Slack Alley was on the eastern side of the houses of Middle Camp. The majority of the houses were close to the railway embankment. Some of these houses were built before the company built housing in Middle Camp.
None of the houses were ever placed on title and the land on which these houses were built remained the property of the Mining Company.
The residents of Slack Alley had no water problems as a good well was close to the railway line.
Four of these houses remain in 2017. The mining company, Coal and Allied have sold their lands in Catherine Hill Bay to Wallalong Lands, a property development company.
The four houses at present are owned by the residents but the residents have been informed that they will not be allowed to bequeath these houses.
The land is zoned 2E so no residential development will be permitted on this land; other than 4 new residences will be allowed to be built on the footprints of the 4 still existing houses.
There is a proposal to divide Slack Alley into 4 lots, each lot containing one of these 4 remaining houses.
In earlier times a number of families lived in Slack Alley:
- Oliver Coopers House
The first house on the right, set back from the Slack Alley track was Oliver Cooper, his wife and son Victor. This house could be accessed from the track or a bush track further south along Flowers Drive. It was made of weather board and never painted.
Victor Cooper and his wife Margaret returned to the Bay to live and built a fibro building below the parent’s home and lived there with their children Carol and David.
David Cooper still lives in the grandparent’s home now.
2. Salty Henderson house
Next on the right and again set back from Slack Alley and further up the hill was a house occupied by Salty Henderson, wife Nell and daughters Val and Coralie. This was roughly built with an enclosed veranda. 2 bedrooms a kitchen, lounge and bathroom. Nell later remarried to Ding Rossitter and they continued to live in this house.
3. Mat and Nell Slavens house
Further up the hill behind this Henderson house and closer to Northwood road was a house lived in by Mat and Nell Slaven. It was a large building made of timber and tin, 2 bedrooms, kitchen, large lounge and enclosed veranda from which overlooked Slack Alley.
Mat and Nell were some of the first in town to get a TV and endured many nights with their lounge room full of locals watching whatever Mat choose.
4. The McKenzie House
Over the railway line and to the right was the McKenzie House: Mother Emma, 9 children; Don, George, Monty Tom, Wes, Alexander (Sandy), Margery (Margy), Emily and Robbie.
This house was unpainted long, weatherboard and tin building with a verandah running alone the front.
Donald McKenzie (father) lived in a small weatherboard shack up from the main McKenzie house and died there when it burnt down.
Peacock family also lived here for a short time previously to the McKenzie’s. They moved from Mine Camp and then moved to 32 Fowlers Drive and then 19 Flowers Drive.
5. The Waterson family
The Waterson family also lived in this area but location of house unknown.
Over the railway line and off to the left were 3 houses. The first one closer to the road was occupied by Tom and Maggie Henderson was later occupied by Eunice and Barney Bridge, then enlarged and occupied by Neville Darcy and his wife Val (nee Henderson) Val’s mother Nell Rossiter then moved in and some years later with her grandson Glen who is still lives there.
6. The Northwood/Hughes House
The next house down was a small 2 room building, which was poorly made of timber and tin. The first occupants or builder is not known but the Northwood family and, Johno and Mary Hughes and family were known occupants. Johno and Mary Hughes moved to Mine Camp and the Northwood’s moved to 48 Flowers Drive.
7. The Henderson House
There was a gate between this house and the lower house occupied by Mat and Ida Henderson and family members freely passed from one to the other. After it was demolished the old timber stumps were still visible for many years.
The next house was occupied by Mat and Ida Henderson and family from as early as1917 until the late 1940’s. Mat was a pick and shovel miner who first set up a home for his family in a shack at Cams Wharf until finally moving the large family to Slack Alley in 1917.
This house had 3 bedrooms and lean-to to accommodate the large Henderson family. It was made of timber, tin and later fibro was added. It was surrounded by a huge grape vine and trellis and a very successful vegetable garden down the back which was watered by buckets from the windmill next door. The fuel stove in the kitchen never went out and was stoked constantly by one of the family members. Ida Henderson was a well known cook amongst her son’s friends and often provided a hot stew after a game of soccer on Saturdays/Sundays for any players who called into the Henderson home.
Peg (Henderson) and Cec Ham and daughter Barbara moved in when Mat moved in with another daughter to be cared for in the late 1940’s.
Peg and Cec later moved to the hill above Sawmill camp.
Susie (nee Henderson) and Tom Davies were next to move in and lived with their daughter Lesley and son Phillip for many years before moving to 56 Flowers Drive. Alf and Violet Gill were the next to move in with their daughter Fay and son Ken.
At some time around 1923 Oswald and Ag Jones and family were living up from the Henderson house, location unknown, possibly home of her Waterson parents. William was the name of Ag’s father; he was a fettler at the mine (1905 school records).
Ag Jones came screaming down to the Henderson house saying little Willy (William Stephen) had been burnt. Ida Henderson sent her daughter Kate running up to the get the Doctor at the Bay but the child died from his burns. His parents later moved up to Pit Road closer to the mine.
As Slack alley worked its way closer to the beach it became more of a track rather than a road.
8. The Frost house
Vic and Joyce Frost lived further back, closer to the beach on the left side of the road. Frosts house was set back from the track with an enclosed verandah, timber and tin construction.
Vic was a great horseman and always had several horses in the paddocks surrounding the house. The creek ran through the back paddocks and was a great place for the local kids to catch poddy mullet for bait for Vic or Tom Davies.
Their daughter Gail was often seen riding horses Skipper or Princess at weekends followed by a snappy dog.
Galton’s house was next on the left closer to the beach. It was another homemade type with tin and timber. This house along with Frosts house always looked well presented.
Vic Gaulton used to run the dog races at the oval around the late 1930-50s.He was involved with many sporting activities.
9. The Campbell House
Across the track from Galton’s was the William Campbell family home. William Campbell was a miner. This house was made of tin and timber, rough made.
The Campbell’s and later Hams, like a number of bay families were connected by marriage, always owned beagle hounds and weekends the dogs could be heard by all in town as they hunted through the hills. “There are Campbells dogs” was often said.
Charlie Ham and wife Leone and family were the next occupants. Charlie was the son of Polly (Campbell) and Laurie Ham. Leone was the daughter of Meggsy Price and wife Jenny. Charlie was his nickname, Harold Laurence was his given name but was never known as that. Sadly he died in 1970 in a pit accident, leaving Leone with a young family of 4 to care for. Charlie and Leone’s daughter Cathy still lives in this house.
10. The Ham house
Almost opposite is the house Laurie Ham and his wife Polly (Campbell) and family Stella, Eileen, Albert and John lived. It is closer to Northwood road and the cemetery.
Again a timber and tin building, well maintained. Laurie was one of the active members of the Cemetery trust who kept the grounds clean and tidy with the use of hand lawnmowers, no power mowers in those days. After the death of Laurie and Polly their daughter Stella continued to live there with her husband and kept the house well maintained.
This house was sold to the mine company.
11. The Scanlon house
Back from the Hams and down towards the track were two shacks occupied by Steve Hart & Andy Scanlon (really a small shack) 2 bachelor miners who lived there for an unknown time.
In 2017, David Cooper (inherited his house from father Vic); Hams and Glen Russell own houses. .
12. The Russell House
