The ROBERTS Family

ALF AND NELL ROBERTS.
87 ANNETTS PARADE MOSSY POINT.

Jack and Ellen Roberts c1948. EM.

Nell and Alf Roberts

Alf and Ellen Roberts, the house has been started c1948. EM.

87 Annetts Pde Mossy Point c1948. EM.

87 Annetts Pde Mossy Point 2015. EM.

Alf Roberts moved to Canberra from Lithgow in 1927 when the Government Printing Office opened to service the new Parliament. Nell and her family came to Canberra in 1923. For many years she was Canberra’s only Chiropodist. They had two children, Jack and Ellen.

Jack and Nell Roberts with pre-1947 holiday accommodation. EM.

Alf and Nell used to camp at Mossy Point in a huge canvas tent. This was practical when they had only one child, Jack, but when Ellen came along the problems of a baby in a tent convinced them to build a holiday cottage.

The block at 87 Annetts Parade was purchased in 1947 and a small two room fibro cottage was erected with the help of local Stan Stephens. Nell and Alf extended the cottage twice to make it into a comfortable holiday house. Over the years the arrival of electricity, running water and sewerage made it even more comfortable. But who could forget the assortment of bugs falling onto the dinner table in the light from the Coleman pressure lantern, the trek to the bottom of the backyard to the dunny, avoiding the cows and cowpats and bathing in a bucket because the water in the tank was down to the last two rungs?

Jack had a canoe with outriggers that was made out of an old belly-tank from a plane. It was obviously made of metal and rusted away fairly quickly. He used to take it out in the surf much to his mum’s horror.

The cottage was enjoyed on every possible occasion by all the family, the grandchildren especially loving it. In 1984 Nell decided she was too old to go to Mossy Point any longer and much to the horror and disappointment of her family sold it to Andrew and Denise Green.

Kenneth and Barbara Gray purchased No 87 from the Greens in 1987. They made further improvements to the property - built the back deck, installed a shed, converted the garage into a bedroom as well as enlarging a third bedroom (from 2 smaller ones). They also renovated the kitchen and installed a new bathroom.

In 2012, after Mrs Gray died, her family decided they would sell the house and when Ellen’s children heard about it they couldn’t wait to have it back in the family. So now the fourth generation has continued the tradition of holidays at “Mossy”.

Jack in front of the Roberts boatshed, Ellen Roberts, John McDonald and Alf Roberts in the background. EM

Friend Joan Blakston and Ellen Roberts in The Creek c1951/52. EM.