Page 20 - Gwen Landsberry - Eulogies

Cooberang was the name of our property at Junee Reefs. I don’t know
how big it was, though when I went back, years later, before it burned
down, I remember thinking how small it looked and wondering how on
earth Mum and Dad brought up 12 children there.

We didn’t have much money though we never thought we were poor.
We had plenty of space to run around. We grew our own food and each
of us young ones had a plot of earth to grow what we could. Mum would
buy things from us – just a penny here and there. We farmed sheep and
wheat and the boys helped harvest the wheat, making stacks like
pyramids in the paddocks. Dad was strict but a very fair and good father.
He used to work our land with the tractors until after dark. We’d help
him bag the produce. Helen learned to drive the tractor to help Dad. He
also tended the cows. Joan was petrified of the cows as the boys would
squirt her with milk! The ducks always chased Joan. She preferred to be
in the house helping Mum.

A man would come around selling and singing ‘Clothes props! Clothes
props! Clothes props!” In those Depression days people came around
selling all sorts of things just to get enough money for a bit of food.
Sometimes Mum would be so tired we’d find her leaning over the
copper, saying ‘pommy word, pommy word’, which I found out later was
actually ‘upon my word’ That was the only complaint I ever heard from
Mum.

Once we all had measles and Mum had so much washing. Dad bought
her a washing machine as a surprise. It was still manual with a hand
plunger and hand wringer, but Mum loved it. No matter what you got in
those days, it was better than what you didn’t have.

Mum didn’t have time for many cuddles – not with 12 children!
Sometimes Harold would pick Mum up, carry her to a chair and do the
work for her – just to give her a break.