IRIS Stead would not leave her house for anything in the world or swap it for a more modern one.
Her fibro house at Monterey, in more or less original condition, has been her home for more than 40 years and where her six children grew up.
Mrs Stead, 81, remembers when she and husband Ralph went house hunting and needing to find something close enough to Banksia where she grew up.
Monterey had many fibro houses in those days, mostly built between 1930 and 1940 in the Moderne style, with curved walls and windows.
Like many people in the neighbourhood, the Steads made most of the available space in their two-bedroom home, turning the spacious living room into a master bedroom and the verandah into a bedroom for the couple's only daughter.
"Later on we talked about selling and buying something bigger further out but the kids wouldn't be in it," Mrs Stead said.
"It has everything — parks, the beach, shops, and everyone is very friendly."
A few years ago, when Ralph Stead died, the family had a similar conversation, this time about alternative accommodation for Mrs Stead.
"Say what you like, I said to them, but I am not moving from here," she said.
Not many of those fibros exist these days; Rockdale Council says only 18 houses in the Moderne style survive at Monterey.
But those houses will be preserved — at least on paper.
The council's Fibro Moderne project, made possible by funding from the federal government's Your Community Heritage Program, aims to raise public appreciation and record this rare collection of houses for posterity.
The houses have been photographed and documented in a glossy book which will be launched on Saturday.
Powerhouse Museum curator and an Australian expert on fibro, Charles Pickett, will talk about this rare collection, and 20th century architecture historian Michael Bogle will lead a guided tour of the houses.
Dr Bogle lives in hope that those houses will survive, although they are vulnerable to being pulled down due to their modest size and the safety concerns associated with asbestos.
He said that in the future, given the rising cost of energy, people may want to return to a more modest way of life and be content with two bedrooms and one bathroom.
"The houses are quite smart and can be upgraded in a smart way," he said.
Do you have fond memories of living in a house of this era?
HERITAGE APPRECIATION
The book launch will be at the Syd Frost Memorial Hall, 1A Hawthorne Street, Ramsgate, on Saturday, May 31, at 2.30pm, followed by the guided tour.
This is a free event but bookings are essential.
Bookings: Pengfei Cheng, 95621634 or email pcheng@rockdale.nsw.gov
