The Bondi Brick
The Bondi Brick
Between 1910 and 1919 there was a brickwork kiln near what is now known as Seven Ways in Bondi.
The Bondi Sand-Lime Brick Co. Ltd produced bricks made of sand and lime that were used across Bondi and Rose Bay. The company’s Crown Land lease was terminated because of the local residents’ protesting of the lime dust, smoke and noise pollution emanating from the kiln. This ultimately ended in the liquidation of Bondi Sand-Lime Brick Co Ltd.
In the archives of Waverley Library there is a treasure trove of oral history tapes that include the following interview with possibly Bondi’s most famous lifeguard Aubrey Laidlaw that was recorded in 1989 by Diana Rich.
“Do you remember the brick pits that they had at Bondi?
Yes. There was one at Warners Avenue and Glenayr Avenue, that is where the Sixways are today. They made grey coloured bricks out of the brick pit there. They had to drill well down to pick up the clay there and it was grey bricks that they made. When I was living in Doralian Close at Hastings Parade it was made of these grey bricks, the last of the grey bricks that were there and I understand that is where they come from. Now this brick pit must have gone well down to get this grey clay for the making of the bricks. At Bondi Beach in January 1938 I’d say we had flood seas in the January period and the Christmas high tide were on and we had very flat seas and the seas undermined right down to the clay that was being dug up at Glenaire Avenue. What affect did this have? On high tides the bay was covered with a greyish coloured yellow colouring all over the bay from North Bondi down to the baths. It wasn’t sewerage in those days it was just clay, the high tides had dug out the clay, because when the tide receded the sand would come back onto the clay and you wouldn’t see the clay. About three times in one week we had this discolouration in the whole of Bondi bay. All through the water. We were too scared to swim in this coloured water. It has never happened since? No never happened since. Never happened.”
Story idea: Bondi Story Room.
