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[Page 72]
work and school on the Monday. I am not sure whether they started Campsie then or went to Earlwood but I have an idea I kept Yvonne home for a week. Well we gradually got things organised to a point where I had to do some more sewing as Uncle Albert came over with quite a big order of just everything. We could see that he was not at all well and wondered just how long this could go on? So I had the machine in the boys room and I thought this will be good. I give Nanna Wood my share of the profits.
By now also with Beryl being 16 years she wanted to join the voluntary aid nursing and so she did and loved it and used to go to the meetings in Sydney. She also used to give up her Sundays and go to the various hospitals and her being a big girl she looked very good in uniform. One Sunday she came home and only came to the back door and said mum, I am going straight into the bathroom as I have been in an infectious ward all day (by the way now we have moved the door of the bathroom from to the kitchen so as it can be entered from the outside. So I just get her dressing gown for her and she would not touch it so I hung it in the bathroom for her and she disinfected all of her clothes before she came in. She was really in her glory she really loved doing so she was not home very much. (There was one thing about Beryl I forgot to mention, she always wanted the same as what Merle got for her birthday, which one thing sticks in my mind when Merle was 17 she had a very bad flu attack. We were still at Earlwood at that time and I had given their father some money to buy Merle a compact as I had promised they could not use makeup till they were 17. Margaret Thomson came over and I took a little cake in and I think it was lemonade. Poor Merle she was so sick, anyway her father came home with this compact blue).
Well for Beryl's 17th birthday she wanted the same as Merle and said alright jump into bed and get yourself a bad cold. Anyway Merle bought her a compact, but I don't know what colour. Well it was not very long and Beryl came home from one of her V.A.D. meetings and said "mum guess what I had done"? I said "I would not hazard a guess at anything you have done". "Well" she said. "I have volunteered to go to a country hospital to do one months voluntary nursing". I said "where". she said "Bombala". I said "where's that and what about your hairdressing". "Oh!" she said. "that will be alright I'll tell June", that's her boss. Off she went in a few days by all account her fare was paid but no money for the month. When the month was up she came home and said "they have asked me would I go back again?" I said what did you say. "Yes is that alright". "What can I say, but you best ask your father" and he agreed. "What are you going to do about your indenture papers?" "Oh mum I will cancel them."
Well they are all growing older now and we have a lovely Christmas as in Campsie and my father and stepmother came for Christmas and really enjoyed it with gifts for all. Grandfather was really lovely and Nanna Hawkins as the children called her and then they became quite regular visitors and the children were able to walk down to their place now as we lived in Campsie about ½ hour walk and dad said "we have had some carpet put down in the front room. Would you like that red lino for your kitchen? it will fit it", and it did as the lounge at Dads place was huge and so was our kitchen.