Old Fashioned September

[ishtat]

That brings back memories of when I was staying with relations at Palm Beach and passed Dee Why on the way to and from Sydney. I tried to swim at all of Sydney's beaches but only managed the Northern ones and Bondi.

But that was nearly 50 years ago. Sydney and its beaches have changed since then.

Og

That's not a bad effort, there are 25 different Ocean beaches between Bondi and Palm Beach and loads more on the Harbour and other inlets.

I hope your rellies still have a Palm Beach property .It's a millionaires playground now and a timber shack near the beach will set you back at least $2 to $3 million.

 

[oggbashan]

That's not a bad effort, there are 25 different Ocean beaches between Bondi and Palm Beach and loads more on the Harbour and other inlets.

I hope your rellies still have a Palm Beach property .It's a millionaires playground now and a timber shack near the beach will set you back at least $2 to $3 million.

It was a millionaires playground then. They had a property facing Pitt Water with a private jetty long enough for their cabin cruiser and a tidal swimming pool on one side of the jetty. I remember helping them use a large net to evict a small shark (six footer) from their pool. At dawn and dusk I could watch the wildlife in Kuringai Chase.

Unfortunately for me they were distant relations, not so distant that we didn't keep in contact, but the grandparents of a large family who inherited the house and still use it as a summer retreat, taking it in turns. One part of the Australian branch of the family owned a sizeable agricultural property in Northern NSW for dairy cattle and bananas, and a different part owned a small beach front hotel on a large plot in Surfer's Paradise that has long been demolished and replaced by a massive complex.

One of my distant cousins qualified as a veterinarian specialising in sheep and cattle. He has retired many years ago but he worked on a Northern Territory station. Originally he made his rounds of the station on horseback, then by motorcycle, then by light plane and finally by helicopter. He took examinations to become a pilot and a helicopter pilot and flew himself until he was in his sixties when he had to hand over the flying to a younger man.

My wife also has Australian relations, but while mine are mainly in NSW, Vic and Queensland, hers are in WA around Kalgoorlie.

Og