Wallingford Berks Line

Learned piano from the convent. Played for years at dances in Temora.

EARLY DAYS IN JUNEE AS GATHERED IN 1980 Contributed by Tommina Campbell Weston nee Lovelock

BOARDING HOUSES:

"Bushmen's Home" or" Millions Club", Cnr of Hill Street and Goulburn Street. For swaggies or road people. Kept by Edwards and later in the 1930s by Mrs Scoullar. No longer exists.

"Cromer", Belmore Street. Two storeys. Owned by Scarlett's. Henderson lived alongside, which later became the Salvation Army Hall. I the 1930s, "Cromer" was converted into a private hospital run by Dr Ronald Cuttle of Lisgar Street, Junee nearby the Railway Institute Library.

Residence next to the Masonic Hall, Belmore Street. Managed by Emma Lovelock and daughter Tommina Campbell (Mina) Lovelock as a boarding house. It was set up by Reg Lovelock to help his mother on the death of his father in 1909.

Broadway nr Parkes Fruit Shop Probably near present RSL.

Maud Terrace, Lisgar Street Opposite Blacksmith, near Doctor Cuttle's. Two storey terrace. Boarding house.

DOCTORS:

Dr Flanagan lived in a brick house opposite the school in Stewart Street. He was independent. He would not consult with Dr Button of Lisgar street who preceded Dr R. Cuttle but preferred to call in Dr Stokes of Wagga Wagga. When Auntie Mina had appendicitis, she was in the old wooden Cottage Hospital, Commins Street Hospital Hill for four weeks. During the typhoid plague there were 'tents' all over the hospital grounds. This also happened during the 'flu' epidemic.

Dr Button was very meticulous in appearance, well dressed complete with his bell topper hat, gloves and cane driving a horse and sulky. He often had a driver. During the flu epidemic, the public school was closed and used as a hospital. People wore masks when they want outside their homes.

HOTELS:

"Locomotive Hotel" Millers were the licensee. It was near O'Connor's Railway Gates at the bottom of Hill Street and was serviced by carrier Con O'Sullivan who had a flat top horse lorry. He drove the horse and sulky to the Catholic Church.

"Railway Hotel" (now the "Junee") On Seignior Street near Providore (Keasts) General Store.

"Red Cow" (Union Club) On Junction Street across the railways form the Black Bridge in Main Street used by railway workers from "Round House" (Turntable) Sheds and as barracks for railway crew resting between jobs.

"Broadway Hotel" Built by Tom Mutch who also built the Presbyterian Church.

"Commercial Hotel" Licensees were Doyles. It was almost opposite the "Loftus Hotel".

"Loftus Hotel" Managed by Nellie Edmonds. It still has a beautiful staircase. It was used as a base for Flynn's (Horse) Cabs which met trains at the station and took brides to church. Country people who came to town shopping stayed at the hotel. It had a horse and contraption area. The people mover: the "Sociable" was kept there.

GENERAL STORES

J.S. Taylor owned a large general store on Broadway. Before that he owned a blacksmith's business in Broadway. He also owned the first car in Junee in 1917 which had the first accident in Junee when it hit a post at the Post Office.

"Farleys" A grocery shop in Main Street, it had silver trays with the business name engraved.

"Dobbyns" These were markets in Lisgar Street and Peel Street. They stocked local foodstuffs. There were Saturday afternoon markets for vegetables and fruit. It was a private home in Hill Street and was later used by nurse Shea and nurse Matheson as a private maternity hospital.

SHOPS & SERVICES

Barbers Vaughan's - Myers. It was on the corner of the Loftus Hotel in Main Street.

Saddleries "J.E. Hoard" next to Wright Heatons. 1884. In Seignor Street. "J.S. Taylor", Broadway. Mostly farmer's accounts. "Duck's Saddlery". Circa 1900 followed by "Hiscocks" in 1920s. "Duck's Saddlery" later became a sports store in 1930: "Bill Hiscock & Son"

Drapery & Shoes "Copplestones"

Chemists Alec Matheson, located on the cnr of Lisgar and Lorne Streets.

Furniture "Swans" in Main Street

Butchers "Edwards" in Main Street "George Webb" in Harefield Rd "Duck" in North Junee

Lawyer Alphonse Crawley near Keasts Providore General Store Cummins in Seignor St

Post Office Mail was delivered by a postman on a horse or on foot. Jack Usher delivered the "Saddlebag Mail" six days in every week. He later got a bike.

FACTORIES

Straw Factory It operated in the 1930s during the Depression years. The factory made bottle casings and was on the way to Park Triangle.

Cordial Factory It was on George Street near the railways line. It was built during the 1930s.

Wine Vaults McWilliams, Broadway. Black vinegar was sold at 3d a bottle near the Union Bank.

MEMORIALS

War Memorials 1914-1918 Roy Gardner helped build the Memorial Clock Tower. A Cannon from the 1914-18 War was situated alongside the Clock Tower. The cannon was probably given to the war effort in the 1939-45 War to be used as 'war material'. At the end of the 1914-18 War a big celebration was held and medals were given to school children to the sound of the town band.

THEATRES & CINEMA

Open Air Pictures Operated in the 1920s. It was on Lisgar Street opposite the doctors and near the Fire Brigade. Prices: Children 6d. Adults 1/-

Lyceum Theatre Was on Lisgar Street opposite the side nearer Lorne Street. It was a corrugated iron building. Silent films were shown there in the 1920s: biblical epics, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd. School and Sunday School concerts were produced there.

Athenium Theatre (now Jadda) Maurice Lovelock worked here as a projectionist. It showed both silent and later talking pictures.

Travelling Picture Shows Arthur Sterry and his brother Frederick and Fred's son Keith had a touring 'talkie' business called "Regent Pictures". They travelled in a van or wagon and had their own projector system. They travelled around smaller county towns.

TRAVELLING SALESMEN

Travelling Hawkers Indians with materials and jewellery called to town in covered wagons. Syrian women with packs on their backs came door to door with silks and medicinal supplies such as "Rawleights".

Chinese Greengrocers They walked town with two baskets supported by a pole across their shoulders. They often produced gifts of green ginger in ceramic jars for a good sale. They sold china tea. Some had a horse and covered cart. They sold door to door.

Travelling Tea Merchants Tea retailed in 50 lb chests with brands such as "Edwards", "Globe" and "Griffiths".

Travelling Photographers J. S. Taylor hired out a room to photographers who travelled from the city on a yearly country circuit. Group photos were popular: family, home, sporting teams, church groups, civic groups. Fred Sterry ran a travelling photography business. He planned his route around county towns on a yearly basis and often stayed with the Westons and took photos of the family.

Home Delivery Grocery orders were delivered each Monday afternoon by horse and cart. The main stores in town - Taylors, Keasts, Farleys - took turns filling and delivering orders. The Co-op and Ogilvie later vied for business. A free bag of biscuits or boiled lollies came with each order if ten per cent of the order was paid for within a month.

The green grocer came in a horse and covered cart and sold from the street in front of the houses. The baker came daily with bread in covered heavy cane baskets. 4d a loaf for tin loaf, cottage, french, pipe loaf, vienna, square and buns.

Although many town people kept their own shorthorn or jersey cow, the milkman did a daily round of milk cans on the back of a cart. A steel covered lid jug holding about 1 quart was used to fill a smaller jug or billy can container at each house. The Westons kept their own cow in a paddock over the hill. The milk was separated for cream. Clotted cream was used on meals and in cooking. They also made their own butter.

Many other travelling salesmen, hawkers of brooms and sellers of haberdashery were often seen. Many disabled veterans of WW1 took to the road as employment chances were not plentiful (and there was no dole!). Other goods and services that could be bought from travelling hawkers were house linen, religious literature, rabbits (6d each), poultry and dairy products (from farmers' wives). At this time poultry was a luxury. Butter was 1/- lb direct from the farm. Meat prices were within the reach of the ordinary wage earner.

Fruit trucks came from the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area carrying fruit in buckets (in case lots for a quick sale) around the streets.

TOWN TRANSPORT

There was a flat topped lorry drawn by one or two horses. The driver sat on the front corner of the flat top.

The 'paper train' arrived daily at 4pm with the morning papers from Sydney.

SWAGMEN

"Swaggies" were often on the road following the First World War. They left signs on fence posts as a guide to other road men to indicate the chance of getting a meal to help them on their way. The Westons always obliged. Swaggies shared their food, usually at midday, and sat under the trees outside to eat it.

STOCK

Hill Street was once a Stock Route and cattle and sheep were often driven past the Westons' place on their way to the resting place of the Common. The Weston boys were often given a calf if it could not keep up with the 'drive' and could not be looked after in their sulky. Two to three men kept the flock or herd moving with the help of a few dogs.

Livery Stable Opposite the Loftus Hotel in Peel Street, it was owned by Gus Hught. About 1890+ county people drove to town in a horse and buggy for shopping and often stayed overnight.

PERSONALITIES

Ella Martin went to the public school with Auntie Mina who learned piano from the Convent. Ella Martin became a Salvation Army convert. Because of her Salvation Army interests she became the butt of some cruel jokes. Uncle Charlie also learned violin at the Convent.

Miss Pridge ran the sweet shop on the corner of Lorne Street. Mrs Kelleher of George St was Uncle Frank's mother having married a second time. Her daughter Lisa married a Mr Byrnes and had a daughter daisy.