Frasers Road Public Baths
which closed in September 1950
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The Coal Yard & other storiesPage 11George Still, another of Frederick’s sons also worked with the council horses. His job was to sweep the streets clean of leaves and rubbish, and make it into piles that would be shovelled onto the following dray by Jackie Smith. The horses would follow quietly behind, controlled by the click of a tongue or a quiet “Whoa” from the men. A low part of Anderson’s property, just across from the cable car sheds in Fraser’s Road, was used for tipping the rubbish to help reclaim an area that was hollow. Jackie Smith had worked earlier for Bill Ellis’s coal yard, carting coal with two or three horses. He was popular with the customer’s, as he was always neat in placing the coal in the household coal bins. One day a customer wanted a ton of chaff carted from Dunedin and Bill Ellis gave the job to Jackie. Unfortunately the few beers that were consumed on the way, from the Maclaggan Street pubs, combined with the generous supply from the client, made Jackie a little tired. The dray arrived home pulled by the clever horses but Jackie was sound asleep in the back. Old Bill growled at him about drinking on the job and not looking after the horses. The reply to this from the inebriated Jackie was to “put his job where the monkey puts his nuts”, and Jackie quit working for Bill but soon took up work for the City Corporation. FRASER’S GULLYFrederick James Still lived not far from the cable car sheds in Fraser's Road and had a good garden there. Earle (a grandson) said that on Saturdays the old man would spend nearly an hour shaving in the garden before cleaning out his blue peter and then catch the tramcar to town to get the jar filled with beer. If Jock and Earle had managed to catch any eels or trout in the stream Granny Still would cook them for tea, which they would have before Grandad got back. They had to be fast as Frederick was actually a ranger and they did not want to be caught with the trout. |
| Further up the road were the swimming baths that were under the care of Johny Fraser who perhaps the area was named after. Johny lived above the road on the Wakari side and grew Damson plums and apples by his hut. The pool was quite large, as photographs show canoes being used on the water. This water came from Fraser’s Stream and was diverted by a metal plate at a weir. Around the pool, which was opened on 26th April 1912 was a high-corrugated fence to keep trespassers out. This was not entirely successful as Norman and Kelso Ellis along with Bill Barrow and Harry Stoddart had sometimes slid under the fence for a swim. Another person who looked after the baths was Ted Millin who lived up in Greenock Street but could come down through to the paddocks to get to work. Ted had no fingers on one hand and used that arm to rest the long pole that assisted swimmers when in trouble. Admission was 1 penny and Ted sold chocolate fish to the kids for ½ a penny. Ted was a great gardener who loved Polyanthus, and tended to many people’s gardens. |
Frasers Road Public Baths which closed in September 1950 Go to Next Page |
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