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[Page 86]
We are doing very well, we put a lady on for the sandwiches as they grew and Harold kept on at work, he was on the wharves, and worked shift work. We put all new lino down in the shop, cleaned up the store room, a freezer for frozen foods, icecream, milkshakes and cigarette trade grew so big we used to take a lot of the big cartons home with us. We used to have to weigh sugar etc., no packed biscuits were loose too, I think we were there 4 or 5 years, oh the guy we bought it off he came in one night to get his order and we were so busy he came behind to help himself and dear Harold flew down out of the storeroom and said "our. pointed to the door "and don't come back". We did not see him again after that. We were burgaled 4 or 5 times. Harold used to keep the books and we would get our accountant each year to check it all out. One particular time Harold said to me "I am going to go to the bank next time I have a day off and pay both these places right off and we will still have a good balance. You were right sweetheart he said it is a good little business". The day he did it came back to the shop and picked me up and kissed me, we own the both places now. Well I found out that the lady that was working for us was helping herself to the cash register as we had no claim on her it was one of the very old style, so we put a new register in one day and she said she could not operate it I said "don't worry as I don't think I will need you much longer that a couple of weeks", so spoke to Marie a girl who lived nearby and she had a little girl and could do with and money. What a wonderful girl she turned out to be, good. clean, quick and as honest as the day was long.
By now John and Coralie have a daughter, also by now Margaret has turned 21, party at Betty and Barnes place at Dundas. Harold and I did go to Merle and Rons place where they were caretaking for Rocklea Pipes and now by 1964 they are in thier own place at Revesby where the eldest son born Stephen and by 1965 Beryl's daughter Cheryl was staying with Merle and Ron so as she could go to High School. For years 1966 Merle and Rons second child born another boy Geoffrey he will be 21 end of this year. 1967 John and Coralie now have a son Arron, also John has a posting to go overseas recruiting for R.A.A.F. They were away for 2 years if my memory serves me right. In 1968 my eldest grandson Stan was run over by a tractor. Beryls eldest boy. fortunately he recovered very well now married with 3 children.
I took sick, not to bad (end of Menopause). He said to me. "no more shop when the Apple season starts in Tasmania. I am going to take you there for a long holiday". In the meantime my stepmother gets very sick and every Saturday after closing we used to go to Campsie by taxi, do the washing clean the house. Harold would do the garden. I would put the dinner on to cook and do the ironing and then we would catch a taxi back home.
Merle came to the shop one day for us to mind Stephen, only a babe, she had an appointment to put her name down to work with the T.A.B. when they came into operation. Also to see a friend of hers who was in Womens Hospital with baby. So Harold made a little bed in an empty box and we fixed Stephen up in that. He was very good and all the customers went to see him. Margaret and Yvonne used to come to Mount Clare quite often and would stay overnight somtimes and we have some lovely times there, it was really good we enjoyed it very much.