LANDSCAPE AND MEMORY

People's attachment to their local place emerged strongly from this project. In their mind’s eye most people interviewed saw the 1930s landscapes as sparsely populated even in the most settled of areas. Large stretches of bush in between the houses and many dirt roads loom in their memories.

Pat Curtis describes the scene:

 …nobody would leave, voluntarily leave this area because you had the bush, and you had the sea and the surf and the harbour. It was really, it seems as though the whole world was here… even Allambie Heights in the 1930s – it was like being in the mountains, because there were no houses. There was nothing to be seen … you had this feeling of being up in the air. And you could see across to Manly

Society at this time was highly localised and many people lived near their place of work, especially further up the peninsula where public transport was limited. Many thought that beyond Dee Why it was all ‘thick bush’.

Because there was so much open space bushfire was an ever-present danger. Gwen Jack remembers:

All the Collaroy area adjoining Long Reef … was completely bare and almost every Christmas there would be a bush fire out there and the whole of that area would be alight. It was quite spectacular…

The sea was a central part of many narratives; stories about varying uses of the harbour and beaches for leisure, play and work – swimming, surfing, fishing , sailing, journeys to and from work. Many interviewees gave lush descriptions of 'magic' sights, of clear waters, lots of bush through which they roamed, plenty of fish and rabbits, with few people and great freedom. Harold Mildwater recalls:

Any spare time we had we were down the beach… Always the beach until we were married… we all had pushbikes. Sometimes we’d ride from here to Palm Beach and take our lunch for the day… or you might go anywhere at all… to Narrabeen. Until I was in the surf club and started going competitive I’d never been to places like Bondi, Cronulla because you just didn’t go – why would you leave Manly?