I watched you girls whilst Mum went out to work. So, any bad habits that you have you can blame me!!
This just a potted history, that needs Mum to expand upon.
I started teaching Boilermaking in Sydney Tech College ca Feb in 1970. Just a few months after purchasing 21 Queen St. Then the following year I was transferred to Newcastle. And, Mum and I had taken on the house believing that we would have 2 years in Sydney. I was spitting chips. But 'good comes out of bad' as i joined the ALP. Entered Council and as Alderman and Deputy Mayor we worked hard to improve things.
In that time, Maw migratedand Brother Billy and family all stayed at Queen St
So 'out of bad comes good'
I became Principal of Tenterfield and later Moree TAFE's and Mum 'rocket woman took in monstrous sized New England and later National Consultancies
Yes, 'oot o bad comes guid'
WE BOUGHT THE HOUSE THE LATTER PART OF 1969. It’s now worth one million dollars!
The
only reason I know that it was the later part of 1969, was because I
started teaching at Sydney Tech inn1970. {My Tech [Now TAFE] serial No.
starts with ’70’, designating the year I started in STC],
NOW,
that old Mrs Witch,Mrs Nelson next door owned the house, after the old
bloke who owned it died there, and left it to her in his will.
Because it was such a mess, we got it cheap.
Let’s face it, it was severely undernourished in charm and guid looks[unlike MOI].
But,
because Mum and i talked to a Real Estate agent[Mr Silver] about taking
a look at anything, no matter how rough, he rang us to come down and
see it.
Now, he was a young bloke with gangsta style slicked back hair. He would be able to sell pineapples to dead pigmys.
For
him to apologise, prior to us seeing it, he was being very honest in its
condition. He was seriously concerned about its condition.
When
we went with him to view it, it was a messy wreck. BUT, that was a
good point for us. Mum was apprehensive, but when i said that i could
fix it, Mum was Ok, but i didn’t say that too loud, to alert the real
estate bloke to my skills. After all those years of building sheds and
other things,like pigeon lofts, wae ma Faithir and oor billy and jock, I
had had a lot of experience wae timber construction. Dad built wee
sheds as well as his garage and Billie’s pigeon Doocoots.
21 Queen St was just a bigger Doocoot, made from the same timber and nailed doon.
And,
by te way, we were helped by the SunHerald Credit Union’s Manager, Mr
Stewart, whose folks had been scots way back and he was empathetic to
our loan. Mum worked parttime at the herald taking Ads over the phone
using her very fast typing speeds. She’s a wee fast worker[ that’s how I
fell fur her at Whitburn Dancin!- that ’n’ hur absolutely perky wee
figure and stunning red hair in a bun]
Enough o this love talk and back tae hooses!
So
that was the story of buying it. So, here’s me, being promoted at my
interview by the haed of the panel, that if I got the job, Mum and i
were in the process of butying this auld wreck. So the question tae him
was ‘Will I be expected to be transferred out of Sydney, in the short
term. Noo, Mr Marshall’s Maw was Scottish, and he said that no I
wouldn’t be transferred until 2 years in Sydney.
So,
we progressed wae the loan.Then in late 1970, i got my transfer notice
to newcastle. Well wasn’t I pissed right oof. And, i went toi see Mr
Marshal and let him have both barrells about ’not transferring young[
Yes I was young in 1970, 23 yrs old] I could have lost my job as i was
very angry at what he had promised, for me to have at least two years in
sydney, which would have allowed Mum and I to renovate to at least a
rental state. And, because I had an old panel van, i had mechanical
problems [always carrying a full kit of tools fixing on the road- and I
did that many times] So whinge whinge whinge- Nae wonder I was a very
dedicated unionist.
Noo
Prior tae aw this drama, I WAS WORKING AT METAL FABRICATING AT ACI
INDUSTRIAL AIRCONDITIONING JUST DOWN ON O’RIORDON ST[OFF BOTANY RD[I
NEED TO CHECK ALL OF THIS AS IT IS MEMORY- SO BE CAREFUL AND ASK THE
HUMAN REPOSITORY [MUM]?
AFTER
THAT FIRST YAER IN SYDNEY TECH, Teaching 3 DAYS AND SOMETIMES NIGHTS
AND ALSO GOING TO TECH TEACHER TRAINING, ONE DAY PER WEEK AS WELL AS
GOING TO NIGHT SCHOOL DOING MY SCHOOL AND `LATER HIGH `SCHOOL CERT HERE
AND IN NEWCASTLE AS WELL AS IN KURRI [AFTER WE SETTLED THERE]
STILL GOT THE ORIGINAL OVERLAP WALL BOARDS AND THE OLD BRICK CHIMNEY. TO THINk WE ELLIS’S, LISA, YOU AND MUM AND LIVED HERE.
THE RENOVATIONS THAT YOUR MUM AND I DID PRIOR TO GOING TO KURRI, FOR ME TO TEACH AT CESSNOCK TECH, WERE HARD WORK.
I WOULD LEAVE ON MONDAY MORNING ABOUT 4AM TO GET TO MY COLLEGE.
AT
FIRST I WAS TEACHING AT SYDNEY TECH ALL OF 1970, ATTENDING TEACHER
TRAINING AT ULTIMO, AND GOING TO SOME EVENING CLASSES AT TECH AS WELL AS
DOING THE SCHOOL CERT at Sydney as well as at Newcastle as well as at
Kurri when We settled in at 2 Saxton St and later at 187 Aberdare St.
Maw
came oot and stayed with us prior to Billy coming out [I think that that
was the order of things. Then, Billy and family Left for Scotland and we
sold up. NB I don’t quite have the order correct in who and when people
came and went. One day I’ll get it all sorted oot???
By
this time I was fairly well ensconced in the hunter. My brother Billy
and wife. Mary and kids came out for a couple of years and they rented
Queen st,as well as a NMate of mine, Don Bailey and Wife Barbara, when
Billy Left[I think that that was the order of things?
Later we sold the house, which allowed us to buy 187 Aberdare St,
By
this time you lot were going to School in [Some time in Alexandria]
Then i think that you went in Kurri for the first time. I have tae
consult the oracle’s memory oan these things!!!!
Loves ya
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