STREET MYSTERIES

Sir Joseph Banks Street held a number of mysteries for us kids back in the 1950s and later. The big Engisch family (publisher of the local "Torch" independent newspaper) home among trees on the western side, midway to Stacey Street, and the deserted and abandoned home several blocks up from Rickard Road on the western side (north of where Macca's was later built), had us intrigued. The latter was eventually demolished in preparation for the first high density home construction in the area. It was this area which became infamous when the BLF imposed a green ban on it during the late 1960s. This was (possibly) the first green ban imposed outside of Sydney proper (?).

LEARNING TO DRIVE in the mid-1960s

  
My pal Ted who I've known since infants school taught me to drive in his recently purchased FC model Holden back in 1965. This had a 3-on-the-tree gear change, meaning it had a 3-speed manual gearbox with the gear change attached to the steering column, the lever falling nicely to hand under the steering wheel. He soon tired of the Holden and acquired a Wolseley 1500 as it had a 4-speed shift in the usual spot; between the bucket seats. Meantime Dad suggested I go through a driving school as the DMT (Department of Motor Transport, later absorbed by the RTA) looked more favourably on learners who took lessons from a professional. I was lucky to have a lovely lady in a VW Beetle as my instructor. The most embarrassing event during my term of lessons was grabbing her knee rather than the gearshift in heavy traffic! Judging by her amused reaction, I later guessed it wasn't unusual. But at the time my face was probably the shade of a stop light. I passed without any problems and began looking for a cheap car. That's another story.

PETS

We only had two pets in my childhood. First came Soot, a rather nondescript black cat. He was more attracted to Mum and I don't have any memories of him, apart from his usually being locked in the laundry during Empire Day, described elsewhere. Naughty kids had a nasty habit of tying crackers to cats' and dogs' tails at the time, so it was usual to keep animals confined and out of harm's way.

Our one and only dog was a haughty Pekinese, Ching. He was nothing like the memorable Tricky Woo seen in 'All Creatures Great and Small'. Ching was brown and white, and looked like a pig during hot summers. The folks felt sorry for him sweating in heat waves and would have him shorn, somewhat like a sheep, by the local vet. He took to Dad and I was only an also ran. He once escaped out of the yard and I had to save him from one of the neighbours' much bigger dogs. By way of thanks he turned on me and sunk his teeth into my thumb. Ouch! The other dog took off and a neighbour came running out, to accuse me of mistreating Ching. She thought Ching was howling whereas the loud screams were coming from yours truly!

FIRST CAR - MAZDA R360 Coupe

My first car was a tiny Mazda which I spotted in a car yard on Canterbury Road, Lakemba in 1966. It was love at first sight! Dark red in colour, a 2-door with bucket seats, it seemed to wag its rear bumper like some lonely dog looking for a home. The bloke at Ideal Cars, later one of Sydney's biggest Mazda dealers of the 1970s, didn't have to do any fast talking. In fact he may have tried to talk me out of it but I had stars in my eyes. Dad I should mention only obtained his licence after I obtained mine, and he cheerfully built a mini garage down the side of the house. This just fitted the cheeky little beast which eventually cost me a lot of money when I blew a cylinder.

Someone asked, possibly the dealer, if I'd read the handbook. "Handbook?", I queried. Yes, there was a handbook in the glove compartment which revealed that my Mazda had a recommended cruising speed of 19 mph and a maximum speed of 25 mph! I'd been driving it at close to 60mph (just under 100kph) on trips outside the city. The dealer told me the car had been designed for use on Pacific islands where speeds were low. The car in fact was over-engineered in other respects with superb construction and a brilliant suspension system which I'd certainly tested to its limits. The 360cc 2-cylinder aluminium motor was another matter entirely. I ended up selling the R360 back to the dealer when I blew the other cylinder. Unfortunately I didn't photograph my car but I've found an online image.