Fifty candles for The Traveller

At the beginning of July these four siblings got together on the Gold Coast to celebrate the big 50 for the younger brother.  I've known him for half of his life and in that time he has clocked up an amazing number of travel miles all over the world, he is a restless soul who seems to love exploring and meeting new people in all corners of the world.  The Traveller has always been the family clown as you can see by their family portrait in the 1960's and he didn't disappoint at his birthday shoot.  He had a couple of birthday beers before I shot 24 photos in 5 minutes before his party started.  Through the viewfinder I didn't see he was up to mischief!

I have a great in-law family, really enjoy spending time with them all.  

The day before the big birthday was my MIL's birthday.  It was a very busy day preparing for a party, you can see tables being assembled in the background.  I found time to cook her a birthday sponge for afternoon tea which wan't my best ever.  I can blame working in a different kitchen, but the lack of height was due mostly to the baking powder being 8 years out of date, discovered after sponge was baked.  Still tasted good with mulberry jam and cream.  

Dear Husband and I had time to visit MovieWorld.  Yes, we are big kids!

The Green Lantern coaster was one I didn't try, not keen on being upside down.

The Parade was great, forgot to take photos.

 Arkham Asylum was also one I didn't try!

Superman was helping with the Escape.

Here you can see a Dear Husband looking very wet.  The Wild West Falls ride 1 - Us 0!  It wasn't the warmest day so once we got saturated it wasn't as much fun.  

The long legs on the left are Dear Husbands, he had just eaten a hot dog, not a good plan when riding the Batman Spaceshot ride.

Kookora Street 1962 and 2013

 

1962 Dad, little sister, Mum and my Dear Husband is almost 2 years old

 

2013 and still functioning as flats

 

Moving to the country was a little bit easier for Dear Husband, he was born in this town and lived here until he was 29, other than the years he spent at university.  He doesn't have any family here now but he has a large circle of great friends who have made our move so much better.  Dear Husband's dad and his bride arrived in this town in 1959 and moved into this red brick block of four flats and they raised a family of 4 children within the two bedrooms for 6 years until they moved out into their brand new family home in 1966. 



4893 PTE R. I. NEWBOUND 5 BN AIF, my grandfather

Something I've been meaning to do for a long time is photograph my grandfathers WW1 medals.  My sister and I are about to get them restored and mounted on a bar so they can be worn with pride by family members on ANZAC Day for many years to come.  As you might notice both medals were badly defaced by a family member and I'm not sure they can be restored perfectly but we will endeavour to have them returned to their best condition.  

My dad had memories of he and his twin brother wearing one medal each on ANZAC Day when they were little boys.  My son Surfer Boy wore them when he was a very little boy when he marched with my dad at the Batemans Bay ANZAC Day service and he has continued to wear them throughout his school years and now he is a currently serving serviceman he will continue to wear them with pride. Sadly I never met my grandfather, he passed away the year I was born but I'm sure he is someone I would have loved to sit down with and have a chat.  This photo above is of Roger (grandfather) on the left and his brother George on their return from WW1.  My dad often said he couldn't remember a day when his dad didn't cough blood, he had sustained mustard gas damage to his lungs during WW1.  He came home from war and married a Tasmanian girl and they raised a family of 11 and he retired from the Victorian Railways when he was in his 70's and sadly died soon after.

Her beautiful smile......

...............I miss seeing my Nana's face.  It's just gone 16 years since she passed away and I still wish I could pop down to her place and stay for a while and chat.  This gorgeous photo was taken in the late 1930's.  My grandparents had just bought this their first home and were very soon to move in and tidy up with their three small children.  The smile on my Nana's face says it all, she looks so young, happy and carefree. 

Click on the photo to have a closer look at my gorgeous Nana. 
 

Roadtrip

I've been on a ''Thelma and Tom" trip over 1850km actually. I decided to head back to the area where both my parents families are from and do some exploring for myself as my own family would be thoroughly bored by the whole thing I'm sure. I bought myself a little GPS named Tom and he had a lovely English accent to guide me down into NE Victoria over the mountains for a week of taking in the sights and discovering all about my family who have lived in that area since the mid 1850's when a convict named Roger John Newbound was transported from England to Sydney fulfilling his life sentence. My mums family came as free settlers and land selectors and there are still a number of the family farming the area today. The photo above is of the hay shed on my grandparents first property, it's sagging with age but still stacked with bales of hay today.

Mum's family before she was a twinkle in her dad's eye, the two little girls are the only ones still with us and they are my maternal aunts. This photo was taken in the late 1930's when the family were living in the house we referred to as kids as the ''ghost house" as it was derelict and vacant by the 1960's and throughout my childhood. I found that the house has been "modernised" and is a family home once again. It amazes me that I can look at the actual spot where mums family gathered for that snap so many years ago.

I visited many cemeteries, churches, schools, museums, wineries, and even a few living elderly relatives. I've come home knowing so much more about my family and where their lives in Australia began after the long trip out from England. It will take me sometime to add all the new information to my ever growing tree, almost up to 5000 individuals and to plough through all the photocopied family info I was most generously allowed to share.

All in all I had a great trip and I think I will be taking more of these Thelma and Tom roadtrips in the coming years. One week in a cosy little bed and breakfast was no hardship either!

A happy family snap

This photo arrived last night and I think it is just wonderful. This is my great grandfathers youngest sister and her young family, around 1905 I think. I love how it is a formal family sitting but then to be able to see their slab hut home and outbuildings, yards, paddocks, fencing, horse cart and a perfect reflection behind them is just beautiful. Click on the photo for a closer look around family life a century ago on the land. There is also a fourth child on the other side of the water. Life was obviously hard but the children look like they were thriving. Sarah went on to have 11 children with only one dying in childhood which was quite probably the babe in this photo. Living in the digital age is fantastic for sharing family history, no one has to let their treasured photos and documents out of their hands but it is so easy to send them to interested others. I love hearing the stories of their lives, not just getting the names and dates. Everyone has a story to tell even if they think their life is ordinary. I just wish I could sit down and talk to some of the very interesting characters I have found on our family tree. If your parents and grandparents or other rellies are still kicking sit down and listen, you won't know what you have missed out on until they are gone then it is too late to ask!

100 years ago today

This is my grandad and if her were still with us he would be 100 years old today. He was a farmer all his life and this photo is exactly how I remember him. I spent a lot of time with him on the farm which was my favourite place when I was small. He grew the best watermelons, he would slash them open on the loading dock of the shed and we would all sit up there dangling our legs and spitting seeds in all directions.

I have many fond memories of times on the farm with my grandparents but early mornings were my time with 'Papa', we would rise early and toast a piece of bread in the fire box of the old fuel stove on the end of a long wire fork listening to the strains of the ABC radio news announcement tune then off to the milking shed (above). While he leaned into the old cow and hand milked for the household I played with the tadpoles in the concrete water trough. We would walk back and he would slop some warm milk in an old metal dish for all the farm cats, rinse our boots at the tank stand then head in for more breakfast!

He had a sweet tooth and this well worn tin sat on the mantelpiece always full of his favourites and all the grand kids knew he would have a few in the bottom of his trouser pockets when he was out in the paddocks and he loved to share them.

I dearly wish my own kids could have known this gentle and loving grandad of mine.

Pay It Forward

I want to participate in this because it really means something to me. I have always loved the idea of randomly being kind to another and then they in turn will then 'Pay It Forward' as we say.

I noticed a new friend of mine Sarah had a post regarding this exchange and I decided 'why not' participate, so I am. What does this all mean.................well this is what Sarah said and it works for me.

I will send a handmade gift to 3 random people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do if you like, is in return pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

I have had some lovley things happen to me in the last few weeks and I would just simply like to make someone's day when they receive a little hand made gift in the mail soon. I started my blog back in March and it has been one of the most rewarding things I have done in some time. Blogging is a great motivator and organiser for me, it also opens up your mind to opportunities to fulfill your dreams. The best thing of all is the number of wonderful people I have met through my blog, I love contacting the people who leave comments for me and learning about their lives and that we really are all just seeking contentment in this life.

Please participate and goodluck to you all, looking forward to a great respone from all you crafty bloggers. You have till midnight Wednesday the 8th of August to make your promise.

What a wonderful place it would be if we would all do more of this more often.

These two photos are of my mum (the youngest) and her two sisters, the first photo depicts the girls ready to head off to their one classroom school in the 1940's with flowers for their teacher. I love the second photo of the girls and playing dollies.

ANZAC Day

Reginald Wilkinson Ashton my husbands Great Uncle who died as a prisoner of war while working on the Burma Railway. He was a single man of 39 years.

Lest We Forget

The other Jane in my family

This is my other maternal gr grandmother Mary Jane (seated) who I also share my middle name with. This photo is possibly from her wedding day. The second photo was taken in 1949 at Mary Jane and Thomas' 50th wedding anniversary celebration. What a great milestone. She lived with my mum and her family in her later years after her husband passed away. My mum has very fond memories of a lovely Gran who was always smiling.

Why 'Plain Jane' you might ask

This is one of my great grandmothers 'Jane Elizabeth' who was my namesake but unfortunately until very recently all in the family believed she was 'Elizabeth Jane' so I am 'Lisa Jane'. I now know I should be 'Jane' so 'Plain Jane Creations' just seems to suit me.

I am in the process of finding where she is buried as this has also been a mystery to the family, she died in England in 1920 and her grave was never marked. Family moved to Australia and she seems to have been forgotten to most except for the mention of her on Great Grandfathers headstone in the NE of VIC, although her name is incorrect!

Jane died of TB at the age of 45 and I have always wondered about her life. What was she like? Did she knit or sew? I'll never know these things but it will be very good to finally know where she rests.