Watercolour card (by W. Simpson) my grandparents had purchased at the time they were married

Balmoral was a self-contained village in the 1950’s. From the south my world started at the Naval Depot pool (used by the Balmoral Swimming Club after the original Balmoral Baths were washed away around 1948). Next was the 1st Port Jackson Sea Scouts shed and then the Balmoral Sailing Club. Further around was the Sunshine Club, Joel’s Boatshed and the “New” Balmoral baths.

The real part of Balmoral started at Botanic Road. The first building was “The George”, a fibro and timber two storey building that had accommodation, tennis courts and a great café that served magnificent chocolate sundaes made from Peter’s Ice Cream. Prior to WWII “The George” was known as “Braemar House”. My grandparents, who were married -facing the Heads – on The Island in late 1919, had spent the night before their wedding, along with all the wedding guests, to ensure they could be ready for the dawn ceremony. Just after “The George” tennis courts was a small mixed business “The Balmoral Store” owned by Mr. Coffee – the business later became Balmoral Vintage Cellars. A short distance away was a complex built in 1952 that comprised a typical beach shop/delicatessen that sold cigarettes, sandwiches, lollies, pies, Streets ice cream and milk shakes; there was also a fruit shop next door. I scratched my initials in the new concrete block work and my handiwork can still be seen. I had my first real job in the delicatessen owned by Mr. Thomas and made sure my mates were well supplied with extra malt and other delicacies in their milk shakes.

A bit further along was the ladies hair salon and, on the corner of Raglan Street, a butcher shop. The floor of the butchers was always covered in sawdust and the chiller had heaps of lamb carcases hanging by their legs. Meat was always wrapped in greaseproof paper and enclosed in crisp white butcher’s paper (no newspaper in the butcher’s shop). Between Raglan Street and Esther Road was a vacant block that was destined to become the Balmoral Infants School.

Along from Esther Road was the post office and, next door, Mr. Jim Miller the Chemist. I had a part-time job as a delivery boy with Mr. Miller – orders were dispatched all over the area. I disliked the ones that meant riding up Raglan Street and over to Clifton Gardens, although it was all good exercise. Next to these two shops was a small gravel drive that lead to an area behind the shops that used to be the Balmoral Garage – it sold petrol and undertook repairs but it had gone by the 1950’s.

A few houses and then the original fruit shop. Fruit and vegetables were wrapped in newspaper and they paid 2d for a stack of newspapers – reasonable money for a six-year-old. Next to the fruit shop was a mixed business, originally owned by champion boxer Dave Smith and later an English family. In the early 1950’s it was sold to Mr. Boutaji, a Lebanese. Mr Boutaji’s shop provided most grocery needs; sugar was weighed out into paper bags, biscuits were counted out of the biscuit tin and cheese was cut from a giant block of very hard dry cheese kept behind the counter. Ice creams were 3d. Mr. Boutaji was understandably very suspicious when I turned up to recover the 3d deposit on Marchants soft drink bottles – he knew that my mother hadn’t purchased that much soft drink and that the bottles had been collected from the park or the beach.

The park – I never knew its name but now discover it is Hunter Park – occupied the land between Almora Street, Hunter Road and The Esplanade. From Hunter Road towards Mandolong Road there was a vacant block of land, a tennis court and finally the shop on the corner of Mandolong Road that sold groceries AND McNiven’s ice cream. The vacant block on the corner of Hunter Road was THE location for the Empire Day bonfire and fireworks. For the weeks preceding 24th May all the kids would locate all sorts of combustible material and create a huge bonfire. Around 6 pm the bonfire would be lit and crackers let off. Penny bungers were the most popular but tom thumbs, Catherine wheels and sky rockets were up there – provided you had the money. The whole of Balmoral was covered in a dense fog of smoke and the dogs never stopped barking. Next day everyone was out bright and early to locate the “fizzers” that could be cut up and their gunpowder extracted for other uses. There was always some damage to participants of cracker night, the most common being the loss of a whole bag of crackers with sky rockets hurtling off in all directions.

A bit further down the road (around 59 The Esplanade) was a tiny mixed business, owned by the Nightingale family, that seemed to struggle for an existence but its position opposite the Bather’s Pavilion helped. At the corner of the Esplanade and Awaba Street was a substantial shop selling groceries, newspapers and magazines. Exciting books such as “Digit Dick on the Barrier Reef” were sold as well as “The Phantom” and “Donald Duck” comics.

On the beach side of the Esplanade the Bathers Pavilion kiosk sold Blue Bow soft drinks (only at weekends). The bottle deposits (from bottles collected after a southerly buster) were a big source of income but could only be redeemed at the kiosk. A small kiosk that sold hot water (for making billy tea) and pies also existed between the Bathers Pavilion and the now demolished Wyargine Flats.

The last little shop was at the very end of The Esplanade, around no. 83, and opposite the small access road to the beach. Some groceries were sold but pies were a specialty. The clientele was very limited – it was one of the first Balmoral shops to close its doors.

Balmoral was well serviced with trams every half hour to Athol Wharf and Chatswood with limited services direct to Wynyard. The trams went up though a cutting from Botanic Road and ended up in Beaconsfield Road and then Gordon Street before turning into Middle Head Road. At King Max Street the Athol Wharf tram (that met the zoo ferry) turned left and joined the tram line from Mosman Junction to the Zoo. At the Zoo, the track became a single line and a complex arrangement with a key to unlock the points was used to ensure that only one tram could be at Athol Wharf at a time. Special arrangements were made on holidays and weekends to cope with Zoo trams and also in the evening when up to three trams were needed to handle the thong of businessmen wanting to get home from the ferry. The trams gave access to Sydney City and all the shopping areas along Military Road – Mosman Junction, Spit Junction, Cremorne and Neutral Bay.