My early thoughts and memories (1926-1950)

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Excerpts transcribed verbatim from Mr Caporn’s handwritten memories

Attended school 1st Artarmon, as living at Artarmon then (circa 1932). This was our second residence as first one at Willoughby and had to shift as Dad out of work through Great Depression, and live with his in-laws, Mum’s parents.

Then through Great Depression Dad no work so back to Chatswood and in-laws (Dad’s), so sent to school at Chatswood but not a success so Mum shifted me to Roseville to start again around 1933, possibly 2nd Class, as I remember, 3rd Class Miss Heydon teacher.

Lived in Chatswood to 1940? as by then I was attending Crows Nest Junior Technical on Pacific Highway opposite the old Mater Hospital so went to school by tram, walk down from Ashley St to Victoria Ave and terminus by station.

By this time Mum had to work and did part time at Baden’s Drapery by tram terminal as on return from school I would call in [to] see her.

Whilst in this period, the 30s, we had a vegetable garden in rear of house and I had a couple of vegetable gardens to grow lettuce and carrots. For fertiliser I would pull my billy cart down to Victoria Ave to the bakery horse stable just to the west of the Town Hall backing onto the lane. Load up horse manure and pull home for my vegetables. We had an apple tree, two persimmon trees, orange and mandarin.

Around 1938 or so my aunt (spinster), trained nurse, went into patient visiting, and Mabel had a garage built and bought a car, an Austin Wasp soft top four seater, two doors, and Mabel had a few patients around the area. The garage was at the rear and backed onto the lane. There were a few more garages backing onto the lane including our neighbour on the east side, a widow with one grown daughter, Allie, and her mother was Mrs L Thompson.

The lane was used by the baker, milkman and iceman, also by us boys for cricket at the Archer Street end as a boy. George Netherby, lived in Archer Street on the high side of the lane and a family of two boys lived on the down side with a dog. I think we used a box for a wicket. Jack Jones and a brother.

Then there was another boy further down Archer Street, Brian Semple and another one from Rose Street, Arthur Clapham.

Sometimes we would play at Beauchamp Park oval, possibly football. Beauchamp Park, at the outbreak of World War Two had two searchlight batteries there after 1939 and the big deal of the day was to go over when night fell to see them light up and sweep the sky.

I had a billy cart upon wheels scrounged from somewhere and would go to the blacksmith’s shop on the northern corner of Fullers Road and the Pacific Highway to get an axle made and watch the smithy at work; absolutely amazing to watch what he did at the forge.

We also had a telephone on the wall in the hallway and the number was JA 2396 for her nursing visits.

Hot Water – At 136 Ashley, per a chip heater, by using newspaper and wood generally [big boxes?]. Gave about an 1” of boiling hot water. No inside toilet as right at the rear of the house.

When I think about it, I could have been the only Australian boy with two Shetland Island grandparents around.

By 1942 my father had remained in work after the effects of the Great Depression [long enough] to place a deposit on a house in Lane Cove and we moved to Lane Cove.