1945 – 2nd Abbotsford remembered by Keith Bashford
2nd Abbotsford Sea Scouts
Some Brief Memories by Keith Bashford
When responding to Dee Hallett’s invitation to attend the celebration of 2nd Abbotsford Sea Scouts’ 80th Birthday, we talked briefly about the new Scout Hall and I mentioned that my father had designed and built the troop’s boat shed in the late 1950’s. This prompted Dee to ask if I would jot down a few memories of my time with the Sea Scouts – so here goes! As that discussion commenced with reference to the Scout buildings I will start with a summary of what I know about the history of building on this site.
THE SCOUT HALL
When I joined 2nd Abbotsford, in about 1945 or 1946, the scout hall, or “The Ship” as it was known, consisted of two buildings remaining of the old Abbotsford tidal swimming pool which was built around 1907. By the mid 40’s the pool enclosure had been demolished, leaving just the impressive sandstone sea-wall and two ageing weatherboard buildings. There was little reference to the site ever having been a public swimming pool. The photo below, downloaded from the City of Canada Bay Council’s web site, shows the pool in its heyday.
Abbotsford Bath circa 1920. Broadhurst Postcards, Mitchell Library Collection
12 Werrell Reserve
The reserve is named after Mervyn Werrell, Drummoyne Mayor (1953-55). It is the site of the Abbotsford saltwater/tidal swimming pool and its stone walls are still visible.
Swimming commenced there in 1907 and continued until the 1950s.*
*I have doubts about the 1950 date above, as the enclosure did NOT exist when I joined the Scouts.
The light coloured roof to the left of the photo is the building which became the main scout hall with the same veranda on the side facing the swimming pool. Probably it was originally the pool shop or restaurant, as it had shutters which opened out to that veranda. There was a small office at its North West corner which was used by the Scout Master and was known as the “Quarter Deck”.
The second building was to the South of the main hall, running parallel to the cliff face and was on land about 1m higher than the main hall. This building contained a kitchen, so the Scouts referred to it as “The Galley”. The following snap shows the entrance to this building with refreshments being brought down, probably for a social event attended by the Scouts’ parents and friends.
The steel fence spikes in the foreground of this snap are part of the original fence seen in the previous photo and the stone blocks are part of the original retaining wall. At this point there were steps down to a stone landing running along the water’s edge.
Both buildings were approaching the end of their useful lives. They needed considerable attention. White ants were already causing substantial damage to these buildings.
When I first joined the Troop; which was only shortly after the end of WW2, literally everything was in short supply. Building materials were very restricted and one had to line up early for the few non-essentials that came on the market. I well remember lining up from about 6am at Paddie Pallen’s camping gear shop near Wynyard, to buy a sleeping bag.
The Scouts had three boats at that time – a very old rowing boat about 18 ft long, an old but serviceable 16ft sailing skiff, and a dilapidated ancient 12ft sailing skiff. Storage of boats was a problem as two of them were kept in the main hall and had to be moved outside for every meeting then brought back in again!
THE NEW BOATSHED
The area, to the West of the main hall and at the foot of the steps down from the park was, at that time, a flat grassed area with a tall flag pole at its centre. Parades, team games and other outdoor activities were regularly held on that ground.
As things recovered after the war and materials became more readily available it was decided to build a boatshed. My father, John Bashford, undertook to design, gain Council approval and build a boatshed roughly where the current boat shed now stands. Subsequently a slipway was also built from the boat shed to the water. This slipway was always too steep for easy handling of boats.
ABBOTSFORD POINT
Great North Road was originally just that – the great road to the North!
Prior to the opening of the Gladesville and Iron Cove bridges in the 1880’s, the main route to the North was along Parramatta Rd, through Five Dock to Abbotsford, where punts and ferries transported people, goods and livestock across the river to Gladesville.
In the early 1900’s, trams were running to Abbotsford (until 1954 when they were replaced by busses), the baths were operational, and ferries were providing regular services to Circular Quay. At that time Abbotsford Point would have been a busy and popular location.
The level parkland by the water and the open space at the top of the cliff provided attractive and accessible recreational space, to watch the rowing and sailing, do a little fishing, or just relaxing in the sun. This popularity declined with the closure of the baths and the ceasing of ferry services (until the Rivercats were re-introduced).
During the 1940’s and 50’s the parkland at the top of the cliff was rather neglected and wild, with more scrubby bushes than open grass areas. This area was little used by the general public so, by default, it was virtually the Sea Scouts’ own playground! Also the Abbotsford Sailing Club building, currently just along from the Scout hall, did not exist at that time, so we had free access to the whole riverfront park area.
The Sydney Rowing Club was active, but did not attract the large number of patrons that it does now.
The Quarantine Reserve was then still in operation, quarantining animals arriving in Sydney from overseas. It was “out of bounds”, with a high fence enclosing the whole area.
PARRAMATTA RIVER
Throughout the time that I was a Sea Scout, about 1947 to 1956, the river was still an important route for commercial shipping:-
- Colliers brought coal from Newcastle mines to the Australian Gas Light Company’s plant at Mortlake, now the modern residential area known as Breakfast Point.
- There was a large wire works, and Nestle’s Chocolate factory on the shores of Abbotsford Bay; – both areas are now packed with home units.
- A paint factory in Hen & Chicken Bay, the State Abattoirs at Homebush, and many more factories still used the river as an important route to transport materials.
- The Halverson brothers were building their beautiful motor cruisers (now heritage boats) near the Ryde Bridge.
Three busy little wooden tugs, the Vim, the Van and the Valliant, regularly delivered barges loaded with timber and other raw materials up the river. Recreational boating was slowly recovering after the war years. Several rowing clubs and sailing clubs were active in the area. Few people owned their own pleasure craft, hence there was an active business in hiring out small motor boats.
The roof of Bailey’s Boatshed and the weather shed on the old wharf can be seen in the first photograph. Baileys hired out little motor boats in addition to their main business of repairing and building wooden boats.
Bailey’s Boatshed in 1908
13 Boatshed
As early as 1908 a boatshed has been on this site. At that time it was Alfred Charles Bailey’s
Boatshed with boats for hire.
ACTIVITIES
Rowing, sailing, regattas, and generally “mucking about in boats” were our prime interests. We often hired an open motorboat from Bailey’s for expeditions down the harbour, camping at harbour beaches such as Whiting Beach near Taronga Zoo, often visiting other sea scout troops at Mosman and Balmoral.
Scout sailing regattas were revived after the war, gradually becoming more ambitious and better organised. One Anniversary Day regatta down the harbour we were sailing “Valdora”, our old 16 foot skiff with wooden mast and cotton sails. We were well ahead of the fleet approaching the Bell Buoy just inside the Heads and a little North of the Sow and Pigs markers. There was a long, high swell running and just as we rounded the Bell Buoy it tilted towards us. The structure on the buoy carrying the bell and light, neatly ripped two panels from our mainsail and capsized our boat!
There was no hope of righting the boat as it had no buoyancy chambers! We just had to wallow in the water, taking all the jeers and insults from the rest of the fleet as they sailed past, and wait until a motorboat came to tow us back to shore. Not a happy day!
Camping and bush-walking were also high on our agenda, including regular camps at the Scout Campsite at Waterfall. Walks in the Blue Mountains were very memorable, although they could be very demanding and invariably there was the steep climb out of a valley to get back to civilisation. Somehow we also found time to learn other skills, to pass tests and to gain badges.
A group of us attended the Pan-Pacific Jamboree in Melbourne. We travelled by special train in, what I think, were the oldest carriages they could find! Meeting Scouts from all round the Pacific was a great experience.
SHARING THE HALL WITH SEA RANGERS
At that time Scouts were “Boy Scouts” and girls belonged to the “Girl Guides”. Scouts and Guides were, and no doubt still are, separate but closely linked organisations. Rangers in the Guides were the equivalent of Rovers in the Scouts.
In the early 1950’s a Sea Ranger group was having difficulty finding a suitable meeting place and they were invited to use the 2nd Abbotsford hall. The common interests and age group saw a considerable fraternisation between Rovers and Rangers leading to several marriages, including ours.
Some 60 years on and we still enjoy sharing our memories of those youthful years at Abbotsford. We wish the group, its current scouts and leaders, all the very best.
Marjorie and Keith Bashford
October 2012
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