Richard's comments remind me
Richard's comments remind me of the various neighbourhood dogs, particularly the labradors.
The labrador from #10 (I think family was McIntosh) was a villain, but chose to move in with the Williams at #14 (apparently the dog's choice). He had an absolute passion for lemons. My father, Bob Peters, had lovingly nurtured a Meyer Lemon tree that seemed destined never to fruit. Eventually it set a single fruit, low on the tree which dad carefully monitored. Just when ready to pick, the labrador whipped in, stole the lemon (caught in the act) and bolted.
Spike, the Gordon's black labrador from 28 Tanjil, had "form" having bitten several neighbourhood kids. We all carefully avoided him. We used to feed our corgi in a heavy porcelain (Royal Doulton) children's bowl of the variety which used to be used for feeding babies (could not be tipped over easily and too heavy for baby to overturn). After passing down through us three kids, the dog scored it. Spike was an inveterate scrounger and stole the heavy bowl, filled with dog food. Dad caught up with him as he attempted a get-away. As he cleared the low front fence, the bowl hit the ground and shattered, leaving him with a quandary; the dish or the food. He made off with half the bowl still firmly gripped in his mouth. Joe Gordon claimed that it could not have been Spike but the evidence ( a half bowl) was a bit obvious.
Mention of Sandy, the Betts' golden (well sandy coloured) labrador (possibly retriever) suggests that he had multiple visiting places. He spent a lot of time in our kitchen under foot or stretched in front of a radiator. Mrs Betts was not impressed, suspecting that mum was enticing him in by feeding him. There were several "discussions". He was probably just sociable and keen to be around people and other dogs.
Nicky, the Lynch's beagle at #32 was a howler, inclined to serenade the full moon mournfully immediately opposite Rod LeLievre's bedroom window.
The Clarke's shepherd collie cross was genteel in comparison. Richard is right; he was very much his dad's dog.
Looking back, dogs seemed to be a continuing feature of the Reservoir Hill neighbourhood, sometimes with kids, but often just going about their own business. I suspect that the low front fences were an inducement, for all but the smallest animals, to get out and about. I can recall looking out of a classroom window, when in Form 2 at YHS, to see our corgi, Sam, the Holt's Samoyed from #24 Hazelwood Crescent and a couple of other dogs, returning home from an adventure, possibly downtown. Given this was first period, I did wonder what they got up to for the rest of the day.
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I lived in this house from
I lived in this house from the late 1950's until the early 1960's. I remember the fruit trees and the large deciduous trees - great for climbing and building cubby houses in. The garden was terraced and there were at least 4 levels, the lower level containing a mini-golf course. There was also a banana tree (outside the kitchen window) which I remember fruiting one year. I remember the day my father erected the TV aerial. It was a substantial structure (probably over engineered). The sections were assembled and bolted together - the aerial was that long it went all the way across the road and was hoisted into position via a number of steel ropes which were subsequently used to stabilize the aerial which was concreted into the planter box at the front door. I must have had nerves of steel back then because I remember climbing to the top of this aerial on a number of occasions.
Beverley Mee
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OMG -"Dasher" - that was the
OMG -"Dasher" - that was the dogs name that loved the lemons off our tree !!(12 Tanjil) - 1971-77.
Graham, dont know if your corgi is the one we have a photo of as a puppy - I think his name was Snoopy. But I think he was from #10 - and would have been about 1976. Still rates of one of cutest pups I have seen.
I can remember Trick or Treating up our back lane - starting with the Groves on the corner of lane. Of course Mum and Dad had pre-warned all the neighbours we knew - and we only visited them.
I still have a big doll that the older Groves' girls gave me - it is called Karen. We caught up with Groves for many years after we all left Yallourn. As fate would have it, they built a house over the road from a rural block we has at Jerralang Junction! Us kids used to comment often on how weird it was to still be their neighbours.
Kathy (nee Cavanagh)
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