Stories Alphabetical by Title

Stories Alphabetical by Title

Child of the Southerly Buster
- Aileen Dennis
Aileen’s life and loves, her character and achievements show that she is a child of the southerly buster.

The Red Lamp
- John Dorl
A young boy plays a prank on the people prawning in Lake Illawarra

A Place of Healing
- Harry Alla
A meditation on Hooka Park and the peaceful refuge there created by artists, the community at Berkeley and families of children with cancer.

a Child’s Own Adventureland
- Wendy Wilson
As a place for raising children, Oak Flats was a perfect adventureland.

Two Together
- Betty and Ron Cross
Betty and Ron reflect on their childhoods and life together

Where We Belong
- Dot Gillis
Dorothy hated camping but loved the Lake. It seemed it was her destiny to become part of the community around the Lake.

A place of opportunity
- felipe azabal
Felipe came To Australia from Spain. he saw Australia as the place to give his children better opportunties in life.

Batchy
- Maree Batcheldor
A tribute to Maree’s husband Bob. A love story that blossomed and
matured on the shores of the Lake and in the community at Oak Flats.

Coomaditchie
- Lorraine Brown
Coomaditchie lagoon is a special place for the aboriginal community that live there. And it is a special place we should all take care of.

Fortunate/Unfortunate
- Gordon Orange
The story of a man who kept making and losing fortunes over his life,
but who never gave up.

Gummy Sharks
- Taylor Mason
A young girl’s story about gummy sharks
in the Lake near where she lives.

Growing Up in a Fishing Family
- Leo Massey
To Leo, growing up in a fishing family was to have a magic childhood, and the things he learnt have stayed with him all through his life, even though he was one of the first boys in a number of generations not to take up professional fishing.

Garage Days
- Ron Gooley
Oak Flats was a paradise for struggling working class families, building their houses and their community bit by bit as money and time allowed.

It’s Family
- Noel Thompson
Fishing families work hard and play hard. They are contributors to their community, and the Lake is really part of their extended family.

Lace
- Pat Hesse
Edith was a woman of practical politics, for the sake of her family

My man in long Trousers
- joan dent
A tribute to Joan’s man in long trousers and the life they shared around Lake Illawarra.

More than just a course
- Narelle Thomas
The story of the start of bush care at Coomaditchie lagoon.

Northside Perambulation
- Michael Bird
A poetic soundscape drawn from childhood memories of walking along the shore of Lake illawarra.

Odd Jobs
- Ron Graham
Money was scarce in those days, so you’d turn your hand to anything. Ron yarns about a few of the odd jobs he did growing up around Lake Illawarra.

Picturing Place
- Julie McCurry
Julie’s art allows her to see, to remember and to find a way to belong to a place.

play work love
- Sonny massey
Sonny Massey’s musings on Play, Work and Love through his life on Lake Illawarra

Ray
- Vera clack
The second world war had its effect on Vera and her husband Ray. Vera found her refuge in Oak Flats.

Roaming Free
- Ron Graham
Back in the day kids and animals just roamed free around Lake Illawarra.

Seabird Rescue
- Julie Clarke
Pelicans are beautiful and mesmerising as they glide around Lake Illawarra, but as the community around the Lake has developed so have the dangers that seabirds face. Seabird Rescue is an organisation that is committed to making Lake Illawarra a safe home for all creatures who live around her.

Six generations of fishing
- russell massey
The history of the Masseys: a professional fishing family on Lake Illawarra.

Taking up the fight
- fred moore
An account of the importance of the Coomaditchie community in the struggle for Indigenous rights in Australia.

The Old Tallawarra Power Station
- Norman Hodges
Tallawarra Power Station was the last of the gentleman's power stations, but the history of Norman’s work includes collective action about asbestos exposure and improving safety for workers.

That Breath, That Blink
- Andrew Knowlson
Landcare, improving water quality, and keeping little breaths or blinks of natural area in our increasingly urbanised environment.

The Heart of the Site
- Louise Shaw and Kim Doran
Being involved in bushcare is a challenge but it can also reward you by changing who you are.

The Survivor
- Kevin Gillis
Kevin’s grandfather loved fishing and was an exceptionally good swimmer, but Kevin never saw his grandfather go onto the Lake. One day while Kevin was researching the family history he came across a newspaper article that shed light on why.

THINGS I LEArnt AS A SCOUT
- John Dorl
John recalls his involvement in the Scouting movement: the fun times, the camaraderie, the journey of commitment and the learning of trust in the face of adversity.

Water
- Jack Hyde
Jack’s account of how much hard work is involved in getting the water to your house so that you can turn on the tap and enjoy a nice shower at the end of the day.

Windang Celebrates Bicentenary
- Greg Hesse
People need things to lift them and the Windang Bicentenary Celebrations certainly brought the community spirit out.

A Dirty Picture in a Golden Frame
- Ray Shaw
Ray emigrated from a steel town in England to a steel town in Australia, but he has always had a link with nature.

Branching Out
- Jill Coleman
The story of community landcare at Berkeley and looking after the water that flows into Lake Illawarra.

Careless in the Catchment
- Ron Hales
Over time there has been a lot of careless activity in the catchment of Lake Illawarra, which has lead to a high nutrient load that is carried by the Lake to this day.

Fun along the Way
- Christine Okoniowski
Christine and her family emigrated from Poland after the second world war. Despite being born with a dislocated hip Christine always “gets the job done” and has fun along the way.

Like My Skin
- Joan Hodge
Joan’s early memories of holidays at Lake illawarra are full of the sense of innocence and enjoyment that has stayed with her all her life.

Born to Fish
- Ken Christophers
Ken’s life in fishing started on Lake Illawarra.

A Holiday Every Day
- Bob Parsons
Bob was brought to Lake Illawarra as a child for picture perfect fishing holidays. When he moved to Lake Illawarra, it was like being on holidays everyday.

Finding the Flow
- Doug Prosser
Doug’s passion for the Lake has taken him on a journey
spanning many years and countless volunteer hours.

Good Times Bad Times
- Barry Hennessy
Lake Illawarra was beautiful once. A lot of that beauty has been lost. This has to be reversed.

Getting her Sparkle Back
- Barry Hennessy
A plea for people to take up the cause of saving and preserving Lake Illawarra and its surrounds.

The Last Big Dig
- Bob Parsons
A short account of various times that the community has worked to keep Lake Illawarra entrance open. And how the community can come together and become a powerful voice to advocate for change.

Away from the hurley burley
- Bob Terry
In Oak Flats there were always plenty of things to do
and plenty of ways to learn responsibility.

Island Refuge
- Gerard Proust
What is special about Gooseberry Island
and why it should be protected.

Life Under Sail
- Ken Christophers
All the things that are so darn good about sailing, as leant at Oak Flats Sailing Club.

Growing Up on the Lake, Chapter 42
- Lindsay Smith
Lindsay smith, OAM, is one of the most active naturalists and environmentalists in NSW. Born in 1951, he grew up on Lake Illawarra and his CHildhood tales are rich with adventure, discovery, invention, characters and wildlife.

When I Fall in Love
- Marge Hyde
Oak Flats: a place for swimming, sailing, dancing and, of course, falling in love.

FROM CONFLICT TO PEACE
- Susan Russell
For a family who had experienced war and conflict, Lake Illawarra became a haven of relaxation.

Living Like Kings and Queens
- Allan Carriage
“If we all take care of the lake we'll live like Kings and Queens". Allan knows the Lake well. As an elder of the Wadi Wadi people, his family have been here for generations. The Lake was a paradise providing plenty of food and great memories.