What I See With Peter Fiorenza: Restoring old homes like the one I bought is a way of respecting the past

One of my favourite TV shows is Restoration Australia. If you don’t watch it, it’s a program that follows everyday Australians who have decided to restore old homes, many heritage-listed. It’s a fascinating journey as you follow the transformation, from start to finish, and ride the highs and lows along the way. Often, these people have put their lives on hold for sometimes several years to rescue a piece of Australian history. About 18 months ago, I got involved with something similar and moved into a renovated piece of Geraldton history. Now, unlike the folks on the TV show, I didn’t do the renovation on my little corrugated iron cottage in Beachlands. But the people I bought it off did, and they did a wonderful job. Recently, I found out something quite special about my house in Shenton Street and decided to share it on social media, with a selection of photos. I revealed to my friends on Facebook that I had recently been told that my little corrugated cottage was believed to be very special. In fact, I was told it was possibly the oldest home of its type in Geraldton and indeed, one of the oldest homes in town. I thought I was just sharing with friends, however the post somewhat went viral. It seemed people from everywhere were viewing the post. There were numerous comments on how special the little abode was, along with those who were asking and others suggesting how old it was. In fact, as I’m writing this piece, there have been close to 17,500 views of my post. Incredible. It would seem that a lot of people have an interest in history, and, in particular, local history. You could say that my home is unique and could be referred to as a valued piece of Australiana. It is almost five years ago now that someone bought a dilapidated old little rusty shack in Beachlands and decided to breath new life into it. And I’m real glad they did. Because of that bold and responsible decision, today my place sits proudly alongside other historical examples of period architecture that dominate Beachlands. It’s interesting to note that more than three quarters of the Facebook views were from people I didn’t even know. After watching several series of Restoration Australia, there is no doubt in my mind that the restoring of these heritage homes is more than just rejuvenating a house. It is an example of showing respect for the past and the people who made up the past, and a way of preserving history and culture. Every home on the program is different and in a different place so in many ways, restoration pays homage to a unique history. And that’s exactly what my little corrugated iron cottage in Beachlands does. Peter Fiorenza hosts Sport Shed Saturday (9am to noon) and Fiorenza on Sunday (10am to noon) on Radio MAMA. He can also be heard on Radio Geraldton.