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.