The importance of preserving memories for subsequent generations
We had a lovely email from Rhonda with her memories of Middle Harbour Public School – parts 1 and 2 are now online – and thought Rhonda wouldn’t mind if we published her words on our blog. Local memories don’t just record facts of the past; they are redolent of the spirit of the time. And of course, they can be memories from yesterday, as well as of 50 years ago.
I must firstly tell you, in case you have already discovered this, I have already been a contributor to the ‘Mosman Memories Site’ but I have lost any user name etc that I might have had at that time. I lived in Hale Road just across the road from where Middle Harbour School has in recent years been extended. When my Sisters and I attended school there we had to walk right around the block via Erith Street and hence into Macpherson Street. Now of course our house no longer stands with a Retirement Village on the site and there, just over the road is the School! A friend of mine who lived down the road and whom I had not seen for around fifty years read my article on Hale Road and through M.M. we have a renewed friendship that started when we were children all those years ago. She now lives in Carlingford. With both of us owning computers we email each other on a regular basis. As you can imagine we have gone over all of those things we did and saw as children growing up in the late forties and early fifties in good old Mosman. After eighteen months or so we still haven’t run out of topics. It has been great!
But I digress. I would like to add an article on Middle Harbour School as it was back then. My friend has created a book which she presented to M.H.S of her years there and what she remembers which might be a little different from mine. There is only two years difference in our ages but we do have different memories.
Since writing my article on Hale Road and Mackie Lane one of my Sisters has sadly passed away which made me realise the importance of preserving memories for subsequent generations. Many of my friends have expressed interest in what Mosman Library are doing (have been doing) to keep these important details alive and want to encourage their own local Councils or Libraries to do the same. So I congratulate you all there for the work that you have been involved in and implore you to keep up the good work!
Yours faithfully, Rhonda Blunt (nee Higgerson)
Thank you Rhonda! We certainly intend to maintain this site, and will be working on some improvements in the New Year.
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I read here that Mosman was incorporated in 1893. That was the year my grandmother was born, possibly in Adelaide. I lived with her for about a year perhaps, in an old style block of flats at, I think, 2 Mosman Road. near Mosman Bay Wharf. It’s now a modernistic building. There was a walk down stairs to the wharf. I suppose I lead something of a charmed life taking the ferry by myself into the city to watch a film. Also walking along Cremorne Point on a Sunday by myself. She taught me wonderful things like ‘‘What you miss on the swings you get on the round-abouts’‘ and ‘‘Don’t change horses in mid-stream’‘. Living with her in the 1950’s perhaps was an insight into a totally different world than that I experienced living in Singapore.
I have taken my wife to Mosman Bay and Cremorne Point and we were both over-whelmed by the beauty and way of life. We should be eternally grateful to have lived in such beautiful surroundings, in peace and harmony.
— MICHAEL CORRELL · 3 November 2018, 04:52 · #