Trenna’s Rough Notes on Craig House

By Tren, with a little help from her friends.

Brief Intro by Greg

Another document from Trenna’s iPad. I think she has collected thoughts and snippets of information together to help her and I put her story together.

The original document was entitled “1965-1972 Craig House” and it was in a folder called “Tren Family Chronology & Memoirs”. It was created in March 2014, and last modified on 1 October 2018 – a few months after the last of the Kitchen Tapes was recorded.

She has put the document together from her own memories, some research, and also input from other residents of Craig House who she was in touch with through a Facebook group.

To Former Residents of Craig House (or anyone else): Trenna was only 8 years old when she moved to Craig House so it is entirely possible that she has got some details wrong. If that’s the case I would love to here about it. Please either Comment on the Post, or Contact Me using the link on the bottom of the page. Similarly, if there is something here about you that you would prefer is not there, please just let me know.

And whilst I’ve got your attention … I’m also open to the idea of “Special Guest Bloggers”. If you’ve got a story about Craig House, or anything slightly related to Trenna I’m quite prepared to consider publishing it on this website – just get in touch. For example, the things under “Organised Leisure Time” below. I know a little about them, but those of you who were actually there would know a lot more.

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Craig House

CRAIG HOUSE
43 The Esplanade
South Perth. 6151
Phone # 67 11 94

Opened Sunday 3/8/52 by Lady Gairdner.
Mr Craig £10,000 gift

The Annex was built at end of 1952 to house boys who had previously resided next door at the Bonnerup’s.
The Boys quarters were built in about 1965? They were nearly at completion point when I moved in July 1965.

MY FAMILY ARRIVED

Colin Seckington, 1964 aged 13
Nancy Seckington, 2/1964 aged 15
Barbara Seckington, mid 1964 aged 13
Trenna Seckington, 7/1965 aged nearly 8

STAFF

HOUSE MASTERS & HOUSE MISTRESSES
Mr Michael Tognolini, later, wife Lynn
Mr & Mrs Partington
Mr & Mrs Barnes
Mr Barry & Mrs Margaret Gibson

Bettine Byron was a girl about my age who was staying at CH for a few months under other circumstances than the usual kids. Maybe her Dad was a legatee & was posted OS? Or, she was waiting to go to a boarding school, I don’t know, she was friendly but she was friendlier with Anthea Fitzharding, the youngest daughter of Mr Fitzharding, a legatee who lived on The Esplanade up towards the swamp.

We would go to Anthea’s to play and also to swim in their pool. They were very rich people and there was a sense of superiority about Anthea as regards to me.

All other kids at CH were older than me, in high school. Not everyone went to Kent Street Senior High (State) School, there were kids who went to private schools.

Sometimes, when people had finished their schooling, they were allowed to stay on while they commenced Tech School, Business College, joined The Navy etc… This might be because they hadn’t turned the age of 17.

In the early 60’s there was a lot of children, the spillover of boys were housed next door at the Bonnerup’s house, the housemaster was Mr Michael Tognallini later in 1965-6? boys quarters were built which contained an apartment to house the housemaster & housemistress a young married (most often, teachers) couple.

CRAIG HOUSE WHO, WHEN

Neighbours The Bonnerups housed boys quarters
KIDS
STAFF
LEGATEES

Ross Lander arrived Mid 1968 [just a little earlier in the same year as the Crossings]

Helen Rice Oct/Nov 1967
Matron’s fire place had burned through the adjoining wall into the blue room, which became the pink room. I spent my first month or so sleeping with the other blue/pink room girls in the lounge room!
Geoffrey & Vernon Wright
Fergie, David & sisters KATHERINE (Katie) & JANETTE? Crawford
Howard Slater
Stephen & Trevor Small (and their sister(?))
Robert, Ross, Irene & Lynette Hollis
Ann Pover
Ann Pover’s brother Dave?
John Cramer attended Christchurch
Adrienne & older sister, Joy Meharry.
Judith Heap
Gay Lyons
My sisters Barbara & Nancy & brother Colin
Geoffrey & younger brother Vernon Wright

Colin Campbell
Neil Podlich
Neil Grinham
Frank Tangney
Gavin Cummings
Ross L has told me: “By 1972 Ross Hollis was in the navy and I am pretty sure neither Neil was still at Craig House. Frank was there, and Robert Hollis, Ralph and Robert Crossing, Colin, I think, was there and Gavin Cummings.”
Me
[GM: and Marie Lockyer?]

Me, MOFFLYN – CH 7/1965
– Sir Douglas Kendrew visit
– Blue room fire – became pink room, girls slept in lounge room
– Dress for dinner boys-ties, girls-frocks
– Stand behind chairs, boys pull out girls’ chairs Matron name someone to say grace.
– Special guests to dinner
– Legatee to dinner once a month on a Tuesday(?) did they have to eat all their meal?
– Serve matron coffee in her sitting room after dinner
– Homework from 7:30-9:30 together on dining room or were boys in the annexe?
– Seniors, aged over 15 or 16 got supper young kids to bed

– Go to the swamp
– Go to the nuns Wednesday & Saturday for piano lessons, nice nuns & evil cane nuns
– Wagging music sitting on grassy slope in front of Windsor Towers above the swamp
– Smoking, drinking Matron’s booze

Organised Leisure Time

Easter camp, Araluen
Legacy camp, Busselton
Leg-at-tea hat
Socials, dances with Palatine mission kids (boys & girls?)
Fancy dress – skeleton
Playing Matron organised games, murder, mahjong, canaster, bridge – (?) a game where we called out trumps???, pontoon
Girl games: stilt walking, hoopla hoops, boob tubes, knuckle bones, pick up sticks
Rec room playing LPs & singles on record player & groovy dancing on the desks.
Hadden Hall – Bakery

– Play in lots of abandoned homes
– When Windsor Towers built, we would have access to lifts and sneak into apartments

Our father had died in November 1963. I had been times since I was three years old. [GM: I think this previous sentence was dictated to Siri, but didn’t come out correctly – I can’t think of what it was meant to be?] I had a trial in early 1964 came to Craig House and stayed for a few days at the time when the girls who had been sleeping in the Blue Room had to sleep in the lounge because Matron’s fireplace had burnt through to the other side of the wall destroying the Blue Room. It was renovated and became known as the Pink Room it was the largest bedroom in the house in which five girls slept.

I moved from Mofflyn in East Victoria Park to Craig House mid 1964. I was in grade 2 at EVP Primary School and I moved to South Perth Primary School. I think I was in a grade 2/3 class. I don’t remember much of my early grade 2/3 school days. I do remember some point we have naps in class on seagrass mats and there were coloured cards for learning. I remember my later school days.

[GM: This next and final bit I know has been pasted into the document from a message Trenna sent to another former resident.]

“Hi, I have done 2 CH oral history interviews with John Bannister. Took about 4 hrs all up because he asks “off mike” background info just before going “on mike”.

He was easy to talk to, sitting on the couch at my place. He introduced me and himself then, to get me talking, chose Qs that he wanted me to elaborate on. He would prompt me or lead me in the direction of something I had earlier mentioned.

Initially, I thought the interview would generally be about the day-to-day life at CH but he was also interested to know about the circumstances that brought me to live at CH and the contrast between what life was like before CH and what it was like during CH time.

It was a bit more personal than I expected but nevertheless he was engaged & engaging to talk with. I am sure I repeated memories.

I gave him a few photos, the ones that showed as much South Perth background info as possible which he will pass on to Farah. I will let you know when I get any more info.” [GM: I don’t know who Farah is, I think that could be another Siri artefact.]

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