Kurri Kurri NSW

My father, Albert Edward ‘Ned’ Falk, was the first-born child of Louis Andrew Falk and Sarah Ethel Llewellyn.  Dad was born in Wallsend NSW 12 April 1911. He attended school in Wallsend before the family moved to Weston in 1924 and completed his education at the Weston Public School.  Did Ned like school? I don’t think so! I recall hearing of the time when Nanna Falk was talking to an acquaintance up in the Weston shopping centre and telling her that poor Ned had to miss school and was home sick in bed. Apparently the woman looked a little dubious when she told Nanna Falk  that she had just seen young Ned out playing with another boy!  It is believed that this occasion may have been the origin of young Albert being nicknamed ‘Ned’, after the outlaw Ned Kelly. Rumour has it that my grandparents had a terrible time trying to keep Dad at school!

I’m told that my father was always very innovative and when he was quite young, he built a lathe for wood turning. He set his lathe up at the back of the shed at his old family home in Ninth Street, Weston and ground down old files to use for chisels.  Peddling the lathe, Ned would start with a solid piece of wood and turn it into a fancy smoker’s stand or another type of useful item.  He used to sell his smokers stands for two shillings and sixpence  (25c).  After receiving payment from the sale of his pieces he would visit the hardware store to invest his money in another tool. He kept up this practice his whole life, putting any money he made from his handiwork back into new tools. 

Ned made many different items including coal boxes, shaving cabinets, lamps and tables, although some tasks proved to be more challenging than others. One of his more interesting projects was to make a mandolin from an old powder box for a gentleman. The mandolin worked beautifully and the recipient was extremely happy with it. Ned, always striving for perfection, told the man that if he were to buy some new timber, he could make him an even better one. The fellow went off to the hardware store and new timber was purchased.  Ned set to work and produced another mandolin but disappointingly, the new one didn't work as well as the earlier model made from the old powder box.  The Falk family had a radio in the home but the reception was restricted to only a couple of local radio stations. Ned, not satisfied, hooked up a crystal radio set and attached an aerial up through the manhole in the roof.  Subsequently, they picked up radio stations from far and wide.   There was never any doubt that Ned was resourceful!

Young Ned Falk's first job was at Hebburn No.1 Colliery in Weston. Like many others at that time, he began work as a thirteen year old by putting up his age. While working there, Ned did some small plumbing jobs about the site including, on one occasion, at the mine manager's residence.  The manager wanted Ned to put a pipe through the wall and fit some taps to the laundry tubs. Ned carried on with the work but soon realised that he’d made the pipe through the wall too long. Right at that moment, the manager called in to check on his progress.  Quick-witted Ned wasn't going to be caught out before he could fix the pipe problem. When the manager was inspecting the pipe on the outside, Ned pulled it through the wall from the inside, and when the manager checked the inside, Ned pulled the pipe from the outside. The manager was none the wiser; he went back to work believing that the pipe was a perfect fit on both sides of the wall.

Tennis was a popular sport in the Falk family and Ned and his brothers constructed a tennis court in the back yard.  Ned used to re-string their tennis racquets when necessary and even made his younger brother Len a racquet, which Len used in a competition. The racquet was rather heavy but Len acquitted himself quite well.  The competition was attended by a famous tennis identity who called Len over after the match to ask him where he’d gotten his racquet.  Len revealed that his brother Ned had made it for him, to which the VIP replied, ‘Son, you've got a big heart!’ 

During the Depression years, Ned had to leave home and fend for himself.  He and a friend moved to Swansea and camped in a tent on the Swansea flats. Here he fished to supplement the food coupons that had to sustain him. He sharpened lawnmowers, scissors, and anything else that people needed to be sharpened, and, as well, worked as a lifeguard on Blacksmiths Beach.  The few meagre shillings earned helped him eke out an existence.  Ned was a strong swimmer who was awarded a bronze medallion. That skill was to stand by him when he was in dire need, much later in his life. 

While living at Swansea, Ned, and his mate befriended a couple, (possibly a Mr & Mrs Willets), who occasionally gave them a hot meal.  The people wanted a new mantelpiece so Ned offered to build one for them.  As he toiled, Ned told the owner that if he had a wood plane he could get a much better finish on the timber mantle.  The chap bought the plane and Ned set to work completing the mantelpiece.  The couple were so delighted with the finished article that Ned was presented with the plane in gratitude.

On 18 April 1936, Ned Falk married Dorothea Avaun Eveleigh, daughter of Elford Sparke Eveleigh and Katie Dark. Ned was 25 and Dorothea 17 years of age.   Rev. Frank Starr conducted the ceremony in the Baptist Church at Kurri Kurri. The witnesses were Ned's brother Frederick Falk and Dorothea's sister Kathleen Eveleigh.   The young couple lived with Ned's parents for about two years after the marriage.   Ned and Dorothea later rented a house in Weston before buying our family home at 109 Deakin Street Kurri Kurri in about 1940.

Ned and Dorothea (Dot / Dottie) had two children:

• Elaine Margaret Falk b. 18 Sep 1936. She married Barry John Harris.

• John Edwards Falk b. 2 Dec 1941.  I married Julie Dianne Frame.

Like most youngsters, my sister Elaine and I sometimes got into mischief as children and Dad would reprimand us when necessary.  I remember jumping the fence on one occasion to escape punishment.  I  outran Dad, but he called out, ‘You’ve got to come home to eat, Son’ - the implication was very clear!  Another time, unaware of the danger, my sister Elaine inadvertently tapped Dad on the shoulder while he was using an electric saw.  A furious Ned chased after her, but she too escaped. We both knew our father had always cooled down by the time we came home again!

Mum was very much the loving homemaker and always there for her children. However, while she doted on us, she would take no nonsense.  Mum was small but feisty and always the boss, particularly when she threatened us with the iron chord!  Elaine and I adored and respected our mother even though we tried her patience at times - truthfully, it was more me who did that!  A case in point was the time I rationed the firewood. It was my responsibility to make sure there was always kindling in the wood box for Mum to light the stove but I made sure Mum had only enough to make do. I figured if I stockpiled too much, Mum would use more than she needed and I would have to refill the woodbox more often.   One day though, Mum ran out of firewood and I went down into the shed and immediately returned with the prepared kindling from my secret stash.  Poor Mum fell about laughing when she realised I had been rationing her firewood for ages! 

Needless to say, that stove and my mother's cooking are the source of so many fond memories!  Mum's jelly cakes, date scones and gramma pies were the stuff of dreams. Nobody could cook those treats like my Mum. Just the very thought of them still awakens my tase buds! 

In 1943 and 1944, during World War II,  Ned completed St John's Ambulance first aid courses.  He trained at the Chelmsford Hotel in Kurri Kurri where men had to use ropes to move up and down from the balcony upstairs, thus ensuring they were fit and able to carry out rescue work should the area be attacked.  Rescue training was required of men who were not enlisted in the armed forces.  Ned also prepared for attack by building an air raid shelter in our backyard.  During those war years, many folk took the precaution of constructing their own air raid shelters.

When the opportunity arose, Ned moved to Hebburn No.2 Colliery to work as a wheeler.  He remained at that job for some time before travelling to Helensburg to receive further training.  Ned used to travel to and fro by train, coming home to see his young family on weekends.  

The training Ned acquired at Helensburg led to him being employed as a powerhouse attendant at Hebburn No.2.  He was happier in his new position because it was much safer work.  Each attendant looked after his own turbine, which was meticulously kept clean and shiny.  The gauges had to be read every hour on the hour.  Hebburn used to sell the power it generated, which was originally DC, to power the township of Weston. They later changed from DC to AC power and Weston came onto the power grid, so the powerhouse sold their power to the local electricity authority.  Another of the powerhouse attendant's duties was to care for the canaries that were used in the mine to detect dangerous gases.  Ned always felt sad when a bird died, but he said it was a small sacrifice, compared to the miners’ lives.  

Sundays lunches at Grandfather and Nanna Falk's continued for many years. Our family walked through the bush from Kurri Kurri to Weston. Later on, our transport improved and we rode to Weston on our bicycles. Late in the afternoons when we were ready to return home, Grandfather Falk would drive us all back to Kurri Kurri, with our bicycles tied to the back of his Oldsmobile.

These family meals were usually shared with Dad's brothers and their families. As the family grew in numbers, catering became more difficult so different weekends were allocated to the brothers. Quite often we found themselves sharing Sunday lunches with Dad’s brother Jack, his wife Phyllis, and their children Judith and Dennis.  Adults were usually in one room and children in the other. 

My father took us on numerous family holidays to Coon Island, near Swansea. The little island, where tiny cottages and boatsheds once dotted the waterfront, was a very popular holiday destination for miners, with plenty of fishing, prawning, and popular swimming spots.  In about 1952, my parents purchased our first motorcar, an almost new Holden, which allowed us to holiday further a field. I recall trips to South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland, often calling in to see relatives along the way.

My sister Elaine married Barry John Harris in the Congregational Church, Brown Street Newcastle on 12 April 1957.  They made their home in Kurri Kurri where they had two children, Linda and Kerry. After a varied working career, Elaine eventually became the owner of Elaine’s Fashion Centre in Lang Street, Kurri Kurri, which she operated for 26 years, before moving on to another career as a Sales Representative for numerous craft firms. When she retired from the fashion industry, a report appeared in the local newspaper,  The Advertiser:

  Elaine’s move:

end of an era

The doors of Elaine’s Fashion Centre, one of Kurri’s oldest remaining businesses, closed last week, as owner Elaine Harris moves in another career direction.

After 26 years Elaine will be moving on to pursue a job she started 12 months ago, as an agent for 13 craft firms.

It involves travelling across the State, selling to other business houses and, according to Elaine is ‘a wonderful new challenge’.

The closure will mean the end of an era for Kurri as Elaine believes that hers is perhaps the oldest remaining business in the town.

In her quarter of a century in the fashion business Elaine says she has seen fashion trends turn ‘the full circle’, culminating in the return of the mini.

She says that when she started out in the sixties, mini-dresses were ‘all the go and now they have come right back in again.’ ‘But’, she added, ‘I still think that the most flattering hemline is just below the knee.’

Another item Elaine has noticed creeping back into fashion is the hat. She said: ‘They are becoming more popular again because people are very conscious now about the effects of the sun.’

According to Elaine the hardest part about closing will be saying goodbye to her customers. She said: ‘It will be like saying goodbye to family because they are more than customers, they are friends.’

‘I really want to thank everyone for their friendship and support over the years.’

The closing will also mean a change for Elaine’s assistant of 19 years, Wendy Purkiss.

‘Wendy’s always been terrific,’ said Elaine, ‘particularly over the last 12 months while I’ve been travelling a lot.’

During her time in business, Elaine has made a significant contribution to the community through past involvement in the Chamber of Commerce, the Civic Week Committee and a whole host of other activities..

She also runs a competition every year for cancer research, with this year’s fund-raiser earning $2000.

When the doors closed last Friday, Elaine admitted to feelings of sadness, but said she is ‘really looking forward to the challenge’ of her new position.

She said she will miss the business which has been part of her life for so long, but ‘when this new opportunity arose, I felt it was the right time to go.’

~~~~~

In 1969, our parents divorced. This was a time of sadness for our family but like everyone faced with these circumstances, we all accepted the situation and moved on.  Mum eventually entered into a partnership with Elaine's sister-in-law Myrean and took over Mum's sister Molly's mixed business in Alexandra Street, Kurri Kurri.  A few years later, Mum was able to buy her own home in Alworth Street, near the Kurri Kurri town centre.  In 1971, Mum married Owen Fogg. They continued to live in Kurri Kurri and enjoyed several holidays away but unfortunately, a day before their 4th wedding anniversary, Owen passed away after suffering a massive stroke.   In 1979, Mum married again, this time to Albert 'Albie' Cook.   They lived for a time in Kurri Kurri and then moved to Port Stephens where they had many happy years together. 

In about 1970, Dad married Ida Mansfield. He remained at the Hebburn No.2 powerhouse until he reached retirement age. Dad wasn’t quite ready to be retired though, so he picked up casual work, first with Johnson Engineering, dismantling old buildings at their Buchanan site, and later Cobden Jones Mining, where he sharpened the tungsten drills used in the mining industry.  Ned really had the knack for sharpening things.  People would take blunt saws and other implements to him so that he could work his magic with them.  Ned charged seven shillings and sixpence (75c) to sharpen a saw, which took about an hour.  He could sharpen three saws with a new file, which cost fourteen shillings ($1.40). Obviously, the satisfaction of a job well done meant more to him than making a profit!

About six months before he retired, Ned had some good fortune when he shared in the $6,000 first prize in the lottery.  His half share allowed him to buy a caravan and car and he and Ida spent time fishing at Hathead and also Noosa in Queensland.  It was while on holidays at Hathead, in about 1971, that Ned was lucky to survive a boating accident.  He was fishing with two friends from Wingham and they had done a few drifts catching some fish, when suddenly the boat hit a bombora and instantly sunk to the bottom.  Ned was tangled in ropes but managed to free himself, and with lungs almost bursting, made it to the surface.  He spent a horrific night in the water trying to stay alive, and strangely, a pod of dolphins stayed with him the whole time.  After he finally made it to shore and alerted police, a doctor checked Ned to make sure he was okay.  At that stage he wasn't sure if his friends had survived, so armed with a police radio he set off along the shoreline to search for them.  He found the body of one of his mates washed up on the beach. When asked, family members could not recall the fate of the third man; however, they felt that Ned was the sole survivor of this accident.  Dad credited the dolphins with saving his life during that devastating experience.

Sadly, illness eventually caught up with all of my family and I miss them dearly:

• My father Ned died at Allandale Nursing Home in Cessnock, NSW on 5 April 1995, one week before his 84th birthday.

• My mother Dorothea died at Shoal Bay, NSW on 15 Feb 1996, aged 77 years. 

• My sister Elaine died at Mercy Hospice, Waratah NSW on 12 Oct 2003, aged 67 years.