Preserve your memories

"We used to go down to the local electrician near Airport Road and watch colour television in his shop window."

John's family have lived in the West Torrens area for three generations. Additionally, he has a wealth of knowledge of West Torrens from his involvement with the West Torrens Historical Society as president for almost 30 years.

His community contribution extends to the church and choir and has authored historical booklets on these.

His family footwear distribution business was conducted from premises in Thebarton.

Download John Andrewartha's full memoir.

"I'd pull things apart just to see how they worked."

Colin has spent most of his life working as a mechanic in the West Torrens area.  His accomplishments are supported by his success working in AMPOL and long-term clients at Drennan's Motor Repairs.

He has extensively travelled outback Australia in the reliable, but of course well maintained, Landcruiser, nicknamed Fred.

He is an IT savvy nonagenarian, with some great insight of the motor industry over the 1940s to the 2000s, who still works out in the garage.

Download Colin Drennan's full memoir.

"Be happy, be natural. Just be kind to everybody."

Olive has been a resident of the West Torrens area since the late 1920's.  She lives in the home in Richmond that she and husband, Ray, had built after he returned from World War 2.

Olive had a Drapery store in Hawson Avenue for over 30 years.

At 97 years of age, she still recalls many names, businesses and anecdotes of her life and growing up in West Torrens.

Download Olive Pepper's full memoir.

"We had possums and tortoises, and galahs and pet chooks, and all those sort of things, but never allowed to have a dog."

Pam, was born at St Ives hospital, Torrensville in 1942.

She lived in Gertrude Street amongst the nurseries. Her father was an employee of the Stanford Nursery and married Willie Stanford’s daughter Hazel.

The first family car in 1948 was a Morris Cowley with a dickie seat in the back for 2 of the 3 children. Their first telephone and television in the home was in 1959.

Pam went to school at Lockleys Primary and then Thebarton Girls Technical School.

Prior to the airport being built, the area was her frogging ground.

She lived at Brooklyn Park until her marriage to Malcolm Harry Bacchus at 21 years of age, on 28th March 1964.

Download Pamela Bacchus' full memoir.

"I remember witnessing two of the housewives in the street coming to blows over who was going to pick up the deposit of horse manure which the baker’s horse had just dropped on the road.  I couldn’t understand why they were having a fight over a pile of horse poo."

Kent has lived in the West Torrens area all his life.

Growing up in Underdale and Lockleys, he remembers the market gardens, and many changes to the area.

He reminisces on Radio, Television and music technology and other entertainment of the 1960's and 1970s.

Working at E&WS (Engineering and Water Supply), he had given us a great insight into his areas of expertise in drafting and surveying

Kent's father George served in World War 2 and Kent has submitted biographical and service information to enhance the Virtual War Memorial database records.

He is a valuable member of the West Torrens Historical Society as Social Media manager.

Download Kent Beard's full memoir.

"One Saturday night the manager kicked us out of the cinema. So, the next Saturday night he got a spud up the exhaust pipe."

John Lewis started working in his father’s Netley market garden around 1945 and grew top quality celery for over 25 years.

He was an instrumental part of the Market Gardeners Association and the Farmers' Federation in the 1960s and 1970s.

He recalls his memories of Richmond and Netley, the people and changes over the years.

Download John Lewis' full memoir.

Living and working in the West Torrens area for most of their lives, Frank and Mary were married over 60 years and received a letter from the queen. In 2022 Mary celebrated her 101st birthday.

Download Frank and Mary Prettejohn's full memoir.

Nina and her siblings were brought up by their Grandparents after the early death of their mother Florence.

Growing up in Richmond, Nina married Geoff (also a Gray, but no relation), after the war and then together they brought up a family of four in the same area.

Nina's paternal great grandfather, William Henry Gray (known as W.H. Gray) was one of the early pioneers in South Australia. Nina celebrated her 99^th birthday in 2022.

Download Nina Gray's full memoir.

Carleen’s family, the Collins’, were market gardeners in the Lockleys/St James Park (Kidman Park) area. She learned to drive a truck by the age of 10, experienced life during World War 2, and watched the West Torrens area and environment change and develop.

Download Carleen Thomas' full memoir.

In the late 1910s the Collins family established a market garden in the Western suburbs on the land around the Torrens River, where the primary vegetable grown was celery. In the 1950s the family established a second garden on Valetta Road specialising in growing tomatoes.

Download Peter Collins' full memoir.

Lee Prettejohn grew up in West Torrens and, with his family, conducted a nursery business in Brooklyn Park for many years. He learnt the trade hands-on and grafted the first tomato in Australia. He is still a popular radio identity and everybody’s go-to green thumb.

Download Lee Prettejohn's full memoir.

“You soon forget the price, but you never forget the quality.” Everything he built was made to last forever. That's how he built our reputation. There was always this overriding philosophy that you do it once and do it properly.” 

‘Treg’ has been a very well-respected name in our community. Quality products have been manufactured and supplied to the public and to companies for many years. With a niche market and being a local brand Treg was considered the best, it was the trailer to have.  

Gordon Tregoning’s reputation will be honoured and remembered by the many businesses and individuals who've benefitted from his engineering skills and from the integrity with which he conducted the business over the years.   His sons Peter and Ian tell his remarkable story. 

Download Gordon Tregoning's full memoir.

"Our West Beach shack had water from a tap outside the door. It had electricity connected. There were bunk beds, a kitchen table, a small stove on the cupboard and of course a Frigidaire fridge. In the floor there was a pull up hatch with a ladder going under the shack to the long drop toilet and where the dinghy was kept".  

The Milledge family, Bev’s grandfather and father, ran a dairy and horse stud in the area which is now the Adelaide Airport. Bev’s maternal side of the family were Stewards (and Morcombe’s) who had a drapery business in Torrensville, Stewards Store at 172 Henley Beach Road.  Bev recounts her memories of growing up in the Brooklyn Park and Lockleys areas.  She describes her family’s life running dairies, milk rounds, the Rosefield trotting stud and time spent at their West Beach shack. 

Bev has devoted her life to many forms of art, but in particular weaving. In 2013 in the Queens Honors list Bev was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her services in Visual Arts and Textiles. Bev has also written and illustrated over 40 poetry books, mostly on hand-made paper. In 2000, Bev contributed items from the Hand Spinners and Weavers Guild which were placed in a time capsule in the Hilton Memorial Gardens for opening in the year 2050.

Some restrictions have been placed on this document. Please contact the library for access library@wtcc.sa.gov.au.

‘I just loved footy, it was in my blood… On the night before my league debut, all the family came around to celebrate, but I was in bed trying to sleep. When I ran out on the ground, I knew I had achieved my ambition.’ 

Growing up a stone’s throw from where the club made their home at Richmond Oval, David played football for the West Adelaide Football Club from 1962 to 1972 playing 140 games from juniors to league level in 1971.Known as the ‘Bloods’, the West Adelaide Football Club boasts 14 Magarey Medal winners and 139 State Players. David talks enthusiastically about the club and many notable players he has played with and against, and those who were prominent in the past.

Download David Bonshor's full memoir.

“Australia has taught me to work and appreciate things better”. 

From horse drawn cart to motor cars, and kerosene to electricity, Catherina, born before the First World War, and living through the atrocities of the Second World War in the Netherlands, has now also lived through two pandemics.   She came with her husband and four children to Australia in the late 1950s, staying in Immigration Centres (Migrant Hostels) before settling in Glenelg and later near Aldgate. 

At 110, as the oldest living person in Australia, Catherina has immaculate manners a keen dress sense, a determined spirit and an undertaking to keep active. Catherina shares some of her long lifetime of memories. 

Download Catherina van der Linden's full memoir.

‘Due to the era and the demand, Mile End Fuel Supplies was the largest and most successful fuel supply business in South Australia.’  

Located on land of the Mile End Railyards, the Mile End Fuel Supply Company was registered in June 1961 by Bob’s dad, Robert Veitch. Prior to this the Woodyard belonged to Josiah Thomas and wood was carted by horse and dray. 

Download Bob Veitch's full memoir.

‘The brother of a girl I was working with, took the day off school to queue up to get tickets for the Beatles.  It was at Centennial Hall, and you couldn’t hear a thing because all the kids were screaming'.

Kathryn has lived all her life in the West Torrens area and remembers the shops and theatres and recalls many of the events affecting the world in the 1950s and 1960s including the local 1954 earthquake, the 1969 moon landing and the Vietnam War. She even managed to see the Beatles at Centennial Hall, when they came to Adelaide.

Download Kathryn Whittlesea's full memoir.

‘I had no reason to get my licence until I was about 18.  I learnt the book, went into Motor Vehicles on North Terrace, and answered the ten questions. I paid the ten shillings and walked out as a fully qualified driver.' 

Tom Quinn began his education at the small St James School at Mile End, he lived in Bennett Street close to South Road and recalls the Hilton Hotel and many shops around the area.

Download Thomas Quinn's full memoir.

"When I was a child, I realised I wanted to be a performer.  I didn't know what that meant, but I knew there was something inside that had to get out."

Malcolm has had a very successful career spanning 60 years in the entertainment industry from live theatre to Children's Television (Here's Humphrey between 1972-2002) and Adult TV in hundreds of programmes.

Download Malcolm Harslett's full memoir.

Hughie Wallis began his business in Richmond as Wallis Refrigeration Services. His passion for film led him to showing films in the local RSL hall and then to building the first drive-in in South Australia.

Lorna and Michelle Wallis recount their family’s involvement in these industries.

Lorna met Hughie’s son Bob in the 1960s. Following a dream and vision,  Bob Wallis and his family have built and bought drive-ins and cinemas throughout South Australia and more recently in Mildura, Victoria.

Lorna Wallis has been an integral part of the Wallis Cinemas history with various roles not only at locations, but in supporting her husband Bob Wallis in continuing his father’s vision. After Bobs passing, Lorna, along with her daughter Michelle, and recently her granddaughter Deanna, are leading the company through the business challenges, including the COVID-19 restrictions, evolving Cinema technology and the growth of streaming services. All three Wallis women are fiercely working hard to honour and protect Hughie and Bob’s legacy.

The many jewels in the Wallis crown include the heritage restoration of Auchendarroch at Mount Barker and the art-deco Piccadilly cinema in North Adelaide.

Lorna Wallis was nominated South Australian Cinema Pioneer of the Year in 2021.

Download Lorna Wallis' full memoir.

From humble backgrounds Sotirios’ parents migrated in the early 1950s from Cyprus to Thebarton, then known as Southwark.

He remembers the area being culturally diverse with Greeks, Italians, Polish, Yugoslavs, Croatians and Australians.

The gardens were productive, lawns were not common - the dirt was for growing tomatoes and cucumbers!

‘I recall my childhood was spent playing a lot in the garden. There was such a vibrant Greek community and at that time the focus was on the garden, and everybody grew their own vegetables. The quarter acre block gardens was their pride and joy'.

Sotirios still lives in Thebarton and has seen many changes in the area over those years.

Download Sotirios Neophytou's full memoir.

“My father got a job in Adelaide with Kelvinator, and we moved to a migrant camp in Gawler”.

In order to get to work my father then went to stay at a camp in Smithfield. He could take a train or ride a bike to work at Keswick. He was a type of refrigerator mechanic. After that he worked in foundries and various other places.

Arriving with his family in Australia post World War 2 in February 1950, George discusses his family history and finding their way to Adelaide.

His studies in Economics and Public Policy, 39 years in the State public service as well as 9 years as an elected member of the Thebarton Council, have given him an enormous amount of knowledge of the political arena through from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Living in Mile End he has advocated for the community particularly when he was an elected member of the Thebarton Council over 9 years.

Download George Lewkowicz's full memoir.

In 1954, the Clarke family moved from Tailem Bend to Adelaide to a home at 37 Taylors Road (now known as South Road) Torrensville.

Now living on Henley Beach Road and having lived in the area for over seventy years, Bill has witnessed many changes.

As a child, he and his brother Graham would catch the tram to Henley Beach or head into the city to watch a movie. On the way home, they often stopped for a large milkshake at the Daisy Dell, located at the corner of South Road and Henley Beach Road. Sometimes, they would cross the road for an ice cream at the Blue and Gold Delicatessen, then pick up a few comics from Len Robert’s Newsagency before heading home.

Bill started working at State Signs in 1962, coincidentally located in what was once Len Roberts shop. The Newsagency had relocated to the other side of Henley Beach Road, near the corner of Danby Street, where Blackwell’s Funerals stands today.

In 1963, due to the widening of the South Road intersection, State Signs moved to 245 Henley Beach Road, operating out of an old butcher shop next to a residential house. The business is now located at 22 Bennett Street, Thebarton and run by Bill’s son Kym.

After retiring in 2014, Bill leased out the Henley Beach Road shop to a print and sign company, Ezy Banner. Even in retirement, he can still be found there from time to time working in that same shop, at the same spot, and listening to the same music as he did around sixty years ago.

Over the years, Bill has also been involved in bands, football and gyms. He has met a mixed bag of people and characters, however, what he treasures most is the value of quality friendship and family.

Download William 'Bill' Clarke's full memoir.