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It was a big business. It was nothing for us to have a railway truck
load of pumpkins delivered to the old Homebush railway siding or to pick
up a big load of potatoes direct from the wharves; but we got most of
the fruit and vegetables from the City Markets. We would go to the
Markets each day in horse wagons, leaving at 3 am. We had big draught
horses and my father wouldn’t stand for them being galloped; it was God
help anyone who dared to take them out of a walk, they’d be sacked on
the spot. The “old fox” himself, used to travel to the markets by train
and he’d keep a watch out for the wagons along the road beside the
railway line. We traveled that route as far as Summer Hill and then,
because there was no better way, we’d swing over to the Parramatta .Rd.
Just below Taverner’s Hill. What a wicked stretch of road that was! The
surface was mostly dirt and deeply rutted; and Taverners Hill....that
was something else again. It was a slow hard drag up the hill but coming
down with a full load could be “hair raising”. If you didn’t want to
finish up in a heap of fruit and vegetables on the road you came down
with the brake grinding and your horse straining back on its’ haunches,
Tommy Clark - he had a fruit shop here too - was never bothered by
Taverners; he was invariably drunk on the return journey and seemed to
delight in galloping down the hill. I don’t think he ever came to grief
so he must have been blessed or awfully lucky. The road was worse than
woeful when it rained! I wish I’d kept a picture from the front page of
the “Sunday Times” of many years ago…it showed Keary’s big wagon with
horses stuck up to their bellies in mud and the top of the wheels dead
level with the road.
It wasn’t only the state of the roads that made travel slow and
difficult, they used to drive cattle along the Parramatta Rd. from the
city and they had right of way...there was nothing you could do but wait
till they passed. The cattle were often held up at a level crossing
which used to where the Abattoirs Line now crosses the Parramatta Road
near the HMV Records Building. Often the cattle would get stirred up and
I well remember one after when a bull went made and tore into our shop
and bailed up my mother in a corner. If it hadn’t been for a baker who
was passing by, she would have been gored to death. After that the “old
man” always made sure the front door was shut when cattle droving was
on.
I’ll never forget the first motor buses, they were run by F.S.
Stewart…big Leylands with great big iron wheels and solid rubber tyres
and another typewith chain driven back wheels. When you cam to Taverners
Hill the driver would yell .“All Out! All Out!” and with groans or
smiles depending on the weather ........You’d get out walk up the hill
and get back on board at the top. The buses were so lengthy that if
everyone piled in the back section, the front would leave the ground.
The early cars had their problems too. My mate had a Daimler - a single
seater with gate-change gears; when you put up the hoodyou had to secure
it with great big leather straps that came from the front chassis and
reached back onto the hood to keep it from blowing back. You had to get
out to get out to crank the engine by hand and if you got a kick back
you’d certainly know all about it. At night you had to light up your
carbon lamp attached to a great big brass cylinder on the running board.
There were no hydraulic brakes, only two wheel brakes and you had to
pull like hell to stop the car. There weren’t many accidents because the
cars didn’t go very fast.
The bridge over the railway station has already been mentioned by others
but I always knew it as the “hill” not the “Hump”. They used train line
rails and solid brick walls to support the ramps....I think you can
still see some of the rails from the car park at the top of Parnell
St…some of the brick wall which was up against Patterson’s shop may also
be seen. The shops I remember on the left side of the ramp were Orton
Bros., Estate Agents, Dewick the barber and a little lolly shop; what I
remember most of the right-hand side was the beautiful wisteria that
used to cover the fence. You couldn’t avoid going up the hill to get
down to the station platforms but you could cross to the other side of
the line through a subway that went straight ahead at the top of the
Boulevarde. The level crossing mentioned by Mr. Randall had ceased to be
at that time when the “hill” was removed in the twenties the old subway
was filled in and the present one was built in its place. when you try
to picture all this remember that Strathfield Station was back towards
Burwood.
The ramp on the northern side of the station was not steep....it was a
long sloping road down to Everton Rd., near the junction of Mosley
Street. That’s why the cabs used that side. There used to be anything
from fifty to a hundred hansom cabs and four-wheel coaches...often lined
up back to Cooper St....waiting for people to come off the trains. Many
of the residents had their permanent drivers who would be there when
they arrived. Very seldom, if at all, would drivers go down the stoop
slope to the Boulevarde....they would go up Everton Street or Cooper
Street to Wentworth Road, over the railway bridge and down Morwick
Street to the Boulevarde. I knew quite a few of the cab drivers; they
were real characters. One fellow named Hillyard lived next door to our
shop on the Parramatta Road, and another was called “Ben Hur” - he had a
covered in four-wheel coach with two horses and carried four people —
two on each side — just like a mourning coach.
When we first came hero there were hardly any shops at all. Going
towards the station from our present shop, there was Perce Williams
saddlery shop next door, then Orr’s chemist shop, Reynolds’ drapery
store (now Dunlops), grocery, Guthries Newsagency and then Ken Riddell
the plumber, where the CBC bank is now. One of the Riddell’s still has a
plumbing business at the back of the bank. There were no shops between
Riddells’ and the railway, except one, near the then level crossing, but
it was burnt down. On the other side of the Boulevards, John Dale
Patterson had his butcher shop at the foot of the “hill”. His shop was
where the florist and the milk bar are now - blue glazed tiles of the
butcher’s shop can still be seen at one end of the Florist’s shop
frontage. Besides being a butcher, Patterson was famous for his “D. P.”
cure for indigestion. It was his own concoction and he had a “ton” of it
about the shop. Anthony Horderns handled it for him too. Next to
Patterson’s shop was “Tyrone” but there were no other shops in front of
it then only a beautiful fountain. I don’t remember “Tyrone” being
anything but a boarding house. After “Tyrone” there was Dicks’ Chemist
shop on the corner of Parnell St., then Squires the grocer, and a little
further along, Miss Scofield’s lolly shop. I remember the ‘taste-day’
mentioned by Miss Short…it was on every Tuesday until it got “a bit too
willing” and she made it every second Tuesday. Some of the kids used to
rush out and exchange hats and go back in for a second helping; as they
used as say she was a “corker”. Yours truly got his share. Past Miss
Schofield’s a little old man named Saunders, complete with a big
moustache, had a cake shop, and then was Mitchigans Upholstery store.
After that came Alley’s big grocery store; it used to be a produce store
with a wood coal and coke yard. It would be nothing unusual when there
was a big storm to see wood and coke floating down The Boulevarde; an
open stormwater channel which passed under the Boulevarde in that area
used to flood over and since the lane behind the shops was higher than
the shop floors, water would run through the shops and out onto the
Boulevarde....there was never a dull moment when it rained heavily.
On the corner of Lyons St., where the Commonwealth Bank is, there have
been three different bank buildings over the years. The original bank
was a narrow gutted building alongside a vacant piece of land where a
couple of shops have since been built. Next was Bell and Company’s
grocery and hardware store and then Matthew’s butcher shop....Matthews’
trade symbol, a cow’s head, is still to be seen at the top of the gable
in front of the building. Old Matthews had the shop for a long time but
his son Denham did not stay long after he took it over. A little further
up was Fitzmaurice, a greengrocer who was there for years and then there
was a church on the corner of Mosely St opposite Holy Trinity Church. A
“Howl” went up when they pulled down the Church and Dance Bros. set up a
tyre business which was eventually taken over by Dunlops. A little
beyond Holy Trinity Church was the police station which was next door to
a big laundry - Evans’ laundry. On the Russell St corner, the Fresh Food
and Ice Company had a big depot...it ran back deep into Russell Street
and they kept their horses and carts there. Past Russell St. was
Hoskins’ old home “Hollyrood” which was then occupied by the Adams’
family who owned a big hotel in the City. On the opposite side of The
Boulevarde was “D!el Monte” which was then in the hands of the Grace
Bros family. I knew Mrs. Grace very well...she was a nice person, a down
to earth type, nothing “put on”; a very big woman, she used to come into
the shop regularly and as soon as she appeared, my father, without fail,
would yell, “Victor, look sharp,. get Mrs. Grace a chair”. Between
Carrington Street and next door to “Del Monte” was another large home —
still standing— called “Parkstowe”. It was occupied by a family named
Newman who were shoe manufacturers. It was acquired by Trinity Grammar
for a number of years and now, “Del Monte”, is part of the Santa Maria
Del Monte College. Between Carrington St and Redmyre Rd. there were two
houses which made way for the Ampol Garage, and then a very old cottage
where a little old maid - can’t remember her name — lived for many
years. When she died it was aquired by L. T. Otton, Consulting Engineer,
who modernised the frontage and now conducts his business there. The
post office was always on the corner of Redmyre Rd. in my time, but the
building is about the fourth to be erected on that spot. When I first
came here they used to deliver letters on horseback......the stables
were at the back.
From being in the shop and making some 90 to 100 deliveries a week I
became acquainted with a lot of the residents living away from the
shopping area. Ebenezer Vickery lived in “Tiptrees” in Kinjaland on the
block between Wakeford and Llandillo Avenues. It was a mansion with a
large number of rooms. The Red Cross took it over during the War years
and they had 36 beds in there for wounded soldiers. “Tiptrees” was
situated on the hill overlooking Llandillo Ave. and provides good views
of Mortlake and the Parramatta River. Many homes have been erected where
“Tiptrees” once stood. The family of Joseph Vickery - I think they were
shoe manufacturers - lived in Strathfield Ave, which then only ran to
the frontage of “Strathfield House’ before it was pulled down. They
built another place there but it made way for a new subdivision which
saw Strathfield Ave. extended through to Nichol Parade. Frederick A.
Peters, of Peters Ice Cream, built the two storey place “Washtenaw” in
Kingsland Rd between Wakeford Rd and Albyn Rd. Two doors away was the
home of Judge Holden. The Judge and Mr. Peters often called at the shop
and were friendly fellows. Harold Arnott lived on the corner of Homebush
Road and Victoria St. There were two boys in the family, mad about
racing cars: I remember the “Rileys” they had and how devoted they were
to them. Percy Arnott, who lived on the corner of Albyn & Chalmers Rds,
also had a strong outside interest - he was keen about sailing. The
grounds of Percy Arnott’s home were subdivided some years ago and there
are now two or three houses where their tennis court used to be.
Across on the other side of Chalmers Road was a big house owned by W S
Friend, the hardware merchants; it later passed to a Bible Society. A
year or two ago it was sold, remodelled, sold again, and it now the home
of the Bullen family – of Bullen’s Circus. Next door, on the corner of
Chalmers and Barker Road, was the home of another prominent businessman
– Mr Bush of Bush’s Meats.
In Margaret St were the PLC now have a little school, was a cottage
occupied by a well known entertainment personality. He was Charles
Lawrence, a journalist, radio commentator, the voice behind Cinesound
Newsreels, and a leader of community singing concerts which were popular
during the depression years. Next door Next door where “Marion Court”
retirement village now stands, was the home of J.J. Leahey, a well known
pastoralist in the Bathurst area but more widely known as the owner of
Tullock, the champion racehorse of some twenty years ago. It was a large
mansion extending back to Carrington Ave. After its death, the hooves of
Tullock were mounted in Mr. Leahey’s billiard room. Mention of Tullock
reminds me that J. W. Tullock who was the owner of Tullock’s engineering
firm at Rhodes lived in the large two storey, red brick residence at the
top of Redmyre Road just before the curve into Chalmers Rd. I went to
Sydney Grammar School with one of his Sons and used to visit the home to
play billiards. The other two-storey place just above Tullock’s was the
home of Mr. Andrew Watt K.C. who was a leading lawyer of his time. Just
below Tullock’s lived the McCredie family, the founders of McCredie’s
Lifts which are still being made and will be found in most of the older
buildings. McCredie’s was another of my regular visting places for
playing billiards. On the southern corner of Redmyre and Chalmers Rd. is
a place called “.Springfort”. It was the residence of Mr. Lysaght of
iron and steel fame and later Mrs. Katie Coggins whose family were in
the motor trade. Another family in engineering was the Ritchie brothers
whose firm of that name, was once a well known landmark near the railway
line midway between Lidcombe and Auburn. One brother lived in Woodside
Ave and the other, Stewart Ritchie, resided in that large home on the
corner of The. Boulevarde and Redmyre Rd. The latter was keen on
astronomy and had a large telescope installed.
The beautiful white building with the high ornamental iron fence at No.
81 Homebush Rd opposite Alviston St. was the residence of Professor J.
D. Stewart. Professor Stewart was the leading veterinary surgeon of his
day and was very well known as consultant to the Australian Jockey Club.
The Wise family mentioned by’ others, were nice people, well respected
in the district. Mrs Wise was a well known Red Cross worker arid died
last year. She was the sister of’ J. D. Wise M.L.C.; they lived in the
first two-storey house on the eastside of Florence St you come from
Redmyre Rd. Mrs. Wise, a relative, whose husband was a doctor, still
lives in Strathfield and often comes into the shop. A friend of that
family was Mrs. Way who had a large drapery store in Pitt St - Ways Ltd.
She used to come to the shop regularly but I haven’t seen her for some
time and I don’t know whether she still lives here. Dr. Macindo, the eye
specialist lived up The Boulevarde at 135. He used to go to Switzerland
to keep them up to date on eye operations. He must have been good.
Over the years many politicians have lived in Strathfield; two prominent
ones were Mr. J. M. Forde, who was Minister for the Army in the Curtin
Government and lived, at 79 Redmyre Rd and Mr. J.J. McGirr who was a
Minister in Jack Lang’s Government in the late twenties. Mr. McGirr’s
widow still lives there and I see her from time to time. Another well
known resident of the past was Professor Bland who lived at 73 Redmyre
Rd. He was the father of Sir Harry Bland, who also lived in the district
until he became head of the Department of Labour and National Service in
Canberra.
On the other side of the railway line (northern side) there were no
shops (until later) near the Station, only the hotel. It was vacant
land, plastered with billboards. There was an open air picture show
where the old “Melba theatre used to be. The first one was burnt down
when the gas generator “blew up and they built another to replace it.
When it rained there was a rush to get under the little bit of covering
available. The vineyard was opposite the picture show and covered the
area bounded by Mosely St, Cooper St. and the railway; the part of
Everton Road from Mosely Street to the present Ring 3 underpass, was not
in existance then. On the corner of Everton Road and Wentworth Road was
a nice big home called ‘Oraya’ I think it was owned by a Mrs Cole; it
became a private hospital later but was pulled down some years ago and
replaced by a block of units. On the opposite corner to “Oroya” was
another large residence with a big stone gate. It was owned by one of
the big names in horse racing at that time – Skinny Moss – who lived
there for years. Dr Dansey, a leading specialist of the time, lived a
bit further down the Everton Road. There was a grand old place along
Wentworth Road, just before Rowley St, called “Tabilkhoom” – it’s still
there: it was known as a haunted house and was made more fearsome by the
presence of a massive dog; we kids really were scared of that place and
we always ran past it, keeping a wary eye open.
The blacksmith in the area was kept busy: I can’t remember his name, hut
he had his forge on the corner of Wentworth Rd and Parramatta Rd. Just
across the road from him was a chap named Simonds - a sign writer and
jack of all trades. He used to do all the design work for Arnotts
including the famous cocky, and built their vans including the wheels
and iron rims. I used to be fascinated by his signwriting especially his
fancy work on milk, bread and butter carts and even on the “old man’s”
fruit wagons. The local bakery was a big one on the corner of Parramatta
and Concord Road - Percivals — opposite George Georgison the removalist
and carrier. There was also a small bakery attached to Saunders’ cake
shop on the Boulevarde. Some people will remember the “Star” brand
stoves - one of the best and the most widely used fuel stoves of the
past. It was manufactured by W. F. Dewick who had a foundry in Morwick
St. behind Dunlop Tyre Co. - where the Eclipse Drug was until burnt out
a year or so ago. It was a common sight to see flames from the foundry
chimney shooting high into the sky.
When we first came to Strathfield there was no such thing as electric
lighting; we relied on gas around the shop and the house. The streets
were also lit by gas and a follow used to go around every afternoon
armed with a small ladder and a rod with a hook at one end; He would use
the rod to pull on the gas jets to light the lamps and, if he had to
renew a mantle he would use the ladder to reach it. Every morning he
would make another round to turn the lamps off. When electricity did
come along we were the first shop to have it connected, in fact we had
the seventh meter board installed in Strathfield. The new lighting was
such a novelty that people used to come to the shop at night Just to
have a look at Keary’s lit up shop. Also in the early days we were
without sewerage; it was a dry toilet system - a fellow used to come
around at night time and take away the pans and replace them. When
sewerage came along we “had it made”. Water was also a problem; we had
tanks in the roof...they are still there...but we always had the water
brought to taps from them.
A familiar person around the district was a fellow named Hlarris. He
used to go around in a cart selling rabbits; In a raucous voice he’d
call “Fresh rabbits! Fresh rabbits!”, and he’d lop their heads off and
skin them while you waited. Another odd, bat popular person, was a
chinaman who used to get around in his colourful oriental dress with
baskets on a pole across his shoulders, selling ginger, feather dusters
and things like that; his call, accompanied by a fixed grin and non stop
bowing was, “jin-jah! jin-ja! fedderdustah! fedderdustah!”. There was
even a chap going around selling “ripe strawberries! ripe
strawberries!’. A “clothes’ props” man who sold bush poles suitably
‘shaped for propping up clothes lines used to come around often. One who
I got to know, mainly because he watered his horse at the trough outside
my shop, was a fellow named Moxley. He brought notoriety to Strathfield
because he abducted a couple who were “canoodling” in a car off the road
up Enfield way and took them out near Liverpool where he assaulted and
killed them both. He was reported sighted around here several times and
for days the district was invaded by police armed with rifles. He was
finally caught, tried and hanged.
In the old days we had very few places for recreation but we got by. On
Sunday afternoons I used to go down to Mitchell’s at Burwood and hire a
horse and sulky to take my girl for a ride in the afternoon; we’d drive
down to the river or over to Five Dock, which was mostly bush and quite
a popular place; sometimes we would go to Parramatta Park Launch trips
were very popular too. A trip up the Lane Cove River from Circular Quay
was the trend and so was the trip up the Parramatta River. When you
reached the wharf at Parramatta, you’d hop onto a steam tram and it
would run you into Parramatta Park. There were always crowds at the Park
and one of the attractions was the emus, kangaroos and other animals
just inside the main gates. Middle Harbour was another popular trip and
Cabarita Park was always a magnet for the locals. “Potts Bush” up near
the cemetery attracted a lot of people; you could always see some
“whacking” big goanas up there. Deep in the bush was the biggest two-up
school in Sydney – Thommo’s – they came there from everywhere. Although
they had “cockatoos” keeping watch, police sometimes got close and when
they did there was a great scatter in all directions.
Strathfield was always a quiet, dignified place with a real village
atmosphere even horse hitching rails on The Boulevarde. At one time,
there was a proposal to run a steam tram down the Boulevarde from
Coronation Parade to Strathfield, but it didn’t get far. The only local
places of entertainment besides the picture show were dances at St
Mary’s Church Hall on the Parramatta Road. A lot of people went to
theatres in town and I think half of the enjoyment was dressing up for
the occasion. The untidy dress and scragginess you see to-day would not
have passed unnoticed.
About the author
The late Vic
Keary was the owner of ‘Keary’s Corner’, a well-known lolly and general
shop in Strathfield located on corner of The Boulevarde and Redmyre Road
Strathfield. The shop has now gone but the building is heritage listed.
A sign “Keary’s Corner” can still be seen on the façade of the building.
This history was originally published as "My recollections of the past
in Strathfield" by Vic Keary (transcribed by Syd Malcolm), Strathfield
District Historical Society Newsletter, Vol.2 No. 8, May 1980 |
