What I See with Peter Fiorenza: Drummond Cove a prime example of when history is lost, it’s gone for good

When I was a young fella, Drummond Cove always fascinated me. I’m referring to the tiny settlement that existed on the edge of a little bay just north of Glenfield Beach. Sadly, today the hamlet doesn’t really exist, except for the hall, courts, and a skateboard park. I fondly remember the 1970s and 80s, when there was one road that led into the bay and a village comprising of little weatherboard cottages. Seriously, it was like a scene from the famous Cotswolds. Drummond Cove, to me, was a location for a boys’ own adventure — one involving pirates and smugglers, the Hardy Boys or the Famous Five. Initially, a getaway for farming families from the Chapman Valley, old Drummonds later became a haven for artists, writers, and the elderly — a quiet place, hidden away from the rat race. I just loved going there so much, I vowed that I would live there one day. I now do. Well, in the vicinity, a little way up the road. But today, due to progress, you could say the little hamlet that had so much character and history is no more. Gone are the little rickety cottages and picket fences, gone are the English-like gardens and little laneways. Gone, also, are the characters and the stories, gone is this unique part of local history. There is another place, though, that I reckon has a charm all its own too. And that is Point Moore. The cottages at Point Moore, have been part of the local tapestry for generations. Faced with progress and the threat of rising water levels and factors related to that, the cottages at Point Moore are iconic. In my teenage years, I would visit mates who lived there and dreamed about being part of that cosy neighbourhood. And I reckon that is certainly a word that describes Point Moore. For decades it has played home to an eclectic community of people from all walks of life that have Point Moore as their common bond. There are doctors, lawyers, teachers, fishers and grandma and pa’s all living in houses and cottages that are quite simply quiet, modest abodes. Without doubt, this all comes together to create a conducive atmosphere, a unique neighbourhood. It is not so much the cottages, themselves, but what they represent. The leasing of property near the lighthouse has in recent times come into question. How long will the cottage community survive? How long will it remain into the future? Just remember, like those cottages at Drummond Cove, when they go, they are gone. And so too is yet another part of our valuable history. Peter Fiorenza, is a Greater Geraldton councillor, hosts Sports Shed on Saturday (9am to noon) and Fiorenza on Sunday (10am to noon) on Radio MAMA.