Monday, 16 July 2012
The Kingswood Area.. A childhood history
written by Daniel Kojta for the No Boundaries Project
Many residents of Penrith will have memories of the flats in Kingswood. These units served as playgrounds for many children growing up in the 1970’s. They have a unique history for many who saw them rise, as developers moved in and purchased many of the original homes built in many cases by Europeans. This national trend was the beginning of the end for the half acre property.
Most homes of the time where built on half and quarter acre blocks with vegetable gardens and sheds producing much of the food that was an example of the self sufficiency of the 1950’s post war families. I remember one home renowned for a bunker at the end of the yard. As a child growing up in the seventies I witnessed this social change exploring the demolished sites, finding objects that remained as icons of a cultural shift as we began to move into a life inside the home. Domestic architecture and ‘The suburban dream’ were shifting.
‘The Dress Circle of Penrith’ Kingswood 1950’s Development Poster
This also allowed many families the affordability of housing. The flats or units of the 1970’s in Kingswood were a hive of social activity. Many people in one block saw the family model extend to the flat next door or upstairs. Close groups of children formed friendships bringing adults together, and the Australian classic Bbq continued, in most cases with the dream addition of an inground pool.
If you have memories of this area or photos and film, please contact No Boundaries. The images and recordings of these experiences will become part of a Video Installation by Artist Daniel Kojta, and projected as an element of the No Boundaries Project.
An Icon of the Era and location – the Holden Kingswood.
Another icon of 70’s Australiana, the Holden Kingswood and equally popular in the suburbs of Penrith; Kingswood.