Battery Point in those days was nothing like the trendy place it is today. Most of the men were working class and many families rented their houses because they could not afford to buy them. There was, however, a great deal of friendship and people looked out for each other. I found it a great place to grow up as a youth, particularly with the slips and the river as my playgrounds. The other playground was Queenborough. When Sandy Bay were playing at home we would walk from home down Grassy Hill, along Marieville Esplanade and past the Rifle Range, as it was then, to the ground.Like a lot of people in Battery Point we did not have a car at that time.
The Sandy Bay Football Club had been established in 1945 and won its first premiership in 1946. In 1952 the Seagulls as they were known, led by Gordon Bowman, won the Premiership and I think half of Battery Point were at North Hobart oval that day. I remember around about 7.00 that night going down to the Shipwright’s Arms and sitting on a window ledge of the hotel, watching the comings and goings and listening to the riotous celebrations happening inside.
There has been talk recently of placing a deposit on bottles and cans. A form of this existed back in those days. Cordial bottles returned to the shop earned the returner threepence. I can still remember being at the football where someone was drinking a bottle of cordial and three or four kids watching every mouthful and asking, ‘Can I have the bottle when you have finished Mister or Missus?’ The same thing applied with beer bottles. I have an idea that if you returned a carton of 12 large empty beer bottles to the Brewery you were paid one shilling, which could be used to buy more beer and so the cycle continued. I do not think cans and stubbies existed in those days.
If I were fortunate enough to be given sixpence, I could go to Cooper’s shop across the road from our place and for that I could get an ice cream cone and a small bottle of cordial. Where that shop was is now an Art Gallery. A special treat was for Mum to give us some money on a Sunday afternoon and my sister Jane and I would go to Bahr’s Lolly Shop. The only problem was that there was such a wonderful array of lollies it was always difficult to make up our minds. I also remember the marvellous milkshakes from Warne’s Milk Bar on Sandy Bay Road.
I experienced a bit of sectarian bitterness as a young boy. I started school at St. Joseph’s, which was run by the Sisters of Charity and was where the Collegiate Junior School is now situated on the corner of Molle and Macquarie Streets. Walking to school, probably with Kelvin and Garth Cobern, we had to walk past Albuera Street school where we were subjected to taunts such as ‘Catholic dogs sitting on logs eating maggots out of frogs’. I honestly cannot remember what we said but I have no doubt we gave as good as we got. I should add it was really just banter and nowhere nearly as bad as it might sound in the telling.
The other significant event for our family at this time was to get our first car in 1951. It was a 1928 Chev 4 in absolutely magnificent condition. It did not have to be cranked to start it, but I remember something about having to advance the spark and I assume there was a manual choke. It was really roomy and my sister Jane and I could sit in the back seat and our legs would not touch the front seat. Having a car meant many new experiences such as going to beaches such as Seven Mile or Marion Bay for the day.
Looking back I realise in many ways how lucky I was to grow up in Battery Point. People looked out for each other and if help or support was needed it was readily given. I think of some of the families who lived near us. Jock Muir lived in St George’s Terrace. His sons John, Ross and Greg were friends of mine and his daughter Lyn was a friend of Jane. Just along from their place was the home of Mr. Shepherd the plumber and his sons Tony and Barry who were mates of mine. Jock Muir’s brother Don lived a little way down Colville Street and near him Mr. Edwards and his sons who were shipping agents. The Briggs lived across the road from us and their son Grahame was heavily involved in amateur athletics as an official for many years. Bill and John Dobbie lived in Napoleon Street in what seemed like a mansion to me. There are many other families I could mention and perhaps some people reading this could add names of their families who lived on the Point.
I should mention in closing that there was a police station in DeWitt street where a house named Connage now stands. Sergeant Yost was in charge of the station and it was during his time when I was a 10 year old that I had my first and only brush with the law. Perhaps that is a story for telling at another time!
