SHELTER: David Stockman, with plans in hand, takes a look around the generator room of the underground air shelter on Garden Island.

Photo: ABPH Brenton Freind

By Graham Davis

The Garden Island dockyard doesn’t have Peggys any more. Nor does it have the Pink Pussycat.

It does have Petticoat Lane and heaven forbid, should the island come under attack from the air there are suitable places to take shelter. One even has 36 toilets still in place.

These are just some of the historical facts civilian worker David Stockman has gathered.

Stockman is the electrical compliance coordinator for ADI Limited. He is also an avid historian and often conducts tours of the historical naval base.

His first effort, a display of photographs and sketches of Garden Island of yesteryear, some obtained from archives in Britain, appeared at last year’s Fleet Base East open day.

The display drew good crowds.

Now Stockman has prepared a list of the places of yesteryear on the island. The list has extended to three pages.

There are many interesting entries.

“Peggy’s are no longer here,” he said.

“They were assistants in the workshops who took orders for morning tea and lunch to the canteens and cafeterias and returned with the orders.

“The Peggy’s put the orders in refrigerators and pie ovens, made sure the urns were on and then made tea.

“There were far too many people on the island in those days for line up at the canteen when only 10 minutes was allocated for morning tea,” he said. “Then we had the Pink Pussycat.

This was a cafeteria located on the northern end of the Cruiser Wharf.

“Petticoat Lane is still there and leads to the air raid shelter near Hill Road. “The shelter remains with cavities cut out of the walls where the stretcher bearers would wait.

“The shelter still has toilets and showers,” he said.

“There was a location called ‘Rourke’s Drift’ “This was a grassed playing field just south of MHQ at the south-west corner of Garden Island and was named after the general manager, CDRE Rourke (1971/76) “Post Office?…yes we did have a post office from 13/5/1940 till 5/7/1996.

“Its last location was Building 272 on the corner beside Building 2 and facing the dock.

“The Garden Island post code was 2000,” Stockman explained.

Those who wanted to be paid went to Canary Cottage “This was a building between the Barracks Building (32) and the Rigging Shed (37).

“Payment in those days was by cash.”

Stockman also revealed Garden Island had a Detention Centre. “It could take 12 prisoners and was located where Building 51 (Tarakan Building and head office of ADI Ltd) is today.”

It was demolished in 1948. David said Garden Island once offered a Dockyard Officers Club.

“Dockyard workers could go for a drink after work and mix with their mates.”

One building still standing but with a change of role, or perhaps not, is Building 43.

“It was once the Garden Island Fire Station.

The office is now occupied by Coordination and Public Affairs, I suppose they are still putting out fires,” David suggested.

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