her, "Put these upon the shelf. we'll collect them when we come back." He handed her a small brass oil lamp, the old fashioned naked light lamp which we never see these days and a small brass oil container.
Harry enlisted on the 30th August, 1915 at Maitland, NSW. Aged 24 years old in the 3rd Battalion, 14th Reinforcement as a private. He sailed from sydney on board RMS "Osterley" on the 15th January 1916.
Article in the Cessnock Advertiser 25th April, 2009.
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