Stories

Midyear 1934 we moved from New Berrima to the two story home dad and mum purchased in Browley Street, Moss Vale. It was huge compared to the one we left with 1 acre of grounds on the main block and a further 60′ x 390’ block adjoining the school which was later sold to the school system. I attended school for four months and I really hated it – too large, individual class teachers and not the camaraderie of Berrima and we had to wear shoes. I think I missed more school in those three or four months than in the whole time of attending Berrima.  

Mr Stanley Allan was the headmaster, a small very highly strung man. He had a beautiful garden around the main school building and a huge vegetable plot which was maintained and worked by the children. He had a nervous breakdown, left the teaching and became an accountant and died aged 84.

Pop Allan, as we all knew him, had a great love flowers but would never let anyone, not even his wife or daughter, pick them however, mum who also had a great love the garden and flowers used to give him plenty of advice about the garden and she was the only person allowed by him to pick the flowers in the garden.

Our dividing fence with the school had a gate in the palings and until well into the war years of 1939 to 1945 mum conducted at tuck shop for the kids at school. One penny each for pies, sausage rolls and lamingtons and two pennies for a cream horn. We used to coat the lamingtons and fill the cream horns every night after tea. Mum built up a quite a connection with outside folks and it was quite profitable but a lot of hard work.

Christmas was a time of celebration although money was very scarce. Christmas morning we would all get up and have breakfast help with the washing up, make the beds and when things were spick and span we would all lineup out in the yard, mum would unlock the lounge room door and dad would march us in lined up in order of age youngest first. Dad would act as Santa Claus and pass out presents, perhaps two or three each and often made by mum or dad from old packing cases or tea chests and a few lollies. Lunch was always a feast, the fatted rooster had his head removed and along with plenty of veggies a roast and Worcestershire pudding followed by a large plum pudding (I still have the recipe and love to make it at Christmas time), custard and stewed fruit. The pudding always contained a Threepence or Sixpence pieces and we would eagerly watch as the cloth was removed to spot any sticking through outside the pudding. Aunt Lilla from Newcastle came each Christmas for many years with her own bag of goodies.