Born in a Culvert

According to my birth certificate, I was born on April 2, 1922 at 115 George St, Fitzroy.

What actually happened was that Mum (Amy McArthur) went into labour and was walking the quarter mile to St. Vincent’s Hospital when I wouldn’t wait any longer! So she squatted in a culvert beside the road and gave birth to me.

A kind lady came to her rescue and helped her (and me!) along to the hospital. My Dad (Colin McArthur) had me registered in the district of South Fitzroy six days later, after things settled down.

My sister, Phyllis, was two and a half when I was born. I remember us living in the lower floor of a two-story house. There were dark skys due to polution from chimney stacks. Fitzroy was a heavy industrial area in those days.

We must have gone hungry often, as I developed rickets, including a hollow chest, due to lack of calcium, sunshine and good, healthy food in general! I remember thinking often, even as a tiny youngster, that food would have been good.

One happy memory I have of Fitzroy is the Salvation Army Band marching down the road. I sat and watched the marchers, spellbound.

Another good memory was Guy Fawkes night, November 5th. Dad lit crackers one after another, and dropped them into an empty four gallon kerosene tin. They exploded with a loud “bang!”

Today the last remnants of the smoking factories are the paper mill at Alphington and the Austin Hospital chimney which was used for heating steam pipes and laundry.

Several times my parents took me to the Children’s Hospital when I had what they called “bronchitis”. Eventually the doctor said we would have to move to the country, away from the pollution, for my sake. I was two years old.