Saturday 25 April 2009

A community life

Howard is a Chartered Accountant by profession but retired about 5 years agoHoward is one of those blessed people in life who give more than they receive. As Chairman of the volunteer Sydney Tramway Museum, he has guided the discovery, retrieval and restoration of the many derelict trams scattered throughout the state after the excision of trams from our public transport mix in 1961 - a mix that had existed since 1861.
This is an R1 class tram coming through the purpose built cutting very close to The Gap on South HeadHere is the same cutting that we slashed our way through last weekend - immensely short-sighted
Not content with the countless hours he gives to the tramway museum, he has spent additional hours over the last two years working with the curators at the Museum of Sydney developing the Shooting Through exhbition. After being engaged by his talk to members last week, I was close to tears as I worked my way through the memorabilia and photograps they had included. Sights and sounds of my childhood travelling from Elizbeth Street out to my grandmother's at North Bondi came flooding back. My mind's eye "saw" the conductor flip open his book of tickets and clip the section's travelled.
Watson's Bay affords a remarkable view back up the harbour to the city. Last Sunday it was scudding with rainThis is an E class tram coming through The Glen half way down the hill. The trees are still there.
As an adjunct to the exhibition, the Historic Houses Trust is offering three guided tours of significant tramway sites: Watson's Bay, Randwick and Balmoral Beach. The first of these was last weekend as Howard and Anne guided a bunch of (aged) enthusiasts through the undergrowth that has enveloped the Watson's Bay loop which opened in January 1909 and was finally unceremoniously obliterated in 1960. It is immensely sad to only find remnants of rusted metal.
Hover your cursor over each image in this post for additional information. Howard is the subject of today's post on 100 Strangers.

5 comments:

Joan Elizabeth said...

Oh now I understand! I wasn't around Sydney in the 60s so have no memory of them. Interesting to wonder what it would have been like if they had been kept.

Lois said...

It's nice that someone cares so much about preserving this bit of history! Wonderful post!

Virginia said...

God bless the Howards in this world. Imagine giving more than you receive! We should all take note. Thank you Howard!
V

Ann said...

They were gone by the time we arrived. Wish I had known them. We need people like Howard.

Didn't get the two up. Well I did, but it wasn't what I wanted, all young guys who didn't look like veterans, very crowded, couldn't get decent shots. I did however, make my 100 and quite few more besides. Not the shots I expected to get but I'm happy with them. There's a few I wouldn't have dared to take a while back. Others are sheer indulgence - ahhhh men in uniform.

Anonymous said...

I'm always in awe of people that have such a clear mission in life.