Les Falconer

Born 19 November 1926.

Memories of the Landmarks of the Subiaco area

I was born in Subiaco and we used to live in a street called Forrest Street that used to run to the railway line.

At that time Whittakers Timber Mill was a very big feature in Subiaco. The back of it was in Subiaco and the front of it faced Hay Street and it went right along to the Subiaco Subway. My father used to work there and drive the drays for them to cart timber and stack it in their big storage yards. It was a big landmark in Subiaco because the Whittaker family owned and built a lot of houses in that area for the work people and for other families that wished to rent the houses in Subiaco. Whittakers Timber Mill and the Whittakers family has a very strong original name in that area.

As a child, I didn’t like living behind the mill. I can remember Daglish as bush because it was just behind the mill and you’d look across the railway line and it was all bush. Daglish started to open up as a new suburb when I used to go to the Subiaco School. Some of my friends were living in Daglish in Stubbs Terrace which is near the railway line and I thought how lucky in a brand new suburb like that and here I am in old Subiaco because it was something then to see all these modern houses, so it went ahead.

We rented a house from them and dad used to work at the mill. They used to finish about 5.00 and have great big chimneys where the smoke would go out of the waste timber they burnt. Whittakers is still going but I think in Canning Vale.

I was the last child in the family and my parents were quite old. I needed to do things by myself and I was brought up that way. I was about 8 or 9 doing things and I was capable and able to do it. We had jobs to do when we came home from school. My mother was about 39 when I was born and my father was 58. There was 4 other children but 2 died. One was my twin sister who died at birth and then another sister who died when she was a couple of years old. The rest of us fortunately are still on deck.

But I had some very happy times. I enjoyed Subiaco State School and it’s still there and operating, in fact last year they celebrated their 100th anniversary and I was very sorry I didn’t go to recall old memories. I did have happy school days.

Before the Regal was built in Subiaco the local theatre was the West Theatre which goes back to about 1938. The Police Boys Club took over the West Theatre and all the boys used to do their sport and athletics in the club and it was quite an event. I used to go to their Friday night dances and that’s how I got to know of their functioning. I was 14 years of age and then went into teenage years dancing.

One of our enjoyments in life as children was going for a walk into the bush. We would walk out under the Subiaco subway but as we’d get under the subway we’d approach Jolimont and I think the only landmark there was the Jolimont local hall and then from the hall onwards it was all bushland right up to Cambridge Street. There were a few local houses sort of scattered around. Jolimont was just starting to form then. You’d walk on a bit further, say toward the Shenton Park area now, and it was just lovely natural bushland. They had tracks and we got to know it and it was quite an adventure for us to be able to do that. Mainly kids went there just to be out in the bush.

A strong feature of Subiaco is the Kings Hall, where Timewells retail shop is at the moment. Timewells used to be for all public functions with a lot of very prominent people coming to the community. There would always be a function at Kings Hall, being central in Subiaco. It was a real landmark.

Princess Margaret Hospital in Subiaco is very prominent but before that name it was just called the Children’s Hospital. I think one of the original buildings still remains there at the corner of Hay Street and Thomas Street. It was quite a landmark and prominent place in those days because it was the only children’s hospital, and I think it still is, so it’s quite famous really.

The old St John of God Hospital was a timber building. I went into the old St John’s twice when it was the old wooden building and then they built that beautiful entrance - remember the great big white pillars next to it that was fairly new then. They built that in the centre of it and then there was another wooden verandah part on the other side of it. It was then all the nurses were nuns and they were so lovely to me and I think as you would know the sisters used to do a lot of charity work. It’s a very good hospital, but it isn’t the same without the nuns.

We were in Forrest Street, which is now Forrest Chase. I never ever thought I'd see it - I couldn’t imagine it being what it is now with all these up to date bungalows. Then, you did a lot of personal entertaining like visiting each other and doing your own thing because there wasn’t the entertainment around that there is now. You had to do a lot more for yourself and it used to be nice. It kept families close together and our relatives were also close to us as well.

Subiaco really hasn’t disappeared because there is still a lot of originality still in Subiaco. I am an original of Subiaco and its so much part of my life.