Tuesday, 22 June 2021

When a postcard says everything and nothing

 









Message from Editor

 My regular reader has asked if there are any more letters, so I am back into this rather tardy project. From here on the letters are more likely to be missing pages. Hope you can still keep up with the thread, that is the life of those left in Balmain when ANS Barwick went to WW1

Friday, 8 May 2020

Daphne is too young and pretty to hide herself in the country. Edith has some gossip.


Edith writes again, but page/s 2 and 4 are missing
98 Rowntree St
Balmain
15th July 1918
Dear Norman,
Your welcome post card to hand this mail. What a pretty place on the P.C., the garden’s must be fine. I hope you enjoyed the days you spent there. I am so glad you saw Will Darvish ?, he wrote and told me he met you and what a nice time you had together. I am sorry he is leaving England so soon, but shall be glad to see him. I hear about you from your dad. What a busy man you are. I am glad you are keeping well and going strong.
I suppose you will hear about the Tea Meeting from some one else so I will not give you a 2nd edition…….
Page 2 missing……..

..so you can’t expect a man to do that and come to church on the only day he can take his lady-love out. [I wish we had page 2!]
Did you know Daphne King is engaged? Dr Will Roberts is the happy man (‘Billie” Daphne calls him) is going out to the country to practice and he wants Daphne to go with him, so don’t be surprised if you hear we have a ‘choral wedding’ and another social and send off, but really it is a shame if Mr and Mrs King let Daphne go, she is so young and too pretty to hide herself in the country. She has not seen life yet. If it was one of the old fogies now, or Chas Goud but NO! St John’s can’t get rid of us! We are like “ Tennyson’s” stream going on for ever.

Page 4 missing

We know it’s Edith from address on a previous letter.


Thursday, 7 May 2020

Dode reports on the Strong Posts to welcome or farewell boys.


Long Nose Point
Balmain
14.7.18
Dear Norm,
This time it is just before leaving for church. my time for writing but to deny it is bitterly cold and blowing a severe westerly and we have had tea early and no visitors so seized the opportunity to write a couple of letters. I have just written to Joe. I was very pleased to receive your letter this mail but wasn’t it strange that when you started that letter you mentioned in at that Fritz had not been over for some time and before you had finished it you remarked about the maroons. You appear to have had a lucky escape that Bomb dropping quite close to your quarters. 

CG showed me your Photograph taken with Miss Harken and note your remarks. I am afraid that ere long he will be joining the Y.M.C.A. if you give him such invitations. I daresay you Norm, like the rest of them will not come back singlehanded. You all seem to be like a happy family and certainly would bring you back to St John’s when you have the Jolly Miller and C ???

It appears by all the letters at present that you are having the glorious English weather over there that we who have English parents have heard so much about. The Buttercups, Daisies etc at the mention of them Norm, seems to give Mum such a longing. I don’t think it will ever be my lot to go over there but I feel quite content to stay here for Australia will do me.

I suppose you have heard about our Strong Posts well it is just great and we do enjoy it. Anything in the music line I love and it is grand the way all our Staff have entered into it. CG is the conductor and everytime the boys come in or go out we go down and sing. I think I sent you a form in my last letter. Well next Tuesday night we are having an impromptu evening and only members of the staff to perform. CG was asked to arrange the programme and it is wonderful the talent we have discovered since the origin of the Strong Post. It is to be held in the office and supper afterwards and each one is to bring a present for our stall which we are to have on A.I.F Day. Harvey Allen is coming and he said he would not miss it. I will tell you how it gets on in the next letter. I am sending you a mail which has a Photo of some of our girls. I was in the original and it was a good one too. I was screaming, laughing like the rest of them at the chap standing, but the reproduction in the mail chopped our heads off.

Just came home from church and there were not many there, in the first place it is bitterly cold. The coldest I can ever remember and then there is a Memorial Service at St Mary’s for Ruby Lynch, Mrs Vale’s youngest sister who died very suddenly on Tuesday with Gastric Ulcers. It has been a terrible shock to the family for she always had a cheeky word for all. Then Stan was taken away with Appendicitis (since I was up there) and is better now but they said it was a very serious case and Al was not able to see him for awhile. It always appears to me that trouble seems to come at once. The Vale family are having a terrible time lately.

I am enclosing a snap of Ada taken at the SS [Sunday School] picnic by Lina Harper so I sneaked one as I like to put something in besides the letter. I think it is good don’t you?
Mrs Llewellyn is having another concert the Bo Peep again but this time it is in the National Theatre.

Well Norm must close this time as I still have another letter to write and all at 99 send their best wishes and hope you are still well and happy, from yours sincerely Dode

PS I was just thinking that I suppose you will receive this letter in France.


Saturday, 2 May 2020

Jackie Castle says there is no one like the Aussie girls. She sounds like a bit of fun!


Ans 13/9/18

Balmain
16.6.18
Dear Norm, Your welcome letter to hand. So you think I am on the downward path for stealing peaches. You don’t know me. What, that is nothing. I even steal men’s hearts.
You seem to be going gay attending so many theatres, and oh what a gay time you are having with the girls, but I am glad to know that you think there is no one like the Aussie girls. We are dears aren’t we.

Well Norm, our Concert has passed off and was quite a success. We cleared £65, not too bad for two nights. I am enclosing one of the Programmes as I knew you would be interested. Oh we did look beauties with all our grease paint and limelight. You would never have known us, and Mr Manning was quite proud I can tell you. We will be repeating it soon for some other Patriotic Fund. Last Saturday I intended taking some snaps. But it rained, so we will have to postpone it till later. If you are a good boy you may get some, and if you are bot you won’t. Today is Anniversary Sunday and I , like the good girl I am went to early Communion. The church looked awfully pretty, being decorated with Arum lillies. Mr Rowsell sent them nearly all from Berry. I suppose you know that he is married now? He was an awful flirts, wasn’t he. The Archbishop will be preaching tonight so I hope it will be fine and there will be a good crowd.

As usual Wednesday is the Annual Bun Fight. I am helping Mrs Irwin on the Teacher’s table. What a blowout we will all have. Bet you would love to be here just to have a party. Of course I am also helping at the Children’s tea. Wouldn’t miss that for worlds, as I think it is the funniest thing imaginable. Will you ever forget their Concert after tea. I think it is too good to be missed.
Mrs Llewellyn is repeating “Bo Peep and Boy Blue” for the Wounded Soldiers Fund. I am not going in it. No good to me. The GFS (Girls Friendly Society) have been very kind and given her Tuesday night so now we meet in the Rectory. It is more comfortable these cold nights I can tell you.
Poor Mr Manning has a terrible cold. I don’t know how he will manage the service today. Up to us to get him a Curate I think.

Oh I must tell you that your poor mother has a rose arch over the front path, put there I suppose for when you and your lady love say Good-night. Wouldn’t you like to hit me. But it looks very nice all the same and your Mum and Dad are still both well. No more news from the old Church, no more weddings of note.

All the family here are well, also Eve and Fred and their small child, although he isn’t very small now.

Frank Grose has gone to France now. Perhaps he will be satisfied as he always wanted to be there. Jack was alright the last time e heard except for a hurt knee playing football.

Can’t rake up any more news now so will have to do the oyster act and close.
So long Norm, keep on smiling, we will be playing Jolly Miller, and Musical Men in the old schoolroom soon I hope.

From your old pal
Jackie Castle.

Dot and others on 1/2 past 8 boat to town and other chat.



Ans, 12/9/18
Long Nose Point
Balmain
30.6.18

Sorry to have to tell you that the ‘Wimmerah’ has been struck by a mine travelling from Auckland to here. It is believed the 70 people have been drowned although there is a hope that they may still be picked up.

Dear Norm, 
Ah well here we are Sunday afternoon again but it is this time as cold as – well charity they say Norm if I do not put the warmth in this letter as if your just put it down to the weather. You will see by the date that another tea meeting has passed and as usual was a bi success this time wholly due to our energetic little worker Mr Robert Adcock and my word he keeps everyone busy and interested. To use Ada’s expression is when you feel you have to when he asks you!

Mr Cakebread was not there but Mr Charlton and the Rev Leslie Langley said lots of nice things and they do seem to buck one up these days. Even the fact of your saying that you liked that letter of mine has made me feel that it is worth while writing another. At home they do not consider I am a good letter writer. In the first place Dad says he never can understand my writing [it is a challenge in places] so I don’t know how you fare about it. I am glad you sent that letter up to Joe. Goodness knows what I said in it but I suppose there may be something in it that I had wanted to tell him.
You mention about Arch not having come across well just at present he seems to have a land position although last Sunday week while he was at Sunday School a motor car drove down and carried him away to go immediately by the tug Champion to Lord Howe Island as a boat had gone ashore there “The Makembo” and he had to fix up the wireless. It must have been a great trip. Tuesday morning our ½ past 8 boat passed the Champion as she was coming on the wave to us. There are quite a crowd of us go over on the morning these days by the ½ past 8. CY, H Allen, Arch, C Orr, A Gooud, and several other St Johns identities and sometimes we take up the whole side of the boat.

I went for the weekend to Newcastle and spent it very nicely with Al and Stan and the kiddies. They are beautiful children, Norm, the little girl 1yr and 9 mths has hair just like Stan, only longer and is pretty as can be. You should see them at meal times when Stan says Hands up and they say grace. Eric the elder one comes in at ‘receive’ and ‘thankful’ but Jean arrives at ‘Amen.’ And so pretty too. Al and I went to church and I did enjoy it and we poured forth our Alto much to the concern of some off the country folk around. I like the minister very much but I think it was chiefly because he resembled Mr Cakebread.  CG ? Said I would not like Newcastle, but Stan took me all over and I was agreeably surprised. The weather was simply perfect and coming down the Lakes and Creeks with their shadows were simply perfect. It was night time but full moon so if you have seen the Hawkesbury you will imaging what it was like.

I suppose Charlie has told you in his letter about our  ???? [Strong] Post. Nowadays all business firms and Suburbs club together to welcome and cheer off the boys who come home or go away and it is very fine. The M.L.C. have been mentioned several times as we have formed a choir and CC is our Conductor. I told Mr King he would soon have a rival. I am sending you a copy of our songs and a snap taken whilst we were waiting for the boys to come. You can easily pick Charlie out but I am hidden by the only little flag in the picture. So puzzle find me. If they come in Sunday or Holidays it is all the same and we are summoned to our Post. You should just see the crowds, you cannot move around our corner and right down Martin Place. I must tell you this Norm?  It appears Charlie, Amy? Gooud and I were on the lorry singing and one of our girls heard someone in the crowd say “oh, its St John’s Choir”. I suppose they thought there were sufficient representative there. On the lorry we have a Piano, 3 Violins and Cello and we stand around it and we all love it. The last time Carmichael and two thousand left we had one of our men in it and when he came round our corner we all gave three cheers, and sang He’s a Jolly good fellow and Auld Lang Syne. And the thousand around us joined in. Mr  Moore, our man, told one of the men in the office he will never forget it and neither shall we for we all loved him he was one of the best and I sincerely hope he is spared to return. He was superintendent of the Sunday School Enfield and I wish I had thought to tell him to call on you, perhaps CG did!

We had letters from Joe this mail and he seems as though he is settled in Gloucester for the while. Fancy you thinking of going to France. I daresay you would like to see it before you return. Mr Manning is on holidays at Woy Woy and we had Mr Freeth from the cathedral all day and I am looking forward to him to night as I was not able to go this morning as Mum is down with the influenza and I had to act as House Cook and Scullery Maid. It was Italian Day on Friday but it did not appear to be as big a success as previous days, although they got over 30,000. I am sending you a sample of Violet day. Well Norm I must close now as Ada is having tea with Miss Best and I as per usual. Left to get tea. Hoping you can understand this scrawl with regards from all at 99 Mum, Dad, Bess, Ada and Dot.

Dorrie reports on her holiday and helping with Italian Day and yes, she calls them dagos.


299 Darling Street
Balmain
June 30th 18

Dear Norm,
Once again I pen you a few lines trusting they reach you safely and find you in the best of health. I am very pleased to say we are all enjoying good health just now, and everything is OK.

It has turned out rather a cold wet afternoon. I have just come home from Sunday School, not very much business as usual discussed today, we have the old library open again but it is not in full swing yet. Everything goes on just in the same old way. Oh, and we also discussed whether we would revive the Teacher’s meeting. It was carried but whether all the teachers will turn up is another question, however that remains to be seen.
Mr and Mrs Manning are away at Woy Woy I think and Rev Freeth is taking the 

……..page 2 missing…..

Page 3 continues
Looked gorgeous, there were seven tables as usual, I was helping on the choir table again this year. All the tables were prittly arranged. We had ours decorated with the red “point satin”, it shower up well when all the lights went up. Everybody seemed to have a right royal time. Plenty of good things to eat, you know the sort of banquet we always have.

Mr Langley was chair man for the after meeting and Canon Charlton was also present. That was all the visiting clergy we had this time, of course there were several apologies.

Oh I wish you could have been at the kiddies tea. I think it was noisier than ever. The only one who could make his voice heard was Harry Allen but quietness didn’t reign long, as soon as he finished speaking they were all at it again. I don’t think we had as many children this year as in previous years, but we seemed to cater for them much better than usual and everything went off tip top. The concert after took the cake. Mr Gooud got them to join in all the popular choruses and by jove how did they all let rip. I’m sure the noise could be heard miles away. The Huns in France weren’t in it, however it only come once a year so we might as well let them have a good time. We broke up about eight o’clock.

What do you think. I had five days holiday last week down at Freshwater, had a ripping time, the weather was simply beautiful, and bright moon lights nights all the week. The bush just now is a picture ablaze with wattle and native fuschia and yallow flowers. I feel ever so much better for the change. Mother had a full week, only came home yesterday. I had to be home on Friday for Italian Day as I had promised to help. We did very well in Balmain, took over two hundred pounds. I collected £2:12:0 in my box, so I think the dagos will do very well.
Well Norm I think it is time I put an end to this epistle you will be ………….[continued on the back of the page that is missing]

Dorrie [ because we know her address]

[I discovered on Trove that Italian Day was a fundraising day to help the Italian community]