Betty Alexander

Interviewed by Brian Leckey on 6 February 1992
Subject: Boronia, Mosman Library

Betty Alexander. I don’t know if the Council owned that house; I suppose they must have, or rented it. It was a very strange place on the corner there.

Brian Leckey. I can only vaguely remember it.

Betty Alexander. Yes, I can only vaguely remember going in there and nearly breaking my neck on the stairs.

Brian Leckey. I remember a big flight of stairs in the two-storied building.

Betty Alexander. Yes, you went up, on this shaky wooden floor bit, up on the top. I can’t remember too, but I think I gave up going there. And they were all in there with their blue and white uniforms. Ginghams they were. She was a great girl for the uniforms. Anyhow, there was all this hoo haa about ‘Boronia’, and Mrs Godwin owned Boronia. Now Boronia was a lovely place. I don’t know whether you’d remember it.

Brian Leckey. I do.

Betty Alexander. It had a lovely big tennis court at the back.

Brian Leckey. It had massive camphor laurel trees along the front.

Betty Alexander. Yes, it was a lovely home, and of course, when you bought it, you bought the ghosts too. There was a ghost that was supposed to be walking around; but it had a lovely matt-rose window, as you went in the front door – it was a charmer, and the people that came out for bridal photos – mannequins. You’d go to work and you’d never know – the Children’s Library would be full of damsels changing, and then they’d go out to the front veranda and pose, just so, and that was always a very interesting aspect, but it was a very beautiful building. However, it was very bad for a library in a way. I don’t think the Council were very thoughtful about – that it was a complete women’s outfit. My job involved filling the kerosene heaters, and I thought that was a bit poor. They were quite heavy to lift in and out, however, it was that or shiver.