Pittwater Life June 2017 Issue

Main pic credit: National Library of Australia
cottage on Sunrise Road, when Palm Beach was surveyed for
subdivisions in 1911. Albert fell in love with the area, and in
1915 bought the little cottage and moved here with his family.
But with six children the place became too small for them all,
so Albert bought land opposite Palm Beach Wharf and built
a larger house. That burnt down in 1928, and Albert built the
Barrenjoey House that stands today.
Peter’s mother was a Gonsalves, another of the early Palm
Beach families. The Gonsalves came by boat from Rose Bay
in 1917, and settled on Pittwater’s Portuguese Beach, which is
how it got its name. They then bought land in Waratah Street
(now Waratah Road).
“I was born at Waratah Street in ’39. Mum was living there
as Dad was called up to the army. Mum’s mother grew veggies
and had a little dairy. The cows were on agistment where the
golf course is today,” Peter recounts.
Beyond where the cows were grazing, in Governor Phillip
Park, was the Palm Beach camping area (main pic, circa
1950). It was full of tents, several of which were permanent
dwellings while people built houses in the area, so had timber
walls and floors, although were still canvas.
“At weekends it was chockers,” Peter recalls, “and in those
days we had two service stations, a hairdresser, a chemist,
a butcher, a baker and restaurants galore.” In 1954 when the
Queen and Prince Philip made their first visit to Australia
“They were lunching at the top of the hill on North View Road,
and it wasn’t going to be proper for them to be looking out
over a camping area, so everyone had to be gone before they
came!” (The camping grounds eventually closed in the 1970s.)
Despite electricity being available to most Palm Beach
households by the early 1930s, even 24 years ago when John
Sinclair started working at the club, blackouts were a regular
occurrence, and gas lights were still set up for those moments.
“There are still some of the old gas lamps upstairs,” he
says, heading off to find one, and handing it to current club
president, Bryan Webster, who has just entered the building.
Another bit of memorabilia that Don Goddard has kept is
the original program for the opening of the Club Palm Beach
on 14 December1957 by the Governor of NSW, Lieutenant
General Woodward.
“After the opening,” Don recounts, “the club president,
Alf Curtis, introduced Peter’s and his uncle, war veteran and
fishing enthusiast, Sid Gonsalves, to the Governor.
‘If you would care to come out fishing one day I’ll guarantee
you a decent feed of fish, Sir,’ Sid told General Woodward.
‘I would very much like to do that,’ the Governor replied,
‘but I’m a little new to this job and my time is pretty fully
occupied.’
‘Couldn’t you take a sickie?’ Sid responded.”
* Club Palm Beach wants to hear from everyone with stories
of the Palm Beach, Pittwater and Avalon area, as well as
recollections or photographs of the camping ground, the
surf clubs, the football clubs, the schools, not to mention the
club itself. Also, make a date to get together with friends to
celebrate Club Palm Beach’s 60 years on the long weekend
of Saturday 30 September, Sunday 1 and Monday 2 October.
Visit the Club Facebook page Let’s Reunite Palm Beach – go
to www.clubpalmbeach.com.au or ring Club Palm Beach for
more details on 9974 5566.
Life Stories
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Palm Beach camping grounds, circa
1950; Peter Verrills on the Palm Beach Ferry Wharf; ANZAC Day march
from Pittwater Park to Club Palm Beach, 1960s; laying a wreath outside the
Club’s cenotaph; what a drag – fundraising by the committee (including
then President Alf Curtis, centre); and the Club’s official Opening Program.
Celebrating 25 Years
JUNE 2017 33