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[Page 39]
[Transcriber's Note: This is a memoir by Harry Hawkin's eldest daughter, Edith, from her childhood until 1985]
Firstly my mothers mother, 'my gran' as I called her, had a boarding house in Cobar, where she had 70 boarders from the copper mine. My father worked at the mine and he boarded with my grandmother, so this must be where he met my mother.
My father was born in Port Adelaide, South Australia and my mother was born in Newtown, Sydney, Australia. My father was 28 years and my mother 19 years when they married on the 8th June in Casino 1910, N.S.W. My mothers maiden name was Lillian May Taylor and my father was Henry Hawkins, (he was called Harry). Now on the 29th April 1911 a child was born to Mr and Mrs H. Hawkins, and that child being me. I was named Edith May Hawkins. The Doctor who attended my birth was Dr Paul, the nurse was nurse Dorman and witness was my grandma. Now what I have been told by my gran (as I called her), there was a separation between my mother and father when I was only 18 months old. My father had already gone to Sydney and boarded with some people by the name of Young at North Sydney and by all accounts my father was able to have me. These people at North Sydney N.S.W. lived in High Street and she reared me till I was of school age 4 or 5, I don't really know, but they also had a family of their own, Hepsybar, Eva, William, Sophia, Ronald, Nellie and Edaline, she was 2 years older than me. I called them Mum and Dad, Aunty Nell and Uncle Charlie. While we were there, my father used to do a milk run, with William, but known as Uncle Bill, later on. Dad used to give Bill 2/- per week.
Now 3 years later the great war broke out. In 1914 [1915] my father enlisted, and I was left with Aunty Nell and Uncle Charlie. They loved my dad so much they used to call him their other son and me, well I was known as the youngest of the family. Now it came time for me to start school, so I went to North Sydney School with the others while dad was at the war. I remember my mother coming to the Young's to see me a couple of times, and one day when Ed and I were going to school, (I must have been about 6 years now) Ed said to me, "isn't that your mother coming up?" and I said, "yes it is" and with that she said hello to both of us and then said to Ed, "here you go and buy some lollies for you and Edith", and of course Ed went into the corner shop just off the school. With that my mother picked me up and ran down the street, where she had a Horse Cabby waiting, and off we went. She told me she was taking me to see gran in Cobar, and that we were going to catch a train. She took from her purse a gold half sovereign broach with grandma's pet 1911 written on it. Everything happened so quickly I did not know what was happening. So we get on the train and off we go to Cobar, and with me being so young I had no idea of what was happening. I do remember arriving at gran's place, I loved her so much and I did miss her. (since I grew up I realised that I was kidnapped by my own mother).
Now there was a young baby here and my mother used to tell me to mind him in the pram. Also I was sent to a school and the first day I came home and said I was not going to that school, they all have long black dresses on and I don't like them, so I was put in to the public school.
Now gran's brother, Uncle Ern, he had the barbers shop and gran used to wash all his barber towels for him, and she used to put the long clothesline down real low so as I could reach it and peg out the towels for