Jean West (1912-2009)
(by mums own hand, found in the back of a diary after her death)
I was born at Casino, N.S.W. on 26 November, 1912 to parents Centenial Edward and Bernice Maud Robinson (nee Latimore). I had two older sisters Violet May and Edna, who died at birth. The family moved to Rosebank when I was three and younger sister Leila Merle was one year old. When I was four we moved to Dunoon where dad got a job as head grocer at the only store in the village. He loved farming and soon got tired of shop work and we moved to share farming down Rawards Lane at Dunoon.
Vi had started school at Rosebank and the nearest school to the farm was at Whian Whian about 4 miles away. Dad bought a little white Shetland pony we called Tommy and although I was only four and a half I had to start school and had to ride with Vi each morning on Tommy to keep her company. Leila didn't start school until she was 6 and for awhile the three of us rode to school on Tommy. Every morning we had to ride up a steep hill from the house and sometimes Leila would slide off the back over Tommy's tail. Later on dad let Vi ride Brownie our sulky horse.
The nearest big town was Lismore and we used to drive in there in the sulky, would take about two and a half hours, dad, mum and Vi sitting on the seat in the front and Leila and I curled up on the floor, it was a very rough ride. Cars were starting to appear at this time and when we heard a car coming mum and dad would have to hop out and if it was coming towards us they would turn Brownie and the sulky around the opposite way so she couldn't see it otherwise she bucked and could have tipped the sulky over.
After Allan was born when I was 8 years old we went back to Dunoon to live and dad got his old job back in the store but we still rode to Whian Whian school. We stayed in Dunoon until I was about 11 then lived in South Lismore. Bruce was born while we lived at Alstonville for awhile and then we eventually moved there and I finished my schooling.
Dad worked for awhile as head grocer at Haynes store and then bought a Model T Ford truck and started a carrying business and mum opened a produce and small goods store. We lived at Alstonville until I was 15 but dad was still hankering for the farming life so we moved to Mullumbimby. It was a hard life, had to ride to school or if mum and dad decided to go we would go in the cart.
When I was 17 we moved to Doroughby on to Keith's father's farm near their big home. A hard life there too, Leila and Allan were going to school there so I helped dad on the farm driving the tractor and planting sweet potatoes or when that didn't need doing I was kitchen maid and Vi did the inside work, made the beds and swept out and when that was done she was finished for the day until milking time whereas I cooked and washed up and got meals until milking time.
Keith's father died in 1931. Keith and I had started going together after he was best man and I was bridesmaid at Vi's wedding the previous February. Dad had a double hernia so Keith helped out on our farm while dad was sick. We were married in 1932 and moved out onto Keith's father's farm at Whian Whian in July, 1932 but butter was only sixpence a pound so we put our herd of cows with dad's at Doroughby and sold the Whian Whian farm.
We started a bus run from the Channon to Lismore again it was a struggle with bad roads and in wet weather the bus would often get bogged going down hills and farmers nearby would have to bring their big draught horses along to help pull it out. The business was just starting to profit when war broke out, June was five and Warren two. Keith had joined the militia two years before, going to Lismore on the back of the school teacher's bike, Ron Dark who is now a doctor living in Toowoomba.
When war broke out Keith knew he would be conscripted so had to put the bus and business up for sale. We still owed 200 pound on the bus and Keith wanted to sell it before he was conscripted so he could join the army as a volunteer so had to sell it for 475 pound. The buyer kept it for one year and sold it for 3,000 pound.
I couldn't afford the fifteen shillings a week rent on the house we were living in on the soldier's pay so had to move into a little old unpainted house with no locks for seven shillings and sixpence a week rent. A soldier's wife's pay was only two pound sixteen shillings a week so I started sewing to make a bit extra. Keith was posted overseas to the Middle East in 1941 and in November of that year dad became ill and went to hospital. I had a lot of frocks to make for the Lismore show and I sewed till after midnight most nights to finish these for the show.
Wedding Day - 23 July, 1932 |
Married in the Dunoon Presbyterian Church |
Jean, Keith, June and Warren c.1939 |
Back Row: Leila's first husband, Bruce, Duncan Next Row: Leila, Grandma, Vi Next Row: Dot, Allan, Mum (Jean), Dad (Keith) Bottom Row: June, Heather, Warren 3 kids on left: John (top), Ross, Ken |
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