Family given glimpse of historic tunnels their dad's name was carved into
The family of a railway worker who wasn't allowed to fight in World War II because his skills were too valuable to lose has been given a glimpse inside the century-old tunnels his name was carved into.
Three brothers, the sons of railway worker Leonard Goodsell, spotted their dad's engraving in a 9News story earlier this year in the depths of the historic St James tunnels underneath Sydney.
"I'm going wow… I got no idea how to find out but I wrote a letter to my local member, Ryan Park, and things snowballed from there," son Tim Goodsell said.
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The family of a railway worker who wasn't allowed to fight in World War II because his skills were too valuable to lose has been given a glimpse inside the century-old tunnels his name was carved into. 9News
The tunnels were built in the 1920s before being abandoned in the Great Depression and later repurposed as air raid shelters during World War II.
Documents reveal Leonard applied to join the navy for World War II, but his enlistment was cancelled because his rail skills were needed in Sydney.
Today, the brothers were given a tour of the underground network where their dad stood when he was just 22 years old.
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"He never spoke too much about his previous life, so to see this is a privilege," Goodsell said.
By the start of next year, the once-forgotten tunnels will be open to the public, with tours running several times a day.
"This has been a lot of work - more than $1 million," NSW Transport Minister John Graham said.
"It's an urban adventure and it's right under our feet," Andrew Killingsworth from Transport Heritage NSW said.
"It's right under Hyde Park."
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
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