When Roz asked me to talk about my life, I thought Oh My Gosh how to fit 99 years into 5 minutes or so.      Well here goes……

I grew up in Devon Meadows with 2 brothers and 2 sisters: Len, Ted, Joan myself and Yvonne who is 3 years younger and still with me.

We lived in a house on a block of about 9 acres, mostly natural bush with a creek running across the back paddock.  We all had jobs to do at home. When the boys were away at work, mine was keeping the kindling and wood supply at the ready, so off I would go with an axe into the bush.  We had a wood stove with an oven.  No power for lighting etc, kerosene lamps and candles got us by.  We had a Coolgardie safe to store butter, milk, cheese and meat.  Horse and cart deliveries from the butcher, baker and grocer once a week.

We walked about 3 miles to school, not much fun when I had chilblains on my toes. I liked my school days though.  One room, one teacher with about 50 kids from Prep to Year 8. A sewing mistress came Friday  afternoons , girls were taught to sew, knit, darn socks and crochet. Boys tidied the school grounds and played sport.  The school number was  3924.

I learnt to bake cakes with my older sister Joan all Saturday for our lunch boxes. Joan played the piano and taught people to play, including me.  One day when I was about 9 -10 Mum had borrowed Grandads horse Doris and Jinka to go shopping in Cranbourne, Joan was teaching piano, so I got to and had a steak and kidney pie, and golden syrup pudding cooking on the open fire that had a rod with hooks to hold the cast iron pots and boilers over the fire.

My brother who was about 6 years older than me taught me how to set rabbit traps, kill, skin and gut any rabbits that were caught.  He also made some hairpin shaped wires for me to stretch the skins. The money I made from selling them  I was able to buy a pair of shoes.  We grew as many vegetables as we could.  We had water tanks, but when the water was low we carted buckets of water up from the creek for any outside use.  Clothes were boiled in a copper out in the yard and tubs used for washing and rinsing, the water was used for the garden.  We had a mangle – an oversized wringer –   I would stand with arms outstretched to gather the sheets while mum turned the handle. Vonie tried to help one day by pushing the sheets through from the other side, result was squashed fingers and very bloody sheets that had to be washed again.

Sundays were church and Sunday School, one Sunday on my way to Sunday School I met Nora a friend from school (she had left the year before)  she was working for a family as a house maid. She asked if I would like a job, I would have been 13-14 at the time, so off we went to see what I thought of it.  I told mum when I got home that I had a job as a cook with this family and I was to start in the morning at 7am.  The pay was 12 & 6 a week, cooking for Mr & Mrs Crevilli, a nurse caring for their 2 children, the farm manager, farm hand and Nora.  About 2 weeks later the shearers arrived, I has to make morning and afternoon tea for them as well as a family of 3 adult house guests.  Breakfast and 7.30am and finishing time was when I had cleaned up after dinner, then rode my bike 5 miles home. Nurse left and a farm cook arrived and I was promoted to care for the 2 children. I stayed there until I joined the SWAS at 18.   Early days in the army we were moved around for training, then on to Yallourn to guard the coal mine. My number was VF396675. I was in the Anti Aircraft Unit known as Ack Ack.  From there over to South Perth where the girls worked on the instruments at the gun pit site, sending message to the soldiers to fire the 3 inch ammo.

I was honourably discharged at the age of 20 and trained as a Primrose Baby Nurse at the Riversdale Gold Club due to the army taking over  the Tweddle Baby Hospital in Footscray.  I did a few private jobs helping new mums with their babies, I was looking after twins for a family in Berwick when Dr Langmore asked me to work at the Berwick Bush Nursing Hospital looking after new born babies.       I was called on to help out in the wards and theatre, as well as being cook on the cooks day off.

It was when I was looking after the twins that I met Allan – a good-looking young bloke who delivered milk next door.  We were married in 1948, Adrian was born in 1951 and Jennie 1953.  I never learnt to milk a cow but was able to harness the horse and deliver milk.

Allan was a very community minded and active person and was involved in so many organisations, including Shire President and charter member of rotary, I just tagged along with him, he was honoured with a Paul Harris as was I.

After Allan passed, Ann asked me to join Inner Wheel (what a great idea Ann), I was a member of the Ladies Probus Club, I have travelled extensively around Australia on Bill Peach Tours and Norfolk Island. I travelled to China where our trip was cut short with the Tiananmen Square Protests and taken a cruise on the Queen Mary.

 My interests have been varied;  I took up painting for several years, cake decorating, flower arranging, I was part of a walking group, fishing, gardening and today I enjoy having coffee with the girls.

I have enjoyed it all.

 

Editors note: BJ is Adrian Funston's (Funno) mother and has been to more RC Berwick change overs than any member of the Club (says Funno). We wish BJ the very best for her 100th birthday and hope King Charles has gone out of his way to write her a ripper of a birthday card!