Sadness for the Hallcar Tavern

Dear Messenger,

It was with a feeling of sadness that I read in the October edition of the closing of the Hallcar Tavern. The Tavern was one of the first pubs I visited on reaching 18. For two years (1958/59) my girlfriend and I would call in on a Thursday and Friday for the last hour and very often spend Saturday and Sunday night with friends in the concert room. Most of the regulars were from the Carwood Lane area but us outsiders were still welcomed. Mind you, we had to be careful if we went into the snug or the dram shop (where ladies didn't venture) as most of the seats were spoken for by the regulars. After closing time there was the dreaded walk up the very steep Carwood Lane onto Grimesthorpe Rd and then the flight of steps to Scott Rd, which I believe are still there. That walk was quite a challenge, especially in winter - the Carwood Lane sledging track was probably the fastest in the district.

Some of my memories of that area were going to watch cricket on Smith's Field by walking down Carwood Terrace and climbing a ladder over the wall. The cricket pitch was on a fairly steep slope and the outer fieldsmen were actually lower down than the batsmen. If we were lucky we would get to put the score up on the score board. The houses on Carwood Terrace surrounded an open area of grass land and the annual Guy Fawkes bonfire was attended by every one from around the area. At the bottom of Carwood Lane where it ran into Carwood Rd. was a beer-off grocery store, across the road was Carwood fish and chip shop, further down on the corner of Carwood Rd and Petre St was Billy Limb's butchers and across the road on the other corner was another beer-off that my grandmother had during the war and just after.

Gordon Lawton Renmark South Australia