Kaz
I was born in Waverley, NSW in 1961.
The family was living with my grandparents May (Wade) and Cecil Kilmurray at the time in Birrell Street, Bondi. The house from the front was single level but if you went round via the back alley entrance it was two story, built on rock, underneath was a room which was great for playing games in and hiding. I had my own “cubby house” in the yard which was put to good use with my best friend Susan who lived behind us and myself.
The house was huge, from memory it had about 6 bedrooms 2 kitchens and several bathrooms.
The yard had the traditional “outdoor loo” and a clothes line that stretched from one end of the yard to the other , held up by a pole in the center. Nan used to use a “copper” to wash our clothes and lay things like sheets and anything white flat on the grass for bleaching, I have never managed to get my sheets as white as hers!
We were only a short distance from Sydney but going “into town” held s special significance. It was an occasion to get “dressed up” wearing your Sunday best and completing the outfit with white gloves!
Both of my uncles were involved with the lifesavers and it was here that I was taught to swim.
I am the eldest of three girls – Joanne (Manglis) and Leeonie (Micallef) are my two younger sisters.
I started school at Bronte Public School, I remember the lunch shed where we all had to sit to have our mid-day meal. One memory that sticks in my mind – must have been traumatized by the event, was making a kite in school, spending hours putting it all together, then the class being taken to the park near the beach to fly them, one gust of wind and mine was gone forever! Mondays, no fresh bread at home so I was allowed to order my lunch, always a devon and sauce sandwich.
Later in year 1 I transferred to Matraville Soldiers Settlement Public School as we had moved from Bondi to Matraville to live with my other grandparents James and Louise (Solomon) Robertson. Matraville is 5 minutes from the beach, near Botany, Maroubra, and La Perouse.
Life was interesting at Matto as we all called it, growing up in the 60’s, we had a freedom that kids these days don’t have – playing cricket on the road everyone scattering if a car came along (rare), cracker night in June when the whole neighbourhood would donate “whatever” to be burnt on the communal bonfire where all the neighbourhood would turn up to watch the fun. riding our bikes (those lucky enough to own one) or our scooters, there was still lots of vacant land around so finding entertainment wasn’t hard – and not a computer, x-box or playstation in sight. Television was strictly monitored, when I was much younger some of my favourite shows were – National Velvet, Star Trek, as a teen Countdown rated highly.
I completed all my early schooling at Matraville Soldiers Settlement Infants and Primary Schools. Going on in year 7 or First Form as it was then known, to Matraville High School now known as Matraville Sports High School. Several months into year 7 the family decided to move to Murwillumbah so that Dad could work with Mum’s Uncle – Vic Wade who owned his own business. Matraville high school was directly opposite Long Bay Jail, and we sometimes used to feel as though we had wandered into the wrong place.
For a city kid who had spent most of her life by the beach, living in Murwillumbah was quite a culture shock. I think that this is where I grew to love the freedom of country living (maybe it’s in the blood- after all the ancestors all started out in small country towns!) I loved the freedom of being able to ride a bike (several miles each day) to and from school. I went to Murwillumbah High School.
My first school dance was run by the school, and held in the theatre in town. Wasn’t that a night to remember, with Mum sewing my outfit and buying me a new pair of “chunky” dress shoes for the occasion they must have had a three inch heel on them which was solid. I think back now and wonder how on earth I could have worn them – although the style is returning and I have seen worse…
We had to find a new home for our cat who had made the journey from Sydney with us and she ended up on a farm several miles out of town. I regularly made the journey by bike (push not motor !) to visit with her.
Living there I learnt all about floods, and small town living.
Unfortunately we only spent a year in Murwillumbah, and came back to live with May and Cecil again who had by this time moved to Minnamurra which is on the south coast of NSW about 5 minutes from Kiama. For several months I attended Kiama High School.
I had gone from being a city kid, to a country kid, and now here I was by the beach again but in a country setting. Minnamurra was and still is a beautiful place to live. It was very peaceful except when we got the usual tourists coming in to stay. Mums Uncle (Alf Wade) used to own the Minnamurra Holiday Cabins and Camping ground. It was an awesome place for a kid to grow up, with plenty of room to let the imagination run wild. I was dissapointed that we eventually moved back to our old home in Matraville later in year 8.
I have some fun memories of going to a little hamlet called Sussex Inlet where Nan & Pop Robbo had a weekender. On the property we also had an emu called Eckles. I’veno idea who named him or where he came from. We were several minutes from the beach here too, and the house had an old shed which could have been stables not sure now, but we used to have a ball when we were there.
I also have some fantastic memories of going to visit my Aunt and Uncle at a place called Evans Heads, again not far from the beach, with the three boys of the family teaching me how to shoot (tin cans on a fence), fish, and be a real tomboy…and I loved it…
Back in Matraville on familiar ground I completed my schooling and finished year 10. At school I was fairly sporting although never really competitive, playing tennis, doing karate, cricket and baseball for sport. Strangely enough, by high school swimming was not high on my list of favourite sports although now i love it. I was also a member of the Girls Brigade.
When I was 15 I met the man who was to become my soul mate, sounds corny, but it’s just the way it is. We met when we both became involved with a now defunct theatre group called the Maroubra Musical Society. He was there to assist with lighting and sound, I was there assisting with backstage jobs. Must have been fate as he was from a small town called Cobar some 600 miles away, a town I have since visited a number of times and would happily move to. It’s hot, dry, dusty and in the middle of NSW, but it is a lovely town.
When I left school I had my future all mapped out, sometimes things don’t go to plan…although…I believe fate had other things in store for me.
Fast forward to 1982 and my 21st Birthday, and we (he and my parents) announced our engagement, we married 9 months to the day later.
We did a lot of moving around before settling down in the beautiful Hawkesbury where we now reside.
We lived at Matraville, Paddington, Hillsdale, Botany, Alexandria and Greenacre. In 1991 we took the giant leap and moved to Glossodia, where Damo and Jared both started their schooling at Glossodia Public, Tara started at Comleroy Road School. Since then we moved to North Richmond and now live at Grose Vale.
Our early life together was spent like most other couples, doing things together, this has carried on through our life, we are both members of our local Volunteer Fire Brigade and love working side by side. Actually all of the family are now members with Tara being the last to join when she turned 16 last year.
That’s me in a nutshell I guess..until I think of something else to add…
Karen Robertson-Gorrie
8th April 2007
