Living at the Married Quarters, Yallourn - back in the 1950s - by Mavis McAllister (Webb)

Living at the Married Quarters, Yallourn – Back in the 1950s
Written by Mavis McAllister (Webb) on January 6th 2016

OUR HOME IN WATTLE ROAD
When Tom and I were married in 1949, housing in Yallourn was very restricted. Staff personnel were granted first preference, but you could put your name down and wait for a house vacancy to arise. At that same time, there was possible accommodation available at the Married Quarters, also with a waiting list, so we waited and soon we were allotted our house at 11 Wattle Road, Yallourn.

THE DEVINE & THOMPSON FAMILIES
The houses of the Married Quarters settlement were built near the Latrobe River on the way to Yallourn North. The road to Yallourn North (the Brown Coal Mine as it was then known) was where W Station now stands. Horrie Devine had his home and business in this area – I remember that he started off with trucks delivering wood, briquettes and moving furniture. His furniture van was often used by Yallourn Youth Club as transport for day trips to the snow.

I think there were 30 houses (perhaps more) at the Married Quarters – and it could only be described as a small settlement. Bev & Ros Thomson had what was known as the West Camp Store & Post Office and the shop was attached to their home. It was where David, Graham & Diane lived, so we did have the long forgotten corner store.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE HOUSES BUILT IN THE MARRIED QUARTERS
The Married Quarters were within walking distance or a bike ride of the Power Station for work. A description of the floor plan of the houses of the Married Quarters are as follows…. There was only one entrance, the door opened into the living/kitchen area, as you entered, the bathroom was on your immediate right. This contained the old tin bath, which Tom painted, a chip heater and small pedestal wash stand. On the left of the main room was the bedroom, there were no built-in robes etc. in those days.

The kitchen area was to the right and included a built-in sink over the cupboard for pots and pans, but in that area there were floor to ceiling cupboards; and they were to provide storage for chattels such as linen, kitchen supplies and general household storage.

We thought our home in Wattle Street in the Married Quarters was a palace. Then there was a second bedroom. The heating cooking was a small wood combustion stove. The windows were fixed at the bottom, with a push out panel at the top. At the back of each house was the fence line of the next door neighbour so it was possible to push the window open and talk to them.

The outhouses and shared laundry/wash house area were an interesting concept in the design of Married Quarters’ residences. At the meeting of four houses, some distance from the living area, was the outside toilet –four individual ones with the shared laundry in the middle.

This building once again had large cupboards along one wall, one for each house, but the wood copper however the wash troughs were shared. Each family had a wash-day roster and your washing was then pegged onto your own clothes line. In that era there were no Hills hoists, just the old fashioned long-wire washing lines. This description may assist you to imagine a block comprising four homes with the amenities building in the middle.

A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND TRUST
Even though we lived in close proximity to each other, there was a great feeling of friendship and caring for one another; but at the same time, there was never a sense of ‘living in each other’s space. A spirit of community pervaded the Married Quarters and from time to time ‘bits and pieces’ were often shared with others in need.

I don’t know why, but our house had a large garden area and Tom always had a plentiful supply of fresh vegetables, shared by many. There weren’t many cars in those days and if you owned one, you just parked it outside your bedroom. No cover or security, but in those days, we trusted everyone!

MOVING ON TO YALLOURN NORTH
After some time living at Wattle Road, we were allocated a house at Yallourn North – an English pre-fabricated residence – at 38 Carmel Avenue and consequently we were on the move again. Many of the people living at the Married Quarters were like us and were offered the chance to resettle in a new home at Yallourn North.

Our start to married life may have sounded rather rough and ready, but it gave many families the opportunity to learn to live with people all starting off together and sharing the good times. Maybe there are some people today that would really appreciate having some housing like we had in those early days in the Married Quarters.

Mavis McAllister (Webb)
Jan 2016