Page 16 - Gwen Landsberry - Memories Memento for Family

The Junee Reefs hall had recently been reclad and renovated and the soldier moved down from the school
area. Again, a monument had been erected and had all 3 brothers on it. This had been the centre of Junee
Reefs Mum said – where meetings, sports days, dances and events were held and where Pa was starter for
the races. The Hall is still used for all sorts of community events, social times and meetings.

We headed up to Coorinda Court in Commins Street, Junee, to see Graham Fawcett and meet his partner
Beryl. Graham was friends with Reg and Frank mainly when they were young. He owned 927 acres up until
1988 when interest rates forced him out. He sold everything up by 1991 and moved into town with Beryl. He
laughed as he remembered the day the horse and sulky tipped over – though it wasn’t funny at the time!
He’d thought Reg was driving but it was Mum – and marvelled she was only about 12 bringing them all into
school.

Next stop was 65 George Street, Junee Heights and Dulcie
Whitechurch’s (Burmister) home. 70 years since Mum had last
seen Dulcie. She greeted us at the door, dazzling white curly
hair against country-girl-weathered skin. We sat down on the
beige and brown brocade lounge chairs and Dulcie and Mum
started chatting, as Dulcie poured tea into Royal Albert teacups.
The sultana cake was homemade of course. So much for these
old gals to catch up on while I just sat and listened, taking in a
room that likely hadn’t changed much in 30 or 40 years. Just like
Mum’s.

Dulcie said her sister Shirley had been more Claire’s friend and
Marie had been Mum’s. Marie had died years previously. Dulcie
had desperately wanted to be a nurse. Her Mum had taken her
along to Wagga Wagga hospital to begin training. However, on
arrival found out she would have to buy uniforms and shoes
and the family didn’t have the money. Instead, Dulcie went ‘into service’, caring for people’s homes,
including JS Taylor’s daughter in Sydney. She was 16 when ‘too much was expected of her’, so she caught the
train back home to Junee, meeting and marrying her husband a few years later.

People had suggested some of the O’Brien girls, including Mum, go ‘into service’ however Nana and Pa
O’Brien wouldn’t allow this and insisted they had other choices.

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