Copyright The Grove: No 100336
Arthur or ‘Gidge’ as he was known was born Arthur Norman Carter on the 6th of January 1936 in Lucknow Hospital in Claremont. He said, “My mum tells me that she was reading a bit of a book about a little pixie, and it was called Gidget or something like that and when I was born, she must’ve said, ‘Oh, he looks like a little gidget’ and the name stuck. My parents never called me anything else but Gidge my whole life and all my friends and everybody that knows me call me Gidge and have done all my life.” His father Ernest Norman Carter was on the board of directors for the Thomas & Co flour mill which was an important source of employment for people in the local area. Gidge reminisces about life in Cottesloe both before and after the Second World War and describes the mill and the prominent role his father played in its success and longevity.
Gidge lived at 43 Eric Street in Cottesloe and attended both North Cottesloe and Cottesloe primary schools. The area was much less built up in those days and children would spend many hours playing in the vacant natural bush blocks. They were affected by the arrival of the Second World War and regularly took part in air raid practices and played in the trenches which were dug in the streets in case of enemy attacks and possible invasion.
The Thomas & Co mill was an important part of the local economy and both his parents worked there at one time. His father made his way from office boy to company accountant to managing director. He was responsible for the mill at a critical time in the mill’s survival, diversifying products and the company’s interests.
Steam trains were a common feature in Cottesloe delivering wheat to the mill and carrying passengers. Motor vehicles were uncommon. The cinema and an entertainment park on the Cottesloe foreshore were popular forms of entertainment. Churches also played a large part in community life.
Today’s Cottesloe was recognisable to Gidge with the predominantly unchanged appearance of the beach front, the survival of houses where old friends used to live, and the continuity of street names and roads. However, the popularity of the motor car, the increased building development and the passing of family-owned shops to modern retail has changed the face of Cottesloe town forever.
Cottesloe History 