Old Bar History

This is the Pavilion, an old building like a huge shed, that served as a shop. It had trestle tables inside where morning and afternoon tea and meals were served. It was located close to the beach. Mr and Mrs Grant who owned the building, lived inrooms above. Their daughter Effie and her husband were often there to help. I was fortunate that the Grants had agreed to take the new teacher as there was no other board available. They were kind people.

The cross on the upstairs window shows my room which was accessed by a narrow wooden stairway. The toilets and bathroom were separate. One had ato rug up for the journey outside across open ground, to take a bath in winter. Mr Grant ensured that kindling was supplied in the bathroom for the chip heater used to heat bath water. One didn't have to wait too long for warm water and the heater also warmed the bathroom.
 

There were cabins at the back of the Pavilion which the Grants rented out to holiday makers. They had fuel stoves for cooking.

There was a public hall beside the pavilion where we staged school concerts.

There was also an airfield near the Pavilion . Quite a few bi-planes (Tiger Moths, I think) refuelled at Old Bar airfield during the flood of 1950's . One of the highlights of my days there was a flight in one of the small planes. However after seeing the ground rush up at me when the pilot decided to impress me with a loop the loop, I lost some of my enthusiasm for flying, a feeling reinforced when the pilot admitted that it had been " a near thing".