I was born during the Battle of the Coral Sea during 1942 and also around that time a Japanese mother submarine launched a mini-sub attack on Sydney Harbour – sinking a moored ferry, HMAS Kuttabul, which was acting as quarters for naval ratings – and then shelled Sydney from off shore.
My father decided “That was enough” and, with the aid of some good fortune as a punter, he bought two blocks of land – one at Ryde and one at Eastwood – on Sydney’s outer western suburbs of that time. He chose to sell the block at Eastwood and used the funds from that to build us a new home at Ryde. He had a part-time (retired) builder do most of the structural work and Dad and Neville, my B-i-L, did the finishing off (with me helping, playing with ‘off-cuts’ and generally keeping out of the way.)
Chick’s Coach Building and Blacksmith shop , circa 1910
Ryde was full of small rural businesses - a carriage maker, a Grain and Produce merchant, butcheries where farm slaughtered animal carcasses were brought in by horse and cart and carved up on huge chopping blocks on the shop floor, where grocers who made their delivery rounds in a horse and cart still served biscuits in paper bags from large tins and the sweet smell of spices filled the air in their shops. I loved Chick's carriage building shop and spent a lot of time there watching the 'smithy' do his work. This business was still operating up to the late 1940’s tho' Mr Chick had jumped on the new 'moving picture' boom industry and built several movie houses in the Ryde, North Ryde and Eastwood area.
Gus Bowe’s Rialto at Ryde
Bowe had owned a string of cinemas in the Ryde area from 1910. In July 1931, it was reported that he intended building a new theatre near the Ryde tram terminus. The theatre was built with he and his brother James as owners. The Rialto was opened on December 15, 1931, and was licensed to show films from January 1, 1932. It seated 1474 patrons. Because of the irregular nature of the block, the cinema incorporated several unusual design features, including a garden forecourt complete with a floodlit fountain. The entrance was flanked by two obelisks capped by gargoyle-type creatures. We sometimes went to the Rialto but generally their movie selections were not as good as "The Palace" at Gladesville, a proper movie house with an elevated balcony floor over-looking the main seating area.
My early days were fraught with illness. I had been seriously ill with meningitis and hospitalised for quite a while and at one stage was not expected to survive. I already had four older sisters and then Mum fell pregnant with my brother, Gregory. I spent some time at Newcastle with my grandparents. I don't recall much of that time, merely 'snatches' of memories of Carrington and the shipyards.
The home my Dad built at Ryde was a simple two bedroom fibro house with a brick front verandah which faced the east – lovely place to lie on a hot summers afternoon and cool off – with a huge backyard and even as it was being built the vegetable garden area had been commenced. We boys slept on an open back verandah, at first, on iron frame cots with a wire base, horse hair mattresses, war surplus grey woolen blankets and ticking covered pillows – no linen for us back then. Dad later filled in the back verandah with glass sliding windows in a wooden frame and even walled-off an area that become the proper “The Boy’s Bedroom”.
Winters were cold and frosty and at night you found every scrap of bed covering you could get your hands on – even old potato sacks, washed of course. On a winter’s morning it was a painful run to the outside washroom and toilet in our bare feet. We were sent down the back of the yard to the chook run to collect the eggs and to make sure the chooks had feed and water. It was often frosty and the ground was hard and our feet were cold but sometimes we were lucky and found some of old Paddy Long’s cows had wandered close to the house, so we would stand in a steaming hot fresh cow pat and warm our feet!
Winters were cold and frosty and at night you found every scrap of bed covering you could get your hands on – even old potato sacks, washed of course. On a winter’s morning it was a painful run to the outside washroom and toilet in our bare feet. We were sent down the back of the yard to the chook run to collect the eggs and to make sure the chooks had feed and water. It was often frosty and the ground was hard and our feet were cold but sometimes we were lucky and found some of old Paddy Long’s cows had wandered close to the house, so we would stand in a steaming hot fresh cow pat and warm our feet!
Slowly, Dad fenced off our yard and put in a proper chicken run, planted fruit trees – apple, mulberry, plum, lemon and orange trees – as well as passion fruit vines and he added a huge vegetable plot. We were largely self-sustaining. We traded eggs, fruit and vegetables for milk, fish (that’s another story) and sometimes some meat or sausages. At a time when rationing was still part of life and corner grocery stores served out of bulk containers into paper bags, to have what we had was special and I have no doubt that it kept us fit, well and healthy.
St Annes Church and pioneer cemetery
The first church service on this site was held on 26 August 1798. The present building was commenced in 1826. Many of Ryde's pioneers are buried here.
We had moved out to Ryde in 1948 and I started school at St Charles Borremeo. St Charles was really a 'Convent School' for girls, however, it took boys up to year three. I don't think the nuns were too keen on having the boys but the parish priest, at the insistence of his parishoners, prevailed on them as there was no other school to cater for junior boys.
I was five years old and I didn’t like it so I often skipped from school. I soon found coming home was not an option ‘cos Mum had her hands full with housekeeping and taking care of Greg and I was just marched straight back, so I soon learnt to go ‘walk-about’, exploring the parks, paddocks and the even the Memorial Stonemason’s Quarries. I roamed the bush areas and discovering, creeks for swimming and ‘tadpoling’ in, fields full of soft lucerne hay, market farm gardens and the fruit orchards of North Ryde.
I became quite knowledgeable of the geography of the area and new all the trails - often made by wandering cows - and was quite good at basic bush skills. I could judge the time of day by the sun, learnt compass points and bearings and managed to get my hands on an old fishing spool and line which came in quite handy. There were lots of spots along Bufflo Creek where one could have a 'dip' to cool off on a hot day and I soon learnt how to handle things like leeches. There was heaps of bush life around, birds, snakes, lizards, rabbits and I would sit and watch them for what seemed like hours.
I was five years old and I didn’t like it so I often skipped from school. I soon found coming home was not an option ‘cos Mum had her hands full with housekeeping and taking care of Greg and I was just marched straight back, so I soon learnt to go ‘walk-about’, exploring the parks, paddocks and the even the Memorial Stonemason’s Quarries. I roamed the bush areas and discovering, creeks for swimming and ‘tadpoling’ in, fields full of soft lucerne hay, market farm gardens and the fruit orchards of North Ryde.
I became quite knowledgeable of the geography of the area and new all the trails - often made by wandering cows - and was quite good at basic bush skills. I could judge the time of day by the sun, learnt compass points and bearings and managed to get my hands on an old fishing spool and line which came in quite handy. There were lots of spots along Bufflo Creek where one could have a 'dip' to cool off on a hot day and I soon learnt how to handle things like leeches. There was heaps of bush life around, birds, snakes, lizards, rabbits and I would sit and watch them for what seemed like hours.
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