This will be a two-parter.
Surry Hills
At the beginning of April I revisited old haunts: see I remember you well at The Shakespeare Hotel…, In Surry Hills last Monday — 1 and In Surry Hills last Monday — 2.
The Book Kitchen, Devonshire Street Surry Hills
One objective of yesterday’s trip to Sydney was to have lunch with M. Given his work times and other commitments it is harder for him to come down to The Gong than for me to go up to Sydney – plus for me it is just $2.50 all day fare for all the relevant trains or buses.
We lunched at The Shakespeare Hotel.
The iconic Shakespeare Hotel is located in the heartland of Surry Hills at 200 Devonshire Street. One of the last authentic pubs left in Sydney, The Shakey is truly a piece of local Victorian history and is adored by locals. It’s your home away from home…
Stanwell Park, and family history
April 8: Shellharbour, about my father’s birthplace and family I knew there. 14 April: Off to Stanwell Park today. 15 April: To Stanwell Park: 1 explains why.
At Stanwell Park yesterday. She had a shopping trolley of Whitfield family pics, photos and documents going back to the 1830s! Amazing stuff! The four hours I could spend didn’t do it justice. Lilian Lee. 90+ and sharp as… She has been a TAFE teacher in her time. Recalled I met her father and mother too sometime around 60+ years back and he gave me a ride in his buggy. Lilian’s ancestry is from this couple, the older sister of my grandfather T D S Whitfield:
Susan Caroline WHITFIELD (b. 23 May 1862 d. 13 May 1954) & Jonathan McINNES (b. 6 Jun 1859 d. 8 Feb 1946) m. 20 Jan 1885
See this obituary:
McINNES.—February 8 at his residence Spion Kop, Picton, Jonathan McInnes dearly beloved husband of Susan, loved father of William, Annie,(Mrs. Gorrick), Susan ( Mrs.Todd deceased),and Ruby ( Mrs. S Graham), and brother of L. and A. McInnes, aged 86 years.
Their youngest, Ruby McInnes (b.1893), married Stan Graham, the one who I now seem to recall giving me – and my sister? – a ride in the buggy he still kept at his then home in Lidcombe, NSW. They are Lilian Lee’s parents.
Lilian Lee on the left
Lilian had an amazing photo of William Whitfield — born 16 Mar 1812 , Parish of Drumgoon, Cootehill, Co. Cavan, Ireland, arrived on the “Thames” from Cork via Brazil and Cape Horn, age 14, married Caroline Philadelphia West 1836, died Sydney 1897. Much earlier than this one on my pages:
Lilian’s photo looks as if it was taken in the 1850s or 1860s and shows a rather gentlemanly man with a top hat. The picture above looks to me to be from the 1880s at the earliest…
A very pleasant day finishing with a bus trip back to Wollongong via Sea Cliff Bridge: To Stanwell Park: 2 and To Stanwell Park: 3 – and amazing events in NSW! – the amazing event being the resignation of the NSW Premier.
Health scare
26 April: Spent the night in hospital.
Called the ambos around 11pm. Chest pains. Not too severe, but better safe than sorry, I thought. Seems it was a false alarm.
I wondered what it would be like, being Anzac Day and all – but it went smoothly, not too crowded or too noisy. There were police evidently guarding one patient – though he was separated from the main A&E ward.
Not as bad as that from 2009…
Finally got discharged at 5.30 am. Have to get a precautionary MPS study done on Monday though.
And it came out OK:
Here is Hawkeye:
The same model as they have at Wollongong Hospital. Fortunately it finished with me by about 1pm, so I hotfooted – or rather hotbussed— to the Diggers Club for bangers and mash, which somehow seems appropriate after a heart scan.
And very tasty it was too!
More April to come.
Neil's Commonplace Book 