Tragedy in Elwood

In July 1963 I was weeks away from my sixth birthday. Our neighbourhood was always buzzing with children dropping into each others homes via rough shod holes in the backyard fences. Games were created on the run in the street. If you were quick enough you could join in otherwise watch from the sidelines and enjoy the spectacle. 

One morning as I climbed through the back fence I could hear excited conversations near by. I poked my head through the Stockton's back fence. My brother, Donald, Scott and Johnny were feverishly digging at the base of the huge oak tree. Donald had convinced them of some buried treasure! We were all drawn into this enticing adventure. By lunchtime we each had a go at digging down and down to the unseen treasure. Reality reared its head by mid afternoon when Donald's mum Eunice got wind of all the activity and put an immediate stop to it before one of us was accidently buried. Her booming voice always guaranteed that orders were immediately followed....

Soon after we were playing chasey down Wave St. While trying to keep up with the bigger kids I fell heavily on the grey asphalt footpath. With bleeding knees I stumbled to my feet and tried to be brave. One of the big boys Johnny came to my aid and walked me home to get some band aides. I was surprised by his spontaneous kindness while the rest of the boys were mere specks at the end of our street.

It was only a matter of weeks later that Johnny 9, his sister Christine 6 and sister Vicki 2 years were murdered along with their mother at their house in Pine Ave. Their father was then found the following day by fisherman in the cold July bay at Elwood suspected of drowning.

How did we make sense of this horror in our little Elwood Hamlet? I saw the older boys in the neighbourhood cry for the first time. Our parents discussed the horror in hushed tones and tried to answer our disjointed questions and desperate need to make sense of this new frightening world.

Sydney Morning Herald July 8 1963