Capital Gains: Family home in O'Connor built stone by stone

A 1950s move from Narrabundah to a government house in O’Connor was an exciting time for the Heatons.

The three-bedroom home had more room for Joseph, Betty and their three children, Dennis, Chrystine and Gary, and they loved the location.

“It was ideal and I think [my parents] were pretty happy with the prospect of moving into the house,” Dennis says.

Joseph worked for public transport, Betty worked part-time at the O’Connor shops and they were soon able to buy the house and make it their own.

Dennis has fond memories of trips to Uriarra Crossing to collect the stones that still frame the home.

“We made that a bit of an outing,” Dennis said.

“We had to find stones that were reasonably square, it was a bit of a novel thing. Slowly but surely over the period of a year or so we got there.”

Joseph and Betty lived in the home for the rest of their lives, extending and modernising it over the years.

Once the edge of Canberra, the location is now very central, close to the local shops and within easy reach of the city.

O’Connor

6 PEDDER STREET

PRICE GUIDE: Low to mid $900,000s EER: 0

AGENT: David Whittem, Capital First National, 0408 408 603

AUCTION: Saturday, July 8, at 10am, on site

INSPECT: Saturday, 10am-10.45am; Wednesday, 12.30pm-1pm