Doug takes up an idea he had in the RAAF and gets approval to import stamps from the USA and sell to collectors. Maybe not the way to become a millionaire and Doug gives no indication this was anything but a small hobby.
Category: Early Years
In Canada and Australia Doug’s parents run/own many businesses. In Perth they had the Royalty Tearooms, Phar Lap Cafe and Adelphi Cafe in Hay Street, the Heather Tearooms and Queen of Hearts on Barrack Street, a shop in William Street and one in the northern suburb of North Beach. In Kalgoorlie they had the Teacup Tearooms and Mum’s Tearooms.
Doug starts as a newsboy and tells us about the local papers, their offices and staff like Mr Martin of the Daily News and the Mirror’s Ted “Cherry” Hancock and J J “Boss” Simons who founded the Young Australia Football League. We learn about how the boys would make extra money from the crossword competitions.
The family moves to Hay Street in the city, then Hay Street East. A change to farm life out at Muchea then back to Vic Park in Perth before Herdsman’s Parade, their home for several years. During this time we meet Madame Zingara-Phrenologist, and dentist Harcourt Ellis.
The family arrives in WA and lives first in South Fremantle and then to McMaster Street, Vic Park (McMaster Street was named after Joan’s grand-uncle) and finally to East Cannington. Doug starts schooling at Perth Boys School, stories of train travel and life at the Cash home.
The Cash family moves to Adelaide, driving through Canberra and Melbourne in their Ford Model T. Their first permanent home was in Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town and they later moved to Norwood where they took over a shop and then to Unley and a new business venture, a laundry shop. Walter continued at Maytag/Eureka until the Depression hit. Family decides to sell up and move to Melbourne in 1930, living in Northcote until the decision was made to move to Western Australia on the MV Westralia.
The Cash family arrives in Sydney, Australia aboard the SS Niagara. Over the next six years they lived in Liverpool before moving to Enmore, Darlinghurst and Lewisham. During this time, Doug’s dad worked for Maytag/Eureka and Doug commenced his schooling including attending Darlinghurst Public School.
Doug tells us about his birth in Canada and that of his father Walter, mother Sara, brother Cecil and sister Alice and the family’s movements through Ontario, Manitoba and finally Vancouver, BC before moving to Australia.