Anyone who enjoys a visit to the urban oasis that is Yarraville’s Cruickshank Park can thank Peter and Lola Anderson for their tireless campaign to make it what it is today. They spoke to Benjamin Millar about their love for the area.
What is your connection with the area?
Peter: I was actually born in Yarraville – there used to be a maternity hospital in Tongue Street – so I’ve lived in Yarraville all my life. I lived in Tuppen Street so can remember as a little boy all the quarry holes. In 1959, we moved here to Finlay Street. There were quarries directly behind us but they were filled up by 1954. In those days there were Scottish thistles, it was just like the wild west.
Lola: I’m an old Footscray girl – I lived in Footscray all my life prior to here. My dad had a fish shop in Buckley Street then we moved into Errol Street. I met Pete at what used to be the old Footscray Tech boys dance. We played tennis with the Yarraville Tennis Club, Peter since 1954 and me since 1952. We’re life members. We’ve done all that plus bring up two children. We have four grandchildren and we’ve just got a lovely great grandson, Xavier. We’ve been in this house for 56 years.
What do you love most about Yarraville?
Lola: We just love the people, the mix – everyone says hello. Our great interest is Cruickshank Park, to make sure that it’s safe for everybody. It’s nothing to do with Pete and I – it’s all for Cruickshank Park because we just love it. We love Yarraville Village, the Yarraville Tennis Club, our little shopping centre … the whole of Yarraville is so friendly.
We were babies when we came here now we’re the old farts of the street. We have a street party every Christmas just so everybody gets to know each other. It’s just a lovely community, it really is. It gives us so much pride to see how much people love Cruickshank Park.
Peter: When we built this house, we said we would be here for five years and 56 years later we’re still here.
How did a former quarry wasteland become such a popular park?
Lola: Just perseverance, absolute perseverance. Just hounding, hounding. Peter kept on going to council and they kept on telling him no, it can’t be done because there’s too many surface rocks and you can’t cut the grass. They removed some of the rocks and there has never been any grass planted – it’s just what’s there. So then they decided they would do it. That was in 1972 … they invited Peter and other residents to join meetings every month right through until they started planting. We have plantings on the first Sunday in July and the last Sunday in July, as well as Clean Up Australia Day in March.
What are the biggest changes you have seen in the area?
Lola: The big houses that are being built in the area and the townhouses. More traffic as well. Gardens have got better – you walk through and think, gee, that looks nice. People in the area take pride in their houses, they look after their gardens and they talk to you as you walk past.
Peter: Our street has changed down the other end. There’s supposed to be a big development at Bradmill but that’s been slow. It will eventually happen but it has been very slow.
