26 Hillside

I lived at 26 Hilside in the 1950's when my father, Edgar Scott, was Principal of the Tech. College at the end of the street. This house was, by then, one of the houses in Yallourn that was allocated to teachers.The plan almost certainly is that of the house, but by the time we lived in it, the dining area had been added to the kitchen area with the sink and electric stove in that area. The kitchen proper still had a woodfire stove that we didn't use. As well as the three bedrooms, an enclosed room off the third bedroom, that we called the sleepout, had been added, and was my brother John's bedroom.
Dad enjoyed gardening and had a flourishing vegetable garden, as well as lawns and perennials. A very large shady fig tree grew just outside the back porch, and was a real nuisance in summer because the birds loved it.
When we moved to Yallourn from Melbourne, John and I (twins) went into Year 6, and then had all our secondary schooling at the high school conveniently situated at the opposite end of Hillside from the Tech. We all came home for lunch each day - Dad from the Tech and John and I from YHS. In retrospect that must have been a real pest for Mum (Grace Scott)-she had to ne home and have food ready on time as we would dash in, eat, and be back at school for lunchtime activities in about 15 minutes.
In the early days in the house there was a scary chip heater in the bathroom, and no shower I think. Mum had to contend with a copper in the washhouse. Gradually the SEC remodelled both and repainted the rooms, but I do remember there was a very limited variety of colours we could choose from -yellow, green and lilac, I recall.
Although we had a car, I don't remember Mum ever driving it. She had to lug the shopping up the hill most days in a shopping trolley we all called jeeps.She was involved in CWA, Red Cross and various other volunteer organisations of the day.

PS

I now live in Armidale NSW where my husband Colin, and I have lived for over 40 years. We are now retired and busy with some of the volunteer work that my mother once did. Our sons, David (41) and Peter (40) both live overseas, so regular OS trips are on our agenda to keep up with the 6 grandchildren.

Jenny Sholl (Nee Scott)