Bluestone Genealogy

291 Millers Road, North Altona. Originally built by Charlie and Patricia Cauchi. Week 13 of the #52ancestors challenge is "The Old Homestead." I contemplated talking about the history of Numbers 16 and 18 Glance Street in Newmarket which saw many Shorten's through their doors.  I contemplated talking about the legacy of my late grandfather - our holiday house in the little hamlet of Loch Sport in Gippsland, Victoria. The first thing I thought of however, was talking a bit about the first home Nan and Pop built together in the 1950s in North Altona in Melbourne - the same home that my parents, sister and I lived in for the first eight years of my life - and a bit about their job as caretakers and cleaners of the Altona North Technical School. In the late 1950s Pat (Nanny) and Charlie (Poppy) lived on Millers Road, Altona North where they were building their house. The building of Altona North Technical School began in April of 1958. At the time:   …...

This week's prompt caused me to stop and think for a moment - Valentine. February 14. The day where the universal language of love is celebrated world wide. Today's post will be told by my grandmother, who was married to my Pop for 53 years before he passed away in 2008. She wrote down the story of how they met a few years ago, and added to it again earlier this week, so I thought I would combine the two, to paint a complete picture.  Nan on her push bike in front of her house on Glance Street, c. 1950-1951 I just met Calcidon Cauchi (Charlie) when he came to live with the Maltese people next door to where I lived with my parents and my brother Jimmy. I never had much to say to them as I was only 17 years old and 'wogs' (as they were called then), people were a bit weary of them. Charlie used to live next door with the family and his brother Damien. We used to speak to Damien more than Dad as he was very shy, though he used to speak to my mum alot. Pop l...