Gone Fishin' at Henley's Boat Shed, Lugarno

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Gone Fishin’ at Henley’s Boat Shed, Lugarno Published in 1889, the map above shows Thomas Lawrence was granted 120 acres at Salt Pan Creek. On 14 July 1896, Robert and Clara Holland acquired 18 acres of Lawrence’s Grant, from Forest Road down to Salt Pan Creek. They built a house on Forest Road, living there from 1897 until 1916 and selling quality poultry. By 1905, Bert had also built a weatherboard shop and what would later be known as Henley’s boat shed and jetty. Bert now called himself a ‘boat proprietor’ and ran a business hiring out boats until selling to Jesse Tucker in November 1915. Tucker sold the business to Ralph Nixon in April 1916. Nixon sold the house and boat shed business to Max Booth in 1917, who sold to John Edmund Boatwright during that year. John heavily promoted the business and in March 1926, bought the rest of Ralph Nixon’s 18 acres to create Henley Pleasure Grounds. Page 1

Transcript of Gone Fishin' at Henley's Boat Shed, Lugarno

Page 1: Gone Fishin' at Henley's Boat Shed, Lugarno

Gone Fishin’ at Henley’s Boat Shed, Lugarno

Published in 1889, the map above shows Thomas Lawrence was granted 120 acres at Salt

Pan Creek. On 14 July 1896, Robert and Clara Holland acquired 18 acres of Lawrence’s

Grant, from Forest Road down to Salt Pan Creek. They built a house on Forest Road,

living there from 1897 until 1916 and selling quality poultry.

By 1905, Bert had also built a weatherboard shop and what would later be known as

Henley’s boat shed and jetty. Bert now called himself a ‘boat proprietor’ and ran a business

hiring out boats until selling to Jesse Tucker in November 1915.

Tucker sold the business to Ralph Nixon in April 1916. Nixon sold the house and boat shed

business to Max Booth in 1917, who sold to John Edmund Boatwright during that year.

John heavily promoted the business and in March 1926, bought the rest of Ralph Nixon’s 18

acres to create Henley Pleasure Grounds.

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Henley’s Boat shed, Lugarno, about 1927

Current overlay showing the 18 acres.

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Suinday Times 4 February 1906

The World’s News Saturday 17 February 1906

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Evening News Saturday 18 August 1906

The St George Call Saturday 9 November 1907

Arrow Saturday 6 October 1917

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The Propeller Friday 14 December 1917

The Propeller Friday 8 February 1918

The Propeller Friday 9 March 1919

The Propeller Friday 2 May 1919

The Propeller Friday 4 July 1919

The Propeller Friday 18 July 1919

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The Propeller Friday 25 July 1919

The Propeller Friday 19 September 1919

Sunday Times 5 February 1922

The Propeller Friday 22 December 1922

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The Propeller Friday 29 December 1922

The Propeller Friday 19 December 1924

The Propeller Friday 22 October 1926

The Propeller Friday 5 November 1926

The Propeller Thursday 6 May 1937

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The Propeller Thursday 5 April 1945

The Propeller Saturday 13 October 1945

Henley’s boat shed and jetty in 1943

On Saturday 29 June 1946, John Boatwright advertised for a boat shed caretaker: ‘good

chance right man’. On Saturday 21 August, he advertised the picnic grounds and boat shed

as a partnership or lease. In January 1948, he was still looking for a caretaker.

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The Propeller Thursday 9 December 1948

Sydney Morning Herald Saturday 3 February 1951

The Propeller Thursday 16 December 1954

As the Boatwrights gradually sold most of their estate into the 1950s, the boat shed was

abandoned and together with Henley Pleasure Grounds, became part of Murdock Crescent

Reserve. In the early 60s, a fire destroyed the boat shed and its remains stood there for a

few years. Local residents started taking the sandstone blocks for their gardens until

Hurstville Council removed all but the stone base still there today.

But the boat shed area had another claim to fame. It was here that Lugarno’s last

commercial fisherman worked the waters. This was Ken Dennis. John O’Grady, writing as

Nino Culotta in Gone Fishin’ (1962) based his character Shorty Bent on Ken Dennis.

Ken and Dorothy Dennis lived at 58 Blackbutt Avenue, overlooking the boat shed area. At

the high tide mark, Ken had a fish cleaning table and two corrugated iron water tanks laying

on their sides. Ken’s fishing friends often used the tanks as bedrooms, calling them Chevron

and Hilton. The tanks were still there into the 1970s.

Ken was well known for supplying Oatley Hotel with mullet and neighbour Diane Nelson

from 66 Blackbutt, took the following photos of Ken and his business during the late 70s.

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