Keith Homes Remembers
CJ's Albion, after its VCC Concours at Carlingford in 1952.
My strongest memories up till the time I was 22 years old are of Turner Road, Berowra. With my elder brother Sandy and me as just a baby, Dad and Mum, Bill and Vea Holmes, rented the Manton property "The Pines”, in Turner Road for about three years from 1933.
"The Pines" (now "Wittianga") adjoined the Turner/Woof property on the northern side. lt was about ten acres and ran from Turner Road down the hill to Woodcourt Road. A row of large pine trees formed a frontage to Turner Road but these were removed by men working for the dole towards the end of the Great depression. Until the 1930's poultry farming was the big business in Berowra but then it went into decline. All the farms had lots of tin-roofed sheds-chook sheds, brooder shed and packing sheds. At "The Pines" Dad grew some vegetables down the hill from the brooder shed for the Sydney market and milked a few dairy cows in a chook shed he had converted into milking bails. After milking he delivered the still warm milk around the district in competition with Nicholl's dairy in Hillcrest Road where the Primary School now stands. A few years later we moved two farms further along Turner Road when Dad bought out Varle's farm and later Dwyer's Paddock and also the triangular block between Turner and Cambawarra Crescent. In between Manton's and Varley's was the partly cleared farm where Wally Parker grew vegetables and cut flowers for sale at Paddy's Markets. Beyond our farm, Turner Road, and what later became Nalyia Road, were just dirt tracks and a large area of land here was being cleared for a golf links; ledges and slopes were being shaped for fairways and greens - but the 2nd World War put an end to that.
The original Turner property "Wharepaka" on the western side of Turner Road beyond the Crossroads where the shopping centre now stands, was known to us as "Lailey's" and was occupied by the Nelson and later the Oldham families. On the other side of Turner Road and bounded by Alan and Woodcourt Roads was "Eureka" with the old home still standing in Alan Road. In my time this was owned by Mr Turner's son in law, Mr Charlie Woof who had unsuccessfully run it as a nursery, poultry farm and orchard. After the war the population of Berowra was expanding as the vacant building blocks sprouted houses. As Nicholl's dairy had closed, Dad needed more cows to meet the demand for milk. More grass was needed so our cows were often taken between milkings to graze in Woofs and Lailey's paddocks. At this time Berowra was included in the Green Belt surrounding Sydney —the "Land would NEVER be subdivided for closer settlement"! In the late fifties this ban was rescinded and Berowra rapidly grew into a substantial suburb. But before this - in 1955- we had sold out to another dairy farmer and moved to the North Coast.
I remember Mr Woof going off each day to catch the train to Hornsby. He worked as a clerk for the Hornsby Shire Council. He always wore a suit and tie and was greatly respected by everyone. To Berowra people, Mr Woof WAS the Hornsby Council!
I have a close link with the Turner and Woof families through an old lorry. In the early 1900's Mr Woof bought a 1908 Albion chain-drive truck to cart supplies from Hornsby to Berowra along the rough dirt road that was later to become the Pacific Highway. At weekends he carried tourists from the railway station to Berowra Creek. Overtime the lorry passed through the hands of Mr Chandler and Mr Thome and then was abandoned in the bush behind where the Wideview Road School now stands. Mr Thorne said I could have it if I was able to drive it away. I did. I restored it and now at 101 yrs old it still goes.
Thank you to Mr John Chappell for recognising the sesquicentenary of the birth of Mr C J Turner, a pioneer of Berowra and a very important part of Berowra's history —and for bringing back so many fond memories of Berowra for me.
Keith Holmes - 2009
"The Pines" (now "Wittianga") adjoined the Turner/Woof property on the northern side. lt was about ten acres and ran from Turner Road down the hill to Woodcourt Road. A row of large pine trees formed a frontage to Turner Road but these were removed by men working for the dole towards the end of the Great depression. Until the 1930's poultry farming was the big business in Berowra but then it went into decline. All the farms had lots of tin-roofed sheds-chook sheds, brooder shed and packing sheds. At "The Pines" Dad grew some vegetables down the hill from the brooder shed for the Sydney market and milked a few dairy cows in a chook shed he had converted into milking bails. After milking he delivered the still warm milk around the district in competition with Nicholl's dairy in Hillcrest Road where the Primary School now stands. A few years later we moved two farms further along Turner Road when Dad bought out Varle's farm and later Dwyer's Paddock and also the triangular block between Turner and Cambawarra Crescent. In between Manton's and Varley's was the partly cleared farm where Wally Parker grew vegetables and cut flowers for sale at Paddy's Markets. Beyond our farm, Turner Road, and what later became Nalyia Road, were just dirt tracks and a large area of land here was being cleared for a golf links; ledges and slopes were being shaped for fairways and greens - but the 2nd World War put an end to that.
The original Turner property "Wharepaka" on the western side of Turner Road beyond the Crossroads where the shopping centre now stands, was known to us as "Lailey's" and was occupied by the Nelson and later the Oldham families. On the other side of Turner Road and bounded by Alan and Woodcourt Roads was "Eureka" with the old home still standing in Alan Road. In my time this was owned by Mr Turner's son in law, Mr Charlie Woof who had unsuccessfully run it as a nursery, poultry farm and orchard. After the war the population of Berowra was expanding as the vacant building blocks sprouted houses. As Nicholl's dairy had closed, Dad needed more cows to meet the demand for milk. More grass was needed so our cows were often taken between milkings to graze in Woofs and Lailey's paddocks. At this time Berowra was included in the Green Belt surrounding Sydney —the "Land would NEVER be subdivided for closer settlement"! In the late fifties this ban was rescinded and Berowra rapidly grew into a substantial suburb. But before this - in 1955- we had sold out to another dairy farmer and moved to the North Coast.
I remember Mr Woof going off each day to catch the train to Hornsby. He worked as a clerk for the Hornsby Shire Council. He always wore a suit and tie and was greatly respected by everyone. To Berowra people, Mr Woof WAS the Hornsby Council!
I have a close link with the Turner and Woof families through an old lorry. In the early 1900's Mr Woof bought a 1908 Albion chain-drive truck to cart supplies from Hornsby to Berowra along the rough dirt road that was later to become the Pacific Highway. At weekends he carried tourists from the railway station to Berowra Creek. Overtime the lorry passed through the hands of Mr Chandler and Mr Thome and then was abandoned in the bush behind where the Wideview Road School now stands. Mr Thorne said I could have it if I was able to drive it away. I did. I restored it and now at 101 yrs old it still goes.
Thank you to Mr John Chappell for recognising the sesquicentenary of the birth of Mr C J Turner, a pioneer of Berowra and a very important part of Berowra's history —and for bringing back so many fond memories of Berowra for me.
Keith Holmes - 2009