The tiny room curiously boarded up at the back of the bus shelter on Cowper Street in Ainslie (Bus Station Tardis, October 31) continues to prompt a steady stream of correspondence.
Barry Snelson of Calwell, who drove ACTION buses for many decades, confirms "it was originally built as an amenities room for drivers when the bus stop was the terminus for the service".
Barry further reports that although it was no longer an amenities room when he started working for ACTION in 1968, "you could still access the space via a rear door".
"When the old Ainslie bus depot in Stephen Street was closed, we ended up using the room to store thing like hand towels and toilet paper for other terminus facilities."
Barry is unsure when the door was removed, making it impossible to access the room. "Maybe we still have an old driver in there ... missing in ACTION," he muses.
Meanwhile Ken Kerrison, who moved to Ainslie in 1938, recalls that the room was closed soon after World War II due to vandalism.
Ainslie block memories
It turns out that Ken Sharp isn't the only Canberran who knew the purpose of the concrete block in Suttor Street, Ainslie (The curious case of the concrete block, October 31). Jeanette Lenz of Lyneham remembers the counter-weight belonging to the Kinanes, her neighbours for 25 years when she lived in Ainslie.
Jeanette remembers Mrs Kinane as a real character. "She would often retell the story of how she and her husband were allocated the 'new' home in Ainslie, and her friends (from Kingston) would ask, "Why are you going to Ainslie? It's half-way to Goulburn," she laughs. Haven't times changed.
