Listen to oral histories
Hear stories of Cockatoo from the men and women who worked and lived there.
The audio files are in mp3 format and can be played with: Windows Media Player or Apple Quicktime.
Living on Cockatoo
Susan Colliton
Biography: As a teenager in the 1950s, Susan Colliton (now known as the artist Susan Sheridan) called Cockatoo Island
home. She lived in one of the island's residences with her family from the
age of 12 to 16. Her step-father was a naval architect who became a General
Manager at Cockatoo.
Interview: Susan speaks about life on Cockatoo Island and some of its four-legged
inhabitants.
Interviewer: Janet Wilson Fish
Listen to Susan Colliton Audio
file (MP3 - 23 000 KB)
George Patience
Biography: George Patience lived as a boy on Cockatoo Island during the 1920s.
Interview: There were 12 families living on the Island in the 1920s, most
connected to the Island's shipbuilding industry. George recalls what daily
life was like for a young boy living on Sydney Harbour's largest island.
Interviewer: Sandra Dare
Listen to George
Patience Audio file (MP3 - 14 070 KB)
Working on Cockatoo
Jim Weniger
Biography: Jim Weniger was a shipwright on Cockatoo Island. He served his
apprenticeship in the 1950s and worked on the Island until it closed down
in 1992.
Interview: Jim describes what it was like working as a shipwright on Cockatoo
during its hey-day.
Interviewer: David Dunstan
Listen to Jim Weniger Audio
file (MP3 - 21 280 KB)
Building ships
John Jeremy
Biography: John Jeremy was the last Chief Executive Officer of Cockatoo Dockyard.
He spent his working life on the island, beginning in 1960 as an apprentice
ship's draughtsman and then qualifying as a naval architect at the University
of NSW.
Interview: John explains the role of Cockatoo Island as a shipbuilding facility
in the 1960s.
Interviewer: John Glascott
Listen to John
Jeremy Audio file (MP3 - 15 774 KB)
Working Conditions
Jim Morton
Biography: Jim Morton started as an apprentice at Cockatoo as a fitter and
turner in the early 1950s. He ended his career as part of management as production
manager. He was at Cockatoo for over forty years right up until it closed
in 1992.
Interview: Working conditions were very different in the 1950s to what they
are today. Jim describes what it was like for those working in the fitting
shops.
Interviewer: Sue Boaden
Listen
to Jim Morton Audio file (MP3 - 20 562 KB)
Harry Brennan
Biography: Harry Brennan was an apprentice on Cockatoo Island from 1944 until
1949. In 1949 Harry left Cockatoo Island to join the NSW Police, retiring
at the age of 60 at the rank of Chief Inspector.
Interview: Harry talks about some of the health hazards experienced by those
constructing the ships.
Interviewer: Julie Evans
Listen to Harry Brennan Audio File [MP3 - 2,219 KB]
Hartley Giller
Biography: Hartley Giller was born in 1915. He served his apprenticeship at Cockatoo Island as an electrical fitting apprentice from 1933 until 1936. He worked on both the HMAS Swan and the HMAS Yarra.
Interview: In this excerpt, he describes his daily journey from home to Cockatoo Island.
Listen to Hartley Giller
Audio file (MP3 - 24 450 KB)
World War II
Neville Chidgey
Biography: Neville Chidgey was a naval cadet and studied naval architecture.
He began working at Cockatoo at the beginning of 1942.
Interview: Neville happened to be visiting Cockatoo Island the night of the
31st May 1942 when three Japanese midget submarines entered Sydney Harbour.
Here he speaks about his reaction to the event.
Interviewer: Glenys Withers
Listen
to Neville Chidgey Audio file (MP3 - 21 172 KB)
