Taylor Square in the 60s - blog: Errol Wood

Showing posts with label Errol Wood. Show all posts

ALISON ROAD

1969
Alison Road, Randwick

My relationship with young Jim came to an abrupt halt.

Errol Wood, had secured an apartment on Alison Road, he had an area in the lounge room for himself, my room overlooked Randwick Racecourse.

Inmates and outpatients included:
Annie Kelso, Wally Mudd, Keri Phillips, Brian Dewhurst and Bobbi, Bob and Kathie McGowan, Dave Miller, Crazy Wayne Barnes, Neil Bramley, Gary Ross, Virgo Doug, Ian McIlvray, Ross Darmody, Paul Wyld, Charlie Watts, Steve James, Anna Henry.

Primed with a good dose of Becks 'Truth', we headed off to Taylor Square. First stop, The Beauchamp to chat with Alan Johnson, Dave Cook, Sonya K, The Ox, Terry Blake and Bob Doubtfire/Dartfire (sp), from the Whisper.

Around eight, Wally and the boys dropped by and we all trundled up to Whittys Oxford Tavern or further down Oxford Street, to French's Wine Bar. French's featured The Foreday Riders, a predominately a blues roots band and the Battersea Heroes, headed by Mr Terry Darmody on kazoo and vocals, Peter Nehill tea-chest bass, Hewson, and Dennis 'Spiderman' Burke, washboard.

Around midnight, after a quick snack at the Chew and Spew, a gaggle of us zipped on out to the Greenwood Tree Hotel in Paddington to catch the last hour of Jeff St John (and hopefully an eyeful of Peter Anson). One fateful evening, Graham's friendship ring slipped off my finger and flew across the crowded room never to be seen again. I don't think I went back there after that incident.

I took over from Little Sue (Challis), waitress at the Yellow Cab Restaurant (off Darlinghurst Road). Wally, dropped by for dinner on the house each night. I made enough in tips each night to cover the cost of a packet of ciggies and a few ciders.

I took off to Newcastle as a tracer for a tattooist. this endeavour went pear shaped,. I hitched a ride home with the Valentines.

Mort Fist R.I.P.

Sadly, dear Mort has passed away in 1998 after many years as a journalist in Tamworth.

Tony Fitzgerald aka Mort Fist a student at the University of Sydney was a regular at our 'pad' in Berry Street, North Sydney in 1967. Mort was flamboyant, favouring a top hat and 1940s clothing from the Op Shop. He loved to make a grand entrance, lunging towards you and uttering the cry, "Cringing"!

He lived to entertain and promote, forever 'forming a group', the band would disintegrate as one crawled off to escape Mort's tone flat voice. 'Emancipated Footwarmers', 'Fatty Bacon and his Rinds' to name but two and I enjoyed playing along as he practised at our flat .. members included: Phil Wood, Ross J Waters, Frank Cayley and Pete Graney, a sort of a jug/pop affair. I recall a stint on The Today Show where he performed the most dreadful rendition of "Flim Flam Floozy with the Floy Floy" .. ( floy doy, floy doy) No matter how many times one tried to tell Mort not to sing he soldiered on.That said,Tony was an accomplished harp player and frequently sat in on bands in and around Taylor Square.

Mort was an entrepreneur and a walking encyclopedia on blues roots and enriched us at his Blues Society of Sydney meetings (Foveaux Street near Central) by sharing his treasured recordings ... Sleepy John Estes, Blind Willie Johnson, McTell ...

Photo of Mort with Reg Lindsay

'Cringing'

ERROL WOOD

"Hi Lynette, I've been meaning to get this Mort Fist story to you so here goes.

In 1965-6 Tony Fitzgerald (Mort Fist) ran a series of sporting articles on the fabled sport of 'Cringing'. A sport well known in OZ in those days. Each week on the back page of the N.S.W. university newspaper Thurunka would appear a cringe by arkle description of the weekends major inter faculty Cringing Match and occasionally the big inter University match with Sydney Uni. Stirring stories of on field heroism intermixed with fouls and injuries as the two sides struggled to outdo eachother through the four Chuggers of the match. Each succeeding arkle was longer and higher than the preceeding and corresponding cringe until the game was awarded to the team with the most players left on the field at the end of the last Chugger. Mort managed to keep this column up for a couple of years I think before running out of ideas. superlatives and enthusiasm. It was always keenly anticipated and was a topic of discussion in the roundhouse each week. There now its done. Hope its what you were looking for. We'll have to catch up again soon. We have a big Japanese order on at the moment and the website orders never stop but we hope to get up to see you soon and if you want to come down any time just let us know. Bring a friend.
All our love Errol and Fionna Wood"
Gayle Kennedy .. "I miss Mort so much. He taught me a lot about music and took me under his wing when I was just a 19 year old from the bush. I just adored him."

NIKIS NAMING PARTY

These photos were taken at our terrace house in Newtown, May 1975. It was Nikala's 'Naming Party'. I wish I had taken more photos! Alan Johnson was M.C. We also celebrated Rebecca's birthday (Eileen White and Alan Reagan's daughter).