My mother was the second child and only daughter of Edwin (Ted) West and Gwendoline Hughes. She was born at home when Gwen was 19. Gwen had not wanted children - she was afraid they would be dark - she was aware of the aboriginal ancestry in the West and her own family and she sis not want children who would be darker than she was.
She was named Elizabeth June West after her aunt Lizzie, and was called Betty until her Aunt Lizzie died when she was 5, when her mother arbitrarily changed her name to June. My mother never liked the name and changed it as soon as she could after she met my father to Larne.
Her early childhood appears from what she told me to have been fairly normal. There was an undercurrent of mystery that my mother never got to the bottom of, which concerned herself: in later years she was to say that she believed that the issue was her own parentage: there was the occasional cryptic remark from relatives on how she looked like So-and-so. My mother was darker than the rest of her family, apart from her father, who went quite dark when he went in the sun. He remarked at one point that he was disadvantaged by the men in his family liking to marry aboriginal women, thus making it hard for him.
Gwen had a temper, and would take it out on my mother and her brother. Her brother however was the favourite and was allowed far more freedom than my mother. Gwen would get into a temper and belt my mother but my mother would never give her the satisfaction of crying, thus making the belting longer and harsher. It is obvious that Gwen was dissatisfied and bored, and as she had finished the housework by 8 o'clock every day, it is no wonder. She worked for some time as a waitress during the war while Ted was working in Queensland for the government - his trade of carpenter was protected and he did not enlist in the war, but spent some time working away from home. After Ted came home she stopped working.
She was named Elizabeth June West after her aunt Lizzie, and was called Betty until her Aunt Lizzie died when she was 5, when her mother arbitrarily changed her name to June. My mother never liked the name and changed it as soon as she could after she met my father to Larne.
Her early childhood appears from what she told me to have been fairly normal. There was an undercurrent of mystery that my mother never got to the bottom of, which concerned herself: in later years she was to say that she believed that the issue was her own parentage: there was the occasional cryptic remark from relatives on how she looked like So-and-so. My mother was darker than the rest of her family, apart from her father, who went quite dark when he went in the sun. He remarked at one point that he was disadvantaged by the men in his family liking to marry aboriginal women, thus making it hard for him.
Gwen had a temper, and would take it out on my mother and her brother. Her brother however was the favourite and was allowed far more freedom than my mother. Gwen would get into a temper and belt my mother but my mother would never give her the satisfaction of crying, thus making the belting longer and harsher. It is obvious that Gwen was dissatisfied and bored, and as she had finished the housework by 8 o'clock every day, it is no wonder. She worked for some time as a waitress during the war while Ted was working in Queensland for the government - his trade of carpenter was protected and he did not enlist in the war, but spent some time working away from home. After Ted came home she stopped working.
In the period when Gwen worked, my mother was required to prepare the vegetables for tea every afternoon when she come home from school. It was always the same vegetables done in the same way. They were always boiled with a pinch of bicarb soda to "keep the colour". My mother recalls that the vegetables were always overcook, and were mostly served with a small piece of lamb chop or other small piece of meat. In the early years the meat was fried and later, when Ted and Gwen were diagnosed with ulcers, the meat was grilled. It does not sound like appetising fare.
When my mother was about 5 years old, her mother acted strangely: she jumped off the verandah again and again. Gwen had said she was terrified of having children and would not have another. My mother believes this was an attempt, successful, to abort a baby. It was common in those times to use this method to prevent a pregnancy from proceeding.
My mother was sickly for most of her childhood. She had asthma (called bronchitis by her mother as asthma did not sound as "nice"), and had diphtheria, scarlet fever and spent some time in the infectious diseases ward at the Coast Hospital. When she was in her early teens she had rheumatic fever and spent several months in hospital laying flat on her back to prevent heart complications.
My mother was lucky in one thing - her reading was not censored and she was allowed to read as much as she liked.
Her brother Ronald Edwin (Ron) was two year older than she, and her relationship with him was mostly distant. He was intelligent and did well at school, whereas my mother did not. He had a gift for mathematics but did not pursue it. He teased her unmercifully, including tickling her until she had an asthma attack. Gwen never checked this, and my mother would never allow her own children to tease or tickle each other for this reason. Ron was allowed great freedom and would roam the suburb and return home for tea.
When my mother was about 5 years old, her mother acted strangely: she jumped off the verandah again and again. Gwen had said she was terrified of having children and would not have another. My mother believes this was an attempt, successful, to abort a baby. It was common in those times to use this method to prevent a pregnancy from proceeding.
My mother was sickly for most of her childhood. She had asthma (called bronchitis by her mother as asthma did not sound as "nice"), and had diphtheria, scarlet fever and spent some time in the infectious diseases ward at the Coast Hospital. When she was in her early teens she had rheumatic fever and spent several months in hospital laying flat on her back to prevent heart complications.
My mother was lucky in one thing - her reading was not censored and she was allowed to read as much as she liked.
Her brother Ronald Edwin (Ron) was two year older than she, and her relationship with him was mostly distant. He was intelligent and did well at school, whereas my mother did not. He had a gift for mathematics but did not pursue it. He teased her unmercifully, including tickling her until she had an asthma attack. Gwen never checked this, and my mother would never allow her own children to tease or tickle each other for this reason. Ron was allowed great freedom and would roam the suburb and return home for tea.
In later years Gwen become hysterical over the slightest thing and this made things difficult for my mother. We found out much later that Gwen was gambling and drinking - a closet drinker she drank sherry. It appears that despite owning the house they lived in - it was inherited from Aunt Lizzie - it had a large mortgage on it. This was apprently due to Gwen gambling. My Mother cannot recall any other reason why there should have been a need for money. They did not go anywhere for holidays, and Ted enarned enough for Gwen to always have good quality food and clothing for the family. There did not appear to be a reason to raise a mortgage on the house.
The first photo is of Larne, her brother Ron and their Great Aunt Lizzie in 1935. The second photois of Ted, Gwen, Ron and Larne at about the same time.
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