Kerry & Toots - 1960

Kerry Wright

with Toots

Mactier Street, Narrabeen

1960

When I was 7 my big brother, Robert, aged 19, brought home a tiny puppy and begged Mum to allow him to keep her.

Robert claimed the puppy had followed him home, to which Mum responded, "What, on the bus?" Mum had four sons. She'd heard it all before.

At first Mum said no, but soon relented under the weight of ever increasing emotional pressure from Robert, and his assurance that he would take full responsibility for the care and feeding of the puppy.

Soon after, Robert left home to make his own way in the world, and I adopted the puppy.

We had called her Toots because she had such large paws.

Toots and I soon became inseparable. We went everywhere together. She was my best friend.

It broke my heart when she died of cancer when I was 14.

Flora Wright - 1975

Flora Wright
1975

In 1975 George and I were invited to live at 37 Lancaster Crescent, Long Reef, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. George had boarded there briefly, in 1973, when he first came to Sydney after leaving the Royal Australian Navy. It was at No.37 that George and I first met in February 1973, when he was then lodging there. The deal was that we could live free of charge in the garden flat in return for maintaining the garden for the elderly owner, Mrs Edith Rommel. George and I eagerly agreed. It was an excellent opportunity to save money and the garden flat afforded a private, separate entrance to the property and magnificent views overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Mum and Dad lived at nearby Dee Why and visited often. This charming photo of my beloved mother, Emily Flora Wright nee Glover (known as Flora), was taken on one such visit.

Kerry Wright - 1974

Kerry Wright
1974

In 1974 George and I moved into an apartment at 3 Regent Street, Dee Why, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. This photo of me was taken there. I was 24. George hadn’t long been out of the Royal Australian Navy and I had previously been living at home with my parents. In the background can be seen a glimpse of the little three-piece lounge suite we bought at the Beard Watson store at Dee Why. Also there, we purchased the Murillo print and lamp seen here. Beard Watson was a lovely store, dating back to the 1800s. Sadly, it has since ceased to be. The apartment was a two bedrooms/one bathroom walk-up and was not far from the beach. We spent much of our leisure time at the beach in those days, hence my sun tan. The rent was $30 per week, which now seems unimaginably low, but was average for the time. We were destined to live there for just 12 months – but that’s another story.  

George Chamberlain - February 1973

George Chamberlain
February 1973

Here’s George, photographed in the very room where we first met at 37 Lancaster Crescent, Long Reef, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. It was February 1973 and George  had recently left the Royal Australian Navy. On the day we met, I had collected my friend, Paul, from Grace Bros at Warringah Mall, after he finished work (and yes, he did work in the menswear department). Shops closed at 12 midday on Saturdays back then. It was a hot, sunny, summer day. Paul lived opposite the beach at Narrabeen and we had planned to spend the afternoon at the beach. En route, as we passed through Long Reef, Paul mentioned that he had a friend who lived nearby. He suggested we make a brief detour and call in to say hello. And the rest is history! George and I have been friends ever since. The house at No.37 had spectacular views far out to sea and south along the Pacific coast as far as the Macquarie lighthouse at Vaucluse. It has since been demolished and a palatial new residence erected in its place. George and I visited the building site not so long ago and the builders allowed us to look around. Ah, the memories! 

Kerry Wright - 1968

Kerry Wright

1968

I’m pictured here in my bedroom at Mum and Dad’s home in Dee Why on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, doing something that occupied much of my time in those days – painting and listening to music. My musical tastes were somewhat eclectic back then. I enjoyed both classical and popular music. Nowadays, it’s strictly only classical music for me. I’m wearing headphones so as not to inflict my musical tastes upon my parents. I am holding the recently completed portrait of a friend, Ian, from that time. I don’t know what’s become of the painting. Both it and Ian vanished from my life long ago. Hanging on the wall in the background can be seen various other examples of my artwork, including paintings of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and my copy of a portrait of the German Romantic painter, Philipp Otto Runge, who I considered to be most handsome; albeit in a tragic, consumptive kinda way:

Philipp Otto Runge

Ray & Flora Wright - 27 January 1969

Ray & Flora Wright 

27 January 1969

Two photos of my mother and father, Ray and Flora Wright, taken on the same day – 27 January 1969. We were off for a day out in the city. The first photo shows Mum and Dad leaving their home at Dee Why on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. We took a bus to the city, where I was scheduled to serve the 8 a.m. Mass at St Patrick’s Church in Grosvenor Street. During 1969, I served the 8 a.m. Mass every weekday morning at St Patrick’s and also the Benediction on Wednesday and Friday evenings. I worked at nearby Circular Quay at the time. The second photo shows Mum and Dad in the garden courtyard below St Patrick’s. That's a garden bed full of  petunias surrounding the statue of St Joseph in the foreground - very colourful in real life. We took the stairs seen here in the background, which led to the sacristy, where a nun can be seen peeking around the corner. Mum and Dad sat in the private pews to the side of the altar, adjoining the sacristy, unseen from the main body of the church. Following Mass we saw the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore comedy movie “Bedazzled” at the Town Cinema in Pitt Street near Town Hall and then had lunch. It was a lovely day.

Gladys Ann Murrell - 1969

Gladys Ann Murrell nee Glover, 1906-1991

Mum's sister, my Aunty Glad, at Dee Why on Sydney's Northern Beaches in 1969.

Dorothy Shiels - 1969

Dorothy Cynthia Shiels nee Murrell

1969

Dorothy is my cousin, the daughter of my Aunty Glad (Gladys Ann Murrell nee Glover). Aunty Glad is my mother's sister. Dorothy is also my godmother. She is proudly pictured here at Dee Why on Sydney's Northern Beaches in 1969, with her newly-purchased Mini.