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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: iwccc on Tuesday 06 March 12 00:41 GMT (UK)
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Does anyone have any information on the camp that was set up during the Depression years at Cook Park, Brighton Le Sands, N.S.W. ? I am interestd in when this camp was set up and how long it lasted for. How many people lived at Cook Park camp? What was life like there? etc. Any help would be much appreciated. P.S. are there any photos? Thank you
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Hi, well what an odd question?
I learnt to swim a Cook Park and it is not at Brighton Le Sands, but between Ramsgate and Dolls Point. I wasn't around in the Great Depression but my parents sure were. They married in 1932 and went to stay with friends at Ramsgate the weekend of their wedding, such was their Honeymoon.
My father told me of the camp set up there, mostly single blokes with no job and too much time on their hands, sly grog, fights and all night sessions by what he termed "no hopers" There were some families really down on their luck and no prospect of a job.
A soup kitchen was run by the combined churches and gave some sustenance, but remember most of those there had been chucked out by their familes, The women; they went back to mum & dads so the kids could be fed and the husband was left at a loose end.
Using the dole for grog and gambling became the pastime as well as organised bare knuckle fights for a purse. The Police mainly stayed away, I have somewhere, photo's from the 50's of our family at Dolls Point and Cook Park, but not the depression years.
Either Kogarah Council or Rockdale Council may have some that area, it has changed several council boundaries over the years since Joseph Banks waded along its shoreline. There are active family history groups in both area's. ;D
Neil
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Hi iwccc,
You can search on trove - there are lots of articles there. Here is just a sample
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17023171 children to be taken away
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17030821 about 400 at this time
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2343973 financial assistance given
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2333146 more housing to be made available
Adding http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10945853 families taken in lorries to wooden houses on windsor road
cheers,
Ros
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That was very informative Ros!
I think the other area they referred to at Nth Brighton would be Kyeema as I know it. There has in my knowlege never been any Parkland at Brighton save a tiny small strip along Grand Parade heading towards Ramsgate around the Monterey area.
Neil :D
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It's very interesting Neil - I had never heard of any of this before.
The last article I just added describes how families were loaded into lorries to be taken 30 miles from the city where jobs were much harder to find. It sounded pretty grim. :(
In the next paragraph they describe how wonderful the women were looking at Randwick. (such a contrast)
cheers,
Ros
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Hi Neil,
I used to play golf at New Brighton, which was originally called North Brighton. The more experienced ;D members, told me that the club land was taken by the Federal government to extend Kingsford Smith airport. The Government gave them land out at Moorebank (near Liverpool), and money to build a course. A few years ago, there was an anniversary, and they were all reminiscing, and , apparently, some part of the old clubhouse (in ruins) still exists.
So, North Brighton would indeed be in the Kyeema area, maybe even over the Cooks river.
Cheers, Jude
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Economic depression Cook Park huts at North Brighton, Kyeemagh 1930's (North Brighton Unemployed Camp, 1930's).
The North Brighton Unemployed Camp, known as "Happy Valley", was located in the sand hills along Cook Park at Kyeemagh, to the north of where Cooks River now enters Botany Bay. During the Great Depression many families lost their homes and, unable to find or afford new accomodation, sought refuge in the camp.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0krj/
Photo: Economic depression huts Cook Park 1930's:
http://203.20.148.68/LocaHis/Jpeg/004/depression_001.jpg
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Thanks Merlin, the term Happy Valley I had heard before but it escaped my memory.
They must have had it so tough in those times. My Father took, I think he called it piece work with the Water Board digging out rock deep underground in Sydney for new Sewerage works. He was injured in a rock fall but received no compensation even though he was unable to work for several years.
I had a look at Goggle Earth and indeed you can see the Garden along Occupation Road Kyeemah. I imagine the term Occupation referred to the camp. This is a different area than what my father was talking about, not far the way the crow fly's but along the same watercourse. There were possibly several camps? I had never heard of that area referred to as Cook Park but as the Banksia Marshes. ???
Neil
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Neil, I can only quote & give links from historical files that are held at the library as I did above.
I have just found another that might be of interest 'The Great Depression in Rockdale':
http://www.rockdale.nsw.gov.au/library/Pages/pdf/RonRathbone2011/EricRong.pdf
Also this historical timeline:
http://www.rockdale.nsw.gov.au/development/Pages/Heritage.aspx
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Both of those links were intersting Merlin it gives a picture of what life was like, particulary of interest was the mention of the Waterboard extension works, in which my father worked.
Thanks for that.
Neil ;D