Author Olive Crouch-Napier gives a copy of her book, Orchard of memories, to her brother Harry Crouch, who planted the oak tree under which they are standing in the Doncaster Municipal Gardens. Doncaster -Templestowe News 11-9-1996
Girlhood memories captured in print
A LARGE oak tree in the Doncaster Municipal Gardens will be a lasting reminder for Olive Crouch-Napier of her childhood and adolescence in the 1930s and ’40s. What is now the municipal gardens was her backyard when she was a small girl growing up on a 14 ha orchard called Dingley Dell. It was her brother Harry Crouch, who still lives in the Doncaster area, who planted the oak tree in the late 1930s from an acorn he picked up at the Doncaster School on Main Rd (now Doncaster Rd). The orchard she called home is no longer there, but Mrs Crouch-Napier still has her memories.She has documented them in a book Orchard of Memories — Doncaster in the '30s and '40s. The book will not be published because Mrs Crouch-Napier said she had written it just for her family. She no longer lives in the area, having moved away after she married in 1953. But she was back in Doncaster recently with her family — including grandchildren - to present them with copies of her book. The family had their reunion under the oak tree her brother planted more than 50 years ago. Mrs Crouch-Napier said she had no plans to have the book published, but would simply present it to members of her family. She said she had a wonderful childhood growing up in the area. But so much had changed.
Source: Doncaster-Templestowe News - 11 Sep 1996
Author Olive Crouch-Napier gives a copy of her book, Orchard of memories, to her brother Harry Crouch, who planted the oak tree under which they are standing in the Doncaster Municipal Gardens. Doncaster -Templestowe News 11-9-1996
An Orchard of Memories - Doncaster in the 1930's and 1940's
by Olive Crouch-Napier, 1996, Second Printing
In Loving Memory of My Mother and Father and I thank them for giving me Life
Thank you to Grand-daughter Kate for giving the hook its name; to Daughter Janet and Grand-daughter Marika for the design and embossing on the front cover.My husband Ken for his patience with me while writing and friend Margaret Comer (my typist) for her
patience with my hand writing and friend Alan Dennis for all the printing.
Foreword
I recently read a story of an English Lady’s girlhood and I could relate to many of the things she wrote about so I decided to write my own story of my childhood and Life on the Orchard.
So "Orchard of Memories" was started.
You often near people say, "If only my mother or grandmother had written their story.”
The happenings in this book are as I remember them or as others have told them to me.
I thank my brothers and sisters for their help in jogging my memory on many happenings. The boys gave invaluable help on the orchard chapter. Also to Lal Kent with whom I grew up and to Lorraine Banks-Peeler for her photos.
If it were not for my Mother and her box brownie camera, we would not have the old photos. Thanks Mum.
I hope those who read this recollection of life in the 30’s and 40's will enjoy it as much as I have recording it, even if I had some teary times while writing of "days gone by.
Olive N
I was born on Saturday, 10th December, 1932, the second youngest child of Stanley and Bessie Crouch
they had seven children: William Stanley 28.3.1922; Reginald Arthur 22.7.1923; Edwin John 19.7.1925; Elizabeth May (Betty) 7.5.1927; Henry George (Harry) 13.8.1929; Olive Maude (me) 10.12.1932; Mavis Constance 18.11.1934
We were given names after special relatives or friends. Mavis was born the year of the Melbourne Centenary Celebrations so her name had the same initials - M.C.C.
The story goes that Will, the eldest, wanted to get the axe to the old pram so Mum wouldn’t have any more babies. He thought she had enough to look after. Looking back, I think he was right.
Our parents were Christian people for which I have been very thankful. Mum had dark hair, brown eyes. She was a loving mother to us all and always put others before herself. Dad was a good father although he could be a bit hard at times. He worked hard, with the help of his sons, to provide for us all.
We all had Dad’s colouring except for the fourth boy, Harry. He was the only one with Mum's dark hair and brown eyes. To this day, at 67, his hair is as curly and dark as it was when he was a boy.
Mum used to call us her "Seven little Australians". I love all my brothers and sisters. Some of us have had lovely times together over the years.
I started to write this story on the 28th March, 1996. It is the birthday of the eldest brother. He is 74 today. Mavis, the youngest is sixty-one. In this day and age we thank God we are all still around„ We all have so much to be thankful for.
1936 Mother & father and 7 little Australians
Row of pine trees on border of Williamsons. House. Pine Trees. Chook house and cow shed.
Dad with his two youngest and Laddie
Dad with War friend who saved his life, Bill Walley
Our Home And Orchard
Our house was called "Dingley Dell" and it was in the middle of the orchard of 35 acres. It had three gables built on as Grandfather's family grew. There were 14 in my father's family. Grandfather went to live with Uncle Norman, the youngest son, and that is how Dad came to be in the house and orchard, which he bought from Grandfather. He was later to acquire 22 acres of vacant land in Templestowe, which became the orchards of Reg and Edwin.
Dad was the only son that went to the First World War. He was shot in France and we were so proud, he would show us the scars where the bullet went in and out of his shoulder.
When the family were young, Dad used to have young boys/men from the Salvation Army Home to come and work on the orchard, so a sleep out was built for them.
The house had 4 bedrooms all with double beds so we kids slept together, boys in one room and girls in the other. We had no electricity or water laid on so we had to rely on kerosene lamps and candles for light and a well and tank for water. In the summer, we had to be careful not to waste water.
Up the passage past the bedrooms was a large room you would call a family room/dining room all in one. This room had an open fireplace at one end. I remember it was painted green once and had a shelf overhead with things on it and a clock in the middle. This clock had a piece of metal on it saying it was a gift to Stanley Crouch on his return from the war. The fireplace had an easy chair each side of it and in one corner was the mantel wireless (radio) which was run by a car battery. A sofa was under the window and a large extending table where nine of us sat for meals. Above the table was a lovely gilt (gold) lamp, which was run by kerosene. It had a lovely white glass canopy over flue and you could pull it up and down on the pulley. I used to love that lamp. There was an organ in this room too. Sometimes it was put in the boys' room to make more room. There was a large sideboard (drawers and doors with mirror) behind the back door and a kitchen cabinet opposite the fireplace. On this side was the kitchen through a door, a cupboard behind the door and opposite that was the wood stove which did all the cooking and seemed to be always going with a black kettle on top and a flat iron in the corner. A large table under the window served as a wide kitchen bench and a small sink in the corner where a running cold-water tap was. We never washed dishes in this sink as we had a deep tin dish and a tray for that. There were shelves in this little room; it was nice and cosy in the winter.
Going through the kitchen and down a step was the pantry where the milk separator was. This machine had a handle you would turn until all the milk was gone from the large stainless steel bowl, the cream coming out of one spout and the milk from the other. I can remember us getting a new one sometime. We would want to turn the handle but would soon get tired but had to get someone quickly because once the machine started it should not be stopped.
Opposite this was a large tin cupboard covering the whole wall. It had 4 large doors. Mum kept preserves and home made jams in the top shelves and sugar, flour and other bulk things in the bottom part. The idea of the tin cupboard was so that no mice could get in. I reckon one of the doors was accidentally left open one morning - perhaps many a time. Dad discovered some of the wooden shelving eaten away by mice so we were told, "The doors must not be left open". I can remember, as a girl, making sure I closed the doors after that by putting the hooks up. We had no cooling for butter, milk or meat. A Coolgardie safe hung on the back veranda and it was brought in at night through the little pantry door that went out to the veranda.
We had to always remember to pull the latch over to lock this door from the inside before we went out for any length of time.
Just outside this door at the end of the veranda was the water pump with a trough underneath. The water came from a well the other side of the wall and we kids used to head straight to it when we came home from school after a long hot walk. We were thirsty and the water was lovely and cold. We had a veranda nearly all around the house with dirt floor front and side and a wood floor at the back.
Brick paths led to the washhouse (laundry) where there was a copper surrounded by bricks in the corner with wash troughs under a small window and a tin bath. A large tall basket was behind the door for dirty washing and it was full many a time. I used to love to play in this basket when Mum was washing - it was taller than me. She would put me into it sometimes just for a bit of fun, put some washing on top of me then say "Where is Olive?" and up I would pop.
The brick path continued past the washhouse to a track. Over this track was the large wood heap under a big pine tree. Beyond that was the chook houses (fowl or chicken) and behind them was the cow shed where the cow was milked. Across all this was the large fruit shed or it seemed large to me as a child and behind the shed was the lavatory or closet as Mum used to call it. We had a long way to go to the toilet where squares of newspaper was the paper used. In this lavatory were a large seat and a small one. One for big people and one for small people.
Many a time a rooster from the chook house would bail us up on our way and we would run back inside and someone "big" would have to go with us smaller ones. As we got older we would make sure we had a stick with us and caught on we could go back to the house past the other side of the shed (the long way round). The large shed was the fruit packing shed and stored the truck. Later we had two trucks. The original one I remember was a wood frame and mostly wood cabin Chevrolet. The later one was bigger and was a red Bedford. I can remember my older brothers packing fruit in this shed, whistling away.
This especially applied to the eldest, Will.
Over the other side of the shed there were no walls. Fruit cases were stored here and this is where the swing was slung over the rafters. It was a chain swing and used to eat into the wood with all the swinging we three girls did. I spent many a happy time sitting on this swing singing away "How would you like to go up in the air, Up in the air so blue? Oh, I do think it’s a marvellous thing that any child can do."
Across from the swing, looking north was the boys' sleep-out - one room with two beds. A cosy place for the boys. Over from this was the big barn, two storeys high, The one up high was called a loft. When I was a child, I thought it was a big barn. The frame was covered by corrugated iron. It also had a corrugated iron roof. Some of it was rusty. In the middle was a door so high it covered the whole side of the middle of the building. When hay or chaff was bought, it was stored here along with fruit boxes and farm equipment. My youngest brother, Harry, made a real good cubby house in the loft and it was fun climbing up to it. He also had pigeons and once a hawk got in after his birds.
The north side of the barn was where the draught horses were kept, the mangers where their food was put and sometimes square blocks of salt. They would lick a hole in the middle of the block. I suppose in the summer when the horses would sweat and lose the salt from their system this replaced it. Those were the buildings around the house.
The clothes line was on another path from the back veranda across the track that went up to the road, opposite the fruit shed. As you can imagine a large line was needed. It was in fact two lines with props and grass underneath. Sometimes the calf was tethered on this grass to keep it down. Once it was too close to the washing and it ate a lovely blue blouse I bought just after I started work. I have a photo of the calf and me in my blue blouse and every time I see it, I think of that blooming calf eating my blouse. I can remember being quite upset about it.
There was a large gravel area in front of the shed for trucks turning etc.
From the house, if you looked south you could see the school and Doncaster Township in the distance. We were near the border of Doncaster and Templestowe to the north. Williamsons Road was about 1/4 mile up the track from the house. The gate had a large pine tree beside it and it was a lovely place to sit in the shade or shelter from the rain under that tree.
Our house was surrounded by orchards and some paddocks for cows and horses. Dad grew peaches, apricots (my favourite) pears, apples, cherries, lemons and plums.
Mum had gooseberries and figs around the side of the house near the well. Also in that area behind the woodheap and chook houses there was some maize (corn) grown and many a time we would play in these high green leaves. I can remember going and hiding there if I’d been naughty or had a job to do. I can hear Mum calling.
From the cowshed going east, the cow paddock was on the right and orchard on the left. Down a hill through a wire gate into a valley which was called "the flat" there was a paddock on the left and plum trees on the other side. Down in this flat was Ruffy’s Creek, which was quite a deep creek, not much water in the summer but lots in the winter. I can remember when we had a lot of rain and the flat where apples were growing was flooded when the creek overflowed. There was a bridge over the creek and on one occasion, part of it was washed away. On we would go up a very steep walk to the back hill as it was called, bushy paddock on left then cherries and I think peaches at the back.
In our courting days on weekends, Ken and I would go and "look after the cherries" shooing away birds that came and ate the fruit. Harry and his girl June, would take a turn too. The blue jays would have a feed and we would watch them in the bushy paddock where there were some tall trees. Dad had a shot gun to frighten them away and I remember we had an old car horn that was pushed in and out. What a terrible sound came out but it certainly kept the birds away. Sometimes two legged thieves without wings would come and pinch cherries too.
Opposite the track on the right was another bushy paddock where many a day was spent in the springtime gathering wild flowers. Early Nancy’s, wild green orchids and many others. Lovely maiden hair fern grew in the very shady spots near the trees.
In my working days, I would gather the maidenhair and take a bunch on the Monday to the florist where I worked. I think I got 2/- (20c) for it
We walked all over the orchard taking lunch as it was called (morning and afternoon tea). I suppose Mum or the eldest girl, Betty, would do this but in school holidays, it was the younger ones job even if it was up the back hill, which was pretty steep.
Looking back, it was a good place to spend a childhood.
Maybe 1940. Dad. Will. Olive.
Dad with Flower and Ginger
Will on Petty Plough. Dad with reins of horses pulling plough.
Back hill orchard and flat.
Doncaster Township
Doncaster is 16 KM (10 miles) from Melbourne and was a primary producing area mainly orchards. People from the suburbs used to come out to see the blossoms in the spring - lovely pinks and whites. It was quite a picture.
As we went up Williamsons Road past Manningham Road to Main Road (Doncaster Road) Whites Corner was there. It was a two-storey building. I believe there was a ballroom upstairs. Being on the corner it faced both Williamsons Road and Main Road.
It was a landmark of Doncaster in those days, with its red brick construction and high veranda roof it was a place to shelter. In those days, it was a grocery and grain store. Mr. Len Crawley was the storekeeper. He was a nice chap. Beside the grocery store was the grain store where a ramp led to the stored bags of various grain. When Dad bought wheat etc. we used to put hand-fulls of bran or pollard into our mouths to chew. We loved it. My mother in her early years worked in this building as a housemaid. She told the story of being down on her hands and knees washing the floors and Mrs. Beer called to her "Bessie don’t wring out the floor cloth so much. You will wear them out."
Down from Whites Corner was a horse trough. It was a long concrete one. Beside it was a "bubbler" (a type of tap) where we could have a cool drink before our walk home from school. Further on we came to Mr. Lauer, the baker. In his shop at the front biscuits and bread were made. Bread was home delivered in those days. Next to that was the butcher shop. Sawdust was spread on the floor so that meat that was dropped could not be sold as it was covered in sawdust. The next place was the local garage (service station) where Dad bought his petrol. Then on to the West Doncaster Cool Store to which Dad took some of his fruit for storage until selling time. I believe the first street light in the district was lit from the generator of this Cool Store. Past the Store was the Blacksmith. Dad used his services for having new points on the plough shears and any other repair work done.
From Whites Corner up the hill the next shop was Mr. Thomas. He was the grocer. This building used to be a hotel and now had a shop built on half the front. Near this was a very high tower. People would come to Box Hill on the train and then the first electrical train in Australia to go to the tower. This was all before my time.
Opposite Mr. Thomas was the Police Station. Mr. Doherty was the Policeman. Dad used to take the old Chev truck to have the registration sticker put on and I remember Mr. Doherty telling Mavis and me that they put kids in jail, if they took the stickers off their father's trucks.
Further on is Doncaster State School No. 197 where I started school in 1938. Opposite the school is the Doncaster Church of Christ, a brick building with a timber hall at the back. A cement sheeting building housed the Sunday School Kindergarten.
Further up the road was the E.S. & A. (English, Scottish and Australian) Bank. Beside the Bank was the Church manse. Across the road from that building was the Doncaster Post Office. This building had two doors. You used one if you were posting letters, newspapers etc. The other door was the entrance used for lollies, school exercise books and pencils. Marj Affleck used to make nice ice blocks in the summer.. Our paper was delivered with the mail, tied with string to keep them together. Another room in this building had been used for the purposes of dentist, barber and later a Solicitor's office.
Next to the Manse was Schramms Cottage, a solid stone building. (I only went into it once.) Max Von Schramm had a school in this building and that was the school my father attended. The German people helped to pioneer the fruit growing in the district.
Going East past paddocks we come to the next shop which was Mr. & Mrs. Mitchell's. They had groceries, haberdashery fruit and vegetables. When I think back, Mum had to walk a long way to get a few oranges for us when we were sick.
Halfway up, back on the Post Office side, we were to have our very first milk bar in Doncaster run by Alan Reid who also had a taxi service.
Down the hill was Church Road and that is where the back of Dad's orchards finished to the north. Past this road was the Athenaeum Hall where social gatherings were held. On the same side but further down was a house our Auntie May (Dad's sister) owned. This was the house we moved to when I was 15. Past the house was the Doncaster Hotel and opposite was Sleeths the Blacksmith.
That was the township of Doncaster in my growing up years.
The red brick store - "White's Corner"
E.S.& A. Bank, Doncaster, now demolished.
Von Schramm's cottage in it's original position in Doncaster Road.
Our first milk bar.
Our new home.
On road east towards Church road. Reids our first milk bar.
Athenaeum Hall, Doncaster
Shire Hall. School.
Early Memories
My earliest memory would be sitting on my mother’s knee cuddling into her warm breast with her arms around me. I can remember sitting on my father’s knee too after meal times. Other things I remember - lying in my cot. I must have been toilet trained but I was wetting my bed. Another time I was not settling down and Dad came in and pulled up my nightie giving my bare bottom a smack.
As I grew older, I learned to make daisy chains with dandelion daisy-weed and one day sat in the sun too long and got sun-stroke and was very sick. I remember going about bare footed and treading on a rusty nail that was sticking out from a piece of wood. Mum was very upset and I had to go to the doctor for a tetanus needle. I had that scar on my foot for years.
Dad used to give me a ride on the horses after their day’s work around to the stables. I can remember taking a pannikin (enamel mug) down to the cow shed. Dad or one of the boys (whoever was milking) would milk into the mug and we would have lovely warm frothy milk straight from the cow. Sometimes the cat would get a squirt too. Our cow was called "Cherry”. She was dark coloured and the other one was a jersey, fawn colour but no one can remember the name for her.
Our horses were called "Ginger” and "Flower". They were draught horses to pull the plough and carts.
Our dog was "Laddie”. He followed the truck to Box Hill and one of the boys bundled him into the back of the truck and brought him home. He adopted the family and I believe he loved to sleep in the shade under the pram when Mum put it out in the yard.
We loved Laddie. He was my favourite of the dogs. When it was hot he would walk under the horses for shade. When he was getting old he was too slow one day and the horse trod on him and he died. We were not told for a couple of days. When we said "We haven't seen Laddie for a while” Mum had to tell us he was dead. Mavis and I cried so much. We really loved that dog.
Mum told us the story of how one Saturday night late, she was listening to the wireless (radio) and the song "This is a lovely way to spend an evening" came on. Laddie was lying at her feet and he got up and muzzled his nose on her lap as if he knew what the song was. She was so taken by this. We think Laddie may have belonged to a drover and became lost when sheep had come through Doncaster.
We had a kelpie called "Shep” and a black and white cocker spaniel called "Rex”. He was a lovely little dog.
These two dogs belonged to the boys. We always had cats and Mavis and I would dress them in doll's clothes and nurse them.
On Saturday nights we had our baths out in the washhouse (laundry), the hot water heated in the copper. After our bath, we were carried up the path to the house. Dad would dry us and dress us in night clothes then brush our long hair nearly dry and then Mum would put our hair in strips of rag and make-sausage curls. These were not comfortable to sleep in but our hair always looked nice for Sunday School the next day.
I don't know how old I was when I decided to give Mavis a shower (a novelty to us). While she was sitting in the bath I scooped up some hot water from the copper and poured it over her. She screamed. Mum came running out to ask what had happened. I told Mum I was giving Mavis a shower. She realized Mavis was burning from the hot water, bundled her up and took her into the house and patted rolled oats on her back.
I can remember crying too and being upset because I'd hurt my little sister. Later Mum explained that the hot water burnt the skin. I remember sobbing over that. Sometimes after we went to bed a car or truck would come down the track, its lights showing on the wall. As the vehicle came closer, the lights moved along the wall and we called this our picture show. We had great imaginations. We would hop out of bed to see who it was.
At the end of the passage where the bedrooms were, there was a door with glass panelled top half. It had a purple square in each of the four corners and red on each of the four sides. The centre panel was white smoked glass. We used to peep through the red or purple panels to see who the visitors were. At times, someone would see our eyes in the glass and we were shooed back to bed. If there was no school the next day we would occasionally be allowed to stay up.
We played snakes and ladders, Chinese checkers and another game which entailed blowing ping pong balls (table tennis balls) around the big table. If someone gave a big puff if could go off the table and into the fire in wintertime. We made our own fun.
The old long chair we sat on for family photos was used for snail races. We also painted the house with water. That kept us amused for a good long time. At other times we would make tracks around the gravel area in front of the packing shed. This was done with the soft and the straw brooms until Mum came and took them from us because we were wearing them out. It was fun. The packing shed had a sliding door and in later years we hit a tennis ball on it. We also had a bobs set and enjoyed many games on the big table. We made telephones with empty tins and string. Stirrups could also be made with those same things.
In the summer, we found all kinds of things to do. The cow paddock ran down hill toward the flat (valley). We gathered very dry cow pats (manure the cows had dropped which formed a flat wheel shape). We carried them up the hill then rolled them down watching them until they got smaller and .smaller and finally dropped.
We had three dams on the property and we could, swim in these. My last swim was when I was about fourteen and a yabbie bit my toe. I never went swimming in a dam again.
The dam near the track was a wonderful place to catch yabbies. Harry would make little jetties out into the water to get to the deeper water. We put a piece of worm or anything a yabbie might like to eat, on the end of some string and threw it in hoping the yabbie would bite. We would see the long feelers come to the surface, have a tin ready, grab the feelers, pull the yabbie out and plonk it in the tin. If we were lucky the feeler did not break. We took our catch home and cooked them whole and the boys would cut the tails off which were the edible part. I never did like eating yabbie but had lots of fun catching them.
When we were very small and learning to talk someone must have said, "Don’t go in the darm (dam)" when we went past in the truck. In later years, it became a joke. Every time we came up to the dam, whoever was driving, Dad or the boys (especially Will the eldest) would call out "Don’t go in. the darm". The steering wheel was then turned to pretend to go into the dam. Sometimes we two younger ones would say it first. It is something that stuck in my memory.
In autumn, we would walk for miles gathering mushrooms in our own paddocks and also the paddocks of the dairy farm next door. I could never eat mushrooms when I was a child but I loved gathering them. When we found a lot in a circle, this was called a fairy ring.
One day Dad and the older boys were cleaning out the barn and came across some baby pink mice (or they could have been rats). I remember pleading with Dad "Can’t we keep them as pets?" He had to explain all the damage they would do to horse, cow and chook food.
Another barn story: Dad used to get bags of chaff (finely cut hay) sent by train to Box Hill. After having my memory jogged, I do remember it. I think two or three trips were needed to pick it up from the railway yards. They were putting the bags of chaff away in the loft of the barn and Betty, Mavis and I were playing underneath. Mum called us all in for lunch and while we were inside there was a loud banging. We went out and discovered the weight of the bags had caused the loft to collapse. It was as well we had left the scene as we could all have been hurt. Inspection revealed that borers had eaten the wood. These are small termites that eat into wood and turn it to powder.
Another story I'm told - Edwin lost a golf ball in a neighbouring paddock and couldn't find it. He set fire to the grass but the fire got away causing some alarm. The golf ball was found in an imprint hoof mark of a cow or horse
We had a horse trough in the yard near the clothes line. It was half a big barrel and was always kept full as without water the wood would shrink and let the water out. A pipe from the dam went up and over this trough. Mum used to let us have a dip in this in the hot summer weather and in the winter it would be frozen over. All the puddles up the track froze too and it was fun cracking the ice with our boots on the way to school. We made our own activities and play.
Harry and his mate Lal from down the lane, played with their toy cars. I played with them too either around the side dirt floored veranda or under the pine trees at Lal's place. They made real good tracks for their cars. I was to be Harry's wife but I kept calling him my wife. I remember him turning to me quite angrily. "I'm not your wife I'm your husband". I just couldn't seem to catch on. I suppose I would have been about four at the time.
The older boys had a paper called "Smiths Weekly". We younger ones liked to look at it too and we used to look at "Bluey and Curly" comic strip in the papers. Sometimes Mum would cut one out and send it to the boys away at the war.
I have many happy memories of life when a child.
On camping trip. North Victoria.
Camping on Chev truck somewhere in Victoria
Edwin and Reg with hen and chicks
Ginger, Flower and Uncle Arch's horse. Orchard in background.
Dad on his way with empty boxes to fill with fruit orchard and part of sleepout.
The War Years
The Second World War started in 1939. I had been at school for 1 year. The first part of the war was the Commonwealth against Germany and their allies. Later in 1941, Japan entered the war and bombed Pearl Harbour. I have often thought "what if they had bombed somewhere in Australia instead”.
My two eldest brothers joined up in 1942. Will went into the Army and Reg into the Air Force. I remember quite a lot about the war years. Air Raid shelters were dug at the right hand corner of the school yards in a zig-zag pattern. They were quite long. We would have air raid practice at odd times. There was always collection of aluminium and scrap rubber for making planes. During the war there was rationing and every member of the family living at home had a ration book with coupons about the size of a small stamp, which were cut out with scissors.
Men’s trousers would be 10 coupons and ladies were twelve coupons; boys lined shorts were 7 and a girl’s dress was 9 or 10 coupons plus the cost of these items. Lots of improvisation was made. I remember my mother turning a skirt inside out and re-sewing it. Adult’s clothes were cut down to make clothes for children. Each ration book had 112 clothing coupons. Later these coupons were also used for buying sheets, pillowcases, towels and tea towels, etc.
Ration books were used for food too. Meat was 3/4 lb to 2 lb for 1 coupon. Butter, sugar, tea and most food was rationed. We were fortunate as we had our own cow so milk, cream and butter was home grown. Mum used to give some butter coupons away to the Church folk. My brothers had ferrets and went rabbiting for meat sometimes. Rationing started in 1943.
Dad was a Warden in the A.R.P. (Air Raid Precautions) and I remember being taken to an air raid practice. The older children in school were used as casualties. I remember someone laughing and an ARP man told him off and said, "This is serious business”. We had to have blackouts so that not a speck of light would show from windows. Dad used to have to go and check. We also had someone come and check our house and said a chink of light was coming through. We used large grey blankets for this purpose. Our light was kerosene lamps or candles so our lights were not as bright as electric ones.
The truck also had special fittings on the lights to make a slit of light that didn't shine too much. Lots of cars and trucks had gas producers to make them go because petrol was rationed too. We only used the truck when it was really necessary. We did a lot of walking in those days.
Mum used to take us into the Community Singing at Melbourne Town Hall in the school holidays. I can remember the Town Hall with sandbags up the walls. We used to go to the Times Theatrette or the Century and see the Newsreels of the war. The programme was repeated every hour. Coming home on the train, we saw the Melbourne Cricket Ground that was taken over by the American Army.
At home, Harry decided to dig an air raid shelter in the cow paddock near the cow shed. It was about 3 yards by l ?yards. He got it about 18 inches deep and gave the job up as it was too hard. When we had the next lot of rain it filled up and made a beaut pond for the ducks. They loved it.
The Mothers Clubs at the schools knitted socks and balaclavas (woollen head and neck covering with only the face showing) for servicemen and there was often a concert for the "Comforts Fund". I remember Mavis and I singing with Eunice Tully "When the moon comes over the mountain" Eunice's father used to play the piano for these concerts and dances that were held as well. Alan Williamson used to play his accordion too.
When Darwin was bombed in February 1942, 200 people were killed. I can remember Mum and Dad's concern. I can remember sitting on Harry's bed, facing north, expecting to see Japanese planes coming over the Templestowe hill. They were very-worrying times for parents of boys away at war. I know mine were concerned.
One day Mum got a telegram to say Reg was coming home on leave. This was before he went to New Guinea. We had just had a delivery of bales of grass hay and Harry had helped Mavis and I to make steps up to the barn roof. I can remember climbing up to the top as far as I could and sang, "There's a boy coming home on leave". I knew every word in those days.
I could see right up to the big pine tree at the gate. I climbed up quite often that day and the next and at last saw him coming down the track with his kit bag over his shoulder. We ran up to meet him. Our big brother was home for a while. We knew all the war songs. We could buy "Songster Books" (which was a small pocket size book) for 3d and we girls would sing even in school breaks; "Wish me luck", "Till we meet again" and many others. We were never allowed to sing, "Roll out the barrel"
We used to watch the Army practicing up at the dairy paddock beside our back hill orchard sometimes. One of our Church girls, who was in the land Army, was married to a Pilot. I was enthralled by this lovely wedding of Nancy and Bob Wake. I was later to look after their children when I was in my teens and we moved up to the Main Road opposite where they lived.
A year before the war finished my eldest brother was discharged from the army. He had been stationed at Charters Towers and Cairns in Queensland. Dad had health problems and couldn't manage the orchard with the younger sons. Will came home and he did the marketing (selling) of the fruit too.
At school our exercise books would he decorated with the Morse Code of ...— which was "V for Victory”. I also made a project of General McArthur.
We had Friday night shopping on those days' and we used to go to Box Hill. There were search lights going on the plantations between the one way traffic roads and we were told not to look into the search lights or it would affect our eyes. They were very large torch like lights that sent a shaft of light up into the sky. They were used to look for planes in the sky.
I can remember going to the Anzac Services that were held in the Athenaeum Hall and singing “O God our help in ages past, Our help in years to come.” It was a solemn service and I used to gather up programmes afterwards. Whenever that hymn is sung, I remember those times
One day there was an Army convoy went past the school. It lasted all day. Hundreds of Army trucks etc. One of the Salvation Army boys Dad used to have to help on the orchard (who kept in touch), George Christie, went down with H.M.A.S. Perth. I had a cousin Cliff Crouch who was a prisoner of war with the Germans and his sister Ruth’s husband Ernie, was a prisoner of war with the Japanese at Changi. They both survived.
On August 15th 1945, after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima the war ended and Prime Minister Ben Chifley announced it and we were given the rest of the day off from school to go home. I remember there was plenty of shouting going on.
That night Dad took us to Melbourne for the celebrations We parked the old Chev truck in grounds of the Wesley Church in Lonsdale Street and walked the back way. We stood on the steps of St. Pauls Cathedral in Flinders Street and watched the crowd. Hundreds or thousands of people. A mass of heads swaying on the road at the corner of Flinders and Swanson Streets. There was singing and clapping but it was quite scary. All those people. Dad made sure we all kept together. Our brother Reg will come home now and we will be a whole family again.
1944
This is what will came home to do. A case of peaches.
Cart load of fruit, Dad, Harry, Edwin and Will
In the 50's 1954. Background the old Chev truck still going. Reg, Mavis and Betty with my son, John?
New tractor. No rubber wheels. Rubber needed for war.
School Days
I started school in 1938 with the walk through the lane. We walked on the borders of 16 different orchards. They belonged to Reg Morrison, Albert Miller, Ted Petty, Everard Thiele, Arthur Taylor, Cliff and Keith Whitten on our left and Bob Williamson, Harry Clay, Tom Tully, Dave Tully, Cliff Tully, Jack Clay, Harry Serpell, Don Petty, Richard Serpell and another Whitten orchard on our right.
We could see our house from the school and I used to point out the roof of 3 gables to any new friends. I did not enjoy my first few weeks of school. I was left handed and made to write with my right hand. My teacher was Miss Scott and that is what she was - Miss Scotty. She would rap my knuckles with a ruler, making me put the pencil into the other hand, as she bent over me, I could see she had whiskers on her-chin. Sometimes I got quite upset when it was time to go to school. When Mum got to know about this she went up and spoke to her. I suppose one of the older girls may have seen it happening and took me under her wing and was so nice to me and looked after me. She was Janet Gedye. I thought she was lovely and decided at that time that if when I grew up I had a baby girl I would call her "Janet" and that is what I did. My dolls I called Janet too. I used to go to school with sister Betty, brother Harry and his mate from down the lane.
The school yard had a big oak tree and seats around the trunk. We had lunch there. The shelter shed was in the middle where one side was for girls and the other side for the boys. An invisible line was down the middle of the yard. To the left, around the corner past the "girls", there was the school swimming pool, which had been built quite a few years earlier. My Dad and other men on the School Committee helped to scoop out soil with the horses pulling the big scoop with 2 handles. It would have been a big job and the orchardists were always busy with their own work too. Not many schools had their own pool. Every Saturday afternoon in summer, the pool was open and men from the School Committee were there on a roster system to watch over the children. Dad took his turn doing this.
Our school rooms had more than one grade, in them. In the corner was a fire place which was always lit in winter. The boys on the monitor roster had to make sure there was wood ready and also coke (blown up coal) was not damp and ready for the fire. I think the older boys lit the fire. After my first year at school another teacher came, Miss Temple. She was lovely and so different to Miss Scott. The things I remember about Miss Temple are that she wore crystal beads that shone in the sun; she played a brisk marching song on the piano as we marched into school
She kept a box of little goodies, pencils, rubbers, pencil sharpeners and all kinds of small items. When someone had a birthday, she would take them to the cupboard and open the box for them to choose a little gift. My birthday was at the end of the year and I thought "hope there is something left for my birthday". There was and I was so happy with what I got from the birthday box. I loved Miss Temple. Next to my Mum she was my favourite lady.
I have been reminded of things happening. How Mrs. Kent’s (Lal's Mum) geese chased us. The rooster did this too as we walked past her house. Another time the three of us were in a paddock and a bull chased us. As we scrambled under the fence, the bull came up and stopped. It was only a piece of wire and that powerful bull could have gone through, but he stopped.
Sometimes we went the long way home around the road. I reckon it was three times as far. We would poke around in the big rubbish bin at the back of White's store and would find bits of rubbers, pencils and some lovely paper. Lots of treasures that were being thrown away.
One day Harry, Lal and I were looking in that treasure store and found lots of lollies and chocolates that had been thrown away. What a find. We ate up big and stuffed our pockets, eating all the way home. We didn't usually get many lollies. Harry and I were very sick that night and Mum sent word to Kents to say we would not be going to school. Mrs. Kent sent word back that Lal was sick all night too. So it came out - the cause of the sickness.
Another time walking home the long way the boys picked the berries from the bushes at Williamsons place and threw them at the back of passing cars. We nearly always missed but one day made a hit. The man got out of the car and asked "'Who threw that?" and Lal said "He did" and pointed to Harry. Harry stood there wetting his pants. "Come to the car" said the man. Harry got into the car and they drove off. Lal grabbed my hand and we ran off through a paddock. 'When we came out to the road again we saw Harry waiting for us at the big pine tree at the gate.
That night I had a dream that a policeman was at the door to take Harry to jail for throwing the berry at the man's car and Mum was pleading with him for Harry to take his teddy bear outfit to jail to keep him warm. The Policeman said "No" and I was pleading with him too. It is one childhood dream I remember.
Harry tells me a story of him being chased by a dog and he had to climb a tree and I had to go home and tell them.
In 1940, we had new neighbours come to live in Williamsons Road. We watched the lovely brick home being built. It had a veranda around two sides and steps up to the front door. The Smiths came to live there.
They had a son and a daughter, Margaret. Margaret went to school at Box Hill and we met her each day at White’s Corner as she came from the bus. We would walk home together. Quite a few times her father came along and we got a ride home. On a hot day, Margaret would take us into her house and her mother gave us a cool drink from her refrigerator. The house was beautiful so different from ours. I was later to work with Margaret in the flower shop.
Soon my youngest sister Mavis started school and Betty finished her schooling. We were three again. The lane got overgrown a bit and we began walking home the long way. If we were running late, we would use the lane.
As time went on we acquired bikes. It was lovely. Whenever we had a puncture, it was Edwin who came to the rescue and mended it. We found a great difference having bikes. We would be home from school in no time.
By the time I went to the higher classes we had a new Head Master, Mr. Lloyd-Smith. His Christian name was Percy and it suited him. He was a nice fellow. The lesson would begin as an arithmetic (maths) lesson and once ended up with us learning how to make a pot of tea. Another time he explained to us that if we were running late and in a hurry we should not run all the way as we would soon get tired. It was better to walk twenty paces and jog twenty paces and we would get there and not feel tired. I have practiced this ever since over the years and he was right. Another thing he taught the boys was to put some kerosene on top of the dam and it would stop the mosquitoes breeding. I knew people who did this with their water tanks.
Harry tells the story that Friday was gardening day. They needed a wheelbarrow so Mr. Lloyd-Smith needed two responsible boys to go to his home to fetch one. He sent Harry and Lawrence Gedye to Balwyn to get his wheelbarrow. They caught two buses and a tram to get there but could not bring the wheelbarrow back that way. There was nothing for it but to walk and push the barrow. They took it in turns back to Doncaster that is a long way to wheel a barrow and walk.
Mr. Lloyd-Smith used to illustrate his lessons. He, with the help of the boys built a large map of Australia in the ground on the west side of the school building. It was about 3 metres by 2 metres (to-day’s measurements). A wonderful piece of work. It was made to scale with the mountains such as The Great Dividing Range and coastal hills of Queensland too. It was a great asset to our learning about our own country. He would have us all standing around it and talking about it. It was a great geography lesson.
This big map of Australia was still there when I left school and I can remember going back to see it later and it was full of weeds. Mr. Lloyd-Smith was not there anymore.
There was a swagman who visited the Federal Park to live sometimes. The park was below the school. We were told to keep away from him but the boys went down to talk to him at lunch times. His name was Charlie Rankin.
In another one of Harry’s stories, the teacher asked if any of the children knew where he could get a long stick. Harry put up his hand and said he could get one for him. Next day Harry turned up with the long stick not knowing what it was going to be used for. He got a bit of a surprise ------- it was for the boys up the back who were not paying attention. The long stick would reach them and the teacher would slam the stick on their desks. Harry must have felt a bit of a dill. He would not have been so keen to help Mr. Sheridan if he had known why the stick was needed.
In the cherry picking season, quite a few of the children would bring cherries to eat, keeping the pips. The pips were then put under the seats and when everyone sat down there would be crack, crack going around the room with lots of giggles. Sometimes I had a hand in this activity. Most times the teacher would ignore it. She could have been Miss Temple.
Sometimes we would be in class or at playtime and a flock of sheep would go past the school, the drovers on horse-back and a wagon with all their belongings in it. When they had gone all the little "black pebbles" were left behind. The boys gathered these and wrapped them up and offered them as lollies.
We had school sports competing with other schools. Practice started for this about six weeks before the event. I was in a few races, running and relay. Dad, with other fathers on the Committee took truckloads of children to Ringwood where it was held every year. Our school colours were brown and gold so we had brown and yellow crepe paper streamers. Ringwood always won because they practiced all year. I had cousins who went to the Ringwood School.
After the war, we had some visitors at the school. The people of Doncaster, Yorkshire, England wanted to know about Doncaster, Victoria, Australia. Photos were taken around the school etc. I always played football with the boys but this day Mr. Lloyd-Smith asked me to get on the girl's side of the playground, as it would look odd if one girl was playing on the boy's side.
I had my photo taken near the school building. I was near the gate with my bike. The photo was in the Doncaster, Yorkshire newspaper. A pen friend sent it to me. It was not a good photo a bit of a blur really.
Mavis had her photo taken too. She was sitting at her desk writing. We both still have the photos. By this time, Harry had moved to Mont Albert Central School. Soon it was time for Mavis and I to move on too.
I loved school but couldn't have been a good student. I loved history, geography, reading, and writing but I wasn't much good at arithmetic so I stayed down a couple of times. Mavis caught up to me and we started secondary school together at East Camberwell„ We had to ride our bikes to White's Corner, put them behind the tin fence and catch a bus to Box Hill and then a train to East Camberwell. After that, we had quite a long walk. This meant an early morning start for us.
Because I was older than the first year girls I was put in with the second year girls and was there for two days with all the work beyond me. One of the women in the office was Alma McGahy, who came from Doncaster. She had been to our school too. Mum got someone to take her and me to Alma's place and explained I was in the wrong class and could she help in this situation. It was such a relief to be in a class where I could understand the work.
That same week we were standing in a queue for our sewing boxes as Miss Carpenter (a short little lady) handed them out. As she gave the box to each student, she would step back to let the girl go on. When it was my turn she didn't step back so I trod on her foot didn't I? She got very angry and made me stand at the wall. I stood there all through morning recess and most of lunchtime. By that time, I was nearly bursting and I was hungry too. Another teacher came and asked me why I was there. I explained to her and she told me to go and have my lunch as she thought Miss Carpenter had forgotten all about me.
I didn't have a very good start at that school. I was to be there for nearly a year. I loved my school days and learned a lot in that year. I have got on all right since then even if I wasn't good with maths and algebra.
My school days were nearly over.
State Doncaster School 197 - 1938 Grades to IV. Betty fifth in third row. Olve second in third row,
On our way to school down lane. Doncaster school on hill in background. Also Kents house. Harry, Mavis & Olive.
This photo in Doncaster Yorks?. Eng. Newspaper.
Classroom
Digging the swimming pool. From left to right: Cyril Smith (partly hidden), Herb Petty, Stan Crouch, Wattie Tully. The horses on the right were Nellie and Lion.
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