One Anzac Day we left Berrima in the 28 model Buick which dad owns to go to the ANZAC service at Moss Vale. Running late he had the foot down doing at least 20 mph when near the Moss Vale cemetery the complete recap came off one of the tyres and raced off down the road ahead of us for several hundred yards. Dad jumped out looked at the wheel and said we’d make it on the canvas so we jumped in and made it to the service on time. As the roads were all gravel I’m afraid we didn’t make it home.
I remember going with dad to meet a Mr Bradbury who lived on the old road to Berrima, the straight diversion had not been built. This road ran from the sale yards straight uphill and joins at straight diversion. Mr Bradbury was the late Horace Reynolds father-in-law and it was his 100th birthday. A white haired sprightly man I was somewhat in awe of him as a little 9 year old.
In the Buick I can faintly remember driving to Sydney. Stopping at Yerrinbool to watch a steam train go over the road is all I can remember of the actual trip but we went to see my grandmother at Petersham. A small lady sitting in a high back chair is all I can remember of her as she passed away shortly after that visit in 1932. We also visited the site of the harbour bridge just before the final piece was placed in the arch.
Dad was a very good singer and sung in the choir at Berrima. I started to attend Sunday school age 4 years in the hall still standing in the church grounds. Church was held at 2 pm and mum with a two or three ladies and kids in tow would walk down to attend the service. It was a treat afternoon as we would be bought a one penny cone ice cream on the way home. Reverend Perkins was in charge.
Dad used to drive an old truck belonging to the SPC out to Wildes Meadow – Burrawang to buy, collect or cadge vegetables for the soup kitchen which ran in the little hut at SPC to help people during the depression. During depression large numbers of people camped on the flat ground at the bridge in Berrima. The old wooden bridge ran alongside the present structure. These people walked or rode around the country looking for work often travelling in covered wagons drawn by horses. They made all types of trinkets or performed at any work offered.
In 1932 I was hospitalised in the old infectious disease ward at Bowral with a severe bout of Diphtheria. After a month and I don’t know how many swabs of the throat they decided to take the tonsils out. There were a number of cases at the time.
Also on a Saturday morning of that year we had to take mum to Bowral hospital with septic poisoning of her right arm. After several operations on her arm they amputated her thumb which apparently did the trick as she recovered quickly after that and we kids were glad to see her home again.
On our way to Bowral an aeroplane passed over which we were to lead to believe was the Southern Cross which was lost in the snowy Mountains on that day and remains not found until 30 years later. [this may have been the Southern Cloud, the same type of plane as the southern Cross which crashed in the Snowy Mountains on 21 March 1931 and wasn’t found until 26 October 1958 one article is here ]
About this time we also had a telephone installed in our house, a huge cumbersome wooden box which hung on the wall and a hand-piece like a miniature church bell. Also a Mr Charlie Smith who was working as a carrier for SPC obtained one of the first wireless radios in the area. I can remember quite a number of us sitting on the back veranda listening to an Australia versus England test match. Hammond had really torn Australia to pieces 200 odd and for last over of the day when they tossed Don Bradman the ball and with a full toss he cleaned bowled him with his first ball.[Wally Hammond (England), 84 bowled by Bradman (3rd Test 1932/33 Series).]
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