ÒNurungiÓRemembered Official Newsletter of the City of Canada Bay Heritage Society email: [email protected] www.canadabayheritage.asn.au

EDITOR LOIS MICHEL No.201 MAY, 2013 9744-8528 Growing up in Concord West Memories of Graeme Senior by his mate John Watson * * * * Graeme and I met by accident some time the scrum passing out to me and moments CITY OF CANADA in 1950. I would like to think it was an later he would be in the back line taking the accident: he hit me across the back of the ball from the inside centre and heading off for BAY MUSEUM head with a baseball, or softball, bat in the a run calling for back-up. As I write I can see 1 Bent Street, Concord school grounds. From that moment on we him as clearly now as he was on the field. The became firm friends, inseparable for goal posts are behind him; he moves quickly Open Wed & Sat many, many years. to the back of the scrum as I wave my right 10am to 4pm That meeting was at Concord West arm telling the backs to line out to the right. I Guest Speaker primary School in Sydney. We were can see him pounce on the ball and whip it to on 1st Saturday of each both born in 1945. We would have both me. He still looks like a footballer. month at 2:00 pm been five years old. Graeme liked to re- When we were nine or 10 we decided one Phone: 9743-3034 mind me that he was older than me. He school holiday to ride our scooters from Con- during museum hours was born in March, I think the 17th, while cord West, where we both lived (Graeme in or email I was born much later on May 27. Sen- Harrison Avenue, 17, I think, and me at 22 [email protected] iority is important, especially to a Senior! Killoola Street) to Parramatta, about 10 miles We played cricket and football together away (that’s 16km in today’s measure.) Look- in the school’s teams that played other ing back it was a hell of a feat. I had a pump- schools. Graeme was a natural sports- up tyred Speedwell scooter and Graeme rode man despite wearing those horrible round a red Cyclops solid-tyre scooter. We had to glasses that were common in the 1950s. scooter along Concord Road to Ryde Bridge STEERING I should say he “didn’t wear” those through a suburb called Rhodes then up Ryde COMMITTEE glasses. I think his Mum and Dad (Alf and Hill (that was tough for cars in those days) then Jean, always called Mr and Mrs Senior by turn left along Victoria Road to the main street Lois Michel me as was done in those days) thought of Parramatta. We did not have a haversack 9744-8528 he was wearing them but they only came with any supplies. We did not carry water and out on rare occasions. His natural ability I can’t remember either of us ever wearing Betty Fletcher was all the better when you think he must hats. 9713-1384 have seen oncoming cricket balls as blurs Aunty Ned greeted us at the front door and Mark Durance until the last moment when he made the gave us soft drinks and moist, dark chocolate decision as to which way to hit it ... and cake, her specialty. Then we rode home, only 9743-0583 he certainly could hit the ball. this time via Carlingford, although I don’t Margaret Barbalet My best memories of school days are of remember seeing Mrs Senior at her shop. 9717-1306 Graeme playing rugby league at St Luke’s We did pass The King’s School grounds. oval, or the playing field nearby. Our 4th We rode home and no one made even the Lorraine Holmes class teacher Mr O’Brien was the coach, slightest fuss about it. That was how life was 9743-2682 a teacher who rode on the bus with us to in the 1950s. Kids were naturally fit. We rode scooters, walked, graduated to bicycles, Alan Wright these games. We used to get changed in the open using bench seats meant for walked some more and ran everywhere. 9743-4869 spectators. We pulled on Green footy Terry Robinson jerseys with a deep, gold vee, the same 9743-1154 as the Australian players wore. We had green and gold socks and black, polished Diary Dates Jeanette O’Hara boots with long white laces. There is noth- MAY 4th: Mark St Leon, “Circus: The ing like the feeling of walking to the play- Australian Story 9743-3409 ing field in an outfit like this with the metal Trish Skehan sprigs on your boots crunching on the MAY 11th: Power Point Presentation of pho- concrete. tographs through the ages at Concord 4369-4172 Library at 2:00 pm. Graeme was fullback and probably cap- tain. He had a football brain, as they are JUNE 1st: Mark Dunn, “Henri L’Estrange, the called today. I was five-eighth and Australian Blondin who walked across Graeme would appear suddenly behind Middle Harbour” When we were 11, going on 12, we after game after game and we usually crossflow head, the same as the MGA decided to earn a quid mowing lawns. ended the session level pegging in of the day. No one knew what a Graeme pushed his father’s electric wins and losses. They were hard- crossflow head was but it sounded blue cylinder mower with front grass fought games often making it to eight- good. I drove us off the road at catcher and I pushed a red and green all and then going on to a score of 10. Daretown near the NSW- Victoria- Lawn King rotary mower (no, not a One day one of us clipped the other’s South Australian border and Victa, they hadn’t yet been invented by ear starting a constant blood flow we Graeme, asleep across the back seat, fellow Concord resident Victor didn’t think was worthwhile stopping reached up and pulled the door shut as Richardson but he would have been for. The owner of the courts was less we clipped a guide post. He was not close to becoming a household impressed with spatters of blood up the amused at the damage but we drove name.) We charged 10 bob a lawn. white walls and over the polished tim- on. I remember we came to a sign post Graeme mowed the backyard and I ber floors. We got rags and helped that said Adelaide was, I think, 75 miles mowed the front and out into the clean up! By the way, both of us had at right angles to where we were head- street. The first lawn we did was for an sticky-outy ears as was, or seemed to ing. We all decided we should see older couple about three houses from be, normal in the ’50s and that’s why I Adelaide and I drove there, arriving our school on Concord Road. can’t remember who got clipped. about 7pm on a Sunday. Nothing was We picked up the ten bob (a dollar to- When we left the courts each Satur- alive, awake, stirring. If a few newspa- day), pushed our mowers to the Shell day in summer we went our different per pages had been blowing in the garage nearly opposite the school, ways. Graeme went first to VJ gutter it would have been a film set for filled our mower tins with two stroke (Vaucluse Junior) sailing, then Skates some end-of-world movie. We back- fuel then called in at Mrs Janus’ deli- and I went to cricket. Graeme, as tracked to the turn-off without even catessen (with the word Delicattessen usual, was good at sailing, as with getting a cup of tea or a Coke. We misspelled on the front window in blue) every sport. He would have been reached Ceduna, filled up and re- where we had chocolate milk shakes among the first to sail Skates at marked to the garage bloke that the ... and we still had money in our pock- Concord-Rhodes Sailing Club, as it NRMA said we faced 75 miles of dirt ets. was then called, from the clubhouse road on the Nullarbor but we heard it We spent that Christmas holidays next to Ryde Bridge, across the could be less because it was being mowing and getting our prices up to Parramatta River from Halvorsen’s sealed. He laughed and told us there 15 bob in some of the bigger yards. boat shed. He sailed in the NSW was 1700 miles of dirt road ahead. In those days it wasn’t summer holi- Championships and later the Australia There was! I remember driving looking days or vacation; it was the Christmas Championships. into the sun as it sunk in the west and holidays, right through until near the seeing the sun come up in the rear One Saturday night we met after our vision mirror the next morning! end of January when we went back to respective sports outings with news of school. I don’t recall any Australia something fantastic. I was an opening In Perth, after two days and three Day, either. bowler and just as I was running in to nights on the road driving non-stop, Probably the same holiday we went to bowl at St Luke’s I felt a huge gust of Graeme was billeted with the Court Massey Park Golf Club for our first wind carry me along and as I let go of family. Richard later became W.A. game. We hired clubs, bought balls the ball it screamed down the pitch, Premier. We had a great time. Graeme and tees (see what you can do when bounced, flew over the batsman and lost his rudder in the Invitation, or the you mow lawns) and hit off at the first. the wicket keeper, bounced once then first race that did not count for points, We both broke 100 for the 18 holes crossed the boundary for four byes. then lost various bits of gear as the and wondered what was the fuss Nothing could top that story! titles progressed. I think he had a fourth. We found fish shops there about the game. Years later, Graeme Graeme could! He and the rest of the came to visit and we went out to the served “chicken and chips” as well as CRSC fleet had been racing on the fish and chips. We came home partly Iwasaki Resort for the weekend. We river when obviously this same gust played 36 holes on two international on the train. The car had been repaired drove one sailing boat under a pier at Winterbottom Motors in Perth and standard courses and hardly lost a bringing down its mast and sails; the ball. I was not invited to play in the U.S. Graeme’s father paid our fares on the rest of the fleet was knocked over and train and for the car to be shipped Masters but I would not have been one turned turtle with its mast sticking surprised if Graeme was! across the Nullarbor. We drove to in the bottom of the river until the skip- Kalgoorlie, put the car on the train and About the time the local Odeon picture per swam down, put his feet on the river forgot to get our wallets out of the theatre closed because of television, bottom and pulled the mast out of the glovebox! The pub stood us for meals we were maybe 14 or 15. Graeme and mud. I think Graeme was one whose and accommodation until we picked up I used to look at a small billboard at boat was knocked down. His story- the car at Ceduna. the bus stop in Hospital Road opposite telling was detailed but there was no (to be continued) the Repat Hospital to see what shows heroic role for Graeme. He did not were going to be on. The billboard exaggerate anything to put himself stayed there, with its final posters still above others. He just told about the on display, for ages, years even, af- wind and compared it with what hap- Congratulations to the winners ter the theatre closed. The building pened to me at cricket. of our Nursery Rhyme Raffle - was empty and a sad reminder of fun Graeme was a NSW representative in 1st prize - a cot quilt donated by Stitch- times. the Australian Skate championships in ing Hearts - Graham Packett Then it was reopened as a squash Western Australia, sailed at Nedlands 2nd prize - two framed sketches of centre with seven or eight courts. Sailing Club. His for’ard hand was Yaralla estate donated by Terry Graeme and I took to squash from the “Dutchy” Holland (every Holland was Robinson - John & Suzy Watson start. We joined the club and used to “Dutchy” in those days) and I drove 3rd prize - an embroidered cushion take over one court on Saturday there with them in Graeme’s new 1964 donated by Beryl Robinson - D. mornings for two and a half hours, not Morris Major Elite. How cool was that? Hatter stopping even for water. It was game A Morris Major Elite. It had a 1600cc In the Beginning - John Flavelle Oh! How Things the Circus in Australia Although he trained as an optician, Have Changed John Flavelle apparently had the ap- In June 1829 Governor Darling pro- titude to earn his living as a photogra- claimed the swampy ground between pher, watchmaker, jeweller and A Tale of Two Cities Suburbs the southern ends of George and general importer. Flavelle appears to Our Society will be putting on a Castlereagh Streets as Sydney’s cat- have continued working until well into tle market. Other produce was traded PowerPoint Presentation his seventies in his jewellery business, and the area was soon dubbed the of which survived him in the care of his Haymarket. Photographs Through the Ages nephews. By 1852 a 10-acre section on the showing some of the changes that A professional photographer, optician south side of the Haymarket, known have occurred in Concord and and jeweller, he came from Dublin to as the Police Paddock, was desig- Drummoyne over the years. New South Wales apparently as a nated “a reserve for public recrea- trained optician. He accom- This will be held at tion”, the Haymarket Reserve. panied George Baron Goodman to The Reserve was occupied on Satur- Van Diemen’s Land in 1842-44 as Concord Library days by merry-go-roundsmen, swing photographic assistant. Purchasing a on boats, corn-curers, organ-grinders camera and photographic chemicals and “hurly-burly” tent Showmen. from Goodman, Flavelle opened his Saturday, 11th May at 2:00 pm In 1865 a meeting of local residents own daguerreotype portrait studio in St urged the Sydney City Council to ex- John Street, Launceston, after The suburbs of Concord and pedite “long promised improvements” Goodman left the island, but this Drummoyne were amongst the earli- to the area. As a result, the original seems to have ceased operations a est areas settled and over the years Belmore Markets were opened in 1869 few weeks later when he ran out of both have seen many changes - some on the eastern portion of the chemicals and/or plates. for better, some debatable. Changes are inevitable but sometimes it means Haymarket, the area bounded by Pitt, Flavelle returned to Sydney, arriving in the loss of something that is precious Hay, Castlereagh and Campbell the brig William on 17 May 1844. By to our heritage. Come and judge for Streets. The Reserve was officially 1846, in partnership with Samuel yourself. designated “Belmore Park” but known Brush, he was an optician at King by its former soubriquet for some time Street, transferring to George Street If you have any old photographs you to come. A “dwarf” stone wall with iron about the middle of 1848. The partner- would allow us to copy, please bring rails was erected around its perimeter ship was dissolved in 1850 and Flavelle them with you. This will help us pre- as were massive stone gates but little set up as Flavelle Brothers at George serve some of our history at the mu- else was done to improve the “park”, Street, the other half of the partnership seum, even it it’s only on paper. which remained messy, poorly being his elder brother Henry, who drained and dimly lit. became the firm’s London supplier. The Haymarket area had served as John Flavelle was now primarily a jew- one of Sydney’s major locations for eller, but he also worked as a watch- circus entertainments as far back as maker and general supplier, importing 1849 when the equestrian Golding photographic apparatus, dental equip- Ashton (1820-89), the founder of ment and mathematical instruments, Ashton’s Circus, gave open-air exhi- as well as watches, jewellery and bitions in a ring “where Sydney Cen- silver. Both imported and local stere- tral Station now stands”. By 1873 the oscopic views (with viewers) were sold Haymarket Reserve was Sydney’s in the shop, but Flavelle is not known principal circus location. to have continued to practise photog- But it was not Sydney’s first. raphy himself. Instead, the firm occa- sionally made its own plate, presentation silver and jewellery: a few locally-made pieces survive. Flavelle retired from the business in 1891. He died in June 1899 at his home, Wellbank (site of the Concord Library), in the Sydney suburb of To hear more of the history of the Concord. Continued by his nephews Circus come to our meeting on Henry and William, the Flavelle jewel- Saturday, 4th May when Mark St lery firm survived (with various Leon will be talking about “Circus: branches and name variations) until The Australian Story”. after the first World War. When the first elections for the new Do not dwell in the past, Concord Municipality were held in 1883 John Flavelle was the returning do not dream of the officer. future, concentrate the The site of the Flavelle home on mind on the present Wellbank Street was part of the land Cabarita Baths moment. Buddha (continued over) from 1923, through 1937 to 2009 which had earlier been resumed by Concord Library the NSW Housing Commission. A sec- From the Author Talks tion had been reserved to be used by Secretary’s Desk Council for public purposes and they decided to use it for the new Council Who Killed Dr Bogle and Mrs. Chambers. When it resumed the land, RAFFLE TICKETS: Thank you to all our Chandler the Housing Commission had agreed members who supported our raffle. It On New Year’s Day, 1963, the half- not to demolish Wellbank, the Flavelle’s was a great success and helped to naked bodies of physicist Dr Gilbert old home, as long as two elderly sis- cover the costs of putting on the Nurs- Bogle and his lover, Mrs. Margaret ters, the Misses Flavelle, resided there. ery Rhyme display. Chandler, were found beside the Lane After their death the Council took over CODGERS, the movie: This movie was Cove River, with no clue as to how the land, demolished the home and a great success - over 50 people they died. In his book Peter Butt built the Council Chambers. attending. Some have asked if we gives the most up-to-date, detailed ac- would put it on again as they enjoyed it count of the case so far, which he so much. Watch for a date. presented on ABC TV in the highest- MEMBER RECORD / SKILLS AUDIT. So rating documentary in the broadcast- far we have received very few of these er’s 50-year history. forms back. Even if you have no skills His ground-breaking revelations in- to offer to our Society we would still like the section asking for your details so we clude details such as: can make sure all our records are up * Why the original investigation and to date. Coronial Inquest failed the victims MUSEUMS & GALLERIES NSW: Re- * The suppression of evidence con- cently Phoebe Arthur, together with cerning the private lives of Dr Bogle Catherine and Tamara, visited us to see and Mrs. Chandler our Nursery Rhyme display amd were “really impressed by the fabulous job * The mysterious contents of an FBI you have done in putting together the file on the case. “Wellbank” the home of the Flavelles displays to tell Concord’s unique sto- Wed., 8th May at 6:30 for 7:00 ries. Definitely a great example for Ed: We are trying to find out more in- other volunteer museums to follow”. formation on the Flavelles. Do you Our special thanks to our wonderful know anyone who might be able to volunteers who worked hard on this Woollarawarre Bennelong help us? Do you have any memories project. of the Flavelle sisters or the home. This year marks the 200th anniver- MODEL OF THE MORTLAKE PUNT: We Do you have any photographs? sary of the death of Woollarawarre have heard from Council that this is well Bennelong. He was of the Wangal on its way to being fully restored and, clan, whose lands included present- on completion, will be presented to our day Canada Bay. museum. What a wonderful exhibit for Dr. Keith Vincent Smith, will be giv- Volunteers Week the children! ing a talk on Woollarawarre To our wonderful volunteers HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED: Bennelong, charting his tumultuous and new members We recently presented this at the life from his birth in 1764 in our area you are invited to attend a Five Dock Library and, although we to his death at Walumetta (Kissing didn’t have as many people as we Point) in 1813. There is much to tell Special Afternoon Tea had hoped, those who came thor- in between; his friendship with Gov- on oughly enjoyed it. Thanks to those ernor Arthur Phillip, his voyage to who came along to assist: Betty R, England to meet King George III and Saturday, 18th May at 2:00 pm Lorraine, Bethany, Harry, Betty F the controversy of his life after his at our Museum and Trish. return. This is to welcome you to our We are now putting this on again at Wed. 10th July at 7:00 pm Society and to show our the Concord Library and if you can Both these talks will be at the Concord appreciation for all you do. come along to assist us we would be Library and are FREE. RSVP 9744-8528, most grateful. Just give me a call. Booking are essential - 8811-6200 15th May OUR NEW DISPLAY is called “Getting Ready for the Ball”. Please drop by This book, on which we based our Secret History and have a look. of Nursery Rhymes display, proved a great seller during that time. However, we are still getting calls from people want- ing to buy it so we have ordered another 20 of them Welcome and these will be at the museum. to the following new members: We all know the story behing Ring-a-ring a Rosie, Yvonne Davidson, Rodd Point; but how many others do we know? Frances Sharman, Concord West; Shirley Gibbs, Croydon Park, Anne People could be punished severely for talking about some of the events of the times so the stories were Coates, Glebe; and Sally Gunn, put together as simple, innocent seeming rhymes. Concord West. We look forward to getting to know you in the coming COST: $20.00 + postage; or pick up at Museum month.