Dr Helen Nichol spent many years helping restore a Wollongong home to its former glory, realising her late father’s vision along the way.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The home at 11 Park Street, Wollongong recently sold at auction for $1.655m to an Illawarra buyer.
The 1930s California Bungalow-style home had been in the Nichol family since 1972.
Dr Helen Nichol said the house had only two previous owners when her parents John and Hilda purchased it.
The house was originally built in 1936 for managers at the Port Kembla steelworks.
“There was no expense spared in the building of the house with its 10-foot ceilings, elegant art deco ceilings, dark stained timberwork and contrasting white plastered walls, its cool verandah with its ornate columns and original iron bark timber floor, double brick walls and solid foundations,” Dr Nichol said.
“My parents saw the great potential of the house for the family.
“They saw through all the changes made by the previous owner, who seemed to do his best to change many of the iconic features of the house especially when armed with a seemingly bottomless tin of white paint.”
Dr Nichol said unfortunately her father never had the opportunity to fully realise the family’s vision of restoring the house to close to its original condition.
He was killed in an accident at the steelworks in 1976.
“Following my Dad’s death, Mum and I spent all our spare time, when not working in Sydney, tackling the seemingly endless restoration of the home,” she said.
“This also helped with the stress of losing Dad.
“A neighbour’s lasting memory of my Mum was of her sitting on top of a ladder, armed with a hot air gun in one hand and a paint-scraper in the other.
“Through sheer hard work over many years, plus the help of great local tradesmen who tackled the specialised and heavy jobs, the house was finally restored to its former glory.”
This included restoration works on the verandah, ceilings, bathroom, kitchen, woodwork, brickwork, floors, front wall and gardens.
The renovation was completed in 1992.
Dr Nichol said just as works were completed, the family moved overseas for 16 years due to work.
They returned to Wollongong due to her mother’s injuries, sustained in an accident in Switzerland.
“The house was rented out while we were overseas and sadly the various tenants thought little of the effort taken to provide then with an immaculate house and thoroughly trashed the place, including cigarette burns on the restored fire place lintel,” Dr Nichol said.
“Still the house was made of sturdy stuff, and while my Mum was in hospital, the house was soon back to its former glory with the help of many expert local tradesmen and a great deal of elbow grease.”
Dr Nichol said it was a “tough but satisfying journey” to ensure the house was restored as closely as possible to the original condition, “particularly in the memory of my Dad who gave up so much for all of us”.
Dr Nichol and her mother lived in the property from 2008 until its recent sale.
“It was a bittersweet day when this blue-chip property was sold for a premium price,” she said.
“After my Mum died as it was part of her estate.
“Whatever fate is in store for the house, what no one can take from me are the happy memories of the house which will live on.”
Selling agent, Colliers Wollongong senior executive Neil Webster said those who inspected the property “loved the attention to detail and old-world charm of the home”.
“The high ceilings, wooden picture rails and timber floors really gave the home a majestic feel,” Mr Webster said.