Well, not really, but Tim the Yowie Man reveals an historic air-raid shelter that is about to be reopened.
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A few months ago, I dragged a couple of interstate friends on a walk up Red Hill. On the way back to give them a chance to catch their breath (we won't mention names will we, Mark and Antony?), I took them along the back of Mugga Way. Not only was it an opportunity to stickybeak into the backyards of the many embassies and high commissions, but I also wanted to point out a lesser known, albeit quirky, part of our wartime history.
![Bombs away Bombs away](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/b437c188-60d0-4e11-b963-d250b2b9b8d3.jpg/r0_0_729_638_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
As we approached the back of Calthorpes' House (one of the few properties without an imposing fence obscuring would-be stickybeaks) I pointed out a small (about 6m long) rectangular mound surrounded with red tape running along the back of the property and explained that it was an air-raid shelter.
''An air-raid shelter - you've got to be pulling my leg,'' was the incredulous response I received from both my friends.
Unfortunately, our stroll was on a weekday and not a weekend when Calthorpes' House is often open to the public so I was unable to prove to them that at least one Canberra home did in fact have a World War II air-raid shelter.
However, of more concern to me than not being able to convince my friends of the existence of the bomb shelter, was the presence of the red tape. I hadn't visited the shelter for over a decade. Had it collapsed? As the only private air-raid shelter of this kind that I'm aware of in the ACT, I was hoping this wasn't the case.
So after bidding my friends farewell, I tracked down John Armes, the ACT Government's Historic Places major project senior manager. If anyone was going to know what was going on with the shelter it would be John.
''The shelter has been off limits since the big rains of late last year when water inundated it, making it both unsafe to visit and impacting on the condition of timber structure,'' John says.
John also explained that his team was about to commence restoration work on the shelter and invited me along to check it out.
This work commenced two weeks ago and a few days ago I popped along to see how it was progressing.
Although during my visit I couldn't get into the shelter (it was a quagmire after recent storms) I did manage to catch up with Luke Clarence from the excavation company responsible for undertaking the new drainage work at the site.
''It's certainly one of the more unusual jobs,'' Luke says, as he pops his head out of the escape shaft built into the top of the shelter.
So what are the origins of the shelter? It was built in 1942 by Harry Calthorpe who was an air-raid warden which meant he would walk the streets checking the amount of light escaping from his neighbour's homes.
A Gallipoli veteran, Harry knew only too well the dangers of war and took his role as warden very seriously. For example, he not only installed blackout blinds and taped the windows (to minimise injury from splintered glass) of his home, but he also built the air-raid shelter in his back garden. Harry's design (based on government recommendations of the day) had a prefabricated hardwood frame which would have been dropped into a trench. Inside were two benches running down the length of each side and space for a small supply of rations and a chamber pot.
It's heartening to see such a fascinating part of our past preserved for future generations. I just can't wait until it's open to the public again for I've got two friends who on their next visit to Canberra I plan on leaving there for an afternoon (or two)! Who knows, if they're lucky I might even leave them a couple of bottles of water and a chamber pot.
FACT FILE
Calthorpes' House. 24 Mugga Way, Red Hill. Open weekends 1pm-4pm. Entry: adults, $7, concession $5 and family $15.
Air-raid shelter. Located in the back garden of the house. Please note although restoration is nearing completion, it will be another month or two before it is deemed safe to visit.
Did you know? During World War II there were a number of air-raid drills in Canberra. I've heard stories that in order to make the drills as realistic as possible, low-flying planes would drop flour bombs over the city. Can you recall these drills? Were you ever hit by one of these flour bombs? If so, let me know.
CONTACT TIM
Got a comment on today's stories or an unusual photo? Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write to me c/o The Canberra Times 9 Pirie Street, Fyshwick.