My life as a souvenir

In my current role, I have the privilege of seeking out souvenirs of the city in which I work. An added bonus is the discovery of  items for my own home town. The quirky and the quaint are equally valued; but items with images have a double layer of meaning. I recently discovered one of these gems; here are the highlights.

Oak Avenue was part way along the Pacific Highway from Tweed Heads to Murwillumbah. 

My parents drove this way south to the District Hospital - the concrete slabs made a comforting railway track noise. After too many road accidents, the trees were eventually cut down. The now unmarked avenue has been bypassed, but is still a thoroughfare to the hinterland.   

My younger brothers and I were born under the pointed outlook of Wollumbin. 

The border fence separating Tweed Heads from Coolangatta had a dual role as the boundary delineating the playground for the children attending Tweed Heads Public School. 

The main street of Tweed Heads, Wharf Street, had buildings on one side only until the early 1970s when the "back channel" was reclaimed to develop the main shopping centre Tweed Mall. It was also the scene of many street parades, including Red Cross girls. 

The recreation ground in the centre of the image (pre-reclamation) was essential for primary school school athletics carnivals and the "march past".

The chalet was on top of the Razorback lookout, which took advantage of the view. 

Snapper Rocks Baths at Point Danger were a summer destination for all Tweed Heads children learning to swim. 

Jack Evans' Pet Porpoise Pool Tweed Heads

Travelling to Tweed River High School on the bus meant crossing the Boyds Bay bridge (out of view on the right of the image) past Ukerebagh Island in the Tweed River. 

There was much excitement in Geography class when we had to travel to Stotts Island for an in-the-field excursion. Until we experienced the leeches. It's one of the few locations on the Tweed which has retained its natural environment.

My first fully paid job, at the rate of $6.00 per day, was in the Kirra Beach cafe serving milkshakes and ice creams. Sweeping the floor once earned me an extra $10.00 which had fluttered out of someone's pocket. One year I spent a whole week's wages going to the Ekka.

Like my places of casual work, my favourite beaches were in Queensland. I spent my last day at Greenmount before going off to university.

Not a place I knew very well, living at the opposite end of the Shire, Cudgen became significant after I left home. Helping others to access local materials about Cudgen in faraway repostories led me to becoming a history researcher.

The Coolangatta, Q. label for the booklet is at odds with the subject matter - 10 of the 12 images were taken over the border in New South Wales. Sometimes, twins are inseparable.

Thanks to

musical memory

Learning about the historical events of a community is expected at a local history seminar, but finding out more about personal history was a bonus recently. I was thrilled to hear about my hometown, and further questions revealed a shared memory of primary school.

A gypsy chorus girl, Tweed Heads Primary School, 1969

I always remembered this photograph of myself in a "gypsy" costume, because it was one of the first I have in colour. Looking closely, I recall my mother's pink shawl, the apron made in sewing class, the curtain ring 'earrings', and a love of beads. It is probably the only photo with all my adult teeth, some painfully extracted at a later age. I remember the make-up being applied with my mother in attendance, on the landing at the top of the stairs leading to the main Primary School Hall. 

The stairs leading to the School Hall in 2019

Until this year, I didn't remember the name of the musical or how it came to be. That's where the seminar provided an amazing connection - the teacher who had been tasked with organising the musical also attended. Yvonne, a Tweed Shire local, returned for a two-year teaching stint at Tweed Heads Primary School. She was asked to arrange a musical in both 1969 and 1970.

Her first choice was "The Gypsy Gay", the lead character "Romany Rof". Trove reveals that this musical was a stalwart of school productions for many years in many Australian states. 

Did participation also bestow a love of musicals and being part of them? Certainly I tried in high school, but never made it past the chorus line.