Ian, who was in his 90s, was the last surviving of the four sons of Eben Gowrie Waterhouse and his wife Janet. E.G. Waterhouse, as he was known, commissioned Hardy Wilson to design Eryldene in the Greek Revival style at a time when such architecture was not in favour, and together with its pavilions and world famous camellia gardens they created what Peter Watts (ex director of the Historic Houses Trust of NSW) has described as ' the most exquisite house in Australia'.
Despite the house
having three bedrooms, the four boys were brought up sleeping on the enclosed
verandas whether in summer or winter, as various relatives came to live with
the family long term.
Ian told me that
the each boy had a drawer for their clothes in their parent’s bedroom and a box
for their toys in the study - a far cry from today's child's material
possessions!
Ian had a
distinguished career as an academic specialising in pyscho analysis and as one
of the founding professors of Macquarie University. He was a delightful
man with a quick wit and a warm smile for everyone. His stories about growing
up at Eryldene provided that primary resource which is invaluable in
understanding any historic house and its context.
One great story
particularly stands out for me. In 1934 his father, by this time
professor of German at Sydney University, took a sabbatical and travelled
to Europe. There he met with Mussolini through a link engineered by the Italian
consul general in Sydney and had a good old natter with Il Duce in Italian
about the merits of the leader's beautification of Rome then underway, and the
fact that all the trains now ran on time.
From there he
travelled to Berlin, and amazingly managed to snare a meeting with Hitler,
based on the premise that Hitler (as with Mussolini) was interested in how his
native language was being taught overseas. Bear in mind that this was 1934.
Anyway between the
appointment being made and the appointment itself, the Night of the Long Knives
occurred
and Waterhouse was sure his meeting would be cancelled as the country was in
turmoil. However, he received notification that Hitler would still meet
him and headed off through endless security points to meet the Fuhrer. He found
Hitler looking exhausted and (he suspected) on the verge of a nervous
breakdown. After some initial chit chat about Waterhouse’s work at Sydney
University, Hitler launched into a tirade against the international media’s
criticism of his recent handling of events.
Waterhouse replied
in forthright fashion with words to the effect that if he, Hitler, went around
executing opponents without trial, then he is likely to be criticised. Whereupon Hitler let fly about how he alone had saved Germany from civil war
and why didn’t the world understand. A ranting Hitler foaming at the
mouth whilst sitting next to Waterhouse on a sofa was clearly a highly
discomforting experience, with Waterhouse remarking that not only did he end up
sweating profusely but that he also concluded he was in the presence of a
madman.
Great stuff and
what an experience to have anchored back to Eryldene, where no doubt the story
was told to many a guest around the Waterhouse dining table. As so often it is the stories around these historic houses that bring them to life, rather than their physical elements.
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