These are some of my personal recollections and memories in my early years of growing up living in Canowindra until 26 July 1957. I was born on 14 May 1941 in Canowindra at the Grantham Private Hospital, which was located in Rodd Street. My delivery doctor was Dr John Gribbon.
I was the son of Harry and Venus Kelly, the third of 9 children. We initially lived in the village of Billimarri and I commenced my schooling there. From there we moved into Canowindra into a house on the Woodstock Road and continued my schooling at the Canowindra and District Rural School. From Woodstock Road we relocated to a housing commission home at No. 63 Ryall Street. This home was one of 10 new commission homes built by the Government. I lived here until my move to Canberra as a 16 year old in 1957.
My grandparents on my father's side were George and Margaret Kelly who had a property on the Goolagong Road on the left hand side just past the corner where the fish fossil site was found. The house was very close to the river bank and was flooded at times in the big floods. They travelled by horse and sulky as their mode of transport like many others.
My grandparents on my mothers side were James and Lillian Dietrich who also had a property on the Goolagong Road and the property was named “Kalang” the property where the fish fossils were discovered.
In the summer months my father for years share farmed the lucerne on the river flats down the Rivers Road owned by Freddie Walker, the father of Councillor Kevin Walker. Water from the river and Cucumber creek flooded the flats over the years in the big floods and ruined many a harvest. On many weekends I spent helping dad, driving the Clydesdale horses either mowing, raking or on the hay wagon. Moving on from share farming Dad took up wool pressing through Grazcos Co-operative Ltd who were responsible for putting shearing shed teams together throughout NSW. He also spent time working at the flour mill operated by The Great Western Milling Co. I recall visiting the mill to watch it's operations.
Whilst living at Billimari during the second world war, being very young, I vaguely remember the Japanese breakout on 5 August 1944 from the POW camp in Cowra. We were in Canowindra at the time of the breakout and we waited outside the Garden of Roses cafe awaiting for further news of the breakout. It was first reported that the POW's were heading in the direction of Canowindra and we had to wait for further information before been allowed to return home to Billimari.
I left school in the May of 1956 upon reaching the age of 15. Looking back on my memories at school were that of the fun and the good years that I had and we all had. Although I didn't reach any great heights study wise, maybe my sporting activities were more concentrated on, being appointed cricked captain for the school and challenging Saint Eddies to an inter-school cricket match. Unfortunately the result didn't go the Public school's way. One year I managed to win the final of the school's tennis tournament. Some 68 years later I still possess the Slazenger Challenge tennis racquet that my father gave me to play tennis. On occasions I was called upon to play cricket for the Wanderer's cricket team, playing at Cargo and Cranbury. As well as my father, I recall some of the the team which included Terry Kearns, who managed the goods shed at the railway station for many years, George Simmons, the father of Royce, and was a butcher at Freddie Lindeman's butchers shop. Royce was a very well known rugby league football player. Another I remember is Hordern Mulligan, son of Gil Mulligan who had the menswear shop.
Work wise whilst schooling, myself and another student, Ray Dixon were the first two paperboys in Canowindra delivering papers for Mr Harold Scoble who had the newsagent. Two afternoon papers “The Sun” and the “Mirror” were published 5 days a week in Sydney and flown to Cowra and then transported to Canowindra arriving around 4.30 - 5pm. Walking the street selling to businesses and the hotels. Ray had the Royal and Canowindra while I had the Junction and Victoria hotels. These hotels were packed each evening with patrons after work.
The other place where I sought to earn a penny or two was at Newlings cordial factory in Gaskill Street. Although I mostly volunteered my time at the factory helping out, pay day did arrive at Christmas time. The factory also supplied a truck with the soft drinks to sell at cricket matches at The Oval, and on occasions I operated this service, and was able to earn a few pence. Drinks were kept cool with a block of ice and a wheat bag on the hot summer days. Any soft drink bottles that I came across I cashed them in at the factory.
I also did some voluntary work for the Ambulance Service, whereby on Saturday mornings outside John Quill's dentist and Harold Williams variety store, would call out “A mile of pennies for the Ambulance” and collect pennies until the shops closed. The pennies would be lined up for some distance along the shops. I recall the Ambulance Officer at the time was Mr O'Dwyer who lived next door to us at 61 Ryall Street.
Others that I remember well are Rolly Frost (shoe store) Townsend's and Sutton's (electrical stores) Gil Mulligan and Son (menswear store) and many others that were mentioned in Berna Wright's talk at the Red Cross luncheon in 1998.
In addition to the popular swimming hole by the Swinging Bridge I remember another popular place to swim in the river, was right at the very end of Gaskill Street past the swimming pool. It was only a short walk to the river from there.
The Strand Theatre was always a popular place to go to the pictures and was the venue where the school held their school plays. I recall I was in a play based on the song 'Waltz Sing Matilda' and my part being one of the troopers.
It was big excitement when Wirth's circus came to town via the railway and luckily they had the space nearby to hoist the big top. Memories of the motor and goods trains coming to town regularly. The big steam engine of the goods train huffing and puffing whilst being refilled with water. I can only recall on a couple of occasions that I travelled on the motor train, when I was about 13-14 my father took me to Sydney at Easter for the races at Randwick. Motor train to Cowra then steam train to Sydney and vice versa.
Roy Ayrton, the blacksmith on Ryall Street was a place I visited regularly. He worked at the rear of a very large shed filled with farm machinery, sulkies etc. I would just call to chat and watch him apply his trade.
The boot maker was Alf Kettor and he was located next to the Commonwealth Bank and many a time would pay him a visit. I also recall he carried out bike repairs.
I recall the taxi service was operated by the Backash family and they resided next to us when we lived on the Woodstock Road.
The Freezing Works was managed by Jack Stellar and was a popular place during the rabbit plague. On a Saturday morning each week there would be trailers, utilities, trucks etc lined up for some distance to cash in on their weeks catch. The rabbits then would be transported by rail to their destination for processing. Many times over the years my father and I would go rabbiting mainly on properties owned by Claude Rue and Ken Cullen whose properties were on the Mandurama Road. We either trapped the rabbits, dug them out or shot them, we then took them to the freezing works to cash in. Living close to the freezing works, on occasions I was required to take my billy cart and pick up a large block of ice for our ice chest.
Having no television, no computers and no phones you always could find many a thing to do (other than school) from daylight to dark, weekdays to weekends to pass the time away. Catching yabbies in the railway dam, chasing rabbits up on Pine Hill, playing marbles by the railway station, cricket on the road etc, and many other self motivated activities. Boredom was never a factor.
Upon leaving school in May 1956, employment was easy to come by, in the 12 months before leaving Canowindra, firstly I worked for a Mr Col Robson who ran a sheep and wheat farm on the Rivers Road. I cycled each day to and from the farm. My next employment was with a Mr Beasley who had a bee farm on the property, The Pines on the Cudal Road. This Mr Beasley had a brother Arthur who was the principal at the public school at the time. I also cycled to the property but had accommodation there for the week. If I was lucky enough of a Monday morning I would hitch a ride on the school bus to the property. The last employment I had before leaving Canowindra was at Mr Bob Hilton's dairy on Clyburn Street over beyond Brown's chaff cutting operations. In between these jobs I managed to get 2 weeks employment through Grazcos in a shearing shed on a property called Larras Lee near Molong. My job was picking up the fleeces and the tar boy.
I left Canowindra 27 July 1957 for Canberra and have resided here since, and still call Canowindra home.
When Kevin left Canowindra he started work with the Post Master General's Department in Canberra as a telegram delivery boy. After a few years he worked in retailing in Canberra before moving back to the public service with the Royal Australian Mint and later, the Defence Department.
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