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February 1, 2022 |
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Newsletter for the
Offshore Residents of Pittwater, Australia - Volume 23,
Issue 1169
We acknowledge and pay our
respects to the Traditional Custodians of
Pittwater, as well as our indigenous readers
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ContentsA Brief History of Scotland Island Fire BrigadePart V: the 1980sRoy Baker
Drawing mainly on SI
News archives, Part V examines a decade of growth, for
the brigade and the island.
The start of the 1980s was something of a turning point for Scotland Island. Around that time the island experienced a massive building boom. During the 1970s it had taken six years for the number of island houses to grow by forty. But ninety houses were built in 1980 alone. And, of course, the permanent population grew commensurably.
As late as 1983, training sessions were still held just twice a year, as opposed to the current monthly meetings. What’s more, there remained, well into the 1980s, the interminable need for fundraising to buy even basic equipment, a hallmark of the brigade’s earlier history. For instance, it seems that in September 1983 the shed was turned into a casino for a night, a practice that had carried over from the 1970s. According to the promotion in SI News, ‘wheels will spin, cards will shuffle and, quite possibly, pennies will spin’. Reading SI News, the 1980s is when familiar names begin to appear more regularly in accounts of brigade activities. For instance, the fund-raiser just mentioned was organised by Geoff Leeson, who still lives on the island and regularly drives the ferry. In May 1984 Geoff was at it again, this time running a ‘firies’ Ball’ in the Mona Vale Memorial Hall. 1984 was also when Bruce Healey became an islander. Bruce went on to become a brigade stalwart. Indeed, the current fire boat is named after him.
In its early days the brigade was very much a men’s club, but the 1980s was when women started to play a greater role, including Sandy Walker and June Lahm. Once again, both remain resident on the island. But even while the brigade secretary celebrated the growth in membership, he lamented that the southern side of the island was ‘very poorly represented’ in the brigade. Indeed, there are signs that the island’s rapid population growth in the early 1980s had strained community cohesion. For instance, in 1986 there was talk of a new residents’ association; a breakaway from SIRA. Up until then SIRA had been the domain of the north of the island. Every president had come from the north, and apparently southerners barely attended meetings. The breakaway group wanted something that better represented the south. SIRA had to act fast. In 1987, in an attempt to maintain island unity, the association held its very first general meeting on the south side, in the house next to Carol’s Wharf. This apparently worked, and the breakaway association never materialised. Besides increasing in membership, the 1980s was when a better-equipped brigade began to emerge. In 1985 the firies acquired a new punt-style aluminium fire boat, for which a pen was constructed at Tennis Court Wharf. By then the brigade also had two land vehicles: a Toyota Land Cruiser and a 2,300-litre International tanker, which by 1988 had been updated to a Mazda fire truck.
It's easy to forget that until 1982 that humble garage was the island's only community building. That meant that, besides being a fire station, it hosted a play school, dance classes, public meetings and many other events. The opening of the current community hall in 1982 gave the brigade sole occupancy of the old shed. But even so, with its newly acquired equipment and growing membership, space must have been tight. The time had come for a new fire shed.  Aussie Slang: a Corker
That’s the way with slang: it’s endlessly shared, borrowed, appropriated, fought over and disowned. Michael Adams, who called it ‘the people’s poetry’, described it as ‘liminal’. It is wrapped up with identity, and certainly can be used to socially include and exclude. Presumably that's why it raises the heckles when one community claims another’s slang as its own. But, according to Adams, it’s often impossible to tell what motivates slang’s use, or whose interests it serves, even in context. Recently, islander Robyn Iredale employed Australian slang for a very particular purpose: to win a competition. The NSW Government had offered a four-night P&O cruise for four as a prize for the best poem in Aussie slang. So Robyn, along with her daughter, Danielle, and her grandchildren Leo and Scarlett, set out to compose an entry that would combine as must Strine as possible. And they won! The requirement was that the poem be performed on video. Robyn’s winning entry can be viewed here. Alternatively, the words are set out below, along with a translation for those of us what talk proper. The Old Bird’s Bolt to SydneyBy Robyn Iredale, with
Danielle, Mat, Leo and Scarlett Campbell
Much Ado About NothingCatherine Park, Scotland IslandSaturday 12 February, 4 - 6 pmSunday 13 February, 2 - 4 pm The link to the ticket
office is here.
Scotland Island CaféCatherine ParkSunday 13 February, 10 - 1 pmSunday 27 February, 10 - 12 noonOn 13 February, come and celebrate LOVE and enjoy our new awnings at the Two Catherines Café. We are open until 1pm and will have a barbecue from 11:30am. Buskers who want to play music are welcome! Melinda Ham  International Folk DancingScotland Island Community HallSaturday 26 February, 7 - 9 pm Boat Repair WorkshopsOutside Scotland Island Community HallSunday 27 February, 1 - 3 pmSunday 13 March, 1 - 3 pmBOAT REPAIR WORKSHOPS: IMPORTANT CHANGE  To book the 27 February
workshop, click here.
To book the 13 March
workshop, click here.
Bed for sale  For sale: IKEA double bed with mattress and topper, all hardware included. Pick up on Thompson St, above Eastern Wharf. Price: $100. Call 0473 425 690 or email markusplattner@gmail.com. Looking for someone to chop wood Several logs
drying under the house are ready to be chopped and stacked
for firewood.Please call Sue Plattner on 0476 105 858. Missed out on a previous newsletter? Past newsletters,
beginning May 2000, can be found and read at https://ymlp.com/archive_gesgjgm.php.
To ContributeIf you would like to contribute to this newsletter, please send an e-mail to the editor (editor@scotlandisland.org.au).Subscription InformationTo subscribe or unsubscribe, go to: http://www.scotlandisland.org.au/signup.Follow the PON
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