With a young daughter, Jean, and Elizabeth pregnant again, Sam accepted and the family departed for Australia. Early in 1925, Jim was born. (Conceived in Belfast, born in Ringwood, Jim has used his unique status in order to represent both Australia and Ireland in Lawn Bowls competitions.)
Sam and his family stayed with his Uncle James until Sam found work as a motor mechanic for the partnership Clarke & Devine who had a garage, workshop and service cars. To be close to work, the Pattersons moved to Main Road Sassafras, and soon after, to Hilton Road.
“Father wanted to start his own business.” Jim said. “He built the Olinda garage –constructed from corrugated iron and with a dirt floor – at the corner of the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road and Range Road. His fleet of two, five passenger cars ran a service from Olinda to Melbourne, in competition with Tutt & Storrie of Sassafras.
“The garage was subsequently replaced some years later and rebuilt in brick. Many people thought that this was the original garage, but they were mistaken.”
Asked about the recent renovation of the Olinda garage, Jim shook his head and said he could not bring himself to go back and see the changes.
“In 1929 we moved to the first of several addresses in Olinda. In fact, my family was destined to move 14 times before finally settling here in Upwey. I started school at Olinda Primary School the following year. Just one teacher and one classroom back then. A real highlight each year was the prize-giving day, held at Kenloch. There were games, a picnic and Mr Kennon would award prizes and give gifts, including boxes of chocolates, to each of the pupils.
“Frank Boulter was my best buddy. His family had a nursery, and still do, growing flowers for the Melbourne market. We used to have bulb fights in one of their sheds and I remember helping to slash and clear the bracken fern and to pack boxes of blooms ready for transporting to the city. We had a great time as boys pretending that we were cowboys and the bracken were the indians.
“There was no electricity until the early ’30s, and when it finally arrived, we could only afford to have lights, no appliances. Of course, there were chores to do at home, but there was also plenty of entertainment. Films were regularly shown at the Mechanics Hall, Sassafras. As children, we would walk there and back in the dark, two miles each way, but well worth it.
“The Tourist Road was very narrow without any markings, both difficult and dangerous for the drivers, especially on a foggy night. Father’s cars were able to carry five passengers. A return trip to the city cost eight shillings. It took about an hour to get to Melbourne, but there was less traffic in those days.”
In 1935 Sam sold the garage and bought a grocery business in Sassafras. Jim had the job of selling bags of lollies to the audience at films nights, and kept in touch with his Olinda friends at the same time. In 1936, The Transport Authority ordered the many small service car businesses to amalgamate or sell out. Belgrave and Upwey businesses amalgamated to become U S Bus Lines.
Sam’s work took the Pattersons away from the Hills for a short time until he was given the opportunity to return to Olinda as a bus driver. Now in high school, Jim was studying at Box Hill, commuting by service car to Upper Ferntree Gully station and train to Box Hill.
When Sam joined the Army in 1941, he was stationed at Albert Park. Travelling all that distance was a problem, so the family relocated to Upwey, an easy walk from the railway station. Two years later, Jim was accepted into the RAAF. Upon his discharge in 1946, he resolved to find a block of land, build a family home, and put an end to the constant upheaval of moving.
Jim found a block of land in Upwey, designed the ideal home and built the first brick veneer house in the area. The family moved in. A bungalow was added for his parents when Jim met and married Olive. With a wicked grin as he explains, “I latched onto this chick and serenaded her with my bugle”.
“I did a short course on landscaping,” Jim says, proudly pointing to the vivid rhododendrons and thriving camellias. “I planned the shape of the garden beds and where each plant would go. I’m happy here and tell people I won’t be leaving until they carry me out in a box.” Jim's eyes are sparkling. “And, God willing, that won’t be for quite a while.”
Thank you, Jim, for taking the time to reminisce with theHillsOnline.
If you or someone you know have a story to tell about the Hills, please email theHillsOnline team. We would love to hear from you.
Jim’s parents, Sam and Elizabeth, came from Ireland in 1924 to settle in Upper Ferntree Gully where Sam’s uncle, James Winters, had established a blacksmith shop and stables some years earlier. James operated a wagonette service to Olinda, a popular holiday destination for Melburnians. These tourists came by train to Upper Ferntree Gully: the rest of the journey was by service car. Wishing to expand his business, James needed a mechanic, and offered the work to his nephew Sam, on the other side of the world.