John Maclay

Interview with John Maclay

John Maclay discusses his youth in Ermington in the early 1900s until the 1930s. He talks of his early illnesses and employment, involvement with local political issues, courtship of his future wife and his imprisonment in Changi, and treatment for post-war illnesses. He also recounts the return of World War I diggers and other memories of the local area at that time, with particularly interesting and vivid anecdotes.

Interviewer: Lesley Goldberg 
Date of the interview: 18 December 1997 
Transcription: Gabrielle Godard, November 1998

Audio extracts (.wav format):

  1. Swimming at Meadowbank Park
  2. Childhood and early employment
  3. Working in West Ryde
  4. Working as a grocery boy
  5. Involvement with local politics
  6. Political meetings
  7. Dance halls
  8. Home from the Second World War

Transcript(PDF, 113KB)  - 19 pages