In the bedroom of Leonora legend Terry Demasson lie relics from the outback town
Leonora legend Terry Demasson has turned his home into a museum and shares his love for Leonora through items on display in his childhood bedroom.
Mr Demasson told the Kalgoorlie Miner he owns the oldest house in Leonora and has converted his collection of local historical items into a museum.
“If we don’t collect today, we won’t have it tomorrow, and if we don’t have it tomorrow, we’ll forget yesterday. We have to collect everyone,” he said.
Mr Demasson, who has lived in Leonora since 1957, said he fell in love with the outback town and “wouldn’t walk across the railway line if he didn’t have to”.
“I collect bottles, old bottles and stuff I’ve collected over the years. My mother used to collect Avon bottles. So I collected Avon bottles and now I have about 3000 different Avon bottles because you can’t buy Avon in Australia anymore,” he said.
“Well, I didn’t want to throw the bottles away, so I just kept going.”
Mr Demasson said to find the treasures he trawled through old tips and found things that were thrown away “years and years ago”.
“I found an ashtray in perfect condition the other day and it was a Guinness ashtray that was over 100 years old, nothing wrong with that,” he said.
“But I mean, I know smoking is on the end of the spectrum now, but it’s just something to collect.”
Mr. Demasson turned his childhood bedroom into a bar, using parts from the State Hotel, the Commercial Hotel, the Exchange and the Grand Hotel.
“I got the bar from the Grand Hotel years ago because someone was going to buy it and bring it to Perth, but I was like, ‘well, if it goes to Perth, it’s never going to be in Leonora again,’ so I said it to the owner to sell to me,” he said.
“And he really sold it to me for free as long as it stayed in Leonora and I promised him I would keep it in Leonora and that’s exactly what happened.”
Another prized possession of Mr Demasson was the whistle which he blew for the very last time in the Sons of Gwalia gold mine when he was the last apprentice on duty.
“That was 1963 and I still have the whistle for it. So I got that into my collection which will probably go back to Gwalia I would think. . . Because the Gwalia Museum collects everything they collect is Gwalia memorabilia. I suppose it rightfully belongs out there, but I’ll keep it for a couple of years and then pass it on to her,” he said.
“My home was the original aerated water as in Goldfields Aerated Waters. So yes, that’s where the drink was made. . . and the house is made of pressed skin, as the ceiling and walls are all made of pressed iron from 120 years ago.”
