John Dansie

Interviewed by Susan Kelly on 7 March 2002
Subject: Sirius Cove

Susan Kelly. How do you remember the head of Sirius Cove yourself?

John Dansie. It was a rubbish tip where all sorts of rubbish were dumped. In those days bricks, builders waste, plus vegetation and big piles – there were fires going all the time, they were always burning off rubbish and things. That was so, up until – I think the retaining walls around Sirius Cove must have been constructed somewhere in the mid to late 60s, which is really only 35 years ago, and then they made quite a nice playing area. We used to go down there swimming a lot.

In Sirius Cove I can remember from just about where the low tide limit is now, there was a net stretched right across the bay. It went from one side to the other – we always swam at high tide because Sirius Cove was a nice swimming area. But unfortunately, whenever there was a southerly all the rubbish from the south side used to blow across, catch on the net and at low tide it was a disgusting sight – papers, sticks, twigs, plastic and things used to hang on this net and it was removed I think, at about the same time as they constructed the retaining wall and built the nice area that’s down there now at Sirius Cove. I can remember a very old set of timber framed swings in the actual sand. As the tide came in you could jump off the swing into the water.