HOUSE AT KANGAROO POINT - ROSINA SMITH

While my mother was visiting a few weeks ago, I asked her to write down this story, as she has had vivid recollections of an old house where my great grandmother, Rosina Smith (Watson/Gargaro)lived. She cannot understand why she remembers the particulars of the house, and they have stayed in her memory, but it is worthwhile recording the story, as a record for the WATSON family tree.

"Nana (Rosina) years ago, lived in a two-story old wooden house on the hill at Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, overlooking the docks.It is not there now, as eveerything has been replaced with high rise units.
The road is exactly opposite the Mt. Olivet Hospital on the left hand side of the road, going towards the Gabba (Woolloongabba). It was right up to the footpath, with a verandah running along the front, with blinds, and a bull nosed roof.
Internal stairs were to the left as you came in the front door.

To the right was Mr. Bossy's room. He was a boarder and walked with the aid of a walking stick, and always had a jar of boiled lollies on his duchess.
Nana let me have one and told me not to tell him, which I always did anyway.
I used to help Nana carry furniture up the stairs.
Her bedroom was on the other side.
The house ran lengthways - the front room was the parlour, then the dining room.
the kitchen was to the back, and separated with a wall.
Can't remember where the rest of the rooms were. But I remembered being there when I was about 7 years old or so (Mum is now nearly 77, so this would have been around 1939). I used to help Nana and I remember Mr Bossy very well.
Dad (my grandfather) said that I couldn't have as I was only a baby when he lived there. But I have had many dreams of falling out of Mr. Bossy's window on the hight side of the house and dying. These dreams haunted me for a couple of years and then they stopped. I was probably in my late 30's at the time. Dad would never believe me and when Mum was dying in Mt. Olivet Hospital, I asked him to drive across to the street while we were there and I pointed out the house to him.
It still looked the same, but eventhough I was right, he would not believe what I had told him.
The only thing different was the fact that the window on the high side wasn't there.
Everything else was the same.

You form your own opinion".

After Mum had told me the story, I wondered whether a young child had fallen out of the window, who had previously lived there - if so, would there have been an account in the newspapers at the time.

Believe it or not!!!