Stewart House stories sought for documentary

By Rachel Gleeson

Have you ever stayed at Stewart House, the holiday home for school children that sits on Curl Curl Beach? If so, students from the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) want to hear from you.

Spokesman Reid Palmer said the students were making a documentary on the children of Stewart House.

"Since the Great Depression, Stewart House has been an institution of health and happiness for children all over NSW," he said.

"It is a holiday house offering the opportunity for young people to meet new friends, stay at a house right on the beach and have a good time in a safe and structured environment. For some children it is their first time away from home.

"This year is the 75th anniversary of Stewart House and AFTRS is looking to interview people who have stayed there since it was opened in 1931.

"We are interested in your stories, and want to know how your life unfolded after leaving there.

"We are betting that there are some remarkable lives that have been lived, and we want to hear about them -- travels, marriages, divorces, kids, joys, sicknesses, sorrows, losses and adventures -- all of it.

"Most of all, we want to know how you now relate to the child you were."

The students would also like to hear from people who appeared in the documentary A Place by the Sea, made in the 1970s.

If you have ever spent time staying at Stewart House, please contact Reid on (02) 9805 6574 or by email at reid.palmer@aftrs.edu.au.

Rachel Gleeson is the AFTRS media manager.

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