Their Place: ‘the Lambert house’
On a cool Sunday night in mid-October last year, local Gini James heard what she thought were gunshots close to her Glen Road home. She called the police. “My voice was quivering … my knees were shaking …I was afraid to go outside to investigate but (with the police on the phone) I did – to discover the house next door on fire. I was scared out of my wits! The police assured me the Midland brigade was on the way. Worrying about the threat to my own house, and knowing the fire trucks were on their way, I rang my son-in-law Steve and he came straight away. “As I evacuated with my ‘fire’ suitcase and backpack to go and stay with daughter Jedra, the brigade arrived and Steve made sure my house would be OK. But I had to come back – I couldn’t NOT watch even though I was still very shaken. This was my sister Ruth’s long-time former home, so Steve and I watched the much-loved ‘Lambert’s house’ burn down. “There were so many happy memories wrapped up in that house. Ruth and her husband Rick built it and lived there for 26 years. Steve built them a beautiful deck with huge timber poles supporting the roof. It became the family’s much-loved ‘outdoor room’. “As we watched the house burn, the feeling of helplessness was overwhelming, however those giant hoses at work were reassuring. While many in Darlington heard the explosions, and neighbours had immediately arrived with hoses, firefighters said they realised the house was gone on arrival, so they aimed to keep other properties safe.
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sight of that wall of flame – twice as high as the house – attacking this wonderful home. Later, as a family, we gathered and walked around the blackened ruins and together we remembered the house as it was in its glory days, the events that it had nurtured through its history. We ended up thinking of the house as a member of the family…” Most of us in Darlington have a special relationship with homes. If you’re lucky enough to own one of Darlington’s century old homes, you’ve accumulated a wealth of tales about ceiling and floor collapses, the perpetual challenge of repairs and renovations, but the wonder of living in a place so rich in history and atmosphere. If you’ve purchased the land and built your home, there are the embedded memories of the excitement of designing it, incorporating special features you’ve admired in other houses, and the rewards of carving out a garden or orchard. What neighbours knew as ‘the Lambert house’ had gathered its own storehouse of memories. The Lamberts had arrived in Perth from California in 1978, with daughters Jen and Hillary who were 11 and 7 respectively. A year later they purchased the one-and-a-half-acre block in Darlington. Rick built a rock wall around the entire property and the family tended the property, planting trees and maintaining fire breaks until they had the funds to build a home, designed by Murray Cox, in 1987. Jen remembers: “The house became stunning, just what we’d dreamed of: open plan with high ceilings and an overlook from upstairs into the lounge room. Lots of light and space. Wonderful huge jarrah poles that went floor to ceiling in the lounge room, a wooden staircase and timber floors. Spaces for artwork and photos. “Mom and Dad worked outside making garden beds and stone paths. We put lawn in and many a volleyball game was played. When Steve build the deck that ran the length of the house, Dad worked with him. The result was incredible – and we spent so many long afternoons and evenings eating and chatting out there…” When the girls moved out, Rick bought his highly-regarded design business from South Perth to Darlington (and the Review’s David Taylor, one of Rick’s designers, immediately began looking for a Darlington home!) When the first grandchild arrived, new memories were added of Easter egg hunts, birthday parties and Christmas trees that reached the high ceilings. However, ill health took its toll on Rick and with huge regret the house was sold. “My daughter Grace was probably the most vocal because she so loved helping Grandma and Grandad in the garden, playing in the creek and a double-storey cubby. She
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Darlington Review – May 2022
