By Michael Johansen (nee Morgan)
The old Metters and Parramatta wood stoves were hungry beasts. They gobbled up wood at an alarming rate. There were a couple of huge ‘Gimlet’ gums in Brown Hill road but they were unavailable for firewood so we had to go collect our own out to the east of town. My adopted dad, Harry Morgan, in around 1958, bought an 8 cylinder Ford ute for this purpose.
Every few months the four of us would pack the folding picnic table (with attached seats) axes, sharpening stone, esky, billy can (old Sunshine milk tin with coat hanger handle) and waterbag (mounted on the front of the ute) and head out along Bulong Road in search of ‘Gimlet’ or ‘Salmon’ Gum trees. Sometimes, just to be different, we would go out along Parkeston Rd directly towards Kanowna.
The Salmon gums were preferred as they grew nice and straight and, for some unknown reason, during the dry season, had a habit of dying into a nice straight, easy to cut down and carry, stick.
Harry would first try to push the dead gums over (they averaged about 15cm across) but, failing that, he would then cut them off at ground level with the axe. He would then trim off all the small branches and shove the remaining stick, root-end first, into the back of the ute.
Most times there would be enough of the trees hanging out the back so as to drag along the road behind us.
After the ute was loaded to Harry’s satisfaction (tailgate just clear of the road surface) we kids would climb on top of the load and off we would go to places such as ‘Gidgee lake’ or the ‘Kanowna sand dunes’ for our picnic lunch. (The sand dunes had a very large ‘peppercorn’ tree that gave excellent shade)
Lake Gidgee
Having spent several hours sitting in the water on the edge of the lake, or climbing up and sliding down the sand dunes, Harry would put us kids on top of the load of wood again and we would tear back into Kalgoorlie and Brown Hill road at a death-defying pace (well it seemed fast to us kids on top) with the ute meandering off to the left and right of the centre line, whilst at the same time, sweeping the ruts off Bulong or Parkeston road as we went.
Later on, in the early 60’s, Harry purchased a newer ute and the wood collecting continued.
Moya Sharp
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I liked this – gave a good feel for the art of wood collecting. I could feel that ute swerving around!
Brown Hill of course was one of the outer suburbs of Kalgoorlie Boulder, and maybe the most substantial, although Lakewood was quite a size.
Maybe though Lakewood did not have a school or a hotel. Other suburbs, if I may use the term, were Boulder Block, Trafalgar and the still very much alive, the only one of them, East Kalgoorlie or Williamstown which perhaps the Council could help out a bit with some work. And Dingbat Flat was distinctive for its few anglo Australian and mainly Dalmatian Yugoslav residents.