Kylie Richardson
We were some of the first people to move in

I came to Minto in December 1975. We were some of the first people to move in. We moved into a brand new house on the corner of Derby Street and Ward Way.

There was still paddocks across the road, cows — it was still like a country town really. The old railway crossing and there was not much around. We were happy there. There was a little park on the corner. Not a park as in swings — there were three big rocks.

A friend that lived up the road had a red typewriter, I still remember that. We were only little but she got this typewriter so we used to type up letters.

My brother was actually run over about two or three years after we moved in, out the front so that was not a happy time. He spent six months in hospital and he still has problems. It was quite an horrific accident. I was out the front playing with him so I saw the whole thing. So that is probably the worst memory I have.

The neighbours one side of us had two girls as well and they were very nice and friendly. Across the road on the other corner were nice neighbours and then up the road Jan Bets had five boys. My mother would do night shift. If she was going to be late or something the neighbour would come and sit with us so she could go to work.

I was really proud of my big sister who was the first school captain of Sarah Redfern Primary School. My mother was on the uniform committee. She and another lady, Mrs. Hutchins designed the uniform back then when it first opened.

Minto was predominantly Anglo Australian in those days. I’m trying to visualise the street and the people. I remember riding up the road to get bread and milk with my sister on a bike to the take away shop.

I was speaking to dad on the weekend and he said he had driven past the old house the other day. Dad said the gentleman was out the front and… he explained he was looking at the old house. He spoke of the trees that were kept and chopped down since moving in, they were the trees my parents had planted, so it was nice to stop and have a chat.