An autobiography and family history
by Emily Violet Pickup - as at July 1981
(nee Macpherson, Montrose Bulahdelah)
Contents click here for index
Chapter 1 My Dad and his family.
My father, Charles Edward John Stewart Macpherson, (Charlie), was born at East Maitland, N.S.W. on 13th May, 1882. He was the eldest of four children, (the second of whom died in early childhood). He had a younger brother, Ewen Hunter, and a sister, Grace. The Parents were John Shiret Macpherson and Grace Malcolm Macpherson, (nee Rennie.)
Dad was very proud of his Scottish forebears and traditions. The Family Tree, kept in the big leather bound family Bible, shows the family back to one Angus Macpherson, born in Badenach, Scotland, in 1687. He was a cousin of Cluny Macpherson, of the Black Watch, (a famous Scottish regiment).
Grandfather Macpherson, Dad's father, was born at Montrose, Inverness -shire, Scotland, on 13th May, 1844. He came to Australia, (The Colony), in 1869. He became a minister of.the Free Presbyterian Church, and served at East Maitland from 1877 to 1904, when he transferred to Morphett Vale, South Australia, where he served until his death, in 1921, he is buried at Morphett Vale .
In 1879 he married Grace Malcolm Rennie, a daughter of E.A. Rennie, Auditor General of N .S. W .She was one of five children, the others being Edward, (Professor of Chemistry, University of Adelaide), Charles, (Chairman of Lands Board N.S.W.), George, (Doctor of Medicine), and a sister, Auralia.
Grandma had been brought up as a "lady" of the day, well versed in social graces, music, needlework etc. She was not in any way prepared for a hard working life, and when, later, she was forced to work hard on a farm, it broke her spirit and eventually impaired her mind. She was most upset when Grandfather took a foundling into the home and neglected his own son's education to give this stranger a chance, and a good education. Dad and his brother, Ewen, both had active brains, and if given the opportunity, may both have done a lot better for themselves, in life.
Grandfather put the boys to work on a farm at Anna Bay, which their mother thought was an insult to them, so I have heard. The Rennie Family had not approved of her marriage to Grandfather. They thought it beneath her station in life to marry a "poor preacher", as indeed ministers were in those days. .I have heard that although Grandfather was a fine Christian man, and a very good preacher, he was very strict and even hard on his family.
Grandfather's diocese stretched right up the coast of N.S.W. as far as Wauchope and he was often away for weeks at a time, travelling by horse and buggy , and preaching along the way, so Grandma often had a lonely life.
Grandfather Macpherson was much interested in the early days of the historic Presbyterian Church at Ebeneezer on the Hawkesbury River. During his time in Adelaide he interested himself in politics and was secretary of the Morphett Vale branch of Liberal Union. He was described as a "man of scholarly attainment", a recognised authority on eccliastical history and an accurate expositor of the Scripture from the original text. (As written in an Adelaide newspaper after his death).
On leaving East Maitland in 1904, he was described as a "fearless champion of truth, a consistent witness for Scriptural Presbyterianism and Reformation Principles ", also of having a great ability as a lecturer, preacher, and conversationalist, and possessing a profound knowledge of church constitution, standards of history , joined with a strength of character earnestness, and of having no regard to his own safety in long arduous, and often dangerous journeys which he undertook in his ministry, and also of showing Christian fortitude and resignation to meet the domestic trials which befell him. (Taken from letters from the Session at East Maitland in 1904, on his departure for Adelaide).
It was about 1897 when Grandfather took his wife and sons to Anna Bay, to try and make a living on a farm, , growing vegetables. He still had his charge in East Maitland and visited the farm whenever he could. Grandma took music pupils to help out. When Dad was about twenty he had a trip by sea to New Zealand. He nearly died of seasickness, and never knew how he plucked up the courage to face the return journey! He and a friend spent six months working around on various farms, and getting new ideas. When he returned to Australia the family moved to another property with a better home, at Bob's Farm. (Anna Bay and Bob's Farm are both in Nelson Bay District). They found it very hard to make a decent living, the soil was very poor and sandy, and after a time, Uncle Ewen left and got work in Newcastle on the railway. He married and had two sons, Charles and Clifford, born about 1913 and 1915. His first wife (Auntie Florrie) died when the boys were quite small, and he married again in later life. He and Dad didn't have very much in common so we didn't see very much of them as a family. We corresponded with the boys, as children, but have long since lost touch.
Dad's only sister, Auntie Grace was born at Raymond Terrace, in 1899, thus was many years younger than Dad. She came to live with Mum and Dad when she was a girl in her teens. She had gone to Morphett Vale as a child with her father, her mother being in a nursing home, and she was reared by a housekeeper. Mum and Dad gave her a home with them, and she made it her "home", all her life, and looked on our mother as a mother to her. She went out to service, i.e. working as a home help, and living in on the job, for a few years, and stayed in our home and helped look after our family on more than one occasion while Mum had a "mother's holiday"!(in bed with a new baby). She I met and married August Bartsch, in Kurri Kurri, and reared three children, Jean, John and Gwen.
Auntie Grace was a gentle woman, very much like her mother, and we all loved and respected her. She was a good needlewoman, could do almost any kind of sewing knitting etc. but her mending and fine darning, on linen, and was a real masterpiece. I always felt she married a man beneath her in education and upbringing, he was a builder and quite a decent man, but really didn't understand or appreciate Auntie Grace. He left her) and went to New Guinea and worked, so she had a lonely old life, -she. died in 1976, at the age of 77.
My sister, Alison and I recently visited Anna Bay and Bob's Farm, and talked with some of the old residents who knew of the Rev. J. and Mrs. Macpherson, and who remember my father. We also saw the well preserved weatherboard house they once lived in at Bob's Farm. One old man told us that he had worked for Dad, as a lad, picking peas and beans, for the noble sum of three pence a bucketful! The vegetables had to be taken by horse and dray to Newcastle, a distance of about thirty miles, to be sold. The shopkeepers would go across by boat from Newcastle, and buy off the carts. Dad gave up farming at Bob's Farm, did casual work for a time, then got work with a timber firm, working on the timber punts (large paddle wheel barges) up and down the Myall River. He boarded in Tea Gardens, and that is where he met, and later married my mother, Minnie Dorothea Engel.
Dad was a keen reader, and good at figures, so on the whole had a fairly good education. He kept up his reading all his life, and was always up to date on world affairs, sport, etc.
Just as Dad was proud of his family, and ancestry, Mum's family and background were not to be despised. The Engel’s were very well liked and respected in the district . Our Great-grandfather, George Peter Engel, migrated to Australia, from Frankfurt -Main, Germany, sometimes in the 1840's. He was then a carpenter. He married Josephine Louise Diehl at the German Presbyterian Church in Sydney, in January 1852. My rolling pin came to Australia with Josephine in her personal effects, when she migrated to Australia from Strasburg, France, about 1850.
Sometime after they were married, they moved to Swan Bay, in the Port Stephens district, where he set up a butchering business. He delivered meat to customers around the harbour by sailing boat, the only means of transport available.
My Great-grandparents, George and Josephine, had five sons, namely, John Alexander, (Alec), Gustave William (Willie), George Adolph (Adolph), Henry and George Anton (George)
As the boys were growing up they took them to live on a farm on the shores of the Lower Myall River at a place then named "The Fens" {now known as Engel's Reach), so that his sons could make a living by farming. George and Josephine lived all their lives in the district and are both buried in an old cemetery near Tahlee.
The farming, mainly vegetable growing, wasn't much of a success so they eventually took to rearing cattle. Alec, the eldest son married Jane Evans (Jinnie) from Swan Bay, and when they found they couldn't make a satisfactory living on the land, they took their young family and moved to Bulahdelah, where he got work as a carpenter. They lived there the remainder of their lives and reared a family of seven. The rolling pin came to me via this family. It must have been given to them when they left "The Fens". After Great Uncle Alec died, Great Aunt Jinnie gave it to my mother and when I was married and "setting up home" Mum gave it to me. And I treasure it for its long life and history .
The brothers Willie, Henry and George, all married and reared their families around the district, no further afield than Newcastle anyway.
My grandfather, G.A. Engel, (known as Adolph) married Emily Jane Zieninger, at Seaham Church of England, in 1882. He was a stalwart upright man of tireless energy , never known to walk anywhere, he always ran. Time was too precious to waste walking! He had very definite views of right and wrong, and brought his family up in a strict and !Christian .manner. He was a teetotaler had a quick temper, and was a good business man.
Much of the land at Tea Gardens was low and swampy, and often covered by high tides. Grandfather had the boats dump all the clinker and ashes from their fires on the foreshores, and sawdust from the timber mills was carted and added. Later a dredge was employed to deepen the river, and sand was thrown up on the shore too. It all helped with the reclaiming process and much more good usable land was made available and many more homes built. (Two of Mum’s brothers and a sister lived on reclaimed land, near to Engel's Store.)
The Zeininger Family came from Germany too. They lived on a farm at Glen Oak, near Seaham, which was good farming land. I t was near the Williams River in the Hunter Valley . Quite a few German families had settled in the district. The Zeininger home was called "Spurfield".
I often wonder what prompted the early settlers to come to a new country like Australia They would only have a meagre idea of what it was ideally going to be like. They were leaving a homeland, steeped in history , culture and tradition for a raw new land.
It was a long arduous trip, by sailing ship, and may have taken about six months of un- comfortable travel. I guess they had no hope of ever returning to their homeland, friends and relations they had left behind. It would be saying goodbye not farewell! Fares were costly, it took all their means to get here and make a living and rear their families. So I just ask, why did they come? Spirit of adventure perhaps. Anyway, many did come didn't they? And from many countries. Perhaps because the stories reaching the old countries told of a wide free country where a man could own his own land and rear a family away from big industrial cities, as in much of Europe. I believe, too, there were agricultural grants from the government to encourage would-be settlers to take up land and farm it.
My grandparents, George Adolph and Emily Jane, lived at "The Fens" when they wet first married. They reared a family of eleven. Henry Melvin, May Florence, Gustave William Leslie Frederick, Minnie Dorothea, (my mother), Emily Estella, Pearl Ivy , Mabel Ellen, Adolph Albert, Violet Mignonette, and Anna Barbara.
Grandfather became the first butcher at Tea Gardens, a small town further down the river. He and Grandma eventually went there to live. As his business grew, he acquired more land branched -out to become butcher baker and general storekeeper. (G.A. Engel and Sons) They had boats on the rivers and one was a floating store. It was an old fashioned paddle wheel boat called "Kate Thompson". When Mum left school, in 1905, at the age of 14, she went to work on the boat, helping in the shop, and doing the bookwork. They travelled around Port Stephens Harbour, twice each week, and up the river and all around the Myall Lakes, also twice each
As each trip took almost 24 hours, they lived on the boat almost as much as they lived at home. There were timber getters, farmers, saw millers, and fishermen and their families living around the shores. They purchased all their groceries, bread, meat, ice, etc. from the store boat, and in return would sell their products, vegetables, butter, fish, honey etc. to the storekeepers.
Mum worked on the store boats all her teenage life, and loved it. She was very capable, became very well known, well liked and respected. A small steamship The S.S. Nepean replace the old "Kate" in time, and later again a diesel powered boat made history by being the first diesel boat in the district. That was after Mum had married and left the boat life.
Grandfather Engel was a man of vision and conceived the idea of building a seaworthy ship to travel to Newcastle and back with stores and goods for sale. Uncle Henry became an engineer, and was very good at all mechanical work. Like his father he was also a tireless worker and although Grandfather did not live to see the S.S. Coweamber finished and launched, it was a great day in Tea Gardens when it happened. The Engel’s had a slipway of their own to service their boats and it was here the "Coweamber" was built.
Most of Mum's family became absorbed in the business as they grew up and married. Uncle Gus and his sons took over the boat runs. Auntie May married Bill Robinson, the head baker , Uncle Les became the butcher, and so on. Aunty Stella married Dick Butler, an engineer on the boats, (a descendant of the Buck Family, early pioneers in the Bulahdelah district). When Grandfather Engel, Mum's father died, in Tea Gardens in 1918, his occupation was given as 'ship owner' but he was in fact the head of a large flourishing business. Butchers, bakers grocers, drapers hardware, shipping and carrying and anything else you could think of. His family carried on the business until well into the Second World War By this time roads were taking the place of rivers for transport and boat trade was falling off.
My parents, (Charlie and Dorra) were married in the Church of England in Tea Gardens, in 1912, and lived in a small weatherboard cottage (just opposite the Catholic Church). It stood there for a good many years but .there is no sign of it now.
Mum and Dad reared a family of eleven, Oscar Malcolm, Violet Emily, Colin David ,.Brian Edgar, Dorothea Grace, Alison May, Thora Mabel, Barbara Mildred, Charles John, Patricia Ann, and Nancy Estella. (All living except Colin). When my parents married, Dad was working as a passer and buyer for a large timber firm. When the firm wanted him to go to Eden on the far south coast of N.S.W. a few years later, he decided against the move. By this time they had three children and the thought of going so far away from home and family, was too much for Mum. That would have been nearly as far away as England is today! They would have had to go by boat and not much prospect of getting back home for a long time, so they decided against the idea. Dad took up a job as caretaker of a property known as "Cheer Up" at Johnson’s Creek, near Stroud Road.
My eldest brother Oscar, myself (Violet) and Colin were all born at Tea Gardens. An old midwife, Mrs. Smith, came across the river at Hawk's Nest, attended Mum at the births. I guess she brought a good many more children into the world around there as I think she was the only midwife around the district for some time. When I was born 7.8.1914, Mrs. Smith still wore a long black frock with a train,( which had really gone out of fashion by then.) Mum had a girl in to do the housework while she was in bed. The girl used to say she needn't sweep the floors, just wait for Mrs. Smith to come. She used to laugh and say "She swooshes around here and that corner is swept, then, she swooshes around there and that corner is swept and soon the whole floor is done."
I think my Mum may have been a bit lonely and homesick, at times, at "Cheer Up". It was .her first experience of being away from home and family. They made good friends in the neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. Relton, the Ince family, and Mr. and Mrs. Green. Just recently I had a trip back to Johnson's Creek to the place where the little home stood. There is no sign of the house anymore, but the old Relton home is still there. I was not very old when we lived there but I can still remember some things. Mum used to laugh about the first batch of bread she tried to make at "Cheer Up". She said it came out of the oven like two hard round stones, and in disgust she took them and threw them down a post hole Dad was digging. She used to say they may be dug up some day and queried as a rare fossil! When we were there recently the fence had all been removed, so I could not find the fence post near the house.
In spite of the cares and worries Mum had she used to laugh plenty, and could always see the funny side to anything. She had a steady faith in God which no doubt carried her through. She was always energetic and bright and ready to lend a helping hand to anyone needing it. She loved her garden and said it often helped her to retain her sanity in times of worry and distress. "When the world wearies, and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden." She also said she 'felt nearer to God in the garden'. When Colin was about two year old Brian was born. Mum went to stay with her Aunt Anna, who was Grandma Engel’s sister, a Mrs. Tranter, who was living in the old Zeininger home, "Spurfield" at Glen Oak, near Seaham. They had a farm and employed state wards to help run the farm. Mum used to tell us about the time they went to get the plum puddings (which had been made weeks before and hung up in the larder in their calico covers), and found that the insides had been eaten out of the puddings! It seems that the boys had cut a window in the puddings, scraped out and eaten the insides leaving a flap of calico to cove the holes so that no one knew about it till they came to use them at Christmas. I don't know the end of the story , whether the family had any pudding that Christmas, or what punishment the boys were given! Brian was born on boxing day, 1917.
The Tranters grew fruit and vegetables and made lots of jam and preserves, etc., and reared a large family. When my grandmother was a girl, they grew their own arrowroot, and grandma has told us of having to gather the roots, wash them in the river, and grind I them to make porridge for breakfast!
Recently (in 1976) my sisters Alison, Patricia and I, had a trip to the Seaham area, to try and find the old property at Glen Oak and see if the old home "Spurfield" still existed. We have heard our Mother talk about it so often we felt we almost knew it. We had an amusing day and eventually found the old property , but the house had recently been demolished and new one built. (Son of the Tranter family'; had lived there until, fairly recently), We met an old man, over ninety , who has lived there all his life, and still has a very good memory, so it was very interesting to talk to him. I am sorry we did not think to do some of these things sooner, when some of the people were still living.
Chapter 4, , .THE LITTLE BARK HUT
"Of string bark slabs were the walls of the hut,
And of stringy bark saplings the rafters were cut,
And the roof that long sheltered my brothers and me,
Was a broad sheet of bark from a stringy bark tree.
Well, I don't know if our home was of stringy bark, but Dad built a hut of saplings and bark at "Montrose," the property he and Mum were buying, six miles from Bulahdelah, on the Wootton Road. Dad went first, in 1918, and built the hut, then took Mum and us four children to live there for six months. There was Oscar, me, Colin and Brian (aged six weeks).
We travelled from Stroud Road to the new place in a horse drawn dray, sitting amongst the furniture, bedding etc. It took two long days to get there, camping overnight, and we children thought we would never get there!
Although I would have been less than four years old I can remember parts of the trip, and living in the hut, The smooth side of the bark was used for a table top, the legs were saplings planted in the ground, and our bed was similar, just a mattress of a sheet of bark, Mum used to put us to bed and sing a little ditty about "Three little' children asleep in a row, Jimmie and Jenny and Joe." Oscan, Colin and me. The baby Brian slept in a bed made in a packing case.
It rained and rained that autumn, Dad had to dig big drains all around the hut to take the water away, otherwise it ran right through the hut! There was no floor, and the saplings for table legs and bed posts that were stuck straight in the ground began to sprout! I can distinctly remember the bunches of leaves growing on the table legs! We lived there for six months, while Dad did some fencing and clearing in preparation for returning to live there later on. We then returned to "Cheer Up" near Stroud Road, for a couple of years. The hut was virtually a "little house in the forest," or should I say a little "humpy" in the forest, for that is just what it was. , It stood in a small clearing, surrounded by tall, dying, oak trees, that had been ringbarked, and the bark hung loose and "rattly" on them. I can remember the noise the goannas made as they scuttled up the nearest one, whenever anyone went outside and disturbed them they were very plentiful in the bush and came around looking for household scraps. I have not heard of anyone being bitten by one but Mum was always afraid that one would come inside and do some harm. An opossum came inside one night and gave us all a good fright, but no one was hurt, it was as afraid of us as we were of it,
It was while we were living in the hut that Mum's father (papa Engel) died suddenly of a heart attack. A launch was sent from Tea Gardens to Bulahdelah, and a messenger rode on horse back to the home of our neighbour, Mr., Ward. Two of his daughters walked the remaining two miles into the bush, to where we were living, to bring the news. They stayed and helped Mum to get ready to go to Tea Gardens for the funeral. The launch that brought the news to Bulahdelah, waited to take the relatives back to Tea Gardens. There would have been Grandfather's brother Great Uncle Alex, to go too. I don't know how we got to Bulahdelah that day, but I guess it would have been by horse and dray, ( a slow trip of two of three hours.)
Dorothea was born in Tea Gardens in July 1919, in the midst of a big epidemic of pneumonic influenza, which was every where at the time. Dad was ill with it, though Mum did not have it very badly. Almost every home was affected, and many people died with it, Grandma had a big home and it resembled a small hospital. We four children were all in bed in a room well away from where Mum and new baby were. I believe that I complained that "You wouldn't think I had a Mother, she never comes to see me!" I guess Mum was feeling much the same! When we moved to "Montrose" permanently, in 1920, Dorothy was about six months old. Dad had built a larger slab hut on higher ground. We lived there for some time, then Dad and Mum picked a site for a permanent home and Dad began to build it. He built two large rooms of weatherboard with a bark roof, and a slab kitchen to one side with an open fireplace and with a camp oven to cook in. Mum managed very well and even made bread and baked it in the camp oven. In the next couple of years in between making a living cutting timber and trying to do a bit of clearing and fencing, Dad built two more large rooms. One was a bedroom for the three boys and the other was a kitchen-cum-living room. By this time a second hand stove had been purchased, and some more second hand furniture. (Some of our original furniture, was packing cases nailed together). We were quite comfortable. The kitchen had a huge open fireplace. The stove was set up on large stones to one side, with room for a large open fire beside it. We had a huge iron kettle which hung on a chain over the open fire. House water was a problem, mainly in the summer. In winter rains usually provided enough. The water off the bark roof was very brown but we had to use it. It was hard to keep white clothes white. It was a great day when the bark roof was replaced with galvanized iron and the water ran into galvanized iron tanks. There was never enough water to use it on the garden, except to re-use all the household water. In summer every drop of washing and bathing water was carefully saved to use on the garden and precious plants. The home was built on a hill, and the ground although very stony was good deep loam. Provided they got enough water, all plants both flowers and vegetables grew very well. A dry summer was a bit of a heartbreak though, as many plants could not get enough water to survive. An underground well and more tanks were obtained in later years, but in the early days they could not afford to buy any more.
The property "Montrose" (so named after Dad's fathers' home town in Scotland) was 165 acres of virgin bushland, some flat, some hilly, with a good water supply in the Boolambayte Creek which flowed right across the paddock, and a string of small lagoons on the flat.(presumably the. course of the creek in days gone by). Most of the flat parts of the property consisted of tropical rain forest type of country , with good black soil. The slopes and hills were covered with taller and much good hardwood timber. Along the creeks and on the flats the bangalow palms, ironwoods and other softwoods grew in profusion making cover for the many ferns and soft plants that grew in almost complete shade. Elkhorns, staghorns, and crows nest ferns grew in many of the trees. Dorothy Mackellar could easily have been writing about "Montrose" in these verses~-
"I love her ferny pathways, where wattle blossoms fall,
While in the leafy distance the bellbird rings his call-
I love her mossy gullies, where palm and fern tree hide,
The tall grey gums that clamber on every steep hillside. "
Part of the property was excellent for growing crops once it was cleared of timber and undergrowth. Dad usually had a garden on the flat, somewhere near the creek, and Mum helped when she was able. She had a big box on wheels, which she called "the Wanagan". (It was like a huge billycart). She would put the baby and perhaps the next little one in it, and set off with the rest of us walking, to go and do a couple of hours working in the garden.
As there were no tractors or bulldozers and Dad was not used to working with a , bullock team, it was hard work getting clearing done, especially on the slopes and higher ground where the timber grew thick and strong. Unless it was completely dug out it was hard to kill. It was the practice to ringbark the big trees, so they would die and thus make room for grass to grow and make more feed for the cattle; The trees would sprout below the ringbark, and throw seeds making it a full time job, trying to keep it under control. Dad worked very hard trying to make a living and clear the place at the same time. He did quite a lot of timber work cutting logs for mills, girders for bridges, sleepers for railways. Squaring girders and sleepers was a work of art in itself. It was a work of precision, and not every man was qualified to do it. It was hard work, but mostly the money was good, and if there were sufficient orders a good living could be made. During the depression years the orders were not so plentiful, and buyers were very critical, which could mean a lot of hard work for nothing. The money was needed but the property suffered, as the growth of the scrub was continuous and relentless. Mum used to go and help when she could, but with a family of small children, she didn't have much time. She did keep a good vegetable garden going with always enough vegetables for home use, and often a few to sell, as well. She always had a flower garden, too, even when we lived in a hut, there were a few dahlias growing beside the door! There were always flowers in the house too, Mum used to say visitors would be so busy admiring the flowers that they wouldn't notice all the things we didn't have, (such as nice furniture).
The only way to get to Bulahdelah, our nearest town, -six miles away-was by horseback or horse and sulky, which took almost two hours each way, so outings were few and far between. Mum used to make an effort to go to Tea Gardens for a holiday occasionally (to see her folks of course). It would mean getting to Bulahdelah in the afternoon and going on board the cargo and passenger boat, which was the only mode of travel at the time. The boat usually left about midnight and arrived in Tea Gardens in time for breakfast. We children would be put to sleep on the wooden seats in the passenger's cabin .We thought it was great fun, and didn't sleep very much. No wonder Mum would arrive worn out! We always loved the visits to Tea Gardens, as many of Mum's people lived there, and we had lots of cousins to get to know and play with. Playmates were something we lacked at home, (outside ones I mean}, but we were always glad to be back home.
We usually stayed with Grandma, Mum's mother, and she never seemed to mind having a houseful of us, and there was always a big rainbow cake, in the pantry to greet us.
Dad had brought a few head of cattle and two good draught horses from Stroud Road in hopes of starting a herd for dairying. I t took more years than they reckoned, misfortunes didn't help. One by one the cows died from various causes (such as one falling down a steep bank and breaking a leg and having to be destroyed). A valuable draught mare was bitten by a snake and died. These were big losses in bad times as cattle were valuable and money scarce.
Chapter 6 Neighbours and Pioneers, etc.
Our little district was originally known as 'The Brush", and later on as Wootton Road, and sometimes it was called Upper Boolambayte. There were seven or eight properties in the area. Old Mr. Ward was the first to settle there, he brought his wife there as a bride, about the year 1865 and they had really seen primitive times. Poor roads, no neighbours or public transport, but they managed and reared a family of eight children. Mr. Ward was a shingle splitter " as were many of the early settlers in the district. Wooden shingle roofs were much in use, and local forest oak made ideal shingles. The Wards acquired quite a deal of property around them, and some of the descendants live there still. Mum's brother. Uncle Les, married a Miss McRae, a granddaughter of the Wards. ~he old folk could tell us great tales of privation and loneliness in their first years of living in the bush. Mrs. Ward would be left alone, usually with young children, while he was away, which wasn't very pleasant. I guess he would be away .quite a few days, too as it was about eighty or ninety miles each way. When he went by horse and dray, he would bring enough stores to last six months! They were obliged to kill cattle and pigs for their own use. As there was no refrigeration of any kind, meat would be salted to make it keep, so corned beef, salt pork, bacon and ham were the main meat dishes.
It was often a hand to mouth struggle to exist, always buoyed up in the hope as they got more land cleared and grassed and the boys grew old enough to help, things would improve.
Mum and Dad had both had good Christian upbringings. Dad always adhered to the Presbyterian Church, (Mum was an Anglican), but we went to any Protestant Church that was available, whenever we could. Mum taught us all to say prayers at night, grace was at every meal. Bible stories were read to us on Sundays, and we were encouraged to read Bible for ourselves as we grew older. Dad was a great lover of the Psalms, and the Ten Commandments were taught us as the basic rules of life. As there was no Presbyterian Minister the district for many years, none of us were baptised as babies. When a visiting Presbyterian minister began calling at Bulahdelah, Mum and Dad made arrangements for him to come our home for a family baptismal service:. Eight of us were baptised that day! Aged 12 months to 12 years.
At one time a Church of England minister from Bulahdelah held a service at Wootton Road, about once a month, so we all attended. As the Heath Family had a piano the service was usually held at their place.
The Heath Family were our nearest neighbours, being about a quarter of a mile away. Mr. Heath was a builder, but he and his three sons did quite a lot of shingle splitting and timber cutting. They had one daughter, Lilla, who was my main friend playmate in my childhood days. She was a couple of years older than I, and I learnt many of the "facts of life" from her! She had three older brothers and no sisters, so was glad a of girl friend. We still correspond, fifty odd years later. Mum and Mrs. were good friends, too.
A mail car went past our place from Bulahdelah to Nabiac, twice a week in the and we got bread and meat by this means. A grocer came from Bulahdelah, once a night. He usually carried a stock of most wanted groceries, kerosene etc. and each home would buy what was needed from him.(He came in a horse and cart). Later when the service became regular, orders were sent to him in advance and he would then bring only what was ordered.
Much of the shopping had to be done by post, goods being chosen from the mail order catalogues, supplied by the different firms. The order would be posted off--, together with .a money order or cheque, and the goods would eventually arrive per the mail man, and it was quite exciting to open the parcel and see what the articles really looked like and if they would fit! People got adept at measuring and sizing, and the mail order staffs did a good job selecting and packing the goods..
I think shoes were the hardest things to buy by post.
Sometimes we would have a visit from an Indian Hawker,; He might be on horseback accompanied by a pack horse, or in an old "covered wagon". He would carry all sorts of things, materials, haberdashery , medicines, and all sorts of odds and ends. We loved to see him undo his bundles and show all his treasures. It was amazing how much stuff they could stow in the bundles!
There were no telephones at Wootton Road for many years, nor electricity. We had kerosene lamps to see by at night.. Mum taught all her girls to knit, fancywork, and mend etc., and when we were old enough, to use the sewing machine. (I wanted to be a dressmaker when I grew up). In the depression years we were given lots of "castoffs” and used clothing. I was pleased to be able to re-make and renovate what I could.
It was good practice and helped me to learn to sew.
Other early inhabitants of Bulahdelah district were the Dees. After Mum and Dad had been at "Montrose" for a year or two, a nice new home was built on a property near us. Mr. Heath and his sons were the builders. A newly married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Stan Ireland, were to live there. Mum and Mrs. Heath ( together with all .the children), went and cleaned all the house, swept and scrubbed etc. to have it nice for the "honeymooners" to come into. Once they had settled in, came the "Tin Kettling" a surprise party to which people usually came from miles around. (Any excuse was good enough for a party.) Everyone brought food and Mr. Heath would play on the accordion or perhaps someone would play a violin furniture would be moved out to make room to dance and a good time had by all.
Mr. and Mrs. Stan Ireland (Barney and Et.) became very good friends of Mum and Dad, and indeed to all of us. They had a family of four, Geoff, the eldest being about the same age as Alison.. As they had money to begin with they were able to get their property cleared and grassed. "Barney" made a good living driving a bullock team, and with rearing cattle. They were always much better off than we were but were always good friends and neighbours. .Mum and Et used to swap plants and flowers, magazines and books. They all came to our place to play tennis as the family grew up. When they acquired a motor car we were often taken on trips with them.
I went and worked for them when baby number three was born, and again for number four. They always paid me well both in money and gifts. When their family grew up, they moved in to Bulahdelah to live, and are still living there both in their eighties. Mrs. Ireland was always very good at crocket work, and I believe she still does some.
Mrs. Stan Ireland was a Miss Dee, and her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Buck, were among the very first people to live in the Upper Myall district. They had three daughters, Mrs. Charlie Dee, (Ethel's mother) Mrs. Albert Dee, and Mrs. Butler,( Mum's sister Estella, married her son Ridyard "Dick" Butler).Mrs. Charlie Dee told me that she was the first woman in the district to own a sewing machine. Her father brought it from Newcastle on one of his half-yearly trips to get house-hold goods. Mrs. Dee was a good dressmaker, but before owning the machine all sewing was done by hand. Rows and rows of lace, pintucks, etc. on all garments, and they wore two or three long petticoats at a time!. No wonder she was glad of the machine even though it was only a hand model. She said it was quite a novelty, and people came from miles around to see it. Many tales they would tell of the early days, of horseback trips, over mountains and through rivers, on roads that were barely horse trails, of droughts and floods wild animals, and loneliness and sickness. It was often many miles to the nearest neighbour. I have heard of one time in a flood, two women and a man, together with two large pigs, a litter of young piglets, and several fowls, two dogs and a cat all spending the night in an open rowing boat, in pouring rain, tied to the top rail of abridge over the river which was flooded! The house was well and truly flooded too, Mr. Charles Dee bought or acquired much land, all up and down the river, and died at a good old age (well in his eighties) very well to do and much property to leave to his family. (They reared a family of five.)
Mr. Stan Ireland also came from a pioneering family. His mother was the first white woman to be born in the Upper Myall. She was one of a big family many of whom lived in the district and reared more big families. Stan was one of a family of twelve. It was fashionable to have big families. My sister Thora married Jack Ireland, a nephew of Stan. They have kept up the tradition by rearing a family of eight. (They live in Bulahdelah)
Chapter 7 A New Baby and Off to School
To get back to my own family. There was now Oscar, me, Colin, Brian and Dorothea. We were living in the rough weatherboard house, which was an improvement on the slab hut of the beginning but was not the acme of comfort Gradually verandahs were added, which made for more living space, and made the house much cooler in summer and more protected from the; elements in winter and I guess more playing space for the children!
Alison was born at "Montrose", she arrived early on a frosty morning in August 1922. I can remember it quite well, my first experience of a birth, (not that I knew much of what was going on.) I heard Dad get up about 4am and make the fire in the kitchen (An old midwife, Mrs. McDean, who was staying in the house for the event, had reared a family of fifteen of her own.) I could hear her up bustling around. I was awake in my room just across the hallway. When I heard the baby's first cry , and Mrs. McDean's excited "It's a girl, Mrs. Mac, it's a girl", I knew I had a little baby sister. The boys in the back room had heard the baby's cry too, and one said "1 think the cat has some new kittens."
Alison was an almost perfect baby, scarcely ever cried and was so placid and contented, that Mum sometimes thought there must be something wrong with her. She was all right thought, and grew into a lovely girl with a very placid nature, and became a fine woman. (She has had her share of sadness and sorrow, too.)
When Alison was about five years old, and almost old enough to begin school, a cousin of Mum's, Walter Engel" and his wife, Dorrie, who had been married for some years and had no children up to then, came to Mum and Dad, and offered to take Alison and rear her as their own, and send her to school in Bulahdelah where they lived. Dorothea was three years older but had been walking to school as we older ones had done, but was a long way for a five year old. Wally and Dorrie visited us regularly and were very fond of Alison. By this time Mum had had Thora and Barbara, so did have her hands full. (Alison was born in 1922, Thora in 1924 and Barbara in 1925.)
After a lot of thought, prayers and discussion, Mum and Dad decided not to agree to the proposal. They did not like the idea of splitting up the family, and of having one child treated any differently to the rest. So Alison stayed at home and in due time walked to school as the rest of us did, and grew up one of the family, not a separate identity as our parents were afraid would happen if they were allowed to take her. They had a son of their own later on, but were always fond of Alison.
We older ones began School in the beginning of 1923. Mum had taught us at home until then. Oscar and I had had correspondence lessons for a time. It was four miles the nearest school which was across country to Boolambayte. The Ward family had gone there to school, years before, but it was still only a little used, rough, bush track and rather lonely and I can appreciate now that the parents were somewhat loath to start us at school, and why we were of a good age before we started. Oscar and Lilla Heath were almost ten and I was eight. We mostly walked to school, Lilla had a horse to ride some of the time and we would be allowed to ride with her behind the saddle in turn, but more often walked. We left home at 8am carrying our lunches and books in a bag over our shoulders. We often carried our shoes and socks, too, as we loved to go' barefoot, and put them on as we neared school. We were seldom late though, as we loved school, and if I do say it myself we were all good scholars and always top of our classes. We were usually home by 5.15pm or else Mum would want to know the reason why. One hot day we stopped to watch a black snake swimming around and around in a large pool by the roadside. I guess we would have run off quickly had it shown any sign of leaving the water! Another time a big storm deluged us on the way home. We were drenched and then had to wade waist deep through a creek which was in minor flood, or as it is called 'a flash flood' .Mum was not very happy about that and we did not risk it again. If it was wet we stayed at home, and I can remember crying because we had to!
Sundays were always kept as Sunday. No work other than essentials such as milking and feeding the animals, etc. was ever done. We always had a baked midday dinner (traditional it was usually the only day in the week that we were all home for a midday meal together. After everyone had had a rest (1 was often detailed to read to the younger ones to keep them quiet while Mum and Dad rested), we would all get tidied and if there was no church service to go to we would probably all go for a walk, perhaps visit a neighbour, or go for a walk around the paddocks or out into the brush where it was always beautiful.
Getting back to school days, I often think of Mr. Simpson, the first teacher we had at the school, what a fine man he was. He had to teach all subjects, at all levels and made a good job of it too. We had P.T., sport, health and hygiene and all the usual school subjects. I often wonder now how anyone could concentrate on their own lessons. There was one room 18' by 18' with a small porch and hat room. There were long desks and forms to sit one so that each class almost ran into the next one. But teach us he did and in a very good manner. He was a man of high principles and I feel gave us all a very good start in life. The teachers who followed all tried, too, I know, and some did quite a good job. I feel there was none quite as dedicated as Mr. A.A. Simpson. I feel sure Mr. Simpson was a Christian man and I know he married a Christian lady from Bulahdelah. I know this kind of school existed allover Aus4alia and teachers did a marvelous job everywhere, but of course we all think our little spot was the best. Hats off to all teachers in those days, who had so much to contend with and did such a good job of it all.
Mum and Dad were great readers and encouraged us to read too, I don't know where they found time to read but somehow they did.
We all stayed at school until we reached sixth class when one usually sat for the end of primary school examination called the Q.C. (Qualifying Certificate) which would have been an entrance to High School exam. We all passed the Q.C. in our turns but none of us were able to go to high school, except our younger brother Charles. Most of us did a couple of years with correspondence lessons at home after we had gone as far as we could at primary school.
Chapter 8 Health, Doctors, Etc.
Thora, Barbara and Charles were all born in Bulahdelah at the home of Mum's Uncle and Aunt, the Alec Engel’s. Great Uncle Alec died suddenly with a heart attack and his wife Great Aunt Jinnie eked out a living by accommodating expectant mothers from outlying places and caring for them when they had their babies. There was no maternity hospital in the area. (Every mother stayed in bed for ten days to a fortnights in those days). A midwife in the town attended at the birth and a doctor was available if his services were required. Mum was attended by a doctor when Charles was born, her ninth birth and the first time she had had a doctor. Patricia and later Nancy were born at a private hospital in Bulahdelah. (Bulahdelah was improving!).
In the country in the early days it was often too far and too costly to rush to a doctor. Mum and Dad had many worrying times to cope with. When Dorothea, at about two years old, climbed on a log and cut her leg on Dad's big axe Mum bound it up and looked after her until it healed. Dorothea carries the scar to this day. The would probably should have had quite a few stitches in it. When Oscar was about 14 years old he cut his foot badly with an axe while splitting wood. The big boots he was wearing prevented the axe from going right through his foot. Mum bound it up and looked after it, once again no stitches, luckily no sinews were severed, and his walking was not impaired. One day Colin and Brian were using Dad's sharp axe cutting limbs off a fallen palm tree and Brian has one stump of a toe to remember that misdeed. (They were not supposed to use Dad's sharp axe, but alas, it was another job for Mum's nursing.)
I have heard it said that Mum's father on more than one occasion sewed up various wounds with a needle and thread when it was necessary .
Mum saw us through all the usual childish ailments, including weeks of sleepless nights when we all had whooping cough. There was no immunization in those days and it was not uncommon for a child to die with whooping cough or diphtheria. When we were almost over the whooping cough and Mum had just about 'had it' her sister, Aunty Mabel, came for a few days. She told Mum to go to bed and have a good sleep and she would attend any stray coughs in the night, if needed. Mum went to bed and slept 'like a log'! Next morning Mum said "the children all slept well, I didn’t hear a single cough all night." Aunty Mabel replied "that's what you think I have been up most of the night"!
Then there was the time when Oscar and I had diphtheria, Oscar had been to Tea Gardens for the summer school holidays. He had been to Newcastle on the boats, which he loved to do and must have picked up the infection somewhere. His throat was very sore and kept getting worse. Mum and Dad consulted the "Doctor's Book" and thought he may have the dreaded diphtheria. "The Book" said to blow dry sulphur down the throat and burn some in the room to fumigate and disinfect. By now it was night time, so Mum took the precaution of moving the other two boys out of the room to sleep. The first thing next day she sent for the doctor, who at once diagnosed diphtheria and examined all the rest of the family, I had a sore throat and the beginning of the disease. There was only a cottage hospital in Bulahdelah with no provision for isolation patients. The doctor said we must stay at home and Mum could take care of us. Doctor gave us each an antoxin injection. We had to stay completely in bed, for three weeks. We were both to be in the one room. It was the boys' room just off the kitchen, the connecting door was closed off and the only access doors from the verandahs were used. Sheets~ wet with disinfectant were hung at the doors and windows. Mum was the only one allowed to come into the room. She had to take all precautions not to spread any infection to the rest of the family. They were all moved as far away from the sick room as possible. The kitchen table and chairs were moved to a distant verandah and the rest of the family lived out there most of the time. Luckily it was fine hot weather and they got plenty of sun and fresh air. I am thankful to say none of the others got it. It was an exhausting experience for Mum and a most anxious time. The Doctor .called regularly, we progressed quite well. I hate to think how much the doctor's account would have been! Our cousin Jean Engel, had come to stay for a week's holiday, but she had to stay in quarantine for three weeks with the rest of the family. (She was a great, grand-daughter of old Mr. and Mrs. Ward). Jean was used to helping in the house, being the eldest of six children, so she was a good help to Mum. .One day, just when the Doctor was leaving, after checking on us, the baby Charles (about 2 years old) trod on a piece of broken glass and punctured an artery just behind his ankle. It was fortunate the Doctor was on the spot or he would most likely have bled to death. The Doctor applied first aid then took him in his car to his surgery in Bulahdelah to stitch it. Mum was so upset that she couldn’t go with her 'baby' I remember the Doctor telling mum her place was with the rest of us and that the baby would be alright. Dad was away working in the bush, Brian and Colin were with him. Mum had to send a couple of the young girls off the to the neighbours place to get Cyril Heath to go in his utility truck to bring baby "Chilla" home.; so although we were almost over the diphtheria Mum had another patient on her hands. She coped with it all, and the blazing hot weather as well, and kept her sanity! !
Dad ploughed up land with a horse and single furrow plough along the creek banks and on the flat parts of the property. He grew crops, potatoes, corn, pumpkins, tomatoes, peas etc. and sold them mostly locally. Engel’s in Tea Gardens would buy some, as would the stores in Bulahdelah. At times he would go from door to door to try and sell the produce. In the depression days it was very hard as no one had any money. Mum and Dad were not eligible for Government relief, (dole as it was called) as they owned land. They grew all they could and managed to eat mainly off the land, but they had to buy some things, such as flour, sugar, tea, etc. Mum baked her own bread and they killed beef and pigs in the winter time. None of this put shoes on our feet or clothes on our backs. We mostly dressed in 'hand me downs' and 'made overs' "and we often went barefooted.
Floods and droughts made farm work quite hazardous and they were never sure that they would get a good crop. I can remember a flood taking an "almost ready': crop of potatoes and washing them into a big hollow further down the creek. As soon as the water went down it was all hands to work as we dug the potatoes from a great heap of soil about ten to fifteen feet deep. We salvaged quite a lot of the crop, though.
The aim was to get enough land cleared, grassed and fenced to run cows to milk and sell the cream to the butter factory and so have a regular income, and as the boys grew up they would be able to round up the cows and help to milk twice a day. We always had a few cows, and enough milk for our own use, (butter was made by hand). I t was about 1935, when finally they managed a herd of milking cows and could afford to build a proper dairy , cowbails, etc. and really begin to dairy in earnest. I believe the child endowment was about the first regular money Mum had at "Montrose."
When we were growing up, most people in the country had a cow or two to keep them in milk and cream and home made butter. If no separator was available the milk would be put to 'set' in large flat dishes in a cool place, usually in a draught, and covered with a wet cloth for twelve hours or longer till the cream rose to the surface. The cream was then carefully skimmed off ~d put on one side to be made into butter. Cream a couple of days old was easier to churn than new cream. The skim milk was usually fed to the domestic animals, cats, dogs, pigs and fowls.
To make butter the cream had to be either: stirred with a large spoon for quite a while or beaten with a rotary egg beater. Small butter churns were available but not every home had one. When the cream clotted and turned to "curds and whey" (or butter and buttermilk) it was washed in clean cold water, and the excess moisture worked out with a wooden spatula or "butterpat". Salt was added and tasty home made butter resulted. Just another chore for the busy housewife in the country "
Until after World War 2, electric washing machines were practically unheard of in Australia and most washing was done by hand. Some homes boasted a hand operated, lever type primitive kind of washing machine and some had a mangle to wring with. In our home, as in many more, washing was done by hand, sometimes with the aid of a corrugated wooden washing board, which could take the skin off your knuckles if you were not careful! Monday was usually washing day. It meant earlier rising than usual to get the copper fire lit and some of the clothes on the boil. The copper was a large copper "pot" set in a cast iron stand, with a space for the fire underneath and a flu at the back to carry off the smoke. Often kerosene tins were used to boil the clothes in., (that's all Mum had to use in the 'hut days'). In later years the copper was set in a frame of house bricks and it was a much neater and did a more efficient job. All the white washing and "fast" colours were brought to the boil and boiled for about ten minutes. A large copper would hold quite a few sheets, which when boiled had to be lifted out with a "pot stick" kept especially for the purpose. An old broom handle made an excellent pot stick being round and smooth. Soap powder or shaved up soap was added to the copper water to help in the cleaning process, (detergents were not invented then). Any badly soiled clothes had to be warmed by hand before being boiled. After boiling came the rinsing, first a good rinse in clean water to remove the soap, etc. then a final rinse in blue water to keep clothes nice and white. All white linen, sheets, tablecloths, pillow slips, handkerchiefs and underwear had to be kept really white, if you were a good housekeeper. Coloured linen was unheard of. Even bedspreads, pillow shams and all covers were white. Many of these would have to be starched too. A big bowl of boiled starch was made and all covers, serviettes, doily’s, tablecloths, men's white shirts and collars were dipped in the starch before being hung out to dry .In country towns, and I suppose in suburbia, too, it was always a race on Monday mornings to see who had sheets on the line first. .
I went to work for Auntie Stella, in Tea Gardens, when she was expecting her fourth child, and had to rise about 5 am: on Mondays to begin the washing. The copper usually had to be filled with buckets of water, as not many homes had a tap over the copper, all hard work. We usually filled the copper the night before and set the fire ready. On a cold morning it would be good to get the fire going and warm up the laundry .Aunty Stella like to be one of the first to have the sheets out and I would hear about it if Mrs. Next-door or Mrs. Over-the-Way had hers out first!
All the coloured clothes were washed by rubbing with soap and washing between the hands or rubbing up and down on a washing board. The board was a bit hard on the clothes, so its use was frowned upon some what, except for men's dirty work clothes. As each load of clothes was washed and rinsed it was hunt out on long wire clothes lines. When all the washing was on the line, the hot soapy water was used to wash the bare board floors of the laundry and verandahs. This would be done with a broom and a mop. All this would add up to full morning's work. As soon as some of the clothes were dry they would be brought in and all the starched ones would be sprinkled with warm water, and rolled in towels, ready for ironing later. The "plain clothes" i.e. unstarched ones, would be ironed first. If the weather was good and all went well all the ironing and folding would be done by bedtime! The housewife would be DONE too! ! Mondays was always a "day and a half' but very satisfying just the same.
In a dry summer when we were short of water, Mum would be forced to go down to the creek and do the washing. It was a whole day’s work, and we would all go. Dad would set up the Copper on some big stones and fix a makeshift bench for the round galvanized tubs and put some wires through the trees to hang the clothes on. .All the water would have to be carried from the creek in buckets. (Usually a kerosene tin with a handle did duty for a bucket). When all was washed and put to dry we would be given a bath. (The rest of the week we would have to manage with a sponge in a dish). We would have lunch of sandwiches, and as soon as the clothes were dry we would all trek home again, helping to carry the clothes.. If Dad was working close to home he might come with the horse and dray and take everything home, hoping and praying that it would rain before next week! .The ironing was done with 'flat irons' heated in front of an open fire in winter and on top of the stove in summer. It was hot work in summer, but our clothes were always starched and ironed nicely. Our house had all bare board floors, but, they were always clean, and no mean feat that was. They were mostly scrubbed on one's hands and knees, but clean they were.
In such heavily timbered country, bush fires were a threat every summer. They were quite a few around us at different times, one I remember very well. The property opposite ours, (no one was living on it at the time, it was only used for running stock), had all been felled and was covered with piles of dead trees, a veritable tinder box, of no mean dimensions. Dad had been worried for weeks that a fire would get a start somewhere in the area and spread to all this dry timber, which was really only a short distance from our house. Well, one Sunday afternoon, the worst did happen. A fire started up in the hills and a strong north wind quickly brought it into the "danger zone"! .Dad could see it coming and was as prepared as possible. There was a considerable amount of dried grass all round our house and on the hillside facing the fire. We children were each given a 'stand' and a bucket or tub of water and a corn sack soaked in it. We were told to watch out and if any sparks or cinders landed near us we were to .beat them out at once or call for help. We all stood guard from about three o’clock till dark, and put out many small fires which would quickly have spread if not put out at once. 1 will never forget the sight of that big fire as it raced down the hills and how quickly it jumped and flew through that paddock of dried timber. It was a veritable holocaust with flames leaping thirty feet high. By night fall the worst was over, but Dad kept watch well into the night as there were still a few tall trees alight and sparks flying round. The next property to the fire " was the Heaths, but their place was much clearer and they were able to keep the fire from getting too close to their house. Shortage of water in summer was always a problem.' Dad would carry water in two kerosene tins to water his vegetables, growing down near the creek. It was heavy work but worthwhile if the crop could be kept alive until it rained. Nowadays there are bush fire patrols, the Forestry Department has taken over much of the bush country and there are good dirt roads all through the bush. The underbush is kept under control and bad fires are almost a thing of the past.
Winter evenings were usually spent all sitting around the open fire with a huge "backlog" and Mum and Dad reading aloud to us, (Mum would do plain knitting while she read to us). Many good old books were read aloud to us. I can remember Uncle Tom's Cabin, Little Women, Seven Little Australians, Westward Ho, and many more,; Later when we were older Ben Hur, A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, The Fair God and others. Our hands were not idle though, we girls would be sewing or knitting or doing something. ,
Mum was always a cheerful soul, always bright and optimistic. She was like her father, a tireless worker, never an idle moment "Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves" she would tell us.
As I grew older I have happy memories of rainy days, as housework (scrubbing floors etc) was shelved on a wet day, and we could read or sew or do something we usually didn't have much time to do. Mum would often make it a day at the "machine" which was something she didn't often have the chance to do. Maybe making dresses for us, or underclothes, or even just mending. She would invariably "sing" and we loved it. Dad had a good tenor voice too and we loved it if we could persuade him to sing at night. Often on a Sunday night he and Mum would sing hymns, and a good duet they made too. I still like a rainy day at home.
Empty flour bags were always washed and unpicked and made into either underwear or tea towels or joined together and made into a tablecloth. Mum always said she was no dressmaker, but she managed to dress all her daughters nicely. I can remember us going to the annual show all dressed alike in white voile dresses trimmed with pintucks and lace. Another time we all had pink check tobralco frocks so mum didn't do too badly.
Chapter 12a A Kerosene Tin etc.
Many of the young people today have never seen a kerosene tin, and as they were used quite a lot in the past I will endeavour to say a bit about them. Kerosene was the universal method of lighting; everyone using it in lamps and lanterns (except for a few places that boasted a gas supply). Kerosene was usually supplied in four gallon tins. These were tins about nine or ten inches square and standing about eighteen inches high. When empty the top was cut out and the edges hammered flat, a handle added and a very good bucket was the result. It made a good emergency clothes boiler, (many people never used anything else!) The tins must have been made of a fairly good quality tin as they lasted as a bucket or dish or whatever for some considerable time. Cut open lengthwise they made a useful container for water or feed trough for fowls and domestic animals. When one was of no further use as a bucket or dish it made a good plant holder for" a pot plant! Mum always had a nice selection of pot plants, and never went anywhere without coming home with a few cuttings or plants. (There is a big pine tree near the tennis court at "Montrose" which she found as an inch high plant under a pine tree in Canberra and took it home wrapped in her handkerchief!).
A case of kerosene, two tins in a wooden crate, provided a very nice wooden box; it was usually made of clean smooth pine boards. Three boxes nailed together and a curtain hung at the front made a good set of shelves and one nailed on the wall made a useful bookcase. The only bedroom furniture we girls had at home in the old house, was all made from packing cases. The "dressing table" was a teach chest nailed to the opening to the front, over which was hung a curtain. A mirror stood on top. Floral cretonne was used for curtains on windows and cupboards, and very pretty it was too. Animal skins, kangaroo, wallaby or calf skins made good floor mats.
Have you ever been to a pie melon party? Well it is a lot of fun, at least we all though so at home. It would usually be held on a long winter evening in a cosy kitchen. We all sat around the large kitchen table. The table was six feet by three feet for many years, but as the family grew Dad added a board on either side and made it really large. Mum would slice up the pie melon, which is a large round melon, pale green flesh and dark green skin with red or black seeds in profusion through most of the flesh. Mum would slice the melon into about half inch slices and we would all help to peel and deseed it. The seeds were dug out with the point of a knife, then the slice held up to the light to see if there were any hidden ones. The melon had to be cut into small cubes (or put through the mincer). Mum had a huge enamel lined cast iron "jam pan" (which had belonged to her Mother) and had been used to make many hundreds of pounds of jam. It took up nearly all the top of the stove, and as melon jam had to be cooked slowly it was a day's work next day to get it made. There was always much tale telling and joking around the table as we worked and any visitor who chanced around would be given a knife and asked to join in the work and the fun. When all was fished and the mess cleaned up and we could all enjoy a mug of nice hot cocoa before being hustled off to bed.
Sliced lemons or oranges would be added to the melon to make a tasty jam, which we all loved. Sometimes Mum would make jam jars from bottles by burning a piece of string, which had been dipped in kerosene and tied around the bottle. The bottle was plunged into a bucket of cold water, when, hopefully, the top would come off cleanly and leave a useful jar. Jam would be: sealed and covered with brown paper and paste (made from flour and water).
Recipe -Melon and Lemon Jam.
Cut up melon overnight and sprinkle with a little of the sugar. Next day cook slowly till the fruit is tender, add the remainder of the sugar, juice of lemons and a piece of root ginger, if liked. Cook until thickened, a few slices of lemon rind may be added too.
10 pounds of melon weighed after peeling;
6 pounds of sugar, juice of six lemons.
For a change use a grated pineapple and juice of three lemons.
Pie melon made a good base for pickles too, and we usually had some in the cup- board, very nice with corned beef or corned pork. When Dad killed a pig in winter much of the meat was salted so that it would keep. We had no refrigeration, or even ice but the bacon, jams, and salt pork all kept very well.
Pickle Recipe
3 pounds of pie melon
3 pounds of onions.
Cut up and sprinkle with a handful of salt and let stand overnight; next day cover with water and boil till tender. Strain off liquid, and add 21/2 cups of vinegar 21/2 cups of water, 2 cups of sugar, 1 chili or ¥4teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Mix in a bowl *cup of flour, 2 tablespoons of mustard (powdered), 1 teaspoon of curry powder, 1 tablespoon of turmeric. Mix to a paste with cold water, and stir into boiling mixture. Bottle while hot and seal when cold.
In the summer we were always being warned to keep a watch for snakes. We had a rough bush "little house", with bark walls. One hot day I had been sitting in the "Library" reading ( a piece of newspaper no doubt) when something caused me to look down. There, only a few inches away from my dangling feet, was the head of a large black snake! It was coming through a crack in the wall, with its head well up off the ground, and looking as if making for my toes! I screamed and I don't know who moved the fastest, the snake or I! I jumped up and stood on the seat, yelling "Mum a snake!" The snake doubled back and went out through the same hole it had been coming in through Mum came with a big stick which she always kept handy, but no trace of the snake was ever seen again. When Dad came home from work he almost pulled the toilet down, making sure that the snake was not still hiding in the foundations, but it was never found.
On another occasion, I was running along the bush track towards a neighbour's place, when I saw a big black snake right across my path. I just jumped right over it and kept on running to Heath's place, and got one of the young men to come with a gun. We found the snake curled up under a nearby log, and Cyril duly shot it. The funny part of this story is, that a small green frog, that the snake had obviously just swallowed, emerged unharmed from the dead snake's belly, and hopped away! I can vouch for the truth of this as I was there and saw it. (1 was about 12 years old at the time.) .
Another strange story concerns a carpet snake. They are not a poisonous snake, but belong to the constrictor type, crushing their prey to death. We were not afraid of them, and they were often found in grain storage sheds where they were useful in helping to keep down the rats. When one was suspected of robbing our fowl run, my young brothers decided to do some investigating. Seeing the snake with a large lump not far down its neck, they “killed" it with a few good blows on the head. They then proceeded with a postmortem. Opened the snake where the lump was and found the dead hen. It had been swallowed quite whole, beak, feet feathers and all, but it was stretched to an incredibly long length! As it was now late in the day, the snake and the dead chook were left lying on the ground, to be disposed of the next day.
Imagine the surprise next morning to find the snake had gone! A search found it curled up under a log, about 100 yards away! It had apparently been only stunned by the blows on the head, and had recovered enough to crawl away. It lay around for some time, but we don't know if it fully recovered or went away; and died, but we never saw the remains anywhere When a carpet snake swallows a small animal or bird it takes some time to digest it, and the snake could stay in the same area moving only a few feet in five or six weeks.
Although my parents had a hard life most of the time, they, and we children of course, did have some pleasures in life. They took us out on as many outings as we could afford. Annual visits to the local show, a trip to Tea Gardens occasionally, and the Boxing Day excursion to name a few. As we grew older we played tennis and went to dances.
As children we all learnt to swim in the creeks near home. There would usually be a place deep enough somewhere around for us to have a lot of fun in the hot weather. We loved to go in the surf and salt water when we had a chance, such as the lake or the river baths at Tea Gardens.
On Boxing Day there was always an excursion to Mungo Brush a picnic, camping and boating spot on the Myall lakes. One of the big cargo ~ boats, in holiday garb, piano and all, would leave Bulahdelah about 8.30am equipped with seats and awnings and bedecked with flags, etc. in real holiday mood. It would take a couple of hours or so to get to the Lake where there would be a big regatta in progress. There would be lots of tents and campers, merry-go-rounds and other amusements decorated boats and transformed timber punts would bring crowds from all over the district, and for us and many more I suppose, it was a day to remember. As Mum's relatives would all come from Tea Gardens it was for us a real, "gathering of the clan". The picnic hampers of cold Christmas poultry etc, and cold plum puddings were pooled, shared and sampled. You can imagine the good fellowship and fun we had. The fact that we had to rise very early to get to Bulahdelah in time for the boat did not dampen our enthusiasm, or the fact that we still had to get home again late at night. A horse and sulky was not a very quick mode of transport, and it was first catch your horse!
As we grew older and motor vehicles began to be more plentiful, Irelands had a car and Cyril Heath had a utility truck. We were always welcome to have a ride with them if they were going our way. The annual show was a big event with ring events, produce, pavilion and of course the side shows! I still do not know how Mum managed to dress us all and take us out for a day. I do know we all had to help one another and so help Mum. (1 was always a "Little Mother" I think.) I was very fond of children and did not mind having to help to look after the baby or the little ones. I left school at thirteen to be able to help at home. (Not that I could have done much more at school anyway). I was only thirteen and a half when baby Charles was born. I kept house and looked after the rest of the family and Dad for three weeks while Mum was away. My first job away from home was minding a small child for a few weeks while his mother helped to run a shop. (1 had .earned a few shillings while at school helping with the school cleaning). Oscar and I were always good mates, and did lots of things together as we grew up. As Mum had taught us together so we both went into fourth class when we went to school. We were both good readers, but Oscar was always better at history and maths than I, but I could beat him at English and Geography. We both did correspondence lessons about up to the Intermediate stage but neither of us went away to do the exam. Oscar worked with Dad on the farm when he left school, but he was never interested in farm work. He like to work with tools and do more engineering type of work. Any time he went to Tea Gardens for a holiday he spent most of his time either on the boats seeing "how they worked" etc, or with Uncle Henry in his workshop.
As-many men made their living in timber, there were a lot of bullock teams in our area. Oscar got the idea, from his Uncle I think, of setting up a blacksmiths shop, and doing a bit of work for himself in his spare time. He was like most of us, very determined and very resourceful. Uncle Henry gave him a small anvil and he built himself a fire place. He acquired an old pair of hand bellows, which were necessary to make the fire hot enough to heat the iron sufficiently to be able to work it. He gathered charcoal in the paddocks, where logs had been burnt, for fuel, and was soon able to mend chains for the bullock drivers. He was paid sixpence (5 cents) for each link he mended and they soon got to know him and gave him work to do. It saved them having to take small jobs all the way to Bulahdelah six miles away. Oscar was also very keen to learn to play the violin, but of course finance (or the lack of it) was always a problem. Although he worked on the farm, there was little money, not more than his keep and clothes for him. It was the beginning of the depression years and there wasn't much money or outside work for a lad. Anyway, when he had saved one pound (2 dollars) the price of one term's music lessons, he wrote to Uncle Henry (his idol) and begged the loan of a violin, until he was able to save up and buy one for himself. Uncle Henry obliged and Oscar took his one pound and paid for his first quarter’s music lessons. From then on he didn't look back and became quite a good violin player, in time.
As his blacksmithing work progressed and he learnt to make horse shoes and shoe horses and do bigger jobs he found that he needed more room, so he built a bigger workshop and anew forge. He bought apiece of basil leather and painstakingly made a large pair of bellows, worked with a lever. That was progress! He still worked with Dad most of the day, but he would be up and do a couple of hours in the blacksmith shop before breakfast, and often worked late at night, by the light of a hurricane lantern( a kerosene one, as were all the lights in our home). It was a great day .when electricity came through the district, in about 1940 I think (well after I had left home).
Then Oscar had to find time to practice the violin. It nearly drove us all made at times, especially in the winter. But practice he did, and it paid off in the long run. By the time he was twenty he had learnt all that anyone in the district could I teach him. It is still a pleasure to hear him play. He joined with a couple of others and formed a small music group to play at local dances, and they got plenty of work quite often I went to the dances too. (We were in our teens by then). We often had "barn dances" in our own area on a Saturday night.
There were a few people on farms around by this, and we thought nothing of walking two or three miles to a dance. Everyone went. Men, women, and children, old folk and teenagers. The small children went to sleep, the old folk looked on and helped get, the supper. We usually danced to an accordion played by old Mr. Heath. If there was not a veranda large enough to dance on the furniture would be all moved out of the kitchen and fine fun we had. They were all old fashioned danced of course, polkas, jolly miller, mazurka, waltz, pride of Erin and Square dances. Mum was a good dancer, very light on her feet, but Dad did not dance at all, more's the pity .'
Just before we left school we had a teacher, Mr. Dave Lyall, who was very good at sport, and taught us to play tennis on a rough court we made at school. When Oscar left school he and the two younger boys, Colin and Brian, made a tennis court at home. It was a lot of work and it was a few years before it was a really good court, but we had a lot of fun on it. Later as we grew up and I the court improved and also our playing, we had lots of friends come to play, and every weekend there would be someone come to join in a game. We had teams on local competitions and all turned out to be fair players. Most of us kept it up all our lives and some of the family still play in competitions and social tennis. The court was a wonderful asset to "Montrose" anyway, and gave (and still does) a great deal of pleasure and healthy recreation. Mum and Dad both played tennis so we had a full team of our own and could make up a set anytime.
Being used to housework and looking after children I was in demand as I got older helping out in homes around in times of sickness or anew arrival. I had two "sojourns" to Tea Gardens at different times to stay with Aunty Stella and keep house while she had anew baby. Each time I stayed about three months, and although I had plenty of friends (Aunts and cousins) I still got a bit homesick and was always glad to be home again. Mum was always glad to see me, too, as I was a good help to her in the house, I know she was glad when I could earn a bit of money t6 help clothe myself and a bit over to help at home. I don't know just which years these things took place but just after the depression years of the early 1930's Mums and Dad were deeply in debt, as owning a property they were not eligible for Government help, no dole, so they were very well in debt with many mouths to feed and bodies to clothe. Anyway, somewhere about this time Dad received a very welcome legacy from relations in Scotland. If ever anything was an answer to prayer surely that was. He received the sum of $1000 ( or $ 2000) and although it sounded a lot at the time it didn't go very far. It did enable them to get out of debt and make a fresh start. They did some fencing, and sub-dividing, and were able to get the necessary buildings and work done to enable them to begin dairy farming and send the cream to the factory two or three times a week. The cream had to be taken to Bulahdelah to catch the truck to take it to Raymond Terrace. One of the boys usually took it in the sulky, it had to be there by 8.30 am so it was an earlier start than usual on those mornings, but the fresher the cream the better the price. Dairying made a lot of work but all the older members of the family could help. Brian and Colin were old enough to round up cows, help to milk (by hand) and feed calves and pigs. As the girls were old enough they all learnt to milk and do their share of the farm work. It was two or three hours work for four or five persons, twice a day, wet or fine, seven days a week. In the spring and summer when there was natural grass the cows were not hard to feed, but in the winter they had to be hand fed on cow cane or other hand grown crop to keep up the milk supply.
Dorothy went to Newcastle to train as a nurse when she was seventeen or so; Mum hated her going, but it had to be. She was the first one to leave home on a permanent basis. She was fortunate in getting in with good Christian people, and made ,nice friends and became a good nurse. 'After she did her four years of training and became a sister she stayed on and Newcastle Hospital and met and married Keith Smith from Mayfield in 1943. (I was a bridesmaid at the wedding), which took place in the Salvation Army Hall in Mayfield, followed by a nice reception in Newcastle.
Someone (1 think old Mr. Ward) gave us an old gramophone many years ago. .It was an Edison model with wax cylindrical records and a big 'horn' to amplify the sound. It was rather primitive but we thought it was wonderful to be able to get music and singing from it. We had Scotch songs by Harry Lauder and others, Old Irish songs, and quite a few good records. They wore out in time as the wax was not as durable as plastic. Later we were given a gramophone which played, disc records, a gift from Grandma Engel when she got a later and better model. We didn't mind it being old fashioned and lacking a bit of varnish, it played good music and we all had quite a lot of pleasure from it.
Another occasion I remember quite well took place in Tea Gardens in March 1927. We were all in Tea Gardens having a holiday. We older ones went to school and it was the occasion of the opening of Parliament House, Canberra and the first Commonwealth Parliament sitting in Canberra. The then Duke and Duchess of York (later King George 6th) were in Australia to do the honours. Wireless was just coming into use and a retired sea captain living in Tea Gardens had a wireless set! Big News! He rigged up a loud speaker out of a back window and all the school was invited to hear the broadcast. We were all duly marched into his backyard and stood in rows and listened to the historic broadcast. I don't remember hearing much besides a lot of static and a few words here and there, but we did hear the event. It was indeed a wonder to everyone then to think that we could hear someone speaking hundreds of miles away. Canberra was in its very early stages then too, and a long way from us. Little did I ever think then that some day I would be living in Canberra and see it grow from a population of about 1400 in 1940 to 190,000 in 1975.
Can you imagine Mum setting off to Tea Gardens for a holiday with eight children? There would have been Oscar"14, myself (Vi, as I was called at home, in Tea Gardens the relatives there called me Vilie) I would have been 13, Colin 11, Brian 10, Dorothea 8, Alison 5, Thora 3 and Barbara 2. (It would have been this family that I kept house for the following year; It was January 1928, when Charles was born).
Our teen years were happy years, despite hard work and not much money. We made the most of everything, and managed fairly well. My few jobs as housemaid brought me in enough money to clothe myself. I learnt to sew at an early age and by the time I left school I could use the sewing machine and make plain clothes. I learnt quite a lot from Aunty May (Mum's oldest sister) whenever I was in Tea Gardens. Aunty May was a dressmaker and I was soon able to make my own clothes and help Mum with the home sewing. Mum and I made all Dorothy's clothes to go away nursing.
Housework when I was young was much different to what it is today. Of course no electricity made a big difference. Beds had to be stripped each morning and the kapok mattress well aired and shaken (no inner spring mattresses!) and what dusty things they were, and the beds had to be made properly. Bed rooms had to be swept frequently to keep down the dust, and were all washed, on one's knees I might add, at least once a week. Anyone fortunate enough to have linoleum on the floors would have to polish it as well. (Also on one's knees )
Carpets had to be swept with a millet or straw broom and to keep the dust to a minimum damp tea leaves were scattered over them and swept up gathering the dust with them. Then there was the stove and fireplace to keep clean! The stove had to be done over with black-lead and well polished with a stove brush (a dirty job if ever there was one) It had to be done while the stove was cool, so mostly it was done before it was lit in a morning. The surrounding fireplace had to be done too, it was usually painted over with a mixture of whitewash and water, at least twice a week. After all this the floor would just have to be washed. Most kitchens had white pine tables and dressers, which were scrubbed frequently with sand soap and cold water to keep them nice. The floors were scrubbed on your knees, a patch at a time, each patch being dried off with a well wrung-out cloth as you went. We usually had a special 'kneeling-pad' kept, for the purpose, so it was not too hard on the knees. We always tried to have the dirty work done in the mornings, and usually when lunch was over and the washing up done we could get washed and tidied, and may have an hour to sew or knit or use as we liked. I loved reading books but couldn't always spare the time. I did quite a lot oft knitting and fancy work, and am still using some of the things I made for my "glory box' which every girl had in those days. (They don't seem to worry so much about them these days).
I guess, like a lot more young girls, I dreamed my dreams. I had ideas of marrying a rich farmer and living near home all my life. I was very fond of children (and well used to looking after them) and had hopes of having a large family of my own. I suppose my ideas of a husband (or "ideals" I should have said) were rather high. I don't suppose my ideal man would have ever existed! Dad always said that I was too fussy and that I would never get married. Needless to say, none of the boyfriends It. had came up to my expectations, so romances did not get very serious. Mum always said, there was plenty of time and I would meet 'Mr. Right' someday.
Chapter 20 Myself, Brian and Colin
Maybe I should say a little about myself as a person. I was a tall thin girl and grew into a tall thin teenager. I was mostly very shy and not good at standing up for myself. (Thank goodness I have overcome that now!). I was always willing to do anything I was asked to in the way of work. I had dark brown straight hair, very fine and not too much of it. I often had it plaited to go to school but I didn't boast very big pigtails. It looked better in my teens when waves were in fashion, and made more of it. I had hazel eyes and fair to medium skin, with a good colour. (All our girls have good skins. Mum was very dark with a good skin and black curly hair which it was a pity none of us inherited. Dad very was fair, so the mixture at least gave us all good complexions. Nancy is the only girl who is really dark, although Oscar, Brian and Charles are all dark.) I always loved little children and never tried of minding them or caring for them. I think I have always been a little artistic and always liked doing fancywork and making things. I believe I was conscientious, trustworthy and capable and I could turn my hand to almost anything. I won odd prizes in the local show for fancywork, cooking and flower arranging. I did a home course in sweet making once, but never went .very far with it.. As a commercial venture it was a bit of a flop. I though at one time I may be a dress designer, but that was only a dream. Then I always wanted to own a shop of some sort, but that was not an easy thing to come by. I think the main thing I wanted in life was to get married and rear a family. I liked to get to church when ever I could, and developed a sincere faith in God. I tried hard to do right, even if I didn't always succeed.. I have found God to stand by me whenever I really needed Him, and can see His hand has guided my all my life, and I am thankful. Brian and Colin were good mates and worked well together. When they were old enough to leave school they both worked on the farm and worked well as they both liked the farm work. In about 1935 the old house was pulled down, and a new home was built. The old one had been added on to at different times and none of it had ever been finished off. There were never any linings or ceilings and it was a large ramshackle place so that when there was a little money left from the legacy, it was decided that the best thing to do was to pull it down and rebuild it properly. Mr. Heath and his son Cyril were the builders with help from Dad and Oscar. It is still our old "home" and means home to all of us. We still all love to go there for a holiday now and then. Alison still lives there and makes any of us very welcome. While the house was being rebuilt a large shed was made into a temporary residence, and it was fairly comfortable, too. It was about this time that I left home for my first permanent job. I went to work for a Mr. and Mrs. Brawn at Raymond Terrace. (Aunty Grace had worked for them at one time). They had a cafe and fruit shop and I worked in the house adjoining and worked in the shop as well. I was paid 1 pound (or 2 dollars)per week which was raised to one pound five or (or two dollars fifty) -I loved the shop work. I was able to go home for a weekend about every six weeks and so gradually got used to being away from home although I always loved to go back and couldn't do enough things while I was home. I lived and worked for them for four years, and while I was not unhappy there, I did work very hard, and long hours, and in time they came to feel as if they owned me. I had little say in running my own life, and I began to get discontented. Oscar had left home and gone to work with a building firm in Newcastle and from there moved to Canberra with them to work on a big new High School.
My first trip to Sydney was a memorable one. Oscar was there on holidays and I had a few days off from work at Brawns and had a chance to go to Sydney by car. (That in itself was quite something). I stayed with Mum's youngest sister, Aunt Ann in Mosman. She took us out and showed us round as much as she could and Oscar and I went about on our own quite a bit. Aunty lived near the Taronga Park Zoo so of course that was a must. We loved the trips back and forth on the ferries. It was in early 1937 the Sesqui Centenary celebrations were one, there was much to see and do and we made the most of every minute and oh! did I get sore feet with all those pavements? The Sydney Harbour Bridge had been open only a few years, and was quite new to us, so of course we walked across it and climbed the pylons. We did have a wonderful time and even the trip back to Newcastle on my own in the train was quite an adventure.
Colin .and Brian acquired a small team of bullocks (something Dad had never had any interest in or liking for). Dad did quite a lot of work on the place with a draught horse but with the bullocks the boys were able to earn a bit of money drawing logs to the roadside for lorries to pick up for the mills, and they were able to do more heavy clearing work on: the farm. By this time Dad had bought another 80 acre paddock adjoining the old place. It had quite a lot of good timber on it too. Just when things were looking a bit brighter real tragedy struck. Colin was killed.
Chapter 21 Changes and Tragedy
About the end of 1939 I left the shop in Raymond Terrace and went to work in Canberra. Oscar had been there for about four months and wrote in glowing terms of the young city. I had had enough of working long hours and being ruled by Mr. and Mrs. Brawn. I am afraid I didn't stand up for myself as I should have and consequently, I had it "put over" me quite a bit. Anyway, Oscar got me a position as a waitress at Hotel Canberra, the leading hotel in the place. I only had to work 40 hours per week and was paid just double what I had been getting. I was a bit "green" at first, but soon learnt the "game" and got on quite well. I made good use of my leisure, sewed and played tennis etc., As I was rather run down and in need of a change I think I did the right thing in corning to Canberra. Transport had improved a great deal, there were good roads to Canberra and even a plane service. Oscar had flown home one weekend so we didn't think it was so far after all.
When I arrived at the station Oscar met in his little car. Just fancy one of us owning a car! Even if it was only a tiny Morris roadster, it was a car. At that stage Mum was "on the way" with Nancy, my youngest sister. The last one, Patricia, was six years old and Mum was 46. Nancy Estella duly arrived safely on 18.3.39 and all was well. Oscar and I had a trip home by car that Easter to see Mum and the new baby. It was quite a trip, almost an adventure it took all day to get there but that didn't matter we got there. A few weeks later, on 1st June 1940 we were .horrified to receive a telegram from Dad saying "Both come home. Colin accidentally killed this morning". He and Brian had cut down a big tree for a timber log, and were sawing it through when it split and rolled on Colin. Colin had insisted on taking the lower side. The rolling log hit him in the chest and he was killed instantly. Brian had to ride home and break the news. It happened early in the morning and it was about 10.30am when we got the telegram. We had another trip home by car but not a happy one this time. We arrived about 10pm that night and our parents were glad to see us safely there. It was a dreadful shock to us all, I don't think Dad ever recovered from it. His health began to fail and he fretted a great deal. Colin had bee~ brought straight home and the local undertaker had come and done the necessary work. Mum insisted that we have a last look at him and I have never been sorry that I did. His chest had been crushed in the accident but his face was unmarked; he just looked as if he was asleep, quite peaceful and calm. The funeral left from "Montrose" and was conducted by the Methodist Minister in the district at the time. He was buried in Bulal1delal1 cemetery .We were a stunned little band as we stood and saw our playmate and brother put to his last resting place. He was almost 22 years of age, and as we were a close family it was a big loss to each of us. Most of the family attended the Methodist Church in Bulal1delah from this time on as there was usually a resident Minister there, by then. Brian felt it very much too, he and Colin had always been such good mates and had always done everything together and he missed him a great deal. Then he couldn't do the heavy work on the farm that the two of them had been doing. Brian sold the bullocks and tried to settle down and work with Dad but he became very restless and unsettled. I took two months leave and went home and stayed with Mum all the July and August and then went back to Canberra..
Brian always believed that in taking the position he (Colin) did on the most dangerous side of the log that Colin virtually gave his life for him. It affected him greatly. "Greater love hath no man than this." Brian I eventually left the farm and went to Sydney and worked two years at Bible Training College. He felt he must give all his life to the Lord's work. He came back to the farm when Dad became ill and stayed home for a few years. In that time he married a fine Christian girl, Jean Dee, and they have spent a worthwhile life, devoting much of it to mission work. Twice they have been to New Guinea and worked in missions. In between they worked at home mission work and in training missionaries. An old home at "Tahlee" had been acquired by the "Gospel Fishermen" and used as a training place for missionaries. Brian and Jean worked with them for several years, often not having more than faith to I live on. They never faltered and have reared a fine family of three girls and four boys including twins. They are now due to return to Australia (1976) from New Guinea, in time for the twins to start high school. Our daughter, Dorothy, spent three month-s with them at the mission station in Mendi, New Guinea, last summer and loved every minute of it. When Brian went to Sydney to the Bible Training College it left only Dad, Mum and the girls, Alison, Thora and Barbara to do the dairying and run the farm. .Charles and, Patricia were still at school. The girls worked on the farm like men and did a very good job. Many men were away at the 2nd World War and at this time it was not unusual for girls to do farm work. (Many city girls joined what was known as the Land Army). Our girls were doing a good job at home. Thora did a bit of house work in Bulahdelah, and became engaged to Jack Ireland, (a nephew of our neighbour). Dad's health really gave us all worry in 1944. He had been to Canberra for our wedding and a few weeks later walked up the aisle with Thora; after that the Doctor put him off all work but he did not improve much.
While I was working at the Hotel Canberra I did lots of sewing for the other girls who worked there. I now had a small portable sewing machine of my own. When Oscar left Canberra to join the Army I left the Hotel and went to board in the place where he had been and set myself up as a dressmaker. I kept it up for a year or so but found it rather lonely and not as lucrative as I had hoped. I was boarding with old people, so they were not much company for me. Eventually I gave it up and went back to work at the Hotel. As many men were away at the War it was no trouble to get work. (Incidentally, the cottages where I was living are now under the waters of Lake Burley Griffin).
The hotel provided accommodation for staff and the work was clean and interesting. I did not make many close friends with the staff I worked with but got on well with them on the whole. I think I always considered myself a bit superior, and was thought to be "stuck up". I was often called a "goody goody" because I went to church and did not smoke, drink or swear as most of them did. The guests at the hotel were usually friendly and one came in contact with all sorts of interesting people. I even met one Member of Parliament who came from Adelaide University and had known my great Uncle Rennie. I always went home for holidays and it was great. There was always some sewing waiting for me to do. Mum had become rather fat in latter years and found it very hard to get dresses to fit her, so I usually made some for her. She was only a very short person and almost as wide as she was high. Dad used to joke that when they were married he could get his two hands around her tiny waist but twenty years later he could only just get his two arms around! Of course, having eleven children could have had something to do with it! Anyway it didn't stop her from being very active and working, playing tennis, gardening and being bright and jolly. "Laugh and grow fat" I have heard her say.
The War years were a time of trial to us all of course, although our family was not very much affected. Oscar was in the Royal Engineers but did not see service outside Australia. Jack Ireland and Keith Smith both saw service in New Guinea and both arrived home safely. Many goods were in short supply but on the whole we didn't fare too badly. Petrol was very scarce and many things were rationed. We were issued with a book of coupons to buy such things as sugar, tea, meat, butter and clothing. But there was enough to go around if we were careful. We all got a shock when the Japanese submarines got into Newcastle and Sydney Harbours. Dorothy was nursing in Newcastle Hospital at the time and it was rather frightening. We had a big contingent of Dutch airmen stay at the hotel, when they arrived from Malaya and were reforming their air force. Also many Americans, soldiers, sailors and airmen from the lower ranks to the Commanders in Chief, and even Mrs. Roosevelt herself.
Chapter 23. Romances and Weddings
While Oscar was in the Army he met, and later married Mary Passlow (Mollie).They were married at the Catholic Church at Strathfield in November 1942. Mum and Dad were down from Bulahdelah for the wedding and I went from Canberra. I took Mum and Dad back to Canberra for a few days, their first trip to the Capital. It was like a well planned large country town in those days. There were acres of roses and they were at their best in November and were really a sight to be remembered. Canberra is always a very pretty place and the green lawns and masses of young trees were at their best that spring. Mum and Dad loved it.
Oscar was sent to Perth soon after the wedding and Mollie spent her time between "Montrose" and her home, with her mother in Strathfield. Their first child, Judith, was born in August 1943 in Sydney. I had a weekend trip by train to see my first niece when she was a few weeks old. It was on the train trip back to Canberra on the Sunday night that I first met my husband "Jack" (Ernest John Pickup). He was working in Canberra in the Telegraph Room at the G.P.0. and had been to Sydney for the week end too. We chatted quite a lot on the way home, and I was somewhat at traced to him at once. I left the train quickly and caught a taxi when we arrived in Canberra at midnight. A couple of weeks later we met again at a dance and renewed the acquaintance. He had a friendly open nature and "an easy to get on with" disposition, and we got on well from the start. We saw quite a lot of one another in the next couple of months. We walked and talked over a good many miles. That was a popular way of transport in the war years, when petrol was rationed and cars were few and far between. I had had my early dreams but after leaving my teens behind I began to get more and more independent and I might say, quite a bit sceptical. I began to wonder if any man, had true respect and love for a decent woman. However, I did not lose my faith in God, nor my self respect. I was just about resigned to a life of spinstership when Jack appeared on the scene. His mother always told me I was a direct answer to her prayers. She had been so unhappy for Jack and his first marriage and the sadness and trouble it had brought to them all. Jack had been inclined to "let himself go a bit" and his morale was pretty low. He and Bill Synnott had shared a flat at Bondi and worked in the G .P.O. Sydney. I think I found in him the need to be loved and cared for and it was just in my line to do it. He said himself that he needed a "sheet anchor ." We fell in love, and our love has lasted through many ups and downs, and we have kept our love and respect for one another.
By the time Jack's stay in Canberra was ended and he had to return to Sydney we had become engaged. He had his annual holidays, so I took a week's leave and went to Sydney with him. We spent a day in Sydney and bought an engagement ring and then startled his parents by arriving in Bathurst and announcing our news. They were certainly surprised as Jack hadn't prepared them for it. They were very pleased though and made me very welcome. I felt like one of the family right from the start. After a few days in Bathurst we went to Bulahdelah and met my side of the family. They were not quite so surprised, as I had kept them informed, but equally pleased and made Jack very welcome. It was a very happy and exciting time.
Jack had been married before and his young wife had left him for someone in uniform. I am afraid the glamour of the uniform attracted many girls in those days. Anyway she didn't come back and he subsequently got a divorce. All this had naturally made Jack a bit cautious but he seemed to see in me all that he had hoped for in his first marriage. We were both old enough to be more settled in our ways and to know what we wanted in life. I think that all I wanted in life by then was to have a home and family and someone to love me and share life with. Jack had had his share of unsettled life, so I hoped to try and make up to him what he had missed in his first venture. I had had my love affairs too, and been disappointed, at times.
We took some time (naturally) to get used to one another after we were married as we had had quite a short courtship. I know I was hard to get on with at times, especially when we had disappointments with our family affairs. I thought I would have a family straight away, but fate, or the powers that be, decreed otherwise. It was a big disappointment to lose the twins, I was sad and unhappy. I soon became pregnant again and had fresh hope. I had sewed, stitched and knitted a lovely layette for the expected family, but it was doomed to be out of use for some time. "There is a Divinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them how we will."
We were married at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Canberra, on 15th April, 1944 by the Rev. Hector Harrison. "Beloved let us love, for love is a God". Dad was there to give me away as were Mum, Brian, Mollie and baby Judith, and Nancy (5 years). Barbara, my younger sister, was my bridesmaid. She was about my build, and as it was still war time, and clothing rationed, she wore the blue organza frock that I had worn the year before when I was a bridesmaid for Dorothy. It was quite an expense for the all to come to Canberra for our wedding, but I felt it was more my home than Bulahdelah as I had been away for so long and I had more friends here that I did anywhere else. Jack's mother came from Bathurst as it was easier for her to come here than go Bulahdelah and get accommodation, too. She stayed overnight and went back to Sydney on the train on Sunday afternoon.
While working at the hotel I made a very good friend in Mrs. Hopkinson. She and her husband and three sons, made me very welcome in their home at the Causeway. To me it was really a 'second home' (Mum and Dad stayed there the few days that they stayed in Canberra after Oscar's wedding). I spent much of my free time at their place and when we were planning to be married the following April I set about doing my sewing. I did quite a lot of it at the Causeway in my time off work. It was still war years and I had quite a struggle to get enough materials to make a trousseau. Furnishing materials were not couponed and many materials found their way to that department and were sold without coupons, (whether legally or not.) I was able to buy 'furnishing taffeta, white for a wedding dress and floral for a summer dressing gown. My frock had a fitted waist band, up to a point in front, under the bust, short sleeves and a full circular skirt, full length. I embroidered a big true lovers knot on the waist with cream silk thread and crystal beads. I made a blue crepe frock and matching turban to go under my lightweight fawn coat for my going away outfit. It looked very smart too.
Mrs. Hopkinson made my wedding bouquet and a very fine job she made of it. I had had tuber roses sent up from Sydney and she had white roses out of her own garden. Mrs. Hopkinson was the "flower lady" at the hotel and was always very artistic and fond of doing flowers. We had a small reception at the Top Hat Cafe in Manuka and then all went to the Hopkinson home. The wedding was a three o’clock and we were catching the all night train at 8.30 pm for Sydney, so we had some time to put in. All my folks were staying at a house next to the Hopkinson's as it happened to be empty at the time. The trains were on war time schedules and not very frequent, no reserved seats and travel was a bit of a hazard. I remember that Jack had to stand most of the way from Sydney to Canberra when he came' a few days before the wedding. At any rate we went on the all night train to Sydney, stayed a day or so and then went to Katoomba for our honeymoon. (We had stayed there for a few hours on our way to Bathurst the year before and had decided to "honeymoon" there.)
Married life & disappointments
Jack had a flat lined up for us at Bondi, but we had to wait a few weeks for vacant possession. Flats and homes were very hard to come by in the war years, so we were very lucky to have a flat to ourselves. We lived in Bondi for three years. Jack worked shift work so we were able to spend quite a bit of time at the beach, which we both loved.
Aunty Ann, Mum's youngest sister, who lived at Mosman, was a great help to me at this time. She was a good housekeeper and a careful shopper. She gave me much good advice as well as being a companion and friend. I visited her often and loved her very much. I am sorry to say I have not kept in touch with her these latter years. Time runs away too quickly and it is often later than we think.
Thora and Jack were married in the Methodist Church in Bulahdelah a couple of months after our wedding. I went home and helped. We all catered for it at home and , it was a real old fashioned slap up "do". We were cooking for days and had made lots ,of goodies, scones, pies and cream cakes and lashings of everything. Dad was not well, though, it was the beginning of the end for him. He did not do any kind of work after that and that fretted him.. The Doctor said that his kidneys were worn out and indeed his whole body was showing the strain of years of hard work. He gradually faded away. Mum sent for me to come home early in October and he passed away on 16th October 1944. We were all at home when the end came. He was buried from the house, as Colin had been, and his grave is next to Colin's, in Bulahdelah cemetery.
Although Dad had apparently had a quiet unassuming nature, underneath he was a very determined man and had a definite mind of his own. He lived up to his principles as much as possible and tried to bring up his family to do the same. He had a "thing" about working for himself and a horror of a "boss" and that was behind all his efforts to live on the farm and make a living there rather: than go to work for anyone else. He was a complete teetotaler and did not ever use bad language. He did smoke a pipe and liked an occasional cigar. He was well respected and liked through the district. He was popular as a cricketer being a very good wicket keeper. He set a very good example to his family and left a fine heritage to his descendants.
We were married for about nine months before I first became pregnant, which amazed me, I thought I should have done so as soon as we were married!
When at last I did become pregnant I was very sick. I had "morning sickness" all day! I couldn't keep food down and lost a good deal of weight in the first three months. Jack Ireland was in an Army camp near Sydney, so Thora came and stayed with us for a while to help me. As I got a little better Thora got herself some work to do in Sydney and stayed on with us a bit longer. When I was just over six months pregnant, and feeling very well by then, we went to "Montrose" for a holiday. The very next day after we arrived I was taken ill and rushed to Bulahdelah Hospital where twin daughters were born. One was stillborn and the other. (Maureen Gail) survived about four hours. She was christened by Mr. Orton, the Methodist minister at Bulahdelah. The twins were buried in the foot of Dad's grave in a little casket Oscar made. Things didn't go right with me after the birth and the Doctor thought I would need an operation. The little hospital at Bulahdelah wasn't equipped for it. An ambulance came from Newcastle, sixty miles away and took me to the Waratah Hospital. As it happened things righted themselves and I did not need to have the operation. I stayed in hospital for ten days or I so and then went back to "Montrose" to recuperate and get over my disappointment. I Jack got a transfer to the Newcastle G.P.0. for a few months. He boarded at first and then when he got a small flat I went to Newcastle too. When we were due to go back to Bondi I had made another start, but we were doomed to disappointment again. I am afraid I was unhappy and hard to get on with for a while, but by the time we went back to Bondi I was much better. The incident of having the second baby brought us close together and was really good for us both. We may not have thought so at the time but I know it did bring us closer together .
When I was about five and a half months, (as I thought) I was taken sick in the middle of the night with unmistakable signs of an eminent birth. Jack went and rang the Doctor I had been going to, but his wife said I would be "alright till the morning". It was a hot night in February and we spent a few anxious hours till daylight. About 6am we had our first son, stillborn I am sorry to say. Jack was very good to me and it was quite an experience for both of us.' After it was all over Jack went and rang the Doctor again. They promised to send someone at once but was about lOam when a young lady doctor, whom we had not seen before, breezed in and said "now what have you been up to" as if we had caused the trouble! We were really incensed. When she saw the babe and realised it was so well developed she changed her tune. She said it looked like a six months baby at least and Jack had done a very good job. That wouldn't have helped much if there had been complications. The little babe was quite well formed and was the image of Jack. I did not go to hospital as we had expected I would, instead, she left me in Jack's care, not even troubling to find out if he could stay away from work. Jack did have a couple of week leave as it happened. He looked after me till his mother came for a week. When I was up and about, after about ten days in bed we went to Bundeena for a week to recuperate.
The Doctor who should have come, and his lady assistant, sent us a nice big bill for the confinement and previous visits. We didn't feel that we owed them anything after I the way we had been treated, so we refused to pay it. They threatened to take us to court, and we would have been quite happy to and go explain our reasons for non-payment but needless to say they dropped the charges.
The old German Doctor who was at Bulahdelah was very interested in my case, and advised my to wait at least twelve months before trying again. He thought I had tried too soon after the twins.
Jack was tired of catching trams and working in the city and we both looked forward to the time when we would be back in Canberra. We had more friends there and hoped to rear our family in better surroundings. When the transfer came through we were happy to come and in January 1947 we moved back to Canberra to live. We moved into a semi-detached Government house (12 Wells Gardens, Griffith) and settled in, I there for a few years. We both gardened a lot in the first few years we were there had a lovely flower garden and Jack had a good fruit and vegetable garden. At that time there were sheep paddocks just over the back fence and we gathered manure for our gardens, also wood and sticks for our fuel stove and open fire. We made friends with our neighbours Joy and Gerry Stuart, the Fetherstons and others and felt at "home" there. The Stuarts had Christine about 18 months old and we often had her at our place. We both loved kiddies and longed for some of our own.
When I became pregnant again it was found that I was of R.H. negative blood group while Jack was positive, so that was thought to be the root of the trouble. I was treated by Dr. Findlay, whom I had known for years. I had to have an injection every week and constant rest. I was quite well as far as could be seen. Barbara came and stayed with me for a couple of months and then Alison came so that I could have complete rest from five to eight months. It was at this time that Alison and Gordon began keeping company. (Gordon came to Canberra to visit her). This time I went full time but the baby, a boy, was stillborn. It was a big disappointment to us all, especially as I had been so well all through. I felt God was preventing me from having a family for some unknown reason. Maybe because I made it may main aim in life, I don't know. (The doctors now think I had some rare placenta trouble.) Thora had just had her second baby and she wrote and said that if she could have another one straight away she would and give it to me. They all felt very sorry for me as they all knew how much I longed for a family. It was still an obsession with me but I know there is a "Higher Hand" than ours that shapes our destiny. I had a little text on my dressing table that I hadn't taken much notice of up till then.
"I asked of God and He said nay,
He says it still though still I pray,
O love, why disappoint me so?
Because I love thee, I say no. "
We did not know the reason why but God had His plans.
About this time I made up my mind that I wanted to adopt a family. Jack did not see eye to eye for a while, I think he thought I was just being hysterical, but I really meant it. Finally we put our names on an adoption list, through the Presbyterian Church. Joy Stuart and I had become very good friends and she was good to me through all my troubles. When she was expecting her second babe she was worried that it would upset me when it arrived. She had Karen early in June 1949, and the wonderful news that a baby was born for us to come and see, came a few days later. I went to Sydney at once, I was so excited. Mum was in Sydney at the time so she came to the hospital with me to see the baby. She was such a poor wee mite, her little face was all skin and bone, and she only weighed 5~ pounds. Jack came down in a few days and we signed the necessary papers and flew home to Canberra with "Diane Marie" on the day " she was just two weeks old. Never was there a prouder mother. It was mid-winter in Canberra and we were most afraid she would die with the cold. Mrs. Fetherston, our neighbour on the other side was a triple certificate nursing sister, with two little children other own. She came to see me every day to see how I was managing and gave me much help and good advice. She told me later that she thought Diane was four or five weeks premature and that she did not think that I would ever manage to rear her. I was so happy to have the little one to love and care for that I almost willed her to live. Certainly if love and devotion had anything to do with it she got plenty. Anyhow she grew slowly and soon became plump and pretty although she was always of very small build. She was a "difficult feeder" and we had all sorts of minor difficulties with her. I remember someone asking me once how did I bath her as she was so tiny? I replied "just exactly as you do a bigger one." I had plenty of patience and didn't mind how much time I spent looking after her. I used to wheel her to the clinic in the pram ever week, as proud as a peacock. She could walk by the time she was nine months old and was so small she could walk straight under the kitchen table! Although she was very active and had what we thought was a good colour we found out when she was about, " two, that she had a congenital heart condition. We were advised to take very good care of her. It seems that the very active nature and the abnormally high colour were symptoms of the condition and at that time her life expectancy was about twenty five years at the most. It was indeed a big worry .' When she was five years old we took her to Sydney to the Hallstrom Heart Clinic which had just been established at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. There it was confirmed that she had a hole in the heart and at that stage there was nothing to be done except to take good care of her and see that she did not overtax herself at all. Heart surgery was just beginning and we could only hope that it would progress, enough, soon enough, to be ;of use to us. We were told that by the time she was 10 or 11 it might be possible to operate on her .
Jack just adored her as she grew and began to take notice and began to talk. He used to carry her around on his shoulders and called her his "Little Princess".
She was always a dainty little girl, and it was a joy to be able to sew and make her lots of pretty dresses, which I was able to do. We had our first new car at this time (a Ford Prefect) and I began to learn to drive. (My only achievement up till then had been to ride a push bike.) With number two planned I though it time I learnt to drive a car. When Diane was about two we decided it was time she had a little brother so we put our name on the waiting list again. In November 1951 Gregory Charles arrived to join our little family. Jack, Diane and I were on holidays at Tea Gardens.( Aunty, Stella had a stroke and died while we were there,. We had a week or so at Tea Gardens I then a week at "Montrose". When we arrived home there was a letter to say that a baby boy was ready for us. We flew to Sydney and brought him home in time for Christmas. What a lovely Christmas present. Greg was as big as Diane was small and was as good a "doer" as she had been the opposite. He ate and slept and grew just as a baby should and had no set backs. We were happy with our little family and thanked God for letting us have them. They were both baptised at St. Andrews Church at about three months old by Rev. Hector Harrison.
I had been in the Women’s Guild and Jack on the Board of Management at the Church ever since we came to Canberra from Sydney. I played tennis with the ladies for quite a while. We both worked for anything that was on and helped to raise money to build Church Hall. The hall was opened just when Diane was old enough to start Sunday School.
I got my driving licence just before Gregory arrived and found it very handy to go out and take the kiddies in the car.: Jack had a motor bike for awhile, but neither of us was very happy about it so he sold it.
I joined the Y.W.C.A.. (Manuka's Womens' Club) when the kiddies were small and had lots of fun and recreation with them. We met every Monday night. Joy Stuart and I went together. That was 'father's night' to mind the children. We did hobbies and crafts, put on plays and displays, apron parades and all sorts of things, sometimes to raise money or just for amusement or entertainment. We played tennis once a week for a long time, too, and had lots of good friends in the group. The Club is still going but with very reduced numbers. We celebrated our silver anniversary recently, 1976.
Chapter 26 Christmas and Holidays .
I can only remember one occasion as a child when we were not at home for Christmas. I was very small when we had Christmas at Grandma Engels. I can just remember the very long table. I know now that it was a table top and trestles, but then it seemed like a huge table to me and I wondered how anyone could have such a big table. I think about thirty sat down to that Christmas dinner and it was a source of wonder to me. After that we always had Christmas at home. The house would be well decorated with fresh greenery , mainly leaf fronds of the bangalow palms. The kitchen-cum-living room would be really transformed and completely lined with palm fronds, it really did look lovely. Santa always managed to come to us in some form or another. We always put a hat on the table for Santa. I do not know where this idea originated, but Christmas Eve always saw a row of hats on our kitchen table and we always found a handful of nuts and sweets in the bottom and some sort of gift even if it was' some one item of new clothes. We always had a traditional poultry and plum pudding dinner. I really missed the home Christmas when I was working at Raymond Terrace. I didn't get home for one till I was dressmaking at Acton in Canberra in about 1941.
I don't think that Jack and I have ever been at "Montrose' , together for a Christmas. We did go to Bathurst for one when Diane was tiny. We have always tried to make Christmas a memorable time for our family. We always make a practice of going to Church at 8 am and. ~making it a real family day.
Most of our married life we have managed to go away for an annual holiday when Jack had his leave, mostly to the coast. We always talked of the time when we could have a little place of our own at the beach somewhere.
When Dorothy was small we began what became an annual trip to the lovely clean sandy Myall Lakes. A fairly good road had been developed from Bulahdelah (about ten miles) and members of my family .' were in the habit of camping at Legge's Camp in the January holidays. The First year or two that we went we had the use of a tent and gear from Thora and Jack. Later we bought a tent and trailer, and took our own gear. We had quite a few lovely holidays there, we were near the lake with plenty of swimming and fishing and were able to see nearly all my folks and be independent as well. In 1964 we had a trip to the Gold Coast in Queensland, where we had a flat for two weeks and had a lovely holiday. We stayed a couple of nights at "Montrose" on the way back and had a day at Legge's, but we haven't been back to camp since. Old Mr. Legge died and the place was altered. It has lost its charm for most of the family who now seem to go to Forster, mainly.
In the meantime another exciting event had taken place in our lives. We had a baby of our own! I had had quite a few miscarriages over the years (from six weeks to three months). The doctors had told me that I would never go more than three months. When I found myself pregnant in 1954 I went to Dr. Saw who had just come to Griffith, A.C.T .He inspired me with confidence and when I told him my history he said nothing was impossible. When I went past three months I began to have hopes. Diane was five and Gregory was three so I had my hands pretty full and didn't have much time to worry about myself. Besides that I was not craving for a family now and pinning my hopes on the pregnancy as I had done in the past. We had our two little kiddies and were quite content. However if God saw fit to give us another little one we would be grateful. After a traumatic session in hospital for a couple of weeks, Dorothy Jean arrived (finally by caesarean section) on 21st June 1955. (1 was almost 40). She was a few weeks premature but a lovely big healthy baby. We could hardly believe it, and gave praise to God for her. Jack came to see me soon after the operation and we were both shedding a few tears when the nurse came in. She asked "Why the tears, you should be happy .We assured her they were tears of relief and joy. It was a great thrill, and even Dr. Saw was excited. She ate and slept and grew and did all the right things and was a very easy child to rear. I think the fact that I had reared two others, and having them to care for all helped. I didn't have too much time to fuss over the baby. Diane and Greg both loved her too.
We had decided before she was born, that if she was a girl we would call her Dorothy. As well as it being my mother's name I knew that it meant "Gift of God" and she surely was that. When Mr. Harrison came to visit me in hospital he told me that he had thought of a name to call our baby. When I told him of our choice, he said that was his choice, too, and asked did we know the meaning of it? Also I had always liked the name Jean. My favorite cousin, whose birthday was the same as mine, was Jean Engel, and Jack's only sister is Jean so it just seemed appropriate. We received telegrams and cards of congratulations from all over the world when the news got around. Everyone was so pleased that after all I had been through at last our efforts were rewarded. The Stuarts were in Nauru, Charles and Vera in Bahrain, and we had word from friends in England. Mum came and stayed with Jack and the kiddies while I was in hospital; she was delighted for us too. When she went home it was not long before she had a call to go to Inverell to stay with my sister Dorothy's family as Dorothy had had twin daughters. They were premature and one only survived a few days but they reared the second one. Dorothy already had five other children.
It was not long after that Mum was under the doctor for a heart condition.
Diane began her school days at the Church of England Girls Grammar School kindergarten as the Doctor thought the bigger schools would be too much for her. She had three years there and as Griffith Primary School was open by the time she was ready for primary school, we changed her to it as she went into third class. She did quite well at school, but lost a lot of time in the winter with sore throats. (We found out later that they were caused by her heart condition.) When she was about 10 years old we took her to Sydney on one of the regular annual hospital visits and the Doctors decided that she could safely have an operation on her heart. Heart surgery had come along way in those few years. We made the necessary arrangements and she went into the nearly new Page Chest Pavi11ion at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and had the hole in her repaired. What a wonderful thing that was! How thankful we were that our prayers had been answered. The specialist (Mr. Nicks) told us later that the condition was worse that it had appeared and that she would not have lived many more years. He was surprised that she had done as well as she had. He also said that much of it was due to the fact that we had known about it early and had taken good care of her. Her heart valves were not impaired in any way so the operation was a complete success. She was in hospital for only a couple of weeks, and was then able to come home a new person. I am sure that our prayers and those of our friends and relatives were a great help and comfort. It was a very anxious time for us all, but the good Lord looked after us and all went well. I took Dorothy (she was about three years old) and stayed with Barbara and Norman at Lugarno. They minded Dorothy while I put in most of my time at the hospital. It was a very long and trying day when she had the operation. I was there from 7.30 am till 8.30 at night. Diane had to be frozen for the operation and then gradually warmed up again. The doctor said the biggest worry was the chance of pneumonia, but thanks be to God she had no complications and progressed very well. It was a big expense, but we didn't hesitate once we knew that it was possible, we immediately decided to have it done. Maybe she was sent to us to take care of her as she had this condition. Maybe some families could not have afforded to have it done. We will always be thankful we were able to anyhow. She was very thin when she came out of hospital but soon picked up and improved. She missed three months school but still went into sixth grade the next year. She seemed to grow up very quickly and was quite mature at 13.
Now I must go back to "Montrose" for a while and bring you up to date on events there. After Dad died, Oscar got a discharge from the army, and he Mollie and baby Judith, went to live at "Montrose". He felt that the place needed a man around as indeed it did. However, he soon found that he was much in demand as a carpenter, in Bulahdelah, and there was plenty of work for him. It was not very long before he bought a block of land in the town, and he began to build on it. He built a large garage and workshop and fitted them out to live in until a house could be built, so they did not stay at "Montrose" very long. Brian finished his time at the Bible College and went home. As he and Oscar did not work well together, it was just as well that Oscar was prepared to move out.
Brian married Jean Dee, a niece of Mr. Charlie Dee, (and a cousin of our neighbour Ethel Ireland), in January 1946, and took her home to live at "Montrose". They lived there for several years, and by the time their third child (Lois) was born they had moved into a small house Brian had built nearby. By this time I think that Jean had become tired of sharing a home with three or four other women and, quite understandably, wanted a home of her own. Brian worked hard but there still wasn't much money to share between everyone.
Alison, Barbara and Pat worked hard too and .so did Mum. Charles was at high school and later university, and Nancy still at high school and had to be kept. Bulahdelah had a high school by this time, so Nancy was able to reach Intermediate standard there. When she was 17 she went to Newcastle and trained for a nurse.
When Brian and Jean were offered a share farm to work at a place called Belbora, in the Nabiac district, they left "Montrose" and set out on their own, leaving Mum and the girls to work things our as best they could. After a time Brian and Jean moved to Tanilba on Port Stephens, to begin their work in the missionary field. From there they moved to Tahlee, and so on, as mentioned elsewhere.
Mum and the girls kept on, on the farm but……?
Alison married Gordon Nicolson, at the Methodist Church, Bulahdelah, in 1949, and went to live at Glenorie, just out of Sydney, on a mixed farm (mainly fruit and vegetable where Gordon had lived all his life. As their courtship was a "real life romance" story I would like to include it. When they were in their teens Alison and Geoff Ireland )a neighbour) went about together, and we all expected they would make a match of it; However, when they were about 21, they decided that they were not meant for each other, so that was that! Alison stayed at home working on the farm and in the home, all the war years, and afterwards just kept on. (Farm work was classed as Essential Service during the war.) She was a very nice girl, quiet, with strong Christian principles'. She was rather shy and reserved, but a clever girl with her fingers, good at sewing, knitting etc. And a good cook and housekeeper, as well as able to garden and do any I outside work that had to be done. She just stayed on at "Montrose" seemingly quite contented, but with not much prospect of doing any more with her life than stay there and work. (We all loved the farm and the thought of selling it and moving away could not be thought of, but I sometimes wonder if it would not have been the best thing to do. Milking and dairying was a seven days a week job, and apart from going to church and playing tennis, there was not much outlet or social life. Alison was 25 and life was move on when, out of the blue one day came an unexpected letter which changed everything!
Brian and Gordon Nicolson had become acquainted when Brian was in Sydney at Bible College, and it so happened that Gordon was in Bulahdelah district when j Brian an Jean were married, and he went to the church to see the wedding. Afterwards he met and the girls, and was invited to spend a few days at "Montrose" which he did. As Brian was away on his honeymoon, an extra pair of hands was useful, and Gordon was a willing helper. Mum and the girls were glad of his help. When he returned home he wrote to Mum and they kept up a correspondence. He had respected and admired Alison ever since the visit, but was hopeful of improving his financial position before making any further move. However, when he realised he was nearing 30, and his family and friends were urging him to be married and inviting suitable "would be" brides to the home, he decide it was time to act. He wrote to Alison, and asked her to consider meeting him again and getting to know .one another better. He also wrote to Mum and asked for permission to visit "Montrose" and pay his respects to Alison.
Of course he was duly invited and soon visited "Montrose” again. All this was very exciting in their rather uneventful lives on the farm and we were all pleased when Alison and Gordon found that they did have much in common and got on together very well Gordon was also rather shy and retiring by nature, but had very strong Christian beliefs and was very fond of Alison. He had cherished fond thoughts of her for two years or more unbeknown to anyone!
They became engaged, and a few months later, were married. They had a nice wedding. I went home and helped with the cooking etc. for the reception which was held at ‘Montrose'.' Alison had never been away from home very much, and both she and Mum missed each other. Alison and Gordon were very happy with each other, but they had to share the home with Gordon's older sister, Margaret, who had never married and was like a mother to Gordon, and the parents had been dead many years. She ran the house and really didn't make Alison very welcome, so she spend much of her time out of doors, with Gordon, helping where she could. There was always plenty to do on a farm! They were thrilled when a baby boy was born to them in due course. He was a bonny baby and a real joy to them, but unfortunately when he was about five months old he contracted influenza, and developed meningitis, which proved fatal. It was a sad blow, but Alison said that she would not have another one until the home position was different. She and Margaret Nicolson did not get on well in the home, not surprising, as it was not home to either of them. Gordon tried to be fair to them both, but neither women were very happy with the arrangement.
In the meantime things were getting a bit desperate at "Montrose". Brian had invited Norman Sandland to "Montrose" for holidays., while he and Brian were both at the Bible College, (City people always seem to like a holiday in the country). Norman and Barbara became friendly, and kept us a correspondence, and a romance developed. They were married in the Islington Baptist Church, Newcastle, in March 1960. We gave them a reception in the church hall nearby. Most of the cooking was done at "Montrose" and taken to Newcastle. I had Diane a baby of nine months old, and stayed with Dorothy and Keith for a week or so to be near and help. After the wedding they went to live at Penshurst, Sydney, so that left one less pair of hands to milk and work on the farm! Mum was in a quandary as to what to do for the best. Eventually it was decided that Gordon would sell the farm at Glenorie, and they would go and live at "Montrose." Margaret Nicolson had her share of the proceeds of the sale of the property, but she refused to try and make a home for herself, and insisted on staying with Gordon and so she went to "Montrose" to live, too! Just as well the place has "elastic sides" as she took most of her furniture and personal things with her! It didn't make for happiness really, but Gordon and Alison were very fond of one another, and didn't let her come between them, as she tried to do. (After some years she did go to Sydney, and got work and looked after herself).
They gave up the dairying, and went in more for rearing cattle and market gardening, when Gordon went onto the place, as he had not been used to milking etc., He invested his money in the place and did quite a few improvements. After Dad died Mum looked after her Mother, (Grandma Engel); in her last years. She had lost her memory and almost the use of her legs, so she was not hard to care for, as she just sat around and knitted most of the time. .She was 84 when she passed away. ( Of course, Mum always had one or two daughters at home to help, so that it wasn't such a burden to her.) Mum was hard put to know what to do for the best; after Dad was gone, and to know what to do with the property etc., she and Dad had it in the best years of their lives, and much hard work there and it meant everything to her.
I think it was the fact that Mum had the same feeling of a need to be independent as Dad had, that kept her working with him, always hoping for the better days to come. It was a great pity that Dad had literally "worked himself to death" by the time things were getting a bit easier" and didn't live to see his hopes realised. Mum had a few lonely years after he was gone, but she kept on and made the best of things, and kept the family together by visiting us regularly and writing endless letters. Alison and Gordon made a good job of carrying on the traditions of the place, and reared four children, Christopher, Stephen, Katherine and Richard.
When Mum's health began to fail, she found it very hard to "take things easy" as the doctors advised, but her heart was failing, so she just had to ease up. She still did lots of sewing, knitting, crocheting etc., so at least kept her hands active. She had always said she would rather "bust out than rust out" and so she did! She was 68 when she passed away and it was only in the last few weeks that she really gave in, and consented to go and live in Bulahdelah, with my younger sister Patricia, ( who had married Alan Longworth in 1951), so as to be near to doctor and hospital. She passed away quietly in the hospital, on 26th April, 1959. We were all very sad when we knew that her time with us was corning to an end. She had been such a wonderful mother to us all, and was such a dynamic person, that we all knew that we would miss her very much. I went to Bulahdelah to see her that Easter, and knew when I left that I would not see her again in this life, and came away feeling very sad indeed. Her last words to me "I'll see you in the morning", have always been a comfort to me, and, please God, we will meet again in that "Morning that knows no night". Mum was not afraid to die, only a bit sad at having to leave her family, (she and I were always very close to one another). She said to me "It is only closing one door and opening another, and was looking forward to being with her loved ones who had gone on before her". We still miss her, but her personality and memory are ever with us, and her .example in life is still a goal to try and reach. To us she was a great lady and certainly a wonderful mother. "God's greatest gift, 'Remembrance.". ?
Each of my brothers would have qualified for a bursary , (or scholarship, as it is called today) but my parents were not in a position to send them away to high school, the they were unable to take advantage of it. However, when Charles (Chilla) my youngest brother, was old enough to leave primary school we all decided, that, as some of us were working, we would all contribute and help him to get a better education. He went to high school in Taree for four years, and then to university in Sydney. He helped with the finances by winning scholarships on the way, and graduated as a Bachelor of Engineering when he was 21. He worked with electrical firms around Sydney for a time and then got a position with an oil firm (or company) and went to the island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. At the end of three years he came home on leave, and married a former sweetheart, Vera Longworth, and they went back to Bahrain for a further three years. Their first child, a son Ian, was born there. After a varied life of living in Australia, (Perth and Melbourne) Cardiff (Wales) and London, they are now back in Australia, and settled in Melbourne. They have two sons and a daughter, and he still works for the same oil company! None of us feel that our efforts were at all wasted in giving him a chance of a better education. He has certainly made good use of it. Vera is a schoolteacher, and has made good use of her talents over the years too, teaching whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Charles and Vera were married at Wingham, Church of England, in May, 1952. We drove from here for the wedding (in our Ford Prefect). Left about 3am and got as far as "Montrose" the first day, and on to Wingham .(near Taree) for the wedding the next day, and back to "Montrose" that night, and back to Canberra on the Monday. Gregory was a baby about six month old and Diane was three. It was along tiring trip, over the poor roads of that time! We had seen a lot of Charles while he was at university and we were living at. Bondi, so we both wanted to go to his wedding. We had always promised him we would "dance at his wedding" and so we did!
Patricia married Alan Longworth, Vera's brother, at Bulahdelah Methodist Church, about a year before in 1951. They lived in various homes around the district for a few years, and finally settled in Bulahdelah and have four sons.
My youngest sister Nancy married William (Bill) Leng in the Baptist Church at Drummoyne (Sydney) in November 1963. As she had no living parents, Nancy asked Jack and I to host her wedding, which we were pleased to do. They were both interested in becoming missionaries, and trained accordingly. Nancy was a trained nurse and also did a year at a Bible training college. Bill had been an engineer with the Department of Main Roads, but gave that up to train for missionary service, and got his B.D. degree before they were married. When their first daughter, Michelle, was three months old, they sailed for Singapore, and the beginning of their missionary life. By the time their second daughter was born they were in Indonesia, and the baby had a lot of illnesses. The ill health of the baby forced them to return to Australia sooner than planned, but maybe that was just as well. Nancy herself had to have a major operation as soon as she arrived back in Australia, for a condition much more serious than the Doctor in Singapore had diagnosed. (Bill stayed on six months after Nancy and the girls came home). If Nancy had stayed the full time it may have been a different story, but thank goodness, she came back when she did or it may have been too late. "The Higher Hand" at work again? (Incidentally, the baby's health improved as soon as they returned to Australia).
Alison and Gordon had a few' happy years together, rearing their family, and working on the farm. Things seemed to be going fairly well, they were making a reasonable living, and their family growing up around them. Then, sad to say, Gordon's health began to fail, and after a couple of years of ill health, he died from multiple sclerosis, Richard the youngest child, was three years old. So Alison was on her own again. (Mum had left the property to her ,) with four children to rear. Christopher, the eldest was ten, but her patience and faith in God never wavered, and she coped very well.
I always did as much sewing and knitting as I could, for myself and the children and saved quite a bit of money by doing so. When Diane and Gregory were small, I often dressed them as twins, as Greg was big for his age and Diane was small, and they looked very nice. I always did home cooking and made jam, preserves, etc. to help with the cost of living, while the family was young, so my rolling pin got plenty of use as did my sewing machine. As the children grew older, and went to play centre and schools, there was always commit ties and organisations to belong to and endless meetings to attend, tuck shop to work at,( fetes to help with, etc. and I always did my bit as I was able. I kept my interest in the church, too, and Sunday School, Women's Guild etc. and Y.W.C.A. and so had a very full life.
Dorothy was six months old, when we moved from No.12 to No.3 Wells Gardens. The former was only a two bedroom house, and not suitable for extending. We had some additions done to No.3 and have lived here ever since. We have always liked the area with the "Gardens" out the front, not likely ever to be built on, and the playing fields and open spaces all the way to Manuka.
It is very central and convenient, and we love it. We didn't like to have to leave our nice garden, fruit trees, shrubs etc. when we left No. 12 but we needed a larger home. Over the years we have gradually got things going here, and now that Jack has retired, he has a good vegetable garden going again, and has the back yard looking very nice and our shrubs, etc. have all grown well and now this place is well established.
When Dorothy was about three or four years old, I had the chance to go and help Mrs. Hopkinson in her flower shop. I had kept up my friendship with her over the years, and after her husband died she bought a small flower business. At first she operated from her home in Causeway, and later from part of a shop in Manuka, and later again, she moved into a nice large shop on her own and had to employ one or two people to help her . I loved it from the start, and as there was plenty of room at the back of the shop I was able to have Dorothy with me and she amused herself happily. She attended Pre school part time, and I only worked part time, so it worked very well. I soon got into the way of the flower business, and continued to help when needed for about ten years. It was just after Mum passed away that I first went there, and I was glad of the change and extra activity to give me something else to think about. I missed Mum very much, even though I had been away from home for so long.
Jack and I had a few worrying years when Diane and Gregory were in their teens. They had both been rather indulged and spoilt as children, I am afraid. Diane had the heart condition and had to have special care, and after all we had been through to get her, I suppose we could be forgiven for spoiling her a bit, especially as we did not know how long she would be spared to us. Of course, Gregory demanded, and got, the same treatment as Diane, so, all in all, I guess they both had too much of their own way as children, so of course expected it in their teens. Diane seemed to grow up very quickly, after the operation and matured quite young, She was always very independent, and self reliant, and did not take kindly to being restricted in any way and usually went pretty much her own way. She did very well at school, and enjoyed doing home science. She began keeping company with Phillip Hayes while still at school, but despite my efforts to halt things, ( or maybe because of them!) the romance flourished apace, and I can't say we were really surprised when they announced that they wanted to get married. We were rather upset as they were both very young, but we agreed. We gave them a nice wedding in St. Andrews Church, with a reception in the Church hall and all the guest came back to our home afterwards. Diane had a girlfriend, Sue as bridesmaid, and Dorothy was a junior bridesmaid. Quite a number of our relatives, both Jack's and mine, came to Canberra for the event. Mr. Harrison performed the ceremony.
Phillip was a nice lad from a very decent family, and we had no objections to the match; except that they were both rather young. We got on well with Phillip's parents, and have become firm friends over the years. The marriage has worked out very well. We worried about them for a time, and helped them all we could, but they have settled down very well. They have three bonny children; Darren, a nice tall boy of eleven, Robert, a lively ten year old, and Sharon a sweet little girl of six. We are very proud of and fond of our three grandchildren. Phillip and Diane are buying a nice big house in Weston, a Canberra Suburb, and Phillip has a good job with the Department of Transport. He is very interested in his home and family, and does a lot of work in the home, yard and garden. He has built a nice big garage and rumpus room, barbeque, pergola and fences and has a lot of lawns plants and shrubs planted. Diane keeps very well, and cares for her home and family splendidly. She has come to be a very good manager, and is an excellent housekeeper. Her home is indeed a credit to her, she has become a loving and dutiful daughter to us and we are justly proud of her. Sad to say Phillip's father passed away earlier this year, so his Mother has rather a lonely life now, especially as her only daughter lives in Western Australia, and doesn't get home very often. We are not sorry we allowed Diane and Phillip to get married when they wanted to, as it has turned out so well. They will soon be celebrating their l2th wedding anniversary and we hope and pray that they will always be as happy as they are now.
Gregory was always a big boy for his age, and this was not always to his advantage. In fact, was more often a distinct disadvantage. He was always "too big" for boys his own age, and this created quite a few problems. He had to leave pre-school at the age of four because he was too big to be with the smaller children of his age! He was always to big for his age group when it came to boy's football clubs, and so he was banned from playing. He soon grew too big for the Cubs, and so was put up to the Scouts, long before he was old enough, and so was unable to cope. He was often put with boys two or three years his senior and expected to keep up with them, which was quite impossible, and all this gave him quite a "complex". In any case he was a "slow learner" and being put to mix with (and try and keep up with, .older boys, was no help. He consequently felt that he was no good at anything! One thing he did do well at was swimming. His height was an asset there! He had a number of trips away with swimming teams, which he enjoyed very much, and has a number of pennants and trophies for swimming.
Gregory was a tender hearted little boy, with a need to be loved and understood. Although he tried my patience at times, I always loved him and tried to help him where I could. As he was not learning very mach at high school, he was allowed to leave at 14 years, with the understanding that we would have him apprenticed to a trade. We made arrangements to have him apprenticed with a lino and carpet laying firm, but unfortunately when the time came for him to start, the firm announced that they were no longer taking on apprentices. So we were left in the lurch, as it was too late to get him in with anyone else that year, and by the next year he was .too old. So then he had to try and get work, with no qualifications, and he was really too young to hold down a responsible job, and was in and out of lots of jobs in the next few years. At labouring jobs, being a big boy, he was expected to work like a man, and he just couldn't cope.' I am sorry to say he was in and out of quite a bit -of mischief and trouble for a time. We had a worrying and anxious time for a few years until he was older and began to be a bit more settled, and to learn that money doesn't grow on trees and one has to work for what one gets! When he was about twenty, he sat for, and passed the entrance to Public Service exam and got himself a job in a Government department, which he: has held ever since. He has always been fond of sport of all kinds, and in following it in all the papers, he soon became quite a good reader, and is tolerably good at figures, so he did turn out to be quite a reasonable scholar, and manages his affairs quite well. When he had the regular work, he saved up the deposit and got himself a new Torana car, which he has paid for himself.
When Gregory was 21, he became a member of the Canberra South Bowling Club, and plays there regularly, and has become quite a good bowler. He grew into a big man and still lives at home with Jack and I. (Shows no interest in the opposite sex, and no inclination to get married!!).
In 1965, we bought a block of land at the South Coast, at Broulee, a small holiday place on the beach, between Moruya and Bateman's Bay, and set about getting a weekender built on it. I was still doing a bit of casual work at the flower shop, and to get some extra money, to help get the place started, I took on doing some housework, two or three mornings a week. I saved all the extra money I made, and eventually we were able to get two rooms built. We had a toilet built and a well point put down, soon after we acquired the land, so were able to camp there in our tent for a couple of holidays, and we thought it was great when we had a proper roof over our heads! and proper beds to sleep in etc. We managed in the two rooms for a few years, till we were in a position to add or again, and now we have a very comfortable little cottage, with hot and cold water, electricity and septic toilet. Jack has put in a lot of time there doing much of the work himself. Lately, he has built a nice big garage, too. It has taken a lot of hard work and quite a bit of money to get it to what it is today, but we have enjoyed having it, and have enjoyed many good holidays and weekends, and it has all been very worth while.
When Jack's parents' old home was sold in Bathurst, we acquired most of the old furniture, so furnishing our cottage was no problem ( the old round table and chairs are real antiques, and we are proud to use them!).
I have been blessed with good health for most of my life, but I have had a couple of minor dispositions which have plagued me over the years. I have always suffered from 'bilious attacks," ever since my teen years, for a few years they were quite serious and frequent and were usually brought on by something I had "eaten", such as fried or fatty foods (butter, cream, pastry etc). I usually have a warning of an attack, spots and lights in front of my eyes followed by giddiness and nausea. At one time I would have vomiting turns followed by a severe headache. I could do no more than lie down and rest till it passed off. I had attacks quite frequently in my younger days maybe because I always had a good appetite and didn't always remember not to eat things. I think the worst one I ever had was when I was in hospital prior to Dorothy's birth. I was eight months pregnant and suffering from indigestion when the Doctors at the hospital decided on measures to induce the birth early. With the best of intentions they gave me Acta-Vite to drink to start the milk supply ready for the expected infant. I protested that it would give me a I bilious .attack but to no avail. I was told to drink it, (jugs of it) I did, and was I sick? I was very ill during the night and was in no shape for the induction which took place the next day. I did not think I would survive, and only just made it. When it was over and I was back in bed I felt so weak, ill and lightheaded I felt that I would pass away at any moment. I was quite resigned to it. I am sure that had the inductions worked as planned and I had given birth that afternoon, I would really have died. I was much better by night, but I will never forget just how ill I had been. On reading from my Bible late that night, I read, "Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning". I am afraid I took it rather literally, and went to sleep quite confident that all would be well. The inductions did not work as expected, and I had three more days of rest, before the doctors did the caesarian operation, and I was spared the usual trauma of childbirth for which I was truly thankful.
Dr Saw was quite concerned about my condition. As soon as baby was a few months old he did a searching examination and had tests done but could not find any sign of gall trouble or anything else. He said it was just "migraine" it was something I had to live with and nothing could be done about it. He gave me tablets to ease the headaches; I am thankful to say that although I still get attacks if I eat "forbidden fruit" they are no nearly as severe as they used to be. I no longer suffer the vomiting and headaches, just the sight disturbance and slight nausea, usually relieved with a drink of fruit salts or the juice of lemon. I call it an overflow of bile( or gall) which is what it seems like to me. I do really think that it is hereditary as Mum's father suffered with it, also;' some of her brothers, sisters and some of my cousins, so it definitely "runs in the family." The other thing that I have had to contend with a good deal of my life is anemia. I have had intermittent turns of it all my life, and every so often have had to have a course of iron medicine or tablets. Some of the doctors I have had treatment from think it may have been a contributing factor to my first miscarriages, (they did not do a blood tests;; so free in those days.) When the children were small and life was rather hectic, I became very "run down" Dr Saw found that my blood count was very low; He put me on a course of injections to bring it back to normal fairly quickly. The injections worked like magic but I found it hard to maintain a satisfactory condition with the result that I was advised to take iron tablets for the rest of my life, which I have done ever since and keep very well. A few months ago I had some high blood pressure but tablets from the Doctor keep that in check. Certainly good health is a wonderful gift, and both Jack and I often comment on how fortunate we both are to be in our sixties and enjoy such good health. Praise the Lord.
Bulahdelah
Pronounced Bu11a-deela, (doesn't it roll nicely off your tongue?) It is an aboriginal word, perhaps it has been altered a little from the original but still poetical. I have always believed it to mean "Big Rock" but others say it means "Where the waters meet." Anyway the Alum Mountain stands behind the town, a veritable "Big Rock" and on the other side of town the two rivers, Crawford and Myall, meet so that either meaning would be in keeping.
The town, a flourishing country town of about 1000 people today is situated on a flat space between the Myall River and the Alum Mountain. It is linked by the Pacific Highway to Newcastle (65 miles to the south) Forster and Taree to the North (40-45 miles). The beautiful Myall Lakes are only a few miles away, and good beaches up and down the coast, from Port Stephens to Forster, are within easy reach today. Bulahdelah has seen a few ups and downs over the years, but the size of the rich dairying and grazing district of which it is the centre, seems to keep it going.
Bulahdelah was first explored in the 1820s and a few land grants were made in the next few years. Stroud, 19 miles away, was an established town many years before Bulahdelah. Folks seem to have come from there and Raymond Terrace and Port Stephens by horse back at first, as there was good timber in the area, some cedar (which was soon cut out) and plenty of good hardwood. The river soon became the means of transport and timber mills sprang up along the shores and around the Lakes. Many boats, timber punts, and coastal steamers were built and used extensively for transport for many years. The punts were flat bottomed barges, driven with a paddle wheel, slow transport by’ today’s standards by very effective.
The first post office in Bulahdelah was established about 1863, and the first mail run in the district was run by Mr. Charles Dee, then a young man. He travelled by horseback from Stroud to Forster leaving mail all along the way. The return trip took about a week. The first public school was opened in Bulahdelah in 1868 in what had been a Church of England School (the government had subsidised church schools in many places up to then).
The first public school in the district was probably the one that we attended at Boolambayte as it was built in the 1840's. At one stage, owing to a lack of pupils, Bulahdelah and Boolambayte became half schools, sharing one teacher, who had to travel the six miles each way on horseback. He would spend a couple of days at each school, as best he could. This arrangement didn't last long, and separate schools were established once again.
When we attended Boolambayte School it boasted anew weatherboard school in good condition. The original school, an old slab building, still stood and made an excellent all weather playroom and lunch room. The hardwood timber floor was in perfect condition, as I remember it.
As the timber began to be cut out, the land began to be cleared and many dairy farms emerged, all up and down the river. The Myall River begins about thirty miles above Bulahdelah and does another twelve miles or so to the Myall Lake. It leaves the lake again at Tamboy and flows on down past Tea Gardens, and on into Port Stephens. Most of the land along the river eventually went to farming of various types, but mainly dairying and rearing cattle. A butter factory was established in Bulahdelah about the year 1900. It served the district till about 1930 when better roads and transport allowed the cream to be taken to Raymond Terrace (about 44 miles).
Another interesting part of the history of the town is the Alum Mountain, (geographically it dominates the town!) By chance the rock was discovered to contain alum and from about 1878 to 1953 (with breaks) high grade alunite rock was mined and sold. A small rail track was built from the mine to the river bank, and the rock carted to the boats it was sent abroad as ballast for overseas ships. There are said to be still good deposits of workable ore in the mountain. World demand seems to be filled at present, but it may come into its own again, as some of the "side" materials are useful soil nutrients. Potassium being one I can name. I have always believed it to be the only alum mountain in the world there being alum mines in Japan but no mountain. This may only be a 'story' but it has been told to me many times. Some of the rock found in the mountain has very nice colours and markings and resembles marble in appearance, but is relatively soft. It makes nice artificial jewelry , though. It is an interesting fact that the bluest of blue hydrangeas grow around Bulahdelah, the colour no doubt due to the alum in the soil.
At first most provisions had to be brought to Bulahdelah from Newcastle by pack horse and dray, until the river trade became established, then everything came by boat. There was a flour mill at Stroud. I have heard of a woman riding from Bulahdelah and bringing back a bag flour on her horse, holding it in front of the saddle. It would have been a ride of twenty or so miles each way and a lonely road too! There were quite a few aboriginals in the district, they mostly lived along the banks of the rivers and waterways. With the corning of the white settlers they seem to have gravitated to the lakes and estuaries and are still to be found around the harbour (Port Stephens) Grandma Engel had hanging in the big family "drawing room" a beautiful chandelier type of ornament made entirely of small conical shells in all colours, threaded on fine wire or perhaps fishing line, It was really a beautiful ornament, and would have been about four feet high and two feet across at the widest part. It was made by the local native people and given to Grandfather as a present. ( I would like to know whatever became of it.) I have never heard of the natives doing anyone any harm. Mum always said they were friendly and seemed happy enough. She came in contact with them quite a lot when she was on the store boat. The natives lived more their own natural lives, and I don't think had degenerated then as much as they seem to have now. These days there are so many half castes, and quartercasts, who seem to be the misfits, not all their own fault I am sure.
Around Bulahdelah today there are not so many active dairy farms. Most of the . young people are against working seven days a week. (Not always on religious grounds .either!) There seems to be plenty of work in the district, and the area has a good potential for the tourist trade. It is afar cry today from the single track horse trails which led over the steep hills and across many a river and creek, by forging (or wading) in the 1850's and 60's. Both the Crawford and Myall rivers had to be crossed by fording in those days. The crossing was several miles up from where the town stands today. A hand propelled punt was in operation for a while and in the 1890's a good wooden bridge was built. After a big flood new bridge was built in 1930. Now the Pacific Highway goes through that way and yet another bridge has been built. The Forestry Commission has acquired most of the unoccupied land in the district, and quite a lot of work is available, both maintaining the road, keeping the forest clear of fires and re-afforestation work. Many mistakes have been made in the past, by the powers that be, in as much as timber has been cut willy willy, and not enough planning and care taken for the care of the country-side and regrowth etc.
Medical work in the district grew as the transport improved. At first a doctor could be as far away as Raymond Terrace or Stroud and the only transport for him was by horse back. I have heard that when Grandma. Engel was about to have her first child (on the Lower Myall) things didn't seem to be going right and after a couple of days in labour it was decided to send a rider to Raymond Terrace to fetch a doctor. However, some hours later when the baby (my uncle Henry) arrived safely, another rider was sent off to meet the doctor and tell him not to finish his journey as he was not then needed
Mostly there would be a "mid-wife", who would assist with the birth and help to care for the mother and baby. General illnesses and accidents had to be cared for as best they could. It must have been about the turn of the century before Bulahdelah boasted a resident doctor and many years later before there was any kind of a hospital. A Doctor Kestevan set up his own cottage hospital about 1920 or so and another was established a few years later. There is a good cottage hospital there today, but it is now only a couple of hours to a bigger centre and good hospitals.
Chapter 34 Churches of Bulahdelah
The first Church of England in the district was probably a rough building of hardwood slabs at Rosenthal , and the first church built in Bulahdelah was on the site of the present church. It was built between 1840 and 1845 on land given by one, Joseph Blanch. It was replaced by the present building in 1912, which has been in constant use ever since. It was built of local hardwood. It is in a good state of preservation, which speaks well for the timber, red mahogany weatherboard exterior and ironbark flooring. (The lining, however, is of Richmond River pine). The pulpit and pews are of local cedar, some from the original church. The font was originally in the old convict built church at Carrington Port Stephens and dates from about 1830. The carved altar was made by a local resident and is over sixty years old. The present altar rail, newel posts to the altar, processional cross and a Bishops chair were made by my brother, Oscar, in more recent times. He also made the bell post and iron crosses on the roof and gables.
The other protestant church the town boasts is the Methodist Church. It is the original church built in 1908, also from local timber, and is in a good condition. It has had minor alterations and has been in constant use through the years. The first minister was the Rev. John Knox Perry.
The Morman Church or Latter Day Saints also have a church in Bulahdelah and have quite a good following in the district. I do not know of the beginning of the Roman Catholic Church in the district, but there is an imposing church and presbytery , and school in the town. The brick church has replaced the original timber one, in my lifetime, and the school has been added.
There are many small churches, Catholic, Church of England, and Methodist, scattered all over the district usually administered by the main church in Bulahdelah.
Certainly there were many sacrifices made, much privation endured before the town and district became what it is today. It went through rough times, and prosperous times, and today seems fairly stable. Like a lot more things, easy come, easy go. I don't think many of the present generation really appreciate all that has gone into making their life what it is today. Certainly we wouldn't want to go back to the "primitive days" but something worked for and duly earned is much ,more appreciated, I feel. Bulahdelah has many nice homes, most of the old early slab huts and weatherboard house have been replaced by modern timber and brick homes. The town boasts good tennis courts (lit for night playing) a bowling club and golf course and of course the beautiful river with its launches, house boats etc. The lovely hills around still have "the soft greys of distance" and the faint "tints of blue." There are still a few of the natural rain forest areas. O'Sullivans Gap, a big hill just past "Montrose" on the way to Taree, has always been noted for its lovely trees, and tree ferns, elk horns and stag horns etc. There is now a move to keep the bush there as unspoiled as possible and bushwalking trails are being formed. It is indeed a lovely spot.
In the forest only a few miles from "Montrose" is a huge flooded gum tree, which the Forestry Department claim to be the tallest tree in N.S.W. It is 76 metres high and metres in circumference. There is a good gravel road leading off the highway to "The Tree" well sign-posted, and well worth a trip into the bush to see the tree and the lovely rain forest it is in the midst of.
"Montrose" is still our "old home" Alison still lives there but not much farming is done on the property now. Since Gordon died Alison has struggled on, keeping a garden and rearing cattle, and making a home for her four children. The two eldest boys, who both served their apprenticeship to a trade are both married and living in Sydney. Katherine the only daughter will soon be a school teacher. Richard the youngest is currently apprenticed to be a motor mechanic. Re is 18 and loves the farm, but it remains to be seen if he too will feel the call to the city, and what will become of Alison and "Montrose" only One knows. We all love it and love to go home for a visit, but sentiment won't keep it going or help Alison to make a living on it. She has to depend on the widow's pension now anyway.
The main seaport in the district is Port Stephens, it was discovered by Captain Cook in May 1777. It is a beautiful harbour quite equal to Port Jackson. It was further explored in the 1880's and land was consequently taken up by the Australian Agricultural Company, on the left bank of the Karuah River. The property extended as far North as the Manning River and covered an area of just over 1 ,000,000 acres. (The rivers formed natural barriers in the early days). The land near the "harbour shores proved to be not much good for farming, being mainly low salt swamps, the colonists pushed further inland and settled at Stroud, where the soil and conditions were better for their needs. Stroud is now quite an historic town. The first Church of England in the district was built by Stroud by one Sir Edward Parry who was a director of the A.A. Co. The church is still in use today. Sir Edward and Lady Parry did a great deal for the colony in their stay in the area. They built, or caused to be built,'.., churches and schools and so instigated the first worship and the first education in the district. The little stone church at Carrington, on the shores of Port Stephens is still in good repair and I think still in regular use. It was built in 1847. The A.A. Co. built a large home at Tahlee for the director of the company to live in. It stands in a lovely spot on a rise on the shores of Port Stephens, a few miles from the town of Karuah. Tahlee house and grounds were sold by the A.A. Co. in 1856 and in 1880 were bought by a member of the N.S.W. Parliament, the Ron. R.R.D. White who added to it and made it a "gracious country residence." It was the show place of the district for many years. Guests and friends would travel there from Sydney by boat and were hauled up the steep slope to the house, through spacious gardens, summer houses, avaries etc. in a horse drawn tram. Convicts built the wharf and boat harbour and tram track too, beautiful marble fireplaces still in the place were brought from Italy, and the house had all the 'mod cons' of the day.
When Sir Edward Parry was returning to England at the end of his term of office in 1834, he said, quote:- "Earnestly indeed we pray that God will bring forth the fruits of true holiness, so that Peace and the 'Gospel of Peace' may reign throughout this settlement when we are far away ." A bit prophetic as things turned out! .
In 1949 the Gospel Fishermen began their missionary work in the Port Stephens area to at a place called Tanilba, on the southern shore. Later when they were able to buy Tahlee from a descendant of the first Mr. White, the work was expanded and grew considerably over the years. Many thousands of people, young and .old, have heard the Christian message at Tahlee, as well as many more through its outreach. Nearly 400 men and women have trained there for missionary service and are now in Christian service in all parts of Australia and in many countries of the world. Brian and Jean were managers of Tanilba when it was a "camp home" for a few years and then went to Tahlee and continued with the work there. Brian was a "works manager" and helped to train men and boys in a very practical way, as well as spiritual. He taught things like wood work, timber cutting, sawmilling, concrete, brick work, making wharves and bridges, gardening and house building, all necessary to men going into backward countries as missionaries. Jean helped with the women and girls, cooking, washing, ironing and sewing etc.
In 1976 Tahlee celebrated its 150th anniversary of being built.
Dorothy, our daughter, has never given us much cause for worry. On the contrary, she has always been of a placid nature and not hard to get on with. She did well at school and high school, learning did not seem to be any trouble to her. She learnt to knit and sew at an early preschool age and has always been quite resourceful and practical. She sews very well now and can make her own clothes. As I went to work a good deal of the time when she was young and later on was all the time at the shop, I am sorry to she did not get as much home life as she deserved ( and I would have liked). She was always a great "home girl" and loves cooking and cleaning etc. When she was in fifth year at High School she went to "Montrose" and stayed with my sister Alison and the Nicolson cousins and went by bus each day to high school at Taree. She and her cousin Katherine became" very good friends. ( In a few weeks she is due to be bridesmaid at Kathy's wedding). Dorothy loved being at "Montrose", the simple homely life on the farm, and especially the Christian atmosphere in the home. It all made a lasting impression on her. She came home having decided to fully dedicate her life to the Lord's work and with ideas of perhaps one day becoming a missionary .
She did so well at High School and passed the High School Certificate exam with very good marks that she decided to go on to the National University (A.N.U.) and finally settled on doing a science degree. Now in December 1977 she has just passed final exams, which makes her a B. Sc., She majored in environmental physiology .She has had ideas of teaching some kind of remedial teaching, or at least doing something would be of some benefit to someone. We are proud of her achievements at University anyway.
After finishing High School at Telopea Park, Dorothy had a year "off study". She worked with the Commonwealth Police for a few months, then did three months at the Technical College, doing a course in Pittman Script Shorthand and learning to type. She also had a job in a wool shop for a while and then decided to go to New Zealand and a bit of seasonal work, fruit picking etc. A cousin:;, Beatrice Ireland, was over there picking apples, so Dorothy decided to join her. The apple season soon finished and Beatrice came home and Dorothy went to work on a poultry farm. She made very good friends with the young Christian couple who have the farm, and from there she did trips all over New Zealand. She was away for just over three months and we missed her very much, but she thoroughly enjoyed the whole adventure and fell in love with New Zealand. I think the natural farm life and the homely people she met all appealed to her. New Zealand people are certainly very friendly. }
During the summer vacation in second year at the University, she went to New Guinea to stay with my brother Brian and his wife Jean and their twelve year old twin: Whilst there she did voluntary work in the missionary office. Brian and Jean took her about as much as they could and she very much enjoyed the stay there, too. New Guinea especially in the highlands where she was, is still very primitive by our standards, and again the natural life appealed to her. Being able to travel on a student's pass saved quite a lot of money in fares. She did get some help from the missionary headquarters and she has saved quite a bit of money when she had been working before starting University. Last year in the summer vacation, she again went to New Zealand. She had a week at a Fellowship Conference, in Auckland and some sight seeing with friends on the North Island then a few weeks with her friends on the poultry farm, (where she earned enough money to pay her fares) so she literally had the trip for nothing. Dorothy and I have I always been good "mates" and having her has helped me keep young in my outlook. We have had lots of trips together, times when Jack couldn't get away, she has gone with me and I have always been glad of her company. Many a time I would not have been able to get to Broulee if I hadn't had her to go with me.
Dorothy has always been a source of joy to us, and I certainly thank God for the privilege of having her and all she has meant to us, and whatever she does with her life from now on I hope and pray that it will be satisfying to her and she is able to do whatever God wants her to do. If it means her going away from us, may we make the best of it and not be too lonely.
I know we cannot keep her with us forever anyway, God bless her. .
When Mrs. Hopkinson grew too old to manage and run her flower shop, she sold it, and I was left without my little job. I had been working more and more hours till it was almost a full time job. I did not like the idea of working for strangers. (She sold to a firm from New Zealand). Jack and I would have liked to have bought the business, but were not given the chance. Jack had had ideas of having some sort of business for a long time. (Ever since he put money into a small business that Bill Synnott was buying in Queanbeyan). It all came to naught and Jack's money was gone. He still hankered to have a go at something. I, of course, had always had a "yen" to have a shop of my own but little did I ever think it would be in flowers!
When Mrs. "Hoppies" shop was really sold I decided that if I could rent a small shop in an arcade at Kingston (where there was no florist) I would set up a shop and try to work up a little business. Jack lent me $1000 to buy stock and make a start. He also did all the work inside the shop, partitions and shelves etc. I first opened in the only shop that was vacant then and found it was too big for our needs. After a few months I was lucky enough to be able to exchange the shop for a smaller one close by and from then on I never looked back. I had great pleasure in setting up the shop, naming it and going to Sydney to buy the initial stock. We were looking for a suitable name for the shop, I wanted a flower name. Jack said we should try for one that came early in the alphabet, so as to get a good position in the Telephone directory , so were looking for one that began with A or B. When I went to pay the first rent I found it began on the 1st August, which is wattle day in N.S.W. The name "Acacia" immediate came into my mind and Acacia Florist it was from then on. We applied for, and were given the name without any difficulty. All this brought a colour scheme to mind and I decided to have the shop done in green and gold (wattle colours) and it looked very nice when done.
I can honestly say that the project was a huge success. I did warn Jack, and the family that it would mean me being away from home quite a lot. I don't think any of us realised just how much at that stage! Dorothy was attending Telopea Park High School not far away, so she came to me every afternoon and stayed till closing time. I really enjoyed creating that business. I worked hard, and it was an uphill struggle for awhile but it was very rewarding. I really loved the challenge of it all and also the floral work. One is never too old to learn, and in the flower business there is something new to learn every day. I really loved doing the floral work, creating many new designs and arranging the different kinds of flowers as they came in season. Busy times like Mothers Day, Christmas and even a big funeral, called for much organising, thought and care. I excelled at that and got much satisfaction from it all. It was nice also to be able to please people and give such pleasure in flowers. Flowers speak a lot of languages, and mean a lot of things to a lot of people. I have quite a scrapbook full of 'thank you' notes and cards from satisfied customers, ranging from brides, new mothers, etc. to bereaved folk. Flowers play an important role, even in death. They are a real source of comfort to many people and to be able to supply just what is needed when it is needed is indeed rewarding in itself. When we had a world famous ballerina in Canberra it was a great thrill to supply flowers to be presented to her each night of her performance and to have a note of thanks from her when she left Australia. I provided flowers to a great many celebrities at the Canberra Theatre whilst I was in business.
Running the business became very exacting, and also very tiring, especially when I often had to work back at night to get orders ready for an early funeral the next day, or prepare wedding flowers, or do a special dried arrangement or some such. There was also the book work which Jack helped me with at home. It took quite a few nights each month, as we took orders on the phone and often had to send out accounts. Many people were regular customers and ran monthly accounts, usually ordering their flowers by phone, so we had to send an account each month. I found that there was always something to be done at night.
Apart from the fact that I did not have enough time, at home with my family, had no time to sew or do anything else but look after the business, I really think it was one of the happiest parts of my life, and also one of the most rewarding things in my life.
Of course, getting married was the best thing in my life and having the kiddies came next. As the kid dies were off my hands by this time the shop was a real thrill.
After I had had the shop for five years I began to think it was time to sell out and retire. Jack was just about to retire, so I wanted to be at home more and decided to do something about it. Anyway I had proved my point, built up a good business and made quite a success of it. I had had it for six years when I sold it. In the first year of operation I had bought myself a car! I needed a vehicle of some sort for the business and when the chance to buy a nearly new Holden came my way I became the owner of a car of my own. It was a tremendous thrill to me to own a car, and it has turned out to be a little beauty. It was a very good model, and still is a great pleasure to drive. I just love it.
While I had the shop I found the little place at the coast a real help. We got away for a weekend, when I could manage it, even it if was just Saturday afternoon till Sunday night. I found the complete break a real help. Jack often had a job on Saturday, so it was just Dorothy and I who went. Dorothy was always a good companion to me and we always got on very well. We usually gathered ferns, palms and greens for use in the shop which were always useful.
I usually employed at least one helper at a time in the shop. I had several lady friends who liked to do part time work, so I was lucky to be able to call on someone for help when I needed it. Joy Stuart was a great help, too, right from the start she did most of the deliveries for me. She was always very reliable and could help in the shop in a busy time, if needed. I was indeed fortunate to have her services all the time I was in business. I did find that although I had reliable help I was expected to be on the job myself most of the time. The customers had come to depend on me and liked to be able to talk to me if they called in and discuss their needs etc. so it meant a very full time job for me.
At the end of 1975 I sold the shop and returned to being a "housewife" and now I love just being at home. I thought I would miss the shop and the busy life very much but I soon found plenty to occupy my time at home. I had years of sewing, gardening etc., to catch up on. It is now just two years since I "sold out" ; and I just wonder how I ever had the time to go to work! I feel I have achieved quite a lot in those years too. I can still find plenty that I would like to do. Jack has retired from the Department of Immigration where he worked the last few years of his Public Service career. He had been in the Public service for 45 years and thought it was time to retire. When the left the Post Office after 20 years he moved to the Department of War Service Homes then to the Bureau of Census and Statistics and later to the Department of Immigration.
Jack enjoys his retirement, too, and has a lovely vegetable garden which is his pride and joy and keeps us in fresh vegetables most of the time. We have had quite a few holidays at Broulee. Jack has also had several caravan holidays with his very good friend Ted Baker.
I have had a couple of good holidays at Bulahdelah and revisited old place of memory etc. I also had a lovely trip to Alice Springs and Ayers Rock. Jack had no wish to go to the inland. He says he saw enough of that kind of country when he lived in Western N.S.W. I took my sister Alison with me. We both enjoyed the trip very much. I had a great deal of pleasure in seeing the pleasure she got out of it. We went by bus to Adelaide, and Alison had her first ever plane trip on our flight to Alice Springs. From there we did a bus tour back to Adelaide via Ayers Rock and the big cattle stations. From Adelaide we travelled by overnight bus back to Canberra and Alison went home from here by train. It was a memorable trip for us both.
Last May holidays (1977) Jack, Dorothy and I had a very nice trip by car to Broken Hill via Narromine and Cobar. We went down along Darling River after visiting Menindie and the Menendie Lakes to Wentworth and Mildura. Then along the Murray River to Albury and home via Mt. Kosciusko and Cooma. A most enjoyable trip and one Jack had promised to take us on for a long time as much of his early life was spent in Western N.S.W.
Chapter 39 Jacks family and background
Jack's parents were Albert and Fanny Pickup (nee Browne).
He was born in Bathurst in September 1914. His Dad was a painter, and signwriter and picture framer. They had a business in the shopping part of the George Street, Bathurst and lived in a flat above it until 1926. Jack has one brother Albert (known Joe) about 4 years older than himself. He also has one sister Jean a few years young than him. In 1927 they moved to a nice home his parents built at 355 Howick Street where his parents lived for the rest of their 'lives. Bert, as his father was known, conducted his business from the workshop in the back yard of the house,
Bathurst is a beautiful city and Jack has seen a lot of changes in the place in his lifetime. The streets were lit by gas lights when he was a boy. He can recall seeing the lamp lighter going around each night to light the lights and again in the morning to put them out. The lamp lighter rode on a horse and used a long pole to switch on the gas at night and turn it off in the morning. Just a pilot light being left on all the time.
Nan, Jack's mother, was born and reared at a place called Duramana, about nine miles from Bathurst. Her people were pioneers who came from Ireland, took up land out west and went in for sheep farming. I don't know much about the Pickup side of the family, except that Jack's father's mother died in Sydney, well in her nineties, in about 1945. His father "Bert" was one of a family of boys, most of them had families so there are quite a few Pickups around the country who are probably cousins or second cousins of Jack's. I know that one family lives at Ballina. Pickup is an old English (Lancashire) name but I don't know just how long this family has been in Australia.
Jack left school in Bathurst in 1929 when he had passed the Intermediate Examination. He was then 15 years of age. It was depression times and work was hard to come by, so that Jack's parents thought they were very lucky to get him a job in the Post Office. It meant him leaving home and going to Narromine about 150 miles west of Bathurst. He travelled by train to Narromine and had to find board when he started work as a Telegraph Messenger. The pay at first was not great and by the time he paid his board he had very little left. When he was at school he had earned a little pocket money by delivering newspapers or selling sweets at the picture theatre on a Saturday night. I think he had a pretty tough time for a few years, until he was a bit older and the pay increased a little. He has never forgotten how he had to scrimp and save and do without in those hard days. Visits home were few and far between as there was no money for train fares.
Jack spent some of his early life with his uncle Bill Browne (William George Browne one of his mother’s brothers, on a sheep station 34 miles west of Narromine. The property was called "Rosedale" and he certainly liked it very much. ( I think he would have gone there in his school holidays). He has told me he also spent all of 1926 at "Rosedale" after Dr Brooke-more had advised his mother to send him away to a drier climate for the sake of his health. The times he spent at "Rosedale" had a definite effect on his early life. His Uncle became quite a hero to him. Perhaps the fact that his Uncle had lost his son at the age of 21 had something to do with him being so fond of Jack.
Jack worked in Post Offices at Narromine, Nyngan, Coonamble and Cobar, until 1938 when he went to Lithgow as a Postman. In 1939 he was selected for the Telegraphist Training Class at the G.P .0. Sydney. He became a Telegraphist and worked in the Telegraph Room at the Sydney G.P.0. until well after we were married, 1947 in fact.
In September this year (1977) Jack and I had a lovely trip to New Zealand. We flew over and did a bus tour of each of the islands. We then spent a few days with Dorothy's friends at Mapua in the south island. We flew home again, all of which we liked very much. It was quite an adventure for us.
Gregory has had a couple of good trips, a three week jaunt to the East coast of America, and a lot of sightseeing. Last year he did a sea trip around the South Pacific.
I do quite a lot of sewing ( on the machine) knitting, crocheting, and fancywork. I have done quite a lot of interesting patchwork, too. Last year I learnt to type, (so I could type this), and have spent quite a lot of time writing it. I have been catching upon my social activities too, and my life seems to be very full indeed. I have renewed some of my work with the Church Guild and the y .W .C .A. and I find myself getting more and more involved in things again.
While Dorothy has been at University we have encouraged her to bring her friends home and we have made welcome any who came, sometimes just for a meal or to stay overnight or perhaps to stay a week or so. It is now December 1977 and I am endeavouring to finish writing this ere the old year finishes.
Dorothy (Dot, as she is known to her friends) and I have just come back from a trip to Bulahdelah where we attended the weddings of Kathy Nicolson (Alison's daughter) on 3rd December and Thora Louise Ireland (Thora's third daughter on 1Oth December. I was asked to do the wedding flowers on both occasions, and was very happy to be able to do so. It was nice to be with all the folks on these happy occasions and join in the "gathering of the clan"
One thing I do enjoy about being retired is being able to "sleep in" as long as I like in the mornings. I have had to rise early most of my life and I hated it, especially in the winter. Now I just get up when I feel like it and when it suits me. Jack usually brings me in a cup of tea in bed, very nice! We have settled down to our life of retirement very well and are both happy to be at home and taking life a bit easier .
Now Dorothy has finished University it is quite likely she will leave home next year. I guess we will find it a bit quiet at times but we are not getting any younger and are glad of a bit of quiet now and then. We usually see Diane and Phillip and the kiddies at the weekend, and sometimes through the week, so we have no need to be lonely. .
We still attend St. Andrews Church which has elected to remain Presbyterian. Our minister is still the Very Reverend Hector Harrison.
He has been my minister for about thirty six years. He is well into his seventies, he keeps very well and is as active and alert as he ever was, and still reads without glasses. He is a great friend of ours and I am very fond of him. He has submitted to having an associate minister now and there is plenty of work for them both to do as St. Andrews is still a big parish.
Almost every Saturday night we play cards (500) with our friends Joy and Gerry Stuart, as we have done for about thirty years. We take turns to visit each other and really enjoy our friendly games.
In conclusion, let me say first of all, how very much I have enjoyed writing these "memories" I have talked with and written to many people and found out many things I did not know about my forebears. I have endeavoured to make this of interest, at least to my relatives, especially the younger generation now coming on. In the two years I have been writing it two of my aunts, Mum's sisters (Auntie Violet and Auntie Ann) have both passed on, so more links with the past have gone. I had written to Auntie Violet for information about her parents when I first began this and still have her answers here with my papers. Two of Mum's sisters are still alive, Auntie May(aged ninety) who lives in an old people's home near Newcastle, and Auntie Pearl who lives with her granddaughter in Tea Gardens. (She is eighty). Both their memories are not as good as they were.
Many times since I began to write this I have wished I could just "ask Mum" about some of the things that happened in the past, but, alas I left it too late to begin as she is no longer with us. Her life and memory will always be an inspiration to me, and I am sure to all the rest of the family.
I don't know if I will be able to list the families successfully or compile an up to date "family tree" but I will try .I would like to show the present number of descendants of my parents, "Dorra" and Charles Macpherson, as they really started something when they married and had a family. ...
At the end of 1977 these are the descendants of my Mother and Father, Dorra and Charles Macpherson:-
Oscar and Mollie, living in the same house that Oscar built in Bulahdelah in about 1946. The home is still full of the lovely period style hand made furniture that Oscar is so good at making. He has also built a nice boat, capable of going out to sea, to use as a holiday boat. The boat is fully equipped to live on in comfort and he keeps it on the river at Bulahdelah. Oscar still does lovely woodwork and still plays tennis and plays the violin. (He played a solo at Kathie's wedding recently).
Mollie does not get the best of health but on the whole they are not too bad for their ages. They reared four children, Judith, married with a daughter and a son. Ellen married with two daughters, and two sons, Stewart~ and Colin, neither married as yet.
I come next with my three, and three grand-children, Diane Marie married to Phillip Hayes. (They have three children, Darren, Robert and Sharon). Gregory Charles single and Dorothy Jean single.
Then there is Brian, at present he and Jean are living in Tamworth. They are hoping to get a piece of land somewhere and build a home for themselves. They have four sons and three daughters. Jennifer, a trained nurse, married with two sons. Lois also a trained nurse, married with one son and one daughter. John and David both married with no children as yet. Edwin, Murray and Merilyn all single. Brian .and Jean both keep fairly well" and are still interested in mission work and anything they can do for young people or to further the Lord's work wherever they are.
Dorothy and Keith Smith have reared eight children, five of whom are married. The twin they reared, Brenda, was accidentally drowned at a family picnic, when she was fifteen months old. They were still living at Inverell. They live in a lovely big home that Keith built a few years ago in Pennant Hills in Sydney. Margaret, the eldest is married with two kiddies. Ross, married with two daughters. Howard married with two sons. Bruce married one daughter. Elaine married with one son. Rosemary plans to be married in few weeks time. Jeanette and Keith Junior are single. Ross is an architect and Howard and Bruce are Doctors. They all attend the Salvation Army and are keen workers for it.
Alison, as I have mentioned elsewhere, still lives at "Montrose", and has no grandchildren as yet but one is expected next year to Stephen and Carolyn. They are a devout Christian family and put the church and its work first in their lives.
Jack and Thora live in a lovely big house overlooking the river in Bulahdelah. It has been added onto a few times over the years as the family grew, and is a lovely home today. They "inherited" the butcher's business his father had built up over the years and not want for much. They are both very public spirited and do a lot of practical Christian work in the town and district. They have both been active members of the Methodist Church in Bulahdelah for many years. Jack has also been Shire President for a number of years. Of their family of eight, (seven, plus a part aborigine boy they have reared from a sickly little baby) six are married. Rodney, assistant butcher, has a son and daughter. Graeme, a bank employee in Sydney, has a son and daughter. Malcolm, a Doctor , has no family. Elizabeth (a trained nurse) Beatrice and Thora Louise are married but have families as yet. Beatrice and her husband hope to become missionaries. Darrell (the adoptee) and Meredith are still at high school.
Barbara and Norman have lived in Lugarno in Sydney for most of their married life. Norman is good with tools too and has their place very comfortable and keeps it in very good condition. They have three daughters, Gwendolin, Suellen and Ayleen are all single Norm is a deacon of the Baptist Church at Lugarno and they both do a great deal of work for their church.
Charles and Vera seem to be settled at Glen Iris in Melbourne where their three children, Ian, Eileen and Malcolm are still being educated.
Patricia and Allan live in Bulahdelah and have reared four sons, none of whom are married. They do a lot of work in the Methodist Church in the district, Allan often filling in for a minister in the country services where no Minister is available. They also do a lot of work with the young people in the district.
Nancy and Bill I have mentioned before, are living in Melbourne at the Melbourne Bible Institute with their two small daughters, Michele and Karen.
So this all adds up to 10 of us "originals", and 45 living children, 23 grandchildren, 78 altogether, (and four or five more expected in 1978)
It is interesting to note that at this point of time, there are no descendants by the name of "Macpherson" but as Oscar has two sons, Brian has four and Charles two, all relatively young, and only two of them married as yet there is still a good chance of the name being carried on.
In August 1969 when Charles and Vera had returned from overseas and Nancy al
Bill were back in Australia, we had a very nice family re-union at "Montrose". It was a most appropriate time too, as it also celebrated "fifty years of Macphersons at Montrose". Over fifty of us gathered there that weekend and had a happy time together.
It is now 1979, I have just celebrated by 65th birthday. Life rolls on much the same. Jack and I continue to enjoy relatively good health, and are enjoying our "quiet years".
Diane, Phillip and family continue to live happily, the children growing up all to quickly. Gregory is still with the Public service, Bowling Club, etc.
Dorothy opted to go to Bible College of New Zealand at the beginning of 1978, with ideas of studying for her B.D. and maybe becoming a missionary in the future. However she met her soul mate in one David Williams who was also at the college. She brought him home to meet us at Christmas, and they announced their engagement. He is a very nice chap and is currently studying for the ministry .So as Dorothy said in a letter to us last year, "1 look like being the wife of a Presbyterian Minister, and that will be just right". I sincerely hope it proves to be so.
David went back to New Zealand in January , and Dorothy stayed at home with us for six months, to plan and prepare for their wedding in May. Although it was a very busy time it was lovely to have her with us.
They were married in St.Andrews on 12th May. I helped with shopping, sewing etc. and Dorothy made her own wedding frock and very nice it was, a simple style of chiffon and lace. I baked and iced the two tiered cake. Dorothy had her cousin Kathie as bridesmaid and niece, Sharon, flower girl. I made all their posies to carry .Also I arranged the flowers in the church and organised the flowers for the reception (David's mother and Aunt arranged them). I have helped with the flowers in the church for many years. and it was a privilege to do them for Dorothy's wedding. The wedding went off very nicely (Jack doing his part in escorting the bride to the altar). One thing we were all sorry for was that Mr. Harrison who had been our family minister for so long had passed away a few months previously at the age of 76. We do miss him. ,
Jack and I were highly gratified that so many people, both relatives and friends, made the effort, many travelling long distances, to be with us for the wedding. David's mother, Brothers and Aunt and other friends flew over from New Zealand. .Most of my brothers and sisters with their respective wives and husbands, and many of their families, Jack's sister and her husband and many more friends were present, and it was indeed nice to have them here, and a happy time was had by all.
After a short honeymoon Dorothy and David packed up their belongings, wedding presents, etc and flew off the live in Auckland, for a few years at least. When David is finally ordained they may come back to live in Australia. However, at the moment they are settled in Auckland. They are both good Christians, and will do whatever seems fit, and.' whatever they feel God I wants them to do. Dorothy is working part time and doing a bit of study, and hopes to continue her studies on a more or less full time basis, next year, so that she can be of real practical help to David in the future.
Jack still gardens and at the moment is away on a caravan trip with Ted Baker . He still enjoys a game of bowls, when the weather is good. I still belong to and work for the YWCA. and the PFA. (church guild) At the moment, I am convener of the catering committee, currently planning a dinner to celebrate the completion of St. Andrews church. In June, we served dinner to 35 men of the parish, and yours truly made the apple pies, so you see I still have plenty of use for my rolling pin! I have promised it to Dorothy when I have no further use for it so, maybe it will have more travelling to do if they are still in New Zealand.
We have put our old fuel stove in the cottage at Broulee, and I love to light it up especially in the winter, and have a good old "baking day" and usually come home with a good supply of cakes, pies and biscuits, some of which go into deep freeze until we need them. Perhaps it is just nostalgia but we both love to see the old stove on the go, and find it to be real company.
We do miss Dorothy, very much, and are sorry they are living so far away but I suppose that is life and we must be happy for her, in that she has found life's partner to her liking, and that they are living good Christian lives. So many young ones, these days, are settling for much less, and I at least am truly thankful she is happily married and settled, much as we would like her to be nearer home.
I am hoping to have a trip to New Zealand, before too long. We hope that we will spared for a few years yet, and that they will be able to pay us a few more visits in the years to come. Meantime, we will just go on from day to day, taking what the good Lord gives us and being truly thankful. While we have each other and reasonably good health, have a lot to be thankful for .
There have been four more weddings in the family in the last two years, and ten new babies, so that the descendants now number 88. STILL no Macphersons, but I hear one is expected soon to David and Diane Macpherson.
Auntie Pearl has passed on, but Auntie May Mum's oldest sister is still alive!
Thus, life's pages still unfold, and keep on turning.
~
So let us run, with patience the road that is set before us,
Looking unto Him the giver of all good things,
' That at the end we may hear the praise,
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant".
May we all be "faithful servants" doing our best whatever life holds and each writing our "page of life" that it may be an inspiration and example to those who follow.
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