Page 8 - Gwen Landsberry - Memories Memento for Family

L-R Allan, Jack and Harold standing

Dad moved especially for us girls. He knew we wouldn’t go on the land and he wanted us to
have the chance for education and a job. I remember travelling up to Sydney in Mum and

Dad’s car with Mum, Allan and Dad in the front; and me in the back with Anne on one knee

and Claire on the other. All we owned was packed and stacked, and in and on that car, all
around us. I don’t know how we did it! I don’t know what happened to the furniture we had in

the old house. Maybe it was just left for the next people? We stayed with Dad’s sister in
Marrickville when we first moved to Sydney. It was an immaculate home and the first time we

had electric lights! We jumped up on the bed to pull the cord on and off, on and off! Aunty
had a fridge that was just framework, covered in canvas, with water constantly dripping on it,

to keep it moist. We had to always salt our meat for freshness. We moved to Grasmere Street

in Cremorne where Mum and Dad had a shop – a corner store. We’d run down the stairs
grabbing lollies from the big containers at the bottom of the stairs, trying not to get caught by

Mum.

I had to go to Monte Saint Angelo College nearby as a boarder because Dad wanted to give

us girls the same opportunites and the older girls had boarded in Wagga. I hated it – shy
gawky country girl in a wrong uniform. I ran all the way down the back the first day and a

head girl had to come and look for me. Once Patsy Kelly arrived, the next week, I was right.
She was just like me – a shy country girl. Country then was Gosford!

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