Val Flitton on family and early Apollo Bay days

Amy Tsilemanis: So we're looking at some photos of Christina and Henry, Captain Henry Jeffery. And how did they meet?
Val Flitton: Oh, they met down here. I think grandma's father, Frederick Lang, was friendly with Henry and they'd meet at the hotel for drinks and probably took Henry home and that's where my grandmother was, and I think, we don't know positively really, but my daughter Meryl's keen on history, and we've just sort of talked amongst ourselves, and we say well probably Frederick took Henry home. And that's where they met. Oh, she was a lovely woman. But very naive, you know, in those years. No mother.
Amy Tsilemanis: So she'd walked here with her father.
Val Flitton: Yes, and that was her brother Charlie, as he grew older.
Amy Tsilemanis: And can you tell me about this photo?
Val Flitton: Well, it was taken at Wild Dog, where they had the farm. It's very different now. And then later, we've got some other old photos of the farm, but this one was when they moved into the land, just on the corner here. You know what's called Captains of the Bay? It's a motel. And the old house was pulled down because Grandad made those bricks himself out of cement when he was home from a sea trip so it took a fair while to build by the time he made his bricks and everything. This is another photo of the grandchildren. That's me up there, and Keith Cawood, Nancy, my brother Ronald, and cousin Eric Cawood. My grandmother walked here as a girl of seven. And her brother was five. You know, in those days, there wouldn't have been many other people here. I think the Cawoods were here. Telfords. And old Frederick Lang helped build the main street. Because he was a builder. Hmm. Amazing. Mmm.
Amy Tsilemanis: And some outings here.
Val Flitton: Yes, this is down at what they call Pirate's Cove.And the children, it's my brother, and they're cousins, me and cousin Bruce.
Amy Tsilemanis: Do you remember what it was like down there?
Val Flitton: I don't think that tree's still there, but do you know where Pirate's Cove is? Around from the Wild Dog Creek, that little cove. You can pull in there and walk down. I'm not sure where this picnic was, but everybody had family picnics and would meet up together, type of thing.And that's granddad and my grandmother and aunts. That's me there. Mm hmm. And Uncle Vic.
Amy Tsilemanis: What kind of things would you eat at the picnics?
Val Flitton: Well, they'd make sandwiches and cakes. The women were always good on cooking.
Amy Tsilemanis: And did you love swimming?
Val Flitton: Oh, I loved swimming, yes. Did a lot of swimming. Um, that's my grandmother.That was the storm water that went out from the town just in front of the garage.
Amy Tsilemanis: Because you could see the sea from the street, couldn't you?
Val Flitton: All the way up. The street you'd walk all the way up and you could see the sea and this is my grandmother's 70th birthday out at my aunt's place up Mariners Lookout Road. It's her as an older woman. Yeah, she was always fresh faced. She died at 78 and I thought she was old but she wasn't really that old when I think I'm twenty years longer.