Back Street Kids

In Chamberlain Street we were known by the residents of the Levin Hotel as the back street kids; we used to play in the timber yards of Harvey & France and Levin Domain was not to far away.

At the start of Chamberlain St was Wards Footwear, next was Jamiesons then us, the Hadleys, Portangers Engineering, the Rhind Family, the Jacobs, the Smiths then Mr Gunning the milkman and an empty section which is were the Memorial Hall is now. This land was used by the travelling roller skating show who assembled a portable rink and skated to music. Opposite was the firestation.

On the other side opposite Wards, was the Council Yards, then, K Douglas, Mclennan Joinery which seconded for the highland pipe bands practice room. Many a nght I had gone to bed to the sound of the drummers practicing.

I was 4yrs old when we moved there and I wandered the streets quite freely with out any fears. Then there was the timber yards right down to the newly established district nurses.There was also a service lane going behind the shops to Bath Street. I remember going to get the bread from Wisnofski's Bread Shop, going thru the back of Harry Davies the grocer to get to Oxford Street. Our meat was delivered by Des or Les Jacob, the butcher, and groceries by Harry Davies and later by Frank Lockyer.

Opposite Levin School, down behind the auctioneers, the circus used to be when it came to town, but it later moved to the Cambridge Street Park. We spent a lot of time at the swimming baths run by Mr & Mrs De may. It was allways great fun to be around when he would empty out the baths. Dad worked for a while at the timber yards before starting work at Kimberley. He was also a keen and knowledgeable horse man called upon at times for advice as there were no vets in Levin at that time.