This weeks challenge is Longevity, I have written about my Mum Mary Newell who died recently - 23rd September 2017. My Mum is the longest living person in my family tree. My sister and I gave the Eulogy, I talked about the early part of Mums life, as I am the eldest child i can remember further back! My sister then carried on with the second part of Mums life. This Blog post is what I wrote about Mums life for the Eulogy. 1920 - 1987
May was born in Monifieth a
small village in Scotland on 22nd December 1920. She was the eldest of 6 children;
3 boys and 3 girls. What I know about Mums childhood is that she helped her
granny with her home laundry business, delivering the clean and pressed
laundry, throughout the village. Mum
told me of her large extended family of Aunts and Uncles and cousins. Many of the cousins her Mum looked after, at
various times, and as Mum grew up her cousins and aunts and Uncles were much a
part of the family.
Mum started work at 15 she
secured a position with Mr Lobban a solicitor in Monifieth, and she worked
there until call up time. She had the choice of a working in a munitions
factory or the WAFs she chose the WAFS. She was stationed at Sealand near Chester
England. Despite the war it happy time for her she had great pals and she met
Arthur Newell her husband. They married on 23 December 1944 in Monifieth Scotland.
Arthur was from Chester, but after the
war and when they were both demobbed and I was born, Mum and Dad settled in
Monifieth with Mums family. Being returned servicemen and women they were
allocated a “prefab” and Mum and dad set up home. Mum didn’t work then and I
can recall so many happy time with my aunts, uncle and my beloved grandparents,
they all visited May the beloved eldest daughter and elder sister. I can recall
Mum with her Mum sitting in front of the fire chatting away, laughing, drinking
their camp coffee and munching their biscuits
I remember when Mum told me
that I was going to have a brother or sister and the Stork would bring the baby
when it was time!! And then embarrassing Mum so much when we were in the in the
butchers shop and asking her why she was getting so fat. We have since laughed about that and I was
forgiven.
Gail was born in 1953 I can
remember helping Mum with the chores. I can remember the first time when my Mum
really told me off. She had run the bathwater for Gail’s baby bath and had put
it in front of the fire. She was just about to put Gail in when I put my feet
on the side of the baby bath tipped the bath over and water went everywhere. The
first time I had had a good telling off!! It took her ages to clean it all up
and to get the carpet dry... I was forgiven of course, but told never to do
that again!!
April/May 1955 saw us leave Southampton
England for Cape Town South Africa what an adventure, 2 weeks on the ship and 3
days on the train before we reached Salisbury Rhodesia – our home as it became.
Mum and Dad had a great time
on the ship. I had the very important job of looking after my 2 1/2 year old sister
every night while Mum and Dad ate dinner and joined in the fun. For that I was given
a lemonade in a bottle with a straw every night!!
What wonderful days we had…
in Rhodesia. Looking back I think mum may have been homesick. It was a massive
change for us all and I remember one evening we had an invasion of bats in the house
dad was trying to catch them with a towel and mum was screaming.
So started all the letters
backwards and forward to her Mum and dad and Brothers and sisters. Granny in
Scotland was really worried that we may have to go to a witch doctor and also
she was concerned about the lions!!
But the letters backwards and
forwards were wonderful, as was the excitement of getting a parcel from Granny....
However one thing that my Mum did do which was embarrassing for me!!! Was she
sent me to school, on the first day wearing my Sunday best - a kilt a white
shirt, jacket and a matching hat the full Scottish regalia!!
We had a wonderful life in
Rhodesia as it was then, Mum and Dad made lots of friends and they took the
place of our aunt’s uncles and cousins. On Saturday as Gail and I were working
out the of service for today, we had a phone call from
Liz a friend from 60 years ago, her Mum and Dad and our parents were great friends
and we still have the contact today –
what a wonderful legacy, Mum enabled that. Mum went to night classes to study
book keeping and when she received her certificate she got a job at Whiteman’s
in Salisbury, where she made many friends one of whom we still have contact
with. She did dressmaking classes and added dressmaking to her skills, lots of
new frocks followed for Gail and I
Mums sister Auntie Nessie
arrived in 1956. Gail and I had a lot of fun around that time we loved performing
and we sang and danced for Mum dad and their friends putting on plays and some
acrobatics too!!
This was a great time for
Gail and I picnics out in the bush with friends Mum made heaps of sandwiches, bottles of
orange cordial, we had a big sing
song in the car on the way to wherever we were going. Mum loved to sing and she
had a lovely voice.
We visited the local swimming
pool for Sunday morning swims when not picnicking, we went to the drive-in
movies regularly with the big container of sandwiches and crisps!! How lucky
were we!!
Sunday roasts often with
friends, Sunday evenings in front of the TV (when it arrived in Rhodesia) with
Mums famous steak rolls!!
Mum and Dad built a house and
we moved into our own home Granny and grandad visited from Scotland. Mum & dad had a Hogmanay party that year.
Mum loved to dance - the eightsome reel
and the gay Gordon's were two of her favourites, Mum and Dad went to dinner
dances as they both liked to dance and as a teenager I often went with them and
joined in the dancing. So many wonderful childhood memories for Gail and I –
happy days for us
Politics changed our life and
mum and dad moved back to Scotland. It
was great for Mum to be back with her family and we enjoyed lots of family days
with her brothers, sister and families.
Mum made more new friends and although she enjoyed this short time back
in Scotland both Mum and Dad were unsettled and in no time at
all were on our way to Zambia. Back to our beloved Africa. We spent a few days
in London, visiting Carnaby st, Mum bought us new shoes and trendy clothes - how cool was that in 1968!!
Back on the ship to Capetown,
driving 3 days to Bulawayo to stay with mum’s sister our Auntie Nessie and
another 3 days to get to Ndola, Zambia our new home. It was another big change,
after a year I left home and went back to Salisbury Rhodesia and Gail went off
to boarding school just outside London. Wonderful experiences for us both and
always supported by our Mum and Dad. And all those letter that Mum wrote!!
Weekly telling us what they were doing, I think Mum loved her time in Zambia,
she worked at GEC as a book keeper accounts person, dad was teaching - and
again, lots of new friends. Mum went to yoga and other activities and although
she missed us it was a happy time for Mum and Dad.
1970 Shelley was born Mums
first grandchild, and in 1972 MUM AND Dad moved back to Salisbury and in 1973 Darrin arrived. Mum and dad
were hands on grandparents with lots of interaction with the grandchildren,
Sunday lunches with all the grandparents and many happy days, with Mum knitting
the children’s school jumpers and baking for all the school fetes. At this time
mum worked in the Office at the Polytech where dad taught.
Gail moved to South Africa
after her marriage. Mum and dad enjoyed visiting & holidaying in Cape Town. Matthew, Gails son was born in Capetown in 1979, Mums 3rd grandchild.
1980 dad became ill, prognosis
wasn’t good and Mum and Dad made preparation to move to Scotland – in hindsight
a great decision made by Dad. Dad died shortly after their move to Scotland in
1981 and mum was with her sister and brother-in –law. It was a difficult time we
were all separated, but Mum kept us in touch with her wonderful letters and
postcards for the children.
In 1982 Australia beckoned
and Mike and I moved to Australia with Shelley and Darrin
Mum visited Gail in South Africa
when Nicholas was born then us in Australia in 1984, she wanted to be close to
either one of us and Australia seemed to be the answer. Mum arrived in 1985 –
how wonderful for us to have Mum close again, she loved being close to the
grandchildren and she helped us so much in those early days of settling into
Australia.
Gail and family arrived in 1987. What an
exciting day for MUM - all of us
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| Mum & Dads Wedding 1944 |
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| Mum |
We rented a 8 or 9 seater van and picked up Gail and family from the airport – Mum loved it – all together again
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| Mum, Dad Patricia & Gail Rhodesia 1955 |
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