We were glad to get the house

We were glad to get the house and settled down and had our five children there. We all more or less moved in together - Cunninghams, Gillfeeders, Hitchens. Heingsts, Wills, Opeks, Czesawas, Furlongers.

The houses were cold. We had a big black fuel stove in the kitchen but at first it didn't even have an ash pan. Other people had cream and green stoves and we decided to paint ours but it was a disaster.

Other appliances in the kitchen were a sink heater and an ice chest. In the laundry was a big black copper which I had to light up each day to boil the nappies. There was a 'puffing billy' in the bathroom and the whole house would rattle when it got going.

None of us had phones - there was a phone up on the corner of Hart or Todd Street. We were good friends with Cliff and Lola Clayton in Finn Street and we'd often throw a stone on the iron roof to arrange a card party or a yarn over the back fence.

You had to go to Civic or Kingston for a reel of cotton until Cosier's store was built - it was built the year we arrived. It was good to get the preschool, and when St Josephs was built my daughter could walk rather than catch the bus to St Pat's.

We had lovely neighbours and everyone was really good. We planted a lawn and built a chook yard. We were happy there.

Ina Callahan, Busby Street, 1950-1962 (contributed 1996)

Stories

•  The first to be handed over

•  Block 5 section 36

•  Just the house on a bare suburban block

•  The japonica hedge and other improvements

•  We were glad to get the house

•  'Good luck with the rocks, Bruce!'