The Kingston Trio Place
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Dave Guard In Australia - Part II
In late 1962, after leaving The Kingston Trio in 1961, and subsequently, The Whiskeyhill Singers in 1962, Dave Guard and his family emigrated to Australia. He purchased a home in the prestigious Whale Beach area near Sydney. In the late 1960s, Dave and his family returned to the United States. Dave's former home at Whale Beach is currently owned by Ros McGovern, who permitted Australian Kingston Trio Fan, Brendan McGrath, to photograph the home indoors and out. Many thanks to Brendan for sharing his photo journey with us!
Brendan recounts his time at Dave Guard's former home at Whale Beach, Australia:
We went to Whale Beach on Wednesday 16 th Jan, arriving at 2.00pm. It was a glorious day and the sun was shining brightly as you can see by the pics. Ros was expecting us as we had made arrangements and I also called the same morning just to confirm. My wife dropped our two children down at the beach whilst, joining me back at the home shortly after.
Ros was extremely inviting towards us and had also made a small afternoon tea for us. In all she was a lovely person and I continually thanked her for allowing us to come into her home and see where Dave Guard once lived. The home as Ros informs me is now used mainly as an ‘entertainer'. Ros informed us that her and her husband David, are organising an Australia Day get together at Whale Beach for their family and friends.
Ros and her husband have owned the property since 1990. The property was purchased off Ros' aunt and uncle who were in their 80's at the time. As the story goes, the aunt purchased the property off the Guard Family in 1967. So the home has been a part of Ros' life for a long long time as she did regularly visit the home as a teenager.
Sitting on the back patio overlooking the glorious beach, Ros explained to us that she knew some of the Guard history about the home and that Dave Guard and his family lived there for 5 or so years. I had printed off some information for Ros that you uploaded on the Trio Place about Dave Guard in Australia. She had no idea that this existed and I explained my contact with you and Dave's Place.
The inside of the home has been re painted from the bright blue to the soft light tones. Yes, the cabinet is in the corner that you mentioned and from what I gather that is where it sat when Dave was there. The wall unit has been reduced but the panelling behind it is as it was back in the Guard era. The bar in the corner is as it was, and there are many glass rim stains on the timber top. Ros informed me that when they took over the property there were still some recording items left behind in the garage from Mr. Guard. These items have since been moved on. The gardens are truly a beautiful feature of the property and are maintained regularly by Whale Beach Property Group. As for the view from the lounge, which has a huge glass window, I truly was in awe being in this home that Dave Guard once lived in. The home is virtually untouched from the time the Guard Family lived there.
It was a great 2 hours we spent at the Whale Beach home with Roz. You probably know what the pic is of the unit towards the end. If you don't I will tell you what it is in a follow up email. It has not been used since the 60's and Ros showed us just as we were leaving.
Well, that's about it. We did have a swim and it's truly a glorious place on earth. I can see why Dave and his family fell in love with it. I'm truly grateful to Ros for allowing us into her private life and sharing her property with us. It's now ticked off my bucket list. Get a load of the bearded dragon that was down stairs under the patio!
Sincerely,
Brendan
Dave Guard's House At Whale Beach, January 2013:
The following images are courtesy of Brendan McGrath
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Above photos by Brendan McGrath
Many thanks to Brendan McGrath for sharing his story and photos with us!
Dave Guard In Australia - Part I
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