Wednesday 20 November 2013

Rear View Mirror: Hornsby (3/5)

Cannot provide exact "Then'n'now" shots for Albert Lane, as most of the lane is beneath (blasted) Westfield. This top shot has an element of gratuity to it.This is my father on his Panther motor-bike at the end of 1942. He was a despatch rider in the Signals Corp, and was posted to New Guineau in the Autumn 0f 1943.

The backyard he ius sitting in is Grandma's backyard, the shop that I featured on Monday. The shop is immediately behind the photographer.Florence Street is the right-hand fence, and the rear fence (which runs through the centre of the photo) is along Albert Lane. That gate over Dad's shoulder was nearly always open, and we shot in any time of the day or night.

This is what the remaining bit of Albert Lane looks like today. Too clean and elegant looking for mine. It is essentially a service lane although the suburb is now sewered, and was then from memory. The two black'n'white shots that follow are actually taken in Albert Lane at the rear of OUR property. The loaded truck was taken in 1950, and the Holden plus caravan was taken in 1953. Dad used to collect offcuts of lumber from anywhere and saw them and nail them until he had a load of seedling boxes to bring in a few quid. Note me and my big bro in the cab. The Holden was Dad's pride and joy. He walked down to Lindfield one Saturday to haggle over price with the bloke who owned the showroom, until the bloke agreed to just the amount of cash Dad had in his pocket. Dad made the caravan himself in his spare time. From memory it never quite got finished before we moved to the country in '56. But he flogged that, too, and made a few more quid.

8 comments:

Kay L. Davies said...

Old photos are fascinating, aren't they? I particularly like the one of the truck, with you and Barry in the cab. And the truck is loaded with seedling boxes your dad made from bits of lumber he collected? Just wonderful, Julie.
Luv, K

Stefan Jansson said...

I agree with Kay, it is fascinating to look at old photos like the one with your dad and the truck.

Joe said...

Old photos provide us with such a glimpse of times gone by and often remembered with fondness. Times would have been so different back in 1943.

Julie said...

Yes, I like to see the comparisons, too. And realise hoiw people lived. Although, old photos tend to be in B&W, whereas they still lived their life in colour.

Does anyone know what soet of truck that was that Dad owned then Later, months not long, he moved to a bedford but this is not that I dont think.

Joan Elizabeth said...

My dad made his own caravan too but being a metal man ours was not timber framed. It was a pop top pumped up with a hydraulic jack of some sort. Then metal sides let down. We had lots of holidays in it. A guy bought it for $100 at the clean out auction after mum and dad died.

hamilton said...

That caravan is something I've not seen before! And I agree, your lane now looks too sterile and more like am 'proper' street. Lanes should be a little rundown in a homely, lived-in way, IMO.

diane b said...

Love the old photos especially with a personal history. Hornsby sure has changed.

Julie said...

Could not agree more, Hamilton. I like my lanes to be bordering on the clandestine. Mostly here in Sydney, lanes were designed to make life easier for the 'night-cart' man - if you know what I mean.