“Massie Days” – Memories of Happy Days at Massie House in 1971 – 1972. Interview with Tim Mahony (Massie House 1971-72)
From an early age, Tim Mahony knew he would be going to Massie House and become an old collegian of Kambala like his mother and sister!
Tim’s mother Janice (Burchall) Mahony began a long family association with Kambala. She had attended Kambala, was Dux of The School in 1951 and a proud Kambala girl. As a young mother she was fortunate enough to live just around the corner with her young family so sent Tim to Massie House in 1971 and he stayed until he left and moved to Scots Prep. In fact most of the young boys and girls living around Coolong Rd seemed to attend.
We recently interviewed Tim to find out more of those days. He recalls them as happy times, making new neighbourhood friends like Rob Lance (who was best man at Tim’s wedding many years later).The bonds of friendship in Massie House obviously run deep.
In those days Massie House was located on the waterfront in Vaucluse Bay which was later sold to the Earl of Portarlington/the Dawson-Damer family. The Earl apparently built his home across three large blocks of land on Coolong Road, definitely worth a fortune now, but in those carefree days in the early 70’s, the children happily played in the house and gardens, oblivious to their majestic waterfront surroundings.
Tim and his friends recall the house as a little old and in some places a little pokey with small rooms and a couple of large rooms (for a 5 year old) which served for assemblies, parties and plays. However the harbour front views on the edge of Vaucluse Bay were certainly not taken advantage of.
There was a side back door which led out to an old cement staircase. If small shoes safely navigated the stairs, they were rewarded with a large green lawn sloping quite heavily down to meet a low sandstone wall. Running the width of the school between the lawn’s edge and the lazily lapping waters of Vaucluse Bay this was a small boy’s dream adventure.
Just one problem. Strict rules. Never Go Near The Wall.
A hard ask for adventurous souls who just wanted to take a peek over the top of that illustrious forbidden barrier. Needless to say, not naming names but Tim was ‘aware’ that ‘some’ little boys not only went near the wall, they actually scaled it and were rewarded with the sand and waters of Sydney harbour on the deep dark side!
Tim has fond memories of a lovely bubbly teacher who wore mismatching and different coloured stockings on each leg, a different ‘pair’ each day of the week. However another teacher provided the most serious and embarrassing punishment of the day, sitting on the hands of those who fidget, of which Tim and his friend Rob were frequently guilty.
He recalled that there was always warm milk left out in the sun for them to drink and was thankful when the Federal Government abandoned the school policies of providing free milk at lunchtimes. The teachers would also read stories to them every day and on birthdays there were cakes and parties and at Christmas time a Nativity pageant.
Tim peaked in his career as an actor very early on at the Massie House Christmas Pageant. He was cast in a major role as Joseph but his stage career would be short-lived. To the utter horror and astonishment of the packed house and gasps of mortification from all the children, ‘Joseph’ somehow managed to drop baby Jesus on his head. The show went on and Baby Jesus was resurrected unlike Tims acting career, the following year he was cast as a tree backstage left.
Tim recalls his teacher reading story books to them and that he brought lunch from home, generally a basic vegemite or peanut butter sandwich and a piece of fruit.
These are such happy memories of a little boy playing with his neighbourhood friends and associating Massie House with an idyllic childhood.
Many thanks Tim for calling into Kambala to meet with us when you were visiting from Perth and for allowing us to write up this story about your special time as a boy at Kambala’s Massie House.
