Wilf Mound and family move to Wedderburn Road
In 1963 our parents decided they would like to buy a plot of land and have a home built to their own design. One day walking along Wedderburn Road dad noticed the large piece of land belonging to Summerlea (No.57), then owned by Paddy and Burt Lloyd. Dad knocked on the door and asked Burt if he would like to sell a piece of his land. Burt said yes he would! There and then they walked out into the orchard. “How much would you like?” asked Burt. Dad looked around and paced out several feet holding out his arm to signify a distance. Within a few short minutes dad and Burt shook hands and agreed on the size and price of the plot which would eventually become our home.
Our father had an architect friend John, who offered to design our home in exchange for dad re-wiring his house. I remember as a child our parents sitting around the kitchen table with John, describing the home they wanted – mum being very specific about the size of ‘her’ kitchen and both of them wanting a lounge with a south aspect to catch the sun during the day. They preferred a bungalow, which was considered a very modern choice in the 60s.
Weekends were spent clearing the ground where our home was to stand. Our parents didn’t want to remove trees unnecessarily and all of the apple trees, plum and pear trees that weren’t in the way of the building work remained. A few still stand today including a wonderful Russet – already mature back then, which can be seen laden with fruit just behind the property in the included photograph (1966-ish). The old tree still remains all these years later! It was a great favourite of dad’s. It barely produces fruit now and is full of mistletoe much loved by the birds in wintertime. The picture shows our parents, my sister Julie in the foreground and myself with a school friend, Jackie Harnby, who lived at No.49. We can remember our father digging the foundations by hand. He executed much of the work himself, but also employed the services of friends he knew in the building trade to bring the bungalow to fruition.