Category: Journal 2011

by Judith Lewis

In 1948 this Linocut was presented to Riverstone Public School by Grade 6, at the suggestion of Class Teacher & Headmaster Joe Millerd.

Joe Millerd, “Old Joe”, was a much loved and respected headmaster at the Riverstone Public School from 1st December 1939 till he retired in December 1949.

The Linocut is now part of the collection at the Riverstone Museum.

Handwritten on the back of the Linocut are the following names:-

PUBLIC SCHOOL RIVERSTONE
PRESENTED BY:

1948 SIXTH

J.F.Millerd

There are a number of class members whose names are missing from the above. There were 72 students in Fifth Class in 1947, the year before. Are you able to add to, or amend, the list below of students who may have been in Sixth class in 1948?

by Geoff Pfister

Geoff Pfister wrote the following article of his memories and involvement with the local Rugby League club. Geoff was a gentleman who will be sadly missed.

Growing up and attending school at Schofields was not what you would call the perfect environment for future Rugby League players. Schofields, even to this day, has always been renowned for cricket and soccer but not rugby league. Having said that I still managed to be chosen to represent the Sydney Western Area two years in row whilst attending Schofields Primary School.

In those days I played in the front row because I was always right on the weight limit. It was at high school that I got my first taste at playing full back. I didn’t warm to the position at first because there wasn’t enough action for my liking plus I wasn’t sure exactly what my role as a full back was.

During my high school years I observed that most of the other players were playing on Saturdays for their town teams. At this stage I had never even considered doing that as none of my old Schofield School mates played league. Most of them played cricket which at that time I wasn’t interested in.

So, as a 14 yr old, I took myself down to the footy oval at Riverstone to see if I could make the team. I had no problem making the team as they were desperate for players. After our first trial I realised that it was going to be a long season as we got smashed. There was never any thought that you would even consider playing for another town because loyalty was everything in those days.

Bobby McHugh was my first coach and Eric Martin was the manager. These two guys were very passionate about their football. It didn’t seem to matter how we went their passion never wavered, so much so that one day, just prior to the game starting, their differences of opinion, of which there were many, boiled over resulting in fisticuffs. The players had to intervene by pulling them apart. Very passionate men those two!

Bluey Young was my next coach. Bluey was one of the toughest coaches I ever had, but once again that came from the passion he also had. Bluey thought my best position was lock foreward. I had never played there before but I loved it. As usual, success was always just out of reach. We won a few games but not many. In the age group behind us was a team coached by Charlie Wheeler. They seemed to make the finals every year, at this stage I was starting to think that I was born six months too soon. My birthday was early in the year so I didn’t qualify to play in the team just behind me even though I went to school with some of those players and we were born in the same year.

My other coaches were Ike Schofields, Manny McCarthy, Keith Drayton, and Bluey Senior. When I reached 17yrs I was asked to go up a grade into C Grade or under 19’s they were looking for a full back. It was at this stage that I started to make the position my own. The better I went at it the more I enjoyed playing there. By this time I was one of the smaller players in the team. From that time on I considered myself a full back.

I was fortunate that I was doing an apprenticeship at the time as a barber with Brian McNamara. Brian was a knowledgeable footballer having played first grade with Parramatta in the 50’s so I hung off every bit of advice that he gave me. It was whilst playing C grade that I made my first semi final for Riverstone. We had a pretty good side but unfortunately come semi final time we were struck down by injury. We played the semi with one player, Peter Jayceck taking the field with a broken ankle. We held Parramatta City to nil all at half time. After half time it had become obvious that their coach had realised Peter couldn’t run, so as soon as the second half started, they directed all their play towards his wing. Having said that we still only lost 10 nil, not a bad effort under the circumstances.

The following year was 1967 and Penrith were having trials as they had been included for first time in the First Division of the Sydney Competition, now the NRL competition. I trialled as a fullback and was chosen in the very first Penrith Presidents Cup Side. Presidents Cup was under 19’s and I was one of the youngest in the team having only just turned 18. Two other players from Riverstone also made that side, Michael Britton and David “Birdie” Simpson.

My first coach at Penrith was one of Riverstone’s own, Charlie Sandilands. Charlie played most of his career as a full back so it was very fortunate for me as he had heaps of valuable tips for me. We played four games winning two and losing two so that was that for us. At the end of our commitment to President Cup, Penrith organised a mid week trial against their 3rd grade. They beat us 3 nil but the selectors saw plenty of potential coming from this relatively young side and chose nine members of our President Cup to play third grade the next Saturday against Parramatta at Cumberland Oval.

I was fortunate to be one of those chosen, but for some reason they played me in the centres which I wasn’t comfortable with but I was still very happy to have been picked. Just a few minutes into that game the Eels moved the ball quickly to their left winger who took off like a scalded cat down the touch line to score in the corner without a hand being laid on him. I said to my centre partner “who was that” and he replied “oh that’s Dave Irvine” who at the time was Australian beach sprint champion and of course cousin of the famous Ken Irvine.

That first game for Penrith was one of the scariest yet most memorable times in my footy career, I will always treasure the fact that I was the first player from Riverstone to play grade with Penrith. Even though it was only third grade for me it was a big deal. Many far more talented players have since played at a much higher level, Joel Clinton in particular having played for Australia. The other things that stand out for me during this time was training with first grade, playing at all the famous suburban grounds and scoring a try at the Sydney Sports Ground which was Eastern Suburbs home ground at that time. I ended up playing the rest of the season in third grade, eleven games in all.

The following season didn’t start well for me, getting a knee injury in a trial against Manly, would you believe at Riverstone Oval of all places? The injury never cleared itself that year and as a result I was unable to complete a single game that season.

The following year I decided that I wasn’t going to make it in the big time so I returned to play at Riverstone. I was chosen as fullback in the A grade that year, 1969. We had a very young side made up mostly of the players who were in the grade just under me all the way through the juniors. The coach was Charlie Wheeler and Robby “Knuckles” Shepherd the manager. This team was full of goers and there was great spirit and self-belief among this bunch.

We had a very successful year winning more games than we lost which was rare for most of the teams I played in. We made the semi finals that year with the promise of better things ahead. The following year a couple of new additions to the side made all the difference. Alan Watton and Harry Mitton joined the team; both were front rowers with a bit of size about them, just what we needed. Alan was the captain of the side and as well as being a great player he was a great leader, Charlie Wheeler once again coached the side and as usual he had 100% support of the players. Charlie really cared about his players and in return we would do anything he asked of us.

A member of Charlie’s support staff was Gordon West, who used to treat the injured players on Tuesday evenings. Gordon had huge hands and big strong arms which he used to full effect when massaging the players. Gordon wasn’t happy unless he had you screaming for mercy and as a result we tried to spend as little time as possible being treated by Gordon. Looking back now I think this was a deliberate ploy by Charlie to get us back on the training paddock. That year we finished the season as minor premiers but unfortunately we were beaten by Richmond in the grand final 12 to 8.

That was 1970 the year I retired because by this time I had purchased the barber shop from Brian McNamara and the next year I was getting married so I couldn’t afford to get injured. That year I was chosen as the best and fairest in A grade, receiving the trophy from Barry Rushworth at our annual presentation night. When I retired I was 22 years of age and I thought that my involvement with football and Riverstone Football Club was over forever.

That was until my son Ryan, started to play in the under 7’s in early 80’s. Unfortunately I could not attend many games as I worked Saturdays and it was the busiest day of the week. I managed to squeeze in a few games throughout the season. Ryan played again the next year but to my surprise he announced at the end of the season that he was retiring from football after only two seasons.

For the next eight years Ryan showed very little interest in football at all until he reached 16yrs of age. The under 16’s played on Sundays which meant that I and my wife Rosalin, could both attend. Rosalin used to drop him off at training and I would go down after work and watch the team train then bring him home. I could not imagine what was about to unfold before me. After only four games into the season the Club was considering sacking the coach and his manager but first they had to find a new coach. I had not even considered coaching before when they approached me, but now I realised that I was already there most of the time anyway. So I accepted the offer and my return to the Riverstone Football Club was complete.

Big Al (Alan Owen) was my manager that year and I could not have asked for a better person to have by my side. I will always remember the night I took over officially as coach. Alan said come on Geoff and I will introduce you to the boys. The first thing he said to the boys was “even though Geoff is a hairdresser he’s alright!” I think this was meant to reassure them that I wasn’t going to try and kiss them or anything like that.

This team of footballers had a reputation for being the most difficult and worst behaved in the club but with talent to burn. My short experience watching them was that most of the time that’s what they did, they burned. The biggest problem was that no one had shown them any respect so they didn’t show any in return. My main concentration was skill training and they loved it. The more I showed them the better they responded. We made the semi finals that year which was quite an effort considering where we had come from.

Two big things happened the next season, things that would forever influence the way I coached and ran the side. My good mate Bruce Rutledge became my assistant coach and Michael Carter became the team manager. This was a powerful mix and what I consider the perfect union. Bruce has a very astute football brain and Michael is probably the best administrator book keeper I have ever known. It didn’t seem to matter what statistic I needed, or phone number, Michael had it for me. I was the person out the front with the gift of the gab but with a wonderful team in support. We never had a single argument amongst ourselves but like all good teams plenty of good healthy debate.

Little did we realise at the start of the 1993 season what a unique year it was to become. The start to the 1993 season could not have gone any worse with players not willing to commit to playing as well as some very unwelcome additions to the side. After our first trial at Riverstone I stormed onto the field and ripped the jumper of one of the players. I was that disgusted at the way he had conducted himself and the total disrespect he showed for that jumper. He was never sighted at Riverstone again.

On top of that we also had some very welcome new blood that would turn out to be just what was needed. We lost our first game of the season in what can only be described as a diabolical performance. After that game I made some major positional changes that turned out better than I could ever have imagined. We never lost another game all season going on to defeat West Mt Druitt in the grand final at Penrith Stadium.

The next season I coached the under 19’s who were playing first division which is regarded as one of the toughest in all of Sydney but we had a very talented group of players on our roster. Behind the scenes the “A” team of Bruce and Michael were still on board. We had another very successful year but unfortunately we were knocked out in the first semi final by Blacktown. Injury to key members of the team unfortunately brought us undone. In the last game of the season that year we defeated St Mary’s who went on to win the grand final so we were more than capable of going all the way and we believed as a team we could have won it.

The next season I was appointed coach of the A Grade. This was a whole new ball game for myself, Bruce and Michael. Expectations are always high for the town’s A grade so if you don’t win your fair share of games the critics come out of the woodwork from all directions. Being appointed A grade coach is something that I will always regard as a great honour and privilege. We had assembled an outstanding team in the off season and the vibe around the club was very positive going into the 1995 season. The first couple of trials went very well so expectations were high but unfortunately serious injuries started to come one after the other.

By the time the season started we had lost all our forward pack except for one player, Steven Welfare plus half our backline was out for the season. So we started the season with virtually a reserve grade side in one of the toughest junior league competitions anywhere. We never won a game that year but my hat goes off to those players who hung in there week after week. I have more admiration for their courage than you could ever imagine. They bled for Bruce and me that year and I will always regard them as a very special group of young men with enormous courage.

The next year we were relegated to second division. We had a good player roster to work with and made the final that year narrowly going down to Katoomba who went on to win the competition.

I decided to call it quits at the conclusion of the 1996 season. My wife had become a football widow and it was time I spent more time with her for a change plus I had had five of the most memorable years of my life. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the committee for their support, particularly Ian Lawrence, Col Russell, Biddy Stone, Mark Stacey, Graham Delarue and of course Big Al. From the coaching side of things Snowy Barlow, Grant Bergman, Paul Melanick, Stumpy Cartwright, Peter Wynans and of course my team manager in 1996, Glen Hunter, were always there for me. These guys were then, and still today, what the heart and soul of Riverstone Football club is all about and I thank them for their support and friendship.

by Clarrie Neal

2011 saw the passing of Geoff Pfister, a person who was much loved and well regarded by those who had the pleasure of knowing him. Geoff was a long time hairdresser in the district and keen sportsman. I thought I would share some of Geoff’s memories.

Geoff came to Riverstone in 1964 to work as an indentured apprentice with Brian McNamara in his hairdressing business on the corner of Garfield Road and Marketown Lane. Geoff recalled it was a wonderful work environment and with Brian such a great story teller there were plenty of laughs and funny moments. In the quieter moments Brian and Geoff would play indoor cricket with Geoff recalling chasing any balls that made it out the door and down Garfield Road.

At other times he would spar with Brian, sometimes going home with a blood spattered coat, his concerned mum wondering just what on earth was going on in that shop. Brian believed a young bloke like Geoff should know how to defend himself and organised one of the town identities, George Cafe, to give him boxing lessons.

Geoff said he had much to thank Brian for, not just for the boxing lessons, but also for the excellent training given as a hairdresser. Brian was very particular with his hairdressing and would not let any one walk out of the salon with anything but the best. Geoff completed his apprenticeship in 1968 and in 1969 he was offered the opportunity to buy the business.

Geoff recalls taking over from Brian and being told by Eric Conway that he could lease the shop for $10 per week, the same price Brian paid, “We shook hands on the deal, no lease or papers were ever signed, and that’s just how it was.”

Men’s hair styles were undergoing radical changes in the 1970’s with long hair becoming popular. Geoff wanted to be a part of this trend and decided to do a Tafe course to learn about the new styles. At the time there were no specific courses for men’s styles and the Tafe College advised him to do a course in ladies hairstyles. This advice at first did not impress Geoff at all, but after more consideration he decided to give it a go and attended Meadowbank Tech. College two days a week for three years. Geoff was convinced this was the best decision he had made regarding his career.

While studying the ladies hairdressing, several ladies who accompanied their children to the shop for their boys’ haircuts, expressed a lot of interest in the course. He clearly remembers his first two lady customers, Doreen Ross and Heather Smith. He recalled Heather’s radical style cut drew a lot of attention to the fact he was now cutting ladies hair.

The defunct Schofields Cricket club was reformed in 1973 with Geoff as Secretary and Lachie Lumsden as President. It became one of the strongest clubs in the competition. For their efforts both Geoff and Lachie were rewarded with Life Membership.

Geoff was a very keen sportsman, playing Cricket, Rugby League, Touch Football and Squash. He was a member of the Richmond Golf Club for several years, and enjoyed water skiing.

Geoff, who had commenced his Rugby League career as a 14 year old, showed enough promise in 1967 to be selected in the Penrith District President cup squad, along with Michael Britton and David Simpson. Their coach that year was Charlie Sandilands.

In 1976 increased business meant moving to a larger shop at Schofields, where he opened Geoffrey’s Hair Flair. He kept his Riverstone salon for a few years before selling it to Donna Ceraveckie. The Schofield salon prospered to the point where he required three staff members to help him.

Requiring a larger salon he returned to Riverstone where he leased the Wattle Cafe. In 1985 he appointed a nail artist, an innovative move at the time that is widely accepted today. In 1989 he opened a salon in Richmond, selling it in 1998. In 1993 he moved his Riverstone salon into larger premises, and in 1996 he seized the opportunity to buy the two storey building that was Conway’s Newsagency. The premises were restored to the style of the 1920’s, the era when it was built, and the walls were adorned with historic photos of Riverstone.

Geoffreys Hair Flair opened again on the 10th March 1997, with men’s and ladies hairdressing downstairs, and the Beauty, Therapeutic Massages, Nail artistry and a Clairvoyant upstairs. Geoff believed his 37 years hair dressing had seen the greatest changes ever in this profession. Today, hairdressing salons cater for the whole family.

A knee injury led to a change of career for Geoff as he was unable to stand for the length of time needed by a hairdresser. He sold the business to Nicole Attard and branched into another subject that he loved, photography. Geoff formed a business taking wedding and portrait photos. Later he branched out into teaching photography with friend and professional photographer, Geoff Higgins. For a period of time he also worked in the photography section of Harvey Norman.

Geoff was a great supporter of the local community and was a member of the Riverstone Festival committee since its inception. He was a member of the Riverstone and District Historical Society and he was instrumental in re-forming the Riverstone Chamber of Commerce in 1997 and held the position of President for many years.

In 2010 Geoff was diagnosed with motor-neurone disease. Sadly he passed away in April this year. In July a benefit night was organised for his family. Held at the Riverstone Bowling Club, over 240 people gathered to take part in the event which was organised by Maurie Smith.

An article in the Gazette of 20 July 2011 summarised some of the special things about Geoff.

Mr Pfister was remembered as a caring husband, father and friend, who did a lot for his community, through fundraising to coaching junior rugby league teams. Leading up to his final days, Mr Pfister was even able to conjure the strength to attend his final meeting with the Hawkesbury Camera Club to hand over his presidency.

Mr Pfister’s family and friends said they will miss the man who always put other’s needs before his own.

by Judith Lewis

Betty Fulmer (Strange-Mure) lives in Blayney. I recently sent her a copy of the 2010 Bicentenary Programme. She replied, “My life in Riverstone holds many happy memories for me,” and concluded her letter with “…it was special of you to bring back so many memories to an 85 year old youngster.” With her permission I will share some of those memories.

Betty was the eldest daughter of Charles and Gladys Strange-Mure. Her sisters are Dorothy, who lived all her married life, as Dorothy Cassell, in Riverstone and who now, sadly has Alzheimer’s Disease, and lives in a home at Kurrajong. Her youngest sister is Noela* who became a renowned opera singer. Noela’s musical career began in the late 1940s and has continued into the 21st century.

The Strange-Mure family moved from Randwick to Riverstone where Charles, in 1930, built their Piccadilly Street home facing Park Street (the home still stands). Betty describes her home as “beautiful”. The home was on a large block surrounded by paddocks and bushland. Closest neighbours were the Pearces, Draytons and Schofields in Piccadilly Street and Davis’s in Park Street. Charles built a tennis court behind the house and, during the war years, an air raid shelter behind the tennis court. Gladys was a music teacher, both an excellent pianist and with a beautiful singing voice. She encouraged her daughters to learn singing and music and all three had beautiful singing voices.

Betty left school at age 14 and her first position was as a telephonist at the Riverstone Telephone Exchange* at the Post Office, then located at the Railway Station. After 71 years she says, “I can still hear myself saying, ‘Number, please?’ when putting the plug in the switchboard.” When, after a few years, Betty was transferred to the Windsor Post Office Exchange, her parents did not want her to travel by train to Windsor, so she found work at the Riverstone Meatworks packing sausages, to be sent to the Middle East for the Army during the Second World War.

Betty tells, “ We used to write our names under the label on the cans of sausages. Would you believe, I remember a soldier from Queensland, serving in the Middle East, finding my name under the label. We wrote to each other for months. He came down to see me in person. I had chicken pox and my face was covered in sores at the time. I must have scared him and we never wrote again!”

In 1944 Betty joined the Australian Women’s Land Army, AWLA. She recalls her Land Army days as happy ones despite the sadness associated with the War. Her parents would not allow her to join the Services until she turned 18. So on Sunday 12th February 1944 Betty said a sad “goodbye”, at Central Station Sydney, to her parents, Charles and Gladys, and her sisters. They were all in tears, as none of the girls had been away from home before. The steam train departed Central Station at 10pm and arrived at “the beautiful little country village of Batlow” at lunchtime the following day. Betty was amazed at the beauty of the Gilmore Valley and she felt the sadness leave her.

Betty recalls hearing the Stationmaster at Batlow announce, “All out here!” and the next minute hearing a voice exclaim “Don’t touch my things! I’m not staying here in this damn place!” The Stationmaster’s reply was, “That’s all right. The train doesn’t return to Sydney until Wednesday.” Betty comment was “Goodness knows what happened to her!”

At Batlow Betty and about ten other girls were taken up to the old Scouts’ Hall for lunch. Later they were taken to a two storey building to join other Land Army girls who were already working out on the farms. Betty’s first Land Army job was working in a sawmill, about five miles away. Each day the girls travelled to work on a truck, all singing as they went. Betty’s task was taking and stacking the timber from the saw after it had been cut. This job lasted for three months during which time she made lots of friends.

Her next job was picking apples and pears, climbing up ladders to reach the tops of the fruit trees. She recalls, “We would be singing the old songs and loving every minute of it.” After several weeks, when the fruit was all picked and had been sent to the packinghouse, it was time for the spraying of the fruit trees to be done. This was done riding around in a horse and cart. The girls needed to be well covered for protection from the spray. The Land Army girls also painted some of the buildings.

When their work was finished at Batlow the girls were sent on to Kingsvale, near Young, to pick cherries. From Kingsvale they moved on to Griffith to the vegetable fields where they were often trapped in the windstorms from the red soil plains. The weather there was so hot and windy that they could hardly breathe. This was especially so when they were ploughing the land to plant carrots.

There were five of the girls who stayed together for most of the time they were in the Land Army and, after 66 years, they still keep in touch by letter. They were discharged from the Australian Women’s Land Army in 1945. Betty is not exaggerating when she concludes with “…those memories will stay with me forever”.

Footnote: The Australian Women’s Land Army, AWLA, was established in July 1942 in response to labour shortages in country areas. The AWLA recruited women to work on farms where there were no men left to do the hard labour that was traditionally assigned to men. AWLA was not considered a military service and never included benefits such as the pensions, deferred pay and bonuses, which were available to those women who joined WRANS, AWAS and others.

By 1944 the AWLA had around 3,000 members.

*References:-
page 31 Journal 2004 – “Noela Strange- Mure” by Clarrie Neal
page 11 Journal 2009 – “Riverstone Post Office and the Telephone Exchange” by Judith Lewis

by Shirley Cook (nee Wood)

These are my childhood memories of growing up in Creek Street, Riverstone with my parents Jack and Ella Wood and my four brothers, Laurie, Noel (Gravy), Terry, and John (Shota). My grandparents lived over the creek in Clifton Road where they had a chicken farm. Their neighbours were Ernie Sullivan and his family.

My Dad and my brothers all worked at the meatworks at various stages of their lives. Noel was the longest serving, he started in the rabbit department and finished his career in the bacon room.

Dad finished up as a foreman at the Dunheved Munitions Factory near St. Marys. This was where the bombs and ammunition were made and stored during World War 2. After the war this arsenal of ammunition was transferred to the Blue Mountains and stored in tunnels bored into the side of the mountains; the tunnels were then sealed. Dad always vowed he would never live in the Blue Mountains because of this.

Dad loved gardening in his spare time and our back yard was always full of fresh vegetables, he bought his plants from Mr and Mrs Kings’ nursery in Bourke Street. Another feature of our backyard was the honeysuckle vine growing over our outdoor dunny (toilet). The foliage disguised the dunny while the sweet smelling flowers helped to eliminate any odours. We also had a tennis court, surrounded only by a low fence, which meant we spent more time outside fetching tennis balls than we did playing tennis.

Our playground was the area at the back of our home, known as the ‘Flat’, this area is now the training track for the trotters. Here we would build our bonfire every afternoon after school leading up to cracker night in June. The neighbourhood kids – the Jacketts, Donohues and Woods would cut the tree branches off and drag them to where the bonfire was to be built, piling them on top of each other until the bonfire was high enough. When complete the kids would take turns to guard it so no one would light it before cracker night. One year “Toodles” Crowley set it alight before time and no one spoke to him for quite a long time. On cracker night there were screams and laughter as the bonfire was finally lit, it was so exciting with crackers exploding everywhere. When the fire died down we would throw onions and potatoes onto the hot coals and wait for them to cook. I think we ate more ash than potatoes and onions.

There was a well worn track across the ‘Flat’ that was used by the Visocchi, Bennett, Lane, Jocelyn, Mills, Taber, Dawson, Roots and several other families to take a short cut to their homes on the other side of the creek, that was if the creek was not in flood. Speaking of the Visocchi’s the sounding of Mr Visocchi’s bell announcing his arrival in our street brought all the neighbourhood kids running out of their homes to buy his fabulous ice cream. It was delicious, there was no other taste like it.

We used to swim in the creek at the ‘pump hole’ with families such as the Donohues – Shirley, Don, Billy, Johnny, Cynthia and Elizabeth. The Jacketts, and my cousins – Dicky, Kate, Boofa, Ping, Duck and Musso Wood. Even though there were logs and other debris and you could not see an inch in front of you as the water was so dirty, we thought it was great fun.

Going to school meant walking as there were no school buses in those days. If it rained, too bad, we would have to sit all day in school in our wet clothes. If we did not attend school the truant officer would call at home to find out why. We had no help in learning to read, write or do arithmetic as there were no computers or calculators then. We had an ink well set in our desk and we used pens with nibs. We would dip these pens in the ink and write, but if we made a mistake and tried to rub it out, it would make a big mess.

My Dad owned greyhounds. He raced them at the Londonderry and Lithgow tracks with his mates – Bunty Brown (father of Ron and Clevie), Reg Ford, Dodger Stanford and Bub Allen. Dad walked the dogs every morning and my brother Johnny and I had to walk the dogs every afternoon.

I remember Eric Conway delivering the paper to our home in a horse and sulky. In the winter the fog was so thick and a heavy frost would cover the ground, it was real dedication from the Conway family to deliver papers in that weather. I also remember Jimmy Martin delivering the milk in all kinds of weather with his horse and cart.

Going to Rosenthal’s grocer shop to buy sixpence worth of broken biscuits was a ‘big deal’ as I stood at the counter while the biscuits were weighed and put into a brown paper bag. Even our eggs were individually wrapped and placed in my basket where I proceeded home very slowly. Our bread and milk were delivered uncovered, milk in a billy can and bread in a basket, nothing was wrapped or sealed like today. My Dad never sprayed anything on his vegetables, the only problem was the birds that attacked the fruit trees, mainly the figs, maybe that was the reason we never visited the doctor very often as we had no chemicals in our system.

When the cow was milked we always waited to get a squirt of milk into our mouths, then we would skim the cream from the top of the milk to make butter. We would all take turns beating the cream to make the butter as this would take hours.

Push bikes were the main mode of transport getting from A to B. I remember my brothers putting me on the handle bars, it was so bumpy as there were no footpaths and the roads were not tarred. Creek Street only had a few residents – Mr and Mrs Eddie Drake with their daughter Judith who is now Mrs Bruce Johnston, the Izzards, Wiggins, Jacketts, Byrnes, Donoghues and Goldsmiths. At one time ‘Crash” Craddock lived next to us.

My mother Ella, my brother Terry and Mrs Sandilands formed a Youth Club in the hall that now houses the museum, it was formed to encourage young people to learn to dance. To raise money they would place a blanket on the floor with a cake in the middle. While Mrs Sandilands played the piano, people threw money onto the blanket, when the music stopped the last one to throw money won the prize (the cake). Another fund raiser was the Ugly Man Contest, the man who raised the most money won from chocolate wheels and raffles won. My brother Terry won when he raised $400 and Jim Packer was second raising $200.

Our house was always full of my brothers’ friends – Cocksie Sullivan, Les Teale, Ralph ‘Skipper’ Martin, Bill Bottle and Merv Fussell to name a few. I remember when war broke out between Australia and Japan. My brother Laurie enlisted in the A.I.F. and was stationed on Thursday Island. His letters telling us of dodging bombs from the Japanese planes were frightening but fortunately he came home unharmed. My uncle, Mick Wood, was in the R.A.A.F stationed in Darwin, he also had some narrow escapes from the bombing of Darwin, but he too came home unharmed.

Residents were instructed to blacken their windows with newspapers, hessian bags or blankets in case the Japanese invaded Australia. We were told the Japanese planes would drop bombs on any light they could see on the ground. One night we were at Charlie Murrell’s picture theatre when the air-raid siren sounded, my brothers and I ran all the way home. Arriving home we huddled around our parents’ bed too frightened to make a sound until the all clear siren sounded.

My Dad and a few men from the town who were too old to enlist would meet behind our place on weekends to practice Army routines. They were known as the CCC and would use tree branches as rifles, they were promised real guns if the Japanese ever landed on Australian soil. They were very dedicated and took the training seriously in all kinds of weather.

I remember our neighbours the Jacketts – with my cousins coming to our house on summer nights. Dad would tell us ghost stories, we were so frightened, no one would go home unless my brothers walked them home. We only had a radio in those days, there was no TV so we made our own fun.

Rugby League was the main sport played in Riverstone and the football ovals were rough. Almost every family in Rivo had someone playing in a team and therefore every match drew a lot of spectators. If you didn’t bring a seat you stood for the entire game, yet no one seemed to mind.

Training was every Tuesday and Thursday night in all kinds of weather. Sometimes the players would be ‘lost’ in the thick fog but the training continued on, even on the bitterly cold frosty nights. Our taps would be frozen on cold frosty mornings and I remember Dad pouring boiling water over the main to start the water flow again.

There was never any crowd violence at these games, only a few mothers running up and down the sidelines with their umbrellas yelling at the referee if their son looked like getting a bad call. My family played a big part in Rugby League in Riverstone. My Dad Jack coached a winning team in the 1940s. My brothers Noel and Terry were selectors for many years and during this time Rivo won many premierships. My brothers, John (Shota) and Terry both played, and Johnny could kick a goal from anywhere on the field. I remember Johnny getting knocked out during a game and he suffered concussion for a week, but that never stopped him from playing the next Sunday. They were tough in those days, Johnny also played in the 1950s in the combined Riverstone-Richmond team.

My mother Ella, my sister in law Phyllis and Mrs Charlie Harris worked as volunteers in the club canteen for many years raising untold amounts of money for the club. After each game a keg of beer was put on in the old club house, the game would be replayed over the keg – the victories celebrated and the losses mourned.

Growing up in a small town like Riverstone has taught me the true meaning of friendships which still continue to this day at our school reunions. Old folk, old friends – forever.

The Windsor and Richmond Gazette – 19th April 1944

An Army dog that saw 12 months service in New Guinea, and is now the proud possession of a Riverstone owner, is still doing ‘his bit’ by collecting for various charities. The dog recently received prominent mention in a Sydney newspaper, with the following comment

A Dalmatian which was honourably discharged from the Army after 12 months service in New Guinea, guarding ammunition dumps, was one of the entrants in the Kennel Club’s Easter Dog Show at the Lady Gowrie Home.

The dog with the Army title of Desmond No. 116, is owned by Mr Roy Habgood of Riverstone. Eastern Command Headquarters told Mr Habgood – “ The dog has done valuable work, and it is our duty to warn you that the nature of the work in which it has been engaged has made it more vicious than when we received it. We can give no guarantee that the dog will not attack people.”

Mr Habgood said that Des who is three year old is a wonderful watch dog, and will not attack people unless they are carrying a stick. Des, attached with a novel collection box, attracted a good deal of attention at the recent Aquatic Carnival at Windsor.

(Editor)

We checked the War Memorial photo database, but could not find a photo of Desmond, however we came across the following photo of an Army dog, with an entertaining caption to go with it.

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