Tecoma’s tin

By Tania Martin
HORATIO’S House, one of Tecoma’s hidden treasures, will be open for one last time next month, before closing for restoration.
The historic 1920s homestead , which was built by Gallipoli digger Horatio Jones, is a sight not to be missed.
Nestled in the Dandenongs, the house tells a story of good old-fashioned Aussie spirit.
The house, which is made from kerosene tins, dates back to WWI when Mr Jones returned home from the trenches in 1916 with little time to live, having been injured when he strained his heart muscle carrying signal cable under water.
Doctors were not hopeful that he would survive but Mr Jones decided to get a second opinion from a Swiss medic who gave him a diet of wholemeal bread, spring onions and garlic.
He ate the concoction every day until his death and it must have worked because he lived for another 30 years.
Returning home from the war, Mr Jones was faced with the death of his parents.
He also discovered that his father’s business partner had absconded with company funds and he was forced to sell the family home in South Yarra to pay his father’s debts.
At the time he was also engaged to American beauty Caroline Hearst but, bereft of his wealth, he decided to call off the marriage.
Mr Jones then set about finding a home for himself and his two half-sisters, Christina and Annie, who had also lost their partners to the war.
In 1920, he took what was left of his inheritance and purchased three acres in what he described as the ‘hidden valley’.
He was an engineer and inventor at heart and knew how to make the best of what he had.
At just 17, he won a silver medal for his model windmill and then went on to secure a metal trade apprenticeship.
It was this early affinity with metal work that enabled Mr Jones to make his house of kerosene tins.
The house was made using gum trees, four-gallon flattened kerosene tins for the exterior walls and fencing wire.
The double-storey house features an upstairs living area for Christina and Annie and a communal living area and Mr Jones’ bedroom on the first floor.
Despite the rough exterior, the inside of the house replicated high society.
Using some of his former fiancé’s furniture, Mr Jones and his sisters created a comfortable and elegant home.
They held musicals, dinners and afternoon teas.
Mr Jones also built an outdoor structure and fondly called it ‘the study’. It was here that the likes of writer CJ Dennis and artist Sir Arthur Streeton were frequent visitors.
He built another house for his sisters during the 1930s as they found it increasingly difficult to climb the stairs in the kerosene home.
Mr Jones continued to live in the house until his death in 1949.
Since then, Fleur and Allan Rodriquez have been caretakers of this little slice of history.
It features all original furnishing such as a piano, dining setting, cast iron, brass and blackwood post beds.
A 1986 American flag, Australian flag, and WWI welcome home flags once waved by Christina and Annie are also on display.
Visitors will have a chance to see this treasure on Sunday 3 May when the house is open to the public after which the house is expected to be closed for more than six months for restoration.
The address to the homestead remains a secret as it has been the victim of vandals and looters.
Any one interested in visiting the house can call 9754 4936 to make a booking.