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[Page 47]
So now I am at the mercy of gran, and she said "now you will have to go to school", "I don't want to go", "well if you won't go to school you must go to work", so I was pleased with that idea. So gran took me to Grace Brothers and said she wanted me to be taught tailoring. I was not very happy about that, but went along with it. I can remember the first thing I had to learn was how to work buttonholes. Well the indenture papers came in for gran to sign up for an apprenticeship for me plus birth certificate. Well that settled all that as I was not quite 13 as well as not of leaving school age (14 years). So that was the end of Grace Brothers, but I did get a job myself at Bond's Hosiery in Newtown and it did not matter about birth certificate, so I was their for quite a while doing all kinds of things with stockings. I looked older than I was as dresses were worn longer then. I got on alright there until I was almost 14 years when I saw a notice up at E.M.M. Co. in Australia Street, Newtown. I went and asked for a job there and I got it, so I left Bond's and started at E.M.M. Co. (Electricity Meter Manufacturing Company).
Well did I enjoy working there, doing all kinds of things from dipping magnets in paint, putting the glass in the meter covers, winding the coils etc. I then went on to spray painting what was called spiders and grids, I then went on to what they called the daisy that went in the meter also. Then I was put on a machine press that had a big arm on the top with a big ball (iron) on the top and I used to do what they call putting the half moons in the grids, this was piece work now and I was good at that. Then I was asked if I would like to go back on the spraying and I said "yes". So this was a good piece work job to.
I forget the year but we were temporarily put off until the factory was moved to Zetland. It was for something like three months, so I got busy writing to dad, as I got a bit tired of hiding in the back lane until my mother went home after visiting gran. Tom Roach was still around and gran called him the black snake. I had written to dad asking him if I could go back home as I was working now and had a good job, but while I was waiting to get started again at E.M.M. Co., I got a job in Brightlights in George Street, Sydney.
I think I was only there about 3 or 4 weeks as I broke some crystal glasses, so got another job at Aeoroplane Jelly Factory down in Bay Street, Sydney. I did not like that, it was horrible. I saw P.J. Firth cardboard box company walking back to Newtown. Yes I was put on trial for one week and that was enough. I did not like it so passing I.X.L. factory I went in for a job and they said in two weeks we will have plenty of work so come in then. When I got home there was letter from dad saying, "yes my dear you can come home anytime you like, your home is always here". Anyway I got gran and she did not want me to go, but I said "I love my father and I want to be with him". She said she would have to tell my mother and I said " I want to be with my father", and gran said "I know he is a fine man and if Lillian had not been such a fool you could have been a very happy family". Well gran I feel much older than I am with all my ups and downs in my life. She said "I do hope you will get some happiness", I said "I hope so and I will come and see you sometimes". So I wrote to dad and told him to make a time to come and get me as I did not want to leave gran on my own. I told him I had four weeks work at I.X.L. while waiting to go to Zetland so when the 4 weeks were up dad came and I went with him back to Campsie.