History of the parachutist who landed up at ‘Clover Hill’

By Tamara Hynd, Curator of Shellharbour City Museum

Many who have bushwalked Macquarie Pass would remember Ben’s Tudor-style home at ‘Clover Hill’, known locally as Ben’s Folly. There are probably few who have heard his story.

Benjamin Horace Turner was a stunt parachutist with the World’s First Flying Fair and Sir Alan Cobham’s Air Circus in England in the 1930s. At the age of 22 Ben made his first parachute descent, a risky thing to do in 1932. Over the next six years he made 299 jumps.

In 1938, Ben was employed by Brigadier Denzil MacArthur Onslow to set up the manufacturing of parachutes in Australia to cope with wartime demand. Ben tested the prototype ‘Domain parachute’ at Camden. In 1939, he founded Turner Parachute Pty Ltd. The factory at Broadway was the sole supplier of Australian air and ground forces.

At the end of the war, with no need for parachutes, Ben had the idea of manufacturing women’s swimwear instead.

He and his then wife, Jean, designed and cut Scamp swimsuits, which were to become an Australian icon. They were reputedly made from the silk destined for his parachutes, though friends of Ben believed this rumour was created and spread by Ben himself.

June Dally Watkins, modelled Scamp swimsuits in glossy magazines. She said of Ben, “He was the original swimsuit man… he treated the production of a swimsuit as if he were an engineer.” (The Daily Telegraph, Wednesday, 22 February 1989).

In the 1950s Ben, Jean and their English Sheepdog, Roger, retired to their 400-acre property at Macquarie Pass, ‘Clover Hill’.

They lived in the old Thomas family farmhouse, and planned to turn the property into a tourist resort. With no finances to complete their plans, the closest they got was to open the property up to picnickers and holidaymakers.

In 1970, Ben established and piloted Southern Cross Air, which operated across NSW. The 1970s were not all great years for Ben. His home at Macquarie Pass was lost to fire, the National Parks and Wildlife Service resumed his property, and he separated from his wife of 30 years, Jean.

Ben was allowed to stay at ‘Clover Hill’ for the remainder of his life. He began extending his famous Tudor-style manor house, built to replace the original homestead which had burnt down. The house was built around huge rock formations on the property, so that the rocks literally became walls within the rooms of his house.

The home and Ben were a familiar sight to bushwalkers visiting The Pass.

In May 2001, Ben Turner passed away at his ‘Clover Hill’ home at the age of 91.

When once asked by a reporter why he believed his father Horace had lived to the ripe old age of 94, Ben replied: ‘Cigarettes and Honey.’ (The Daily Telegraph, Wednesday, 22 February 1989).

Learn more about the history of Shellharbour via Shellharbour City Museum’s online platform, Discover Shellharbour.
Visit discovershellharbour.recollect.net.au