On the Streets Where You Live The Lane Cove Unemployment Relief Committee work Lane Cove and the included recreational and scenic works, such as Tantallon Oval and the Gore Creek Recreational Reserve Great Depression as well as road construction and a sewerage works scheme. Kerbing and guttering in Cope Street and Lihon Street were part of the relief works. In January 1931 a Federal grant was received for £500 expenditure on Stories of how families survived the Great Depression road construction works, and was allocated to William are still within the living memory of many older Edward Street. On 13 June 1932 the Commonwealth Australians. While the residents of the Lane Cove Relief Scheme allocated £1,000 for the levelling and Municipality might have fared better than their inner city filling of Pottery Green as relief work under the scheme. counterparts, it was still a time of struggle and survival Local men, as well as many from Hunters Hill, Balmain for the whole community. Male unemployment in the and North Sydney were employed each week in Lane municipality averaged 10%, compared to 30% Cove. During the peak period up to 1,500 men were unemployment in the inner city. employed in local works. The Wall Street Crash of October 1929 triggered the The community also contributed, and in August 1930 a worldwide crisis named the Great Depression. Falling benefit concert for the Unemployment Relief Fund was export demand and commodity prices caused massive held at the Lane Cove Theatre, and a school concert downward pressures on wages and industry, effecting also organized. At Christmas time toys were distributed the employment, housing and lifestyle of most to children of the unemployed and some Christmas Australians, especially in the years 1930-1932. cheer for the families was also provided. Most families experienced a range of hardships, Despite the hardship and struggle of the early 1930s, challenges and opportunities, resulting in increased the Great Depression left an ongoing legacy for the movement of many people to and from country areas in community of Lane Cove in its ovals, open spaces and search of work. Gardens were planted to produce fruit street improvements. and vegetables and some established cooperatives based on barter systems. Some, who were left homeless, built shacks on the city outskirts or lived in tents and caves in beach or bushland areas. Lane Cove Municipality was still semi rural and relatively isolated in Sydney’s north. The North Shore rail line terminated at Milson’s Point because the Sydney Harbour Bridge was under construction. The long promised Eastwood to St. Leonards railway line was finally cancelled by the State government in February 1930, leaving many surrounding land subdivisions to stagnate across the north-western part of the Municipality. The failure of the railway construction and the economic effects of the Depression caused a rapid decline in land sales and construction of houses in Lane Cove. In November 1931 the Valuer General reduced the property values by 22%. By 14 April 1930 Lane Cove Council called a public meeting ‘for the purpose of considering proposals for Roadworks carried out during the Depression on the relief of unemployment in the Municipality’. The Lower Gore Street, circa early 1930s. The photo- Mayor, W. M. Brady, had interviewed two members of graph shows the Bert’s [Bent’s] house on the left, the North Sydney Rotary Club which had initiated a Standish (now Pallister) in the centre and the In- scheme to assist the unemployed. Following the wood’s house at 41 Gore Street on the right of meeting on 26 May 1930, Council made the decision to the photograph. Parts of River Road and other establish the Unemployment Relief Committee, based roadworks were also built during the Depression. on the Rotary Club scheme. Grants from the Department of Local Government were also received for (Courtesy of Lane Cove Library/M. Clarke) expenditure on road construction by the unemployed. .