Local people: long-time Fairy Meadow resident Max Tenhane

Born in the Netherlands, 92-year-old Max Tenhane headed to Australia 70 years ago by himself. When the former army officer shifted from Sydney to Fairy Meadow 10 years later, he knew he’d found his home.

What do you remember of Fairy Meadow in the early days?

I came to Fairy Meadow in 1961. There were no flats, no sealed roads and not too many cars on the road. In those days, you had milk runs, bread runs and dry-cleaning runs. Even the doctors in those days did a lot of home calls. Women mostly stayed at home and 24,000 people were employed at the Steelworks. People had their own gardens to grow their own vegetables. They made their own wine and salamis, especially the old people.

I had a business in Fairy Meadow, opposite The Fraternity Club. It’s the long building where the Regional Appliance and Electrical Services is now. We had garden supplies, because everybody had gardens, so we used to sell a lot of fertilisers and seedlings. We had produce and even fishing tackle and fishing lines. It was a very large building. I had that business for 15 years.

Later on I had a partner, and we eventually had a self-service grocery store. That was before Woolworths and Coles. We knew that in America they had self-service stores, so we had the first self-service store in Fairy Meadow. It was called the Big Star Store. Woolworths and Coles came to Fairy Meadow much later.

I used to go to The Fraternity Club for lunch sometimes. There was just a cottage on the land there at that time. Then someone started to organise a club and that was the foundation of The Fraternity Club. Now it's a big club.

Why did you decide to live in Fairy Meadow?

I used to live in Sydney before. At that time, I was studying at TAFE a lot - accountancy and business management. I always wanted a business for myself. In those days, a lot of the people that came from countries like Italy and Greece didn’t have much of an education, but they could run a little business. So they’d open a little business. They all knew how to work long hours.

Most Australians take things for granted. But the newcomers, they can see the opportunities this country has to offer. They didn’t mind working 12 or 13 hours. They’d have a little fish shop or a grocery store. And it also gave employment to their children.

You came out to Australia by yourself. Was there a community or group you were able to become part of?

If you came here, you were a people person and you spoke English reasonably well, you soon made some friends. Some of the people were really helpful, because I was quite young when I came here. I made some very good friends. They took me under their wing.

I was part of the social life. There were dances every Saturday - the old time dances. And they would arrange a girl for me to dance with. I’d been in the war and one of my friends was a prisoner of war, so we became very good friends. Later on, he gave me his flat in Elizabeth Bay (Sydney).

What about the social life in Fairy Meadow in the early days? What was that like?

I didn’t have much time for a social life then. When I came to Fairy Meadow, I was married. I was married in 1954. I had the business, so I didn’t have much time for a social life.

I did swimming and surfing. I did golf for many years. I’m a foundation member of the Illawarra Ramblers - that’s a big bushwalking club. I’m a life member and I used to lead a lot of walks. I did a lot of volunteer work. I worked at the airport at the information desk. I was the team leader there. Since I retired, I’ve always been busy.

What changes have you seen in Fairy Meadow in your years living here?

Oh yes. One lady started off on a vacant block here in Fairy Meadow with a few tables selling some apples and stuff. That was the start of the fruit market in a very small way. They grew. They got a nursery as well. Now the Leisure Coast Fruit and Deli is the biggest retail business in Fairy Meadow. They’ve got 150 staff. A lot are casuals. It’s a colossal business. It’s well run and has got plenty of staff.

In those days there were about 10 real estate agents in Wollongong and now you’ve got 50. It’s a very competitive industry now.

Construction was on a much slower pace. Now you’ve got a lot of high rises.

There used to be a timber yard in front of the office here (points in front of One Agency JD Property Agents offices).

What type of houses were there in Fairy Meadow?

There were no high rises and no flats. Well, hardly any. There were weatherboard (houses), but there were a lot of Fibro (fibrous cement sheet) houses too. They were the cheapest, you see. In those days, you didn’t know Fibro could be a problem in years to come.

In my street, there was a new estate in 1961. There were some houses there, but not many. But now there's only about three families left in the street - our family and two others - that moved there 60 years ago.

For the first 40 years, there was no movement in the street. But then people move house, people die and some downsize. Now we have a lot of new people in the street. There was a lot stronger bonds between people in the street in those days. You’d play together in the streets, you’d walk to school together and you’d go to each other’s homes.

In the park on Australia Day, we had a bit of a fire and a gathering. We walked around people’s houses to say hello.

I had a lot to do with new migrants, because I was president of the neighbour council. Everybody called me Mr Max. You see, a hostel was opened in Fairy Meadow in the early days for British people mainly. Then they closed it. Then when new migrants came 35 years ago, we opened it up again. At that time, I was president for the whole South Coast for the neighbour council. I had a whole team of people helping me. I helped people through their problems. The hostel is now part of the university - it’s student accommodation. In those days, it was used for the migrants.

Why did you stay in Fairy Meadow?

Once we got here, we preferred Wollongong to Sydney. We made lots of friends here.

I’ve been involved in many organisations. I became part of the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Association. I was on Council for quite a few years through the library committee. Because I was an army officer and served in many countries, I’m also an active member of the RSL. I go every month for meetings and functions.

I’m involved in WEA - a University for Seniors and I go every week in Wollongong. You can give lectures yourself. It’s been going for many years.

I’m a life and foundation member of the Illawarra Ramblers, which has about 300 members. I’ve led hundreds of walks over the years. It’s through walking you make a lot of good friends. It’s also the atmosphere. If you sit in the bush on a tree trunk, after a while people open up and you get to know people. They talk about their problems. And you’re taking people to places they’ve never been or can’t get to on their own. I’ve done a lot of walks - the Royal National Park, East Coast, South Coast, interstate, and overseas.

There's now a lot more places of entertainment and more money around. When I came here, the basic wage was 8 pounds for the basic rate or $60 a week. But then again, houses were much cheaper. You could buy a block of land for 100 pound.

It’s more than just Fairy Meadow, but Balgownie and Mount Ousley. It’s set between the mountains and the sea, so it’s a nice place to live. It's a healthy environment. You’ve got everything here and you’re close to Wollongong.

I was 32 when I came to Wollongong. We had children who grew up here. I now know a lot of people. If I walk through Fairy Meadow, I always come across people I know.

As you get older and you need doctors and hospitals or dentists, everything is nice and close. There are a lot of advantages to living in Fairy Meadow.

If you’re looking to relocate to Fairy Meadow, buy in the area or have a well loved Fairy Meadow home you’re looking to sell, call Joanne on 0426 264 771.

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