WE HAVE A HOUSE

Just before the house was finished in 1954, the stress and strain of working, building, bringing up a family and no holidays finally caught up with my mother. She became run down, tired and depressed (which sadly she suffered bouts of for the rest of her life) The doctor ordered her to have a holiday, but money was scarce. Luckily friends came to help. One of the nurses Mum worked with had friends living in Ballina, a northern NSW beach holiday town. They offered her a free two week holiday with them. Mum really enjoyed her time there and came back refreshed and promised to take us all there one day, which she did in 1956, our first holiday in 7 years.

At the front of Mum's photo album, where I copied these pictures, she has written the following:

"The Speakman Family"

Len, Florrie, David and Diane, emigrated from London-Woodford E18 to Australia in 1949.

After staying one week, Feb 13th -Feb 20th at South Hurstville and finding it impossible to live there, we bought land at 7 Eighth Ave, Loftus for 125 pounds.

After much thinking,and the trials of pioneering in the bush at Loftus we built the house ourselves except for a little professional help. This took five years working on the house every spare moment when not at work, and during our annual holidays.

Len and I made a 5 year plan to build and pay for the house.

(Strangely enough these were the happiest years of my life---Florrie Speakman)

I think this was written in the 70's.

The following are the last photos of our 'Settling into Australia.' We have done it, and we are all happy Australians now.

Our Castle

1954-1956

After five years of hard work my Mum and Dad had designed and built a small two bedroom house. We were all very happy when we moved in from the garage which is behind the house. There was still a lot of work to do. Mum and Dad designed and built a lot of built in furniture and Mum made all the curtains, cushions and bedspreads. Mum had already started to develop the garden but she had a lot more to do.

At the back they had established a little lawn and a rockery garden. Dad continued building. As you can see he converted the garage roof to a flat roof and added on a car port. Our house only had two bedrooms and a sunroom which could be used as a 3rd bedroom. We had a lounge room and dining room, a kitchen, bathroom and laundry. David was given the choice of using the sunroom as a bedroom or he could have the garage, where we had lived for the past 5 years, all to himself as his own bedroom and study. Naturally a teenage boy chose to have his own private space and opted for the garage, so Dad renovated it for him.

David and his friend Mervyn (on the bike). You can see Dad's truck in the new carport. I wasn't allowed in David's domain, which he called "Sneaky Speaky's Dugout." I'm not sure how he got the nick name "Sneaky Speaky." Maybe because whenever he played games or cards he always won and we felt he was a bit sneaky with his tactics, and our last name being Speakman accounts for the rest.

My mum was very happy with her new kitchen. A real kitchen after 5 years. The bench tops and table were red and the cupboards were blue with red knobs.

In the lounge room Dad made built in seats around the corner and under the big window the whole length of the room. Mum bought rubber cushions and made zippered coveres for the seats and the backs. She was so clever. This may have been a house warming party with friends and neighbours. One couple were the people who sold us the tent to live in 6 years ago.

Mum continued working as a psychiatric nurse and later a geriatric nurse. If this picture was in colour you would see a beautiful array of flowers in the background, which she had planted in and around the rocks.

My Dad was always busy working around the house. He also went to night school and and gained the 'Leaving Certificate', and sat the Public Service exams and finally left the PMG and became a clerk for the Sutherland Shire Council. I had started High School and progressed from Brownies to Girl Guides and I loved my new house with my very own bedroom.

My brother finished High School but didn't want to go to university because he wanted to earn money instead. My parents urged him to continue studying and he compromised by taking on an Engineering apprenticeship where he worked part time and studied too. However he hated it and insisted on getting into the work force. After a variety of labouring jobs my Dad got him to apply for a well paid adventurous job in Territory of Papua/New Guinea as a Patrol Officer. In the above photo, when he was nineteen and I was fourteen he said goodbye to us and went off into the world to make his fortune. (That is another story, which ended in him working in P/NG until Independence in 1975 and then he returned to live the rest of his life in England.)

THE OUTSIDE SHELL IS COMPETE

Like a lot of people, my parents kept their photos in a shoe box until they had time to put them in albums. When my Mum retired in the late 60's, she started to sort the photos and make albums. When she was writing captions she was having problems remembering the year the photo was taken so some of the next photos could be muddled but through sleuthing I'm sure most were taken in 1953.
We had been in Australia nearly 4 years. We had lived in a tent for most of 1949 and then in our garage since then. My Mum worked as a nurse and Dad as a telephone technician and truck driver. Every spare minute and every spare penny went towards building their house and life in their new country.

 My Mum designed the house and they both helped build it. (Now their granddaughter designs the interior of commercial buildings) Mum wanted to have a light, airy, spacious feel to the house but she had a job convincing building inspectors that having big windows wouldn't cause the house to fall down. She won her case but then she had difficulty finding suppliers of large windows for domestic use.

Mum taking a break from painting.

At the back of the house Mum had designed two walls of "French Windows" leading out onto a back patio. She had loads of problems getting suitable windows but finally had to settle on these steel framed industrial windows. My brother is now 15, taller than Mum and looking a lot like my Dad. He was busy finding after school jobs to enhance his pocket money. He delivered ice at 4 in the morning and did a paper run later. He was clever at school but also a rebel and was often in trouble with teachers.

Although my parents were concentrating on getting the house finished they always had time for me. I joined the Brownies, I had swimming lessons, I had tennis lessons, I rode my bike everywhere and was allowed to visit friends. My friends and I used to play in the "Australian Bush,"go hiking down to the creek, go swimming and catch yabbies. It was a great childhood. I became independent and tough.

During 1953 the shell of the house was finished but the front and back patio had to be concreted, all the interior walls and fittings were yet to be done. We were getting excited. At least it looked like a little house now. (One of the nicest in the street.)

Mum wanted a glass door. No one could do that! Work in progress on the front steps and patio.

Back patio work commences. Dad's PMG truck parked behind the house

Every year there was the threat of bushfires. In 1953 they came very close to our village of Loftus. The sky turned a yellow-grey haze, and a mountain of billowing black smoke with a red tinge crept closer to us. We were sent home from school and had to walk because the trains had stopped. Adults were sent home from work. Dad passed us in the truck and stopped. We all piled on the back and Dad delivered the kids to their homes before rushing home to turn the hose on and spray the house, the house he has spent 4 years building nail by nail. The above photo was taken from our unfinished lounge room. I had to stay inside but I watched my parents, brother and neighbours soak hessian sacks in water and go down the road a little way and beat out the ember fires which were starting up everywhere. Firefighters came with knapsacks, full of water and they were pumping a spray gun which seemed a little futile against the fury of the fire fueled by the wind. Luckily with the help of the wind changing direction and losing momentum, by night the fire was beaten back and our house was safe.

Besides house building, Mum spent a lot of her days off work clearing our land and establishing a garden. She loved the natural rock seam that ran across our land and she turned it into a nice rockery. Over the years she had it looking beautiful. We also had a pet family of Blue Tongued Lizards living under the rocks. She was unhappy with the neighbours building an ugly paling fence between our properties. She would have preferred a natural barrier of trees and shrubs.

Mum also tried her hand at growing vegetables but the soil was very poor. However, the tomatoes survived.

In the school holidays my parents took some time off building to explore our surroundings. In 1952 we went with friends by car through The Royal National Park to Wattamulla Beach. David and me playing in the sand.

Another time we went down a very steep winding road to Woronora River, a tributary of the George's River, for a picnic and a swim. This is Dad on top of 'Cathedral Rock' having a rare moment of relaxation.

Another day we caught a train and ferry to Bundeena Beach in Port Hacking. Mum enjoyed exploring the beach rocks. All these places were close by on the southern outreaches of Sydney. We had all fallen in love with Sydney. Mum and Dad made it their home forever but not their children.

I had made friends with a girl called Kerrie. We became very close. We had sleep overs at each other's houses (when they were finished). We went to the same school and Brownies. We spent many weekends together cycling in the National Park and canoeing. We caught the train to Cronulla Beach often, played tennis and went to the pictures together. Our friendship lasted into our twenties then we lost touch for many,many years. A few years ago I managed to find her and couldn't believe that she was living quite close to Brisbane. So we went to visit her and it was an exciting emotional reunion. We have developed along very different pathways in life but we still have that very close bond that we developed as kids. I believe my friendship with Kerrie and her family taught me to be a true Australian. (Kerrie is on the left)

THE FRAMEWORK TAKES SHAPE

The framework is going up. It was traditional in those days for people like us, struggling with finances, to buy land, live in a tent, then build a garage to live in while building half the house to live in and then complete the house.

Dad nailed on the mahogany weatherboards. They were a rich deep red colour. Mum chose them from what little building materials were available and affordable at the time.

One wall finished. We were getting excited.

The front of the house is taking shape. Mum helps dad on her days off from nursing. I loved my new country and running bare foot everywhere.

I'm not sure but I think my parents extended their bank loan so that they could finish the whole house before we moved in. One of my Dad's friends migrated from England and built a house nearby. He  helped Dad (in the background) to add on the second half of the house, which included my bedroom. This work took all of 1951 and maybe more.

At the end of each year Mum and Dad would reward themselves with a day on the south coast on Boxing Day. It became a tradition for us to have a picnic on the beach at Austinmere.

 I loved the beach, I loved swimming, I loved my family and I loved Australia. Even though life was a struggle for my parents at this time they were happy. They made a five year plan to build and own their own house and provide a better life for their children than they could have in England.

 We found a big rock suitable for a picnic table.

Sometimes we went to the beach by train and sometimes we got a lift with neighbours. We couldn't afford a car. Every penny went into the house. I remember these neighbours, the Hudson's and their children Raymond, who I thought was cute and Dorothy, who was like a big sister to me.
My big brother, David, is on the right watching the waves break over the rocks, he is turning into a strapping teenager.

Guess from where I got my love of photography? 

STARTING TO BUILD THE HOUSE

My Dad drove a PMG truck for a living. At first he drove linesmen and equipment to where they were installing new telephones. Later he became a telephone technician, learning on the job. He was allowed to bring the truck home which was a help in saving fares for him to get to work.

Mum was getting used to pioneer life but soon she got a job as a psychiatric nurse in Darlinghurst, Sydney. I'm guessing here, but she probably decided it was the best way to be able to get a loan for building materials and a few professionals, like plumbers, tilers, and electricians to help build the house. She used to work long shifts, including night duty. Some days she left at 4:00 am to walk to the station for the train to Sydney. It took her over an hour to get to work. My brother and I got ourselves to school with Dad's help. For a short time I was looked after by a neighbour after school. I didn't like it, especially as I had to bath with their little son, who let a pooh float to the top one day. So I soon convinced my parents I could take care of myself after school, with David's help.
Dad was still working every weekend on the finishing touches to the garage. There was a shortage of building supplies and skilled workers so he had to wait for a while to get bricks and timber.

So we had some fun on those weekends. They took us to the famous Sydney Taronga Park Zoo. We had to catch trains and a ferry on the harbour it was fun.
Even though my mum was so busy, she found time to make me a fancy dress costume (The Queen of Hearts) for the school fete competition.

Dad couldn't get enough bricks so he used concrete blocks as well to build the foundations. Mum helped on her days off.

The foundations for the front of the house are complete.

The floor joists are on. David and I painted them with creasote to protect them.

Dad wrote on the back of this photo, " All hands to help erect the kitchen wall. Lofty, a friend is on the left, a carpenter in the middle and yours truly on the right . David in front and Diane is acting foreman."

Even though money was scarce, Mum bought me a new party dress and new sandals for a friend's birthday party. But I didn't wear dresses often. I was a real Tom Boy. I was rapidly becoming an Aussie kid. I loved climbing trees and playing in the 'bush'. On the back of this photo Mum has written:

" This is 'Trousers' tree climbing at the back of the garage, on part of the 1500 sq. ft. that I still have to clear for the garden."

We have been in Australia for one year and we are loving it. I had already picked up the Australian accent. When I first went to school the kids used to stand around me and ask me to say something because it sounded funny. So I soon learned to talk like them. My Dad used to say to me , "You sound like a bloody Australian." But it had no effect, I couldn't help talking like my peers. Today no one would guess I was born in England.

My Mum and Dad get a rare chance to party. This was a house warming party given by the neighbours who had taken us in when we were washed out of the tent. My parents were well accepted by our Aussie neighbours.

By 1951 the framework for the the front of the house was finished. Often people only finished half the house and lived in it while they saved enough for the rest. Mum was looking pretty happy by this stage. The goal of owning their own home was coming true. Something that would probably not have been possible if they had stayed in England. On the back of the beach photo mum had written:
"We occasionally had a weekend off and went to the beach."  (Wollongong.)

Wanda Beach sand dunes were fun to climb and run and roll down.

LIVING IN A GARAGE

David and I returned home from the Saturday afternoon pictures to find our tent almost blown away and the humpy in shreds. Mum and Dad were lifting our belongings out of the water and mud that had washed through the tent in a torrent. Luckily kind neighbours took us in, they had just completed their house. David nad I helped carry our belongings down the road to their house. We were beginning to experience the famous, friendly, helpful Aussie spirit.
During the six months living in the tent, my dad had found a job driving a semi trailer for a brewery and David and I had started school. Dad didn't like the job very much as driving on the narrow roads with a huge truck was a lot harder and more dangerous than in England. Soon he found a better job driving a smaller truck for the Post Master General's Dept. He also learnt to be a telephone technician. With every penny he earned he bought building materials to construct a garage to live in. Every weekend he spent building, even though he had no building skills. Members of the little community of Loftus were very supportive of one another and helped each other build their garages and houses. So Dad would go off and help others and he was a quick learner, then when he could afford timber or bricks, the neighbours would help him. Years later when the house was completed, I remember hearing him proudly say to visitors, "Yes, we built the house ourselves and I had never knocked a nail in before I came to Australia!"

The garage was almost completed when we were washed out of the tent, so we were only a few weeks boarding with neighbours, while the electricity and water was connected to the garage.

David, Sandy the dog and me outside our new home about Dec 1949.

Then we moved into the garage that would be our home for the next 5 years. Our cousin's dog "Sandy" adopted David and I and followed us everywhere and protected us. My mother worked along side my dad and helped with the building. She held up timbers, painted and constructed ......

Sweeping the crazy paving outside the garage

...this crazy paving pathway, which I had to sweep on weekends. Mum loved the natural rocks we had in the back yard and while most neighbours blasted their rocks away, mum insisted on keeping ours, which she turned into a lovely rockery garden.

Our home for the next 5 years

Our home from the street. We still had the laundry tubs outside but we had a sink inside, which doubled as a kitchen sink and a bathroom basin. We didn't have a real bathroom. We had an iron bathtub that we kept outside and carried it inside on bath days, which was probably once a week since we were typical pommies. Mum and Dad had a bed in the main room, which also had a kitchen table and chairs, two old lounge chairs, and an ice box. There was a little kitchen area in the walkway to David's and my bedroom, where we slept in bunks. Naurally, we had an outside dunny (toilet) and yes I got used to it. Mum kept it very clean but we still had to be wary of red back spiders and snakes. We thought the garage was a palace after the tent and we were very happy living there.

David, Sandy and me outside
7 Eighth Ave,  Loftus.

David and me (and Sandy) in Eighth Ave. Loftus in front of our place, with the home made bread and milk box. Today it is a typical tar sealed, suburban road full of houses and front fences.

The letter box tree, National Ave, Loftus
  about 1950

 Our mail wasn't delivered to our street, we had to go down the road turn the corner and go up the hill, where there was a tree with all the letter boxes nailed to it of the people who lived in Eighth and Ninth Avenue.