I had a very nice week (Sunday to Friday) spending time with Auntie Norma and Uncle Les. When I had called Auntie Norma about coming, I told her that I would do all the cooking and cleaning while I was staying with them so they would not be put out at all. However, when I got there, it turned out not to be so simple. Auntie Norma is a very independent (and stubborn :-) woman and it wasn't as easy as I thought to be able to take over. Uncle Les likes his routine and so he preferred to do the dishes chore on his own after every meal - I was able to do the dishes once and make only one supper meal during the time I was there. My cousin, Rosie, and I were able to take Auntie Norma out to lunch twice, but Uncle Les didn't join us as he doesn't like eating out. He has his daily routine and doesn't like it changed.
It was interesting learning about Auntie Norma's growing up years in and around Wagga. I also asked her some questions about Poppy when they were growing up - he really was a naughty boy! :-) I also found out the last name of Poppy's best boyhood friend and so I am looking forward to being able to contact him to see if he will share some of his memories of his time with Poppy. I am looking forward to talking with Nana when I get to Canada and to be able to write both her and Poppy's life histories.
Rosie and I spent some time at the Wagga cemetery trying to find out where our ancestors were buried. Some of them have been buried without headstones or markers and so we had to find out where they were buried based on where others' were who did have a headstone. The people in the office at the cemetery were helpful in giving us a photocopy of where our relatives were buried in relation to others in the cemetery. Rosie wants to get a plaque of some kind to mark where our Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Glennie are buried (they are my Grandma Dunkley's parents) and also where Poppy's brother, Ian, is buried (Ian only lived two days and died due to a heart problem).
Poppy's plaque by the 'Serenity Pool' at the Wagga Lawn Cemetery
A wonderful story about finding where Ian was buried. First, you know that I don't believe in co-incidences.........So, Rosie and I went to the cemetery to see if they had a record of where Ian was buried, which they didn't. Rosie had a newspaper article stating that Ian had been buried in the Salvation Army area of the Wagga Monumental Cemetery and had been interred there by a funeral home in Wagga. So, next we went to the Salvation Army church to see if they had any record of Ian's funeral. We talked with two people in the know there, but both told us that the book containing that information was missing. We were given a book which had a lot of information about other relatives and their service in the church, their marriages and deaths. So, although it wasn't productive regarding the information we were looking for re: Ian, it did give us some other information which was very useful. Next, we went to the funeral home where we talked with a girl named Ebony. We told her our story and she told us that she had 'just happened' to work at the cemetery before coming to work at the funeral home three months previously. She told us that not all of the information has been inputted into the cemetery database and told us exactly where to tell the cemetery workers to look to get that information. We felt so blessed to have been able to talk with Ebony as it led us to be able to find out where Ian was buried and we wouldn't have been able to find that out without meeting Ebony. A little story about our 'discussion' with the cemetery workers when we went back there to tell them what Ebony had said. When we told them what Ebony had said, they assured us that all the info had been inputted into the computer system (guaranteed, they said). We kept telling them where Ebony had said the info would be found and they kept insisting that everything was on their computer. We persisted and they finally took down the Salvation Army record book and, lo and behold, there was the information we needed. Rosie and I had a good venting with each other after we left the cemetery although we were as sweet as pie while we were talking with the workers. We took lots of photos of where our relatives were buried and felt good at what we were able to accomplish.
A wonderful story about finding where Ian was buried. First, you know that I don't believe in co-incidences.........So, Rosie and I went to the cemetery to see if they had a record of where Ian was buried, which they didn't. Rosie had a newspaper article stating that Ian had been buried in the Salvation Army area of the Wagga Monumental Cemetery and had been interred there by a funeral home in Wagga. So, next we went to the Salvation Army church to see if they had any record of Ian's funeral. We talked with two people in the know there, but both told us that the book containing that information was missing. We were given a book which had a lot of information about other relatives and their service in the church, their marriages and deaths. So, although it wasn't productive regarding the information we were looking for re: Ian, it did give us some other information which was very useful. Next, we went to the funeral home where we talked with a girl named Ebony. We told her our story and she told us that she had 'just happened' to work at the cemetery before coming to work at the funeral home three months previously. She told us that not all of the information has been inputted into the cemetery database and told us exactly where to tell the cemetery workers to look to get that information. We felt so blessed to have been able to talk with Ebony as it led us to be able to find out where Ian was buried and we wouldn't have been able to find that out without meeting Ebony. A little story about our 'discussion' with the cemetery workers when we went back there to tell them what Ebony had said. When we told them what Ebony had said, they assured us that all the info had been inputted into the computer system (guaranteed, they said). We kept telling them where Ebony had said the info would be found and they kept insisting that everything was on their computer. We persisted and they finally took down the Salvation Army record book and, lo and behold, there was the information we needed. Rosie and I had a good venting with each other after we left the cemetery although we were as sweet as pie while we were talking with the workers. We took lots of photos of where our relatives were buried and felt good at what we were able to accomplish.
The weather in Wagga was so cold and I don't remember it being that cold there when I was a kid. Auntie Norma says it was cold then, but kids just don't seem to feel it like adults do. I was very glad that Auntie Norma had a heating blanket on my bed - they go to bed very early and so I ended up doing the same each night and snuggling down under the covers and enjoying the heat of the blanket. I have to say that I am very glad that Dad said that he didn't want to live in Wagga when we moved to Australia! :-)
As nice as it was to catch up with my relatives in Wagga, it was nice to get back to Melbourne with Dad. As usual, he had trouble sleeping while I was away (he always does) and so he was glad to have me back, too. :-) We had hoped to go out geocaching yesterday, but the weather was not co-operating - rain, rain and more rain. So, it was a bit of a stay-at-home day after we did some grocery shopping.
Today, after Sacrament, we went to have lunch with some friends who live southeast of Melbourne. Wendy and Norm Keilar lived in Wagga for a few months back in the 60s and Wendy and Nana became friends first and then all four of them became friends. Nana has kept in touch with Wendy all these years and Dad and I became friends with them as well. They invited us for a lovely roast chicken dinner with pavlova for dessert - how could we resist? :-) Wendy always puts on a great spread - besides the chicken and dressing, she also cooked up roast potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, beans, peas and a tomato/onion with bread crumbs dish. The pavlova topping was very unusual and one I had never seen before. Wendy made the meringue base, topped that with whipped cream and then topped that with a crushed chocolate bar called 'Peppermint Crisp' - it's a green mint chocolate bar - it was a nice pavlova (Wendy cut me TWO slices), but I still prefer my fruit topped pav. :-) Wendy and Norm invited their daughter, Marjorie, and her husband, Peter, over as well and we enjoyed a lovely visit with all of them. They have asked us to come back again next time we visit Melbourne and to stay overnight when we do - we will look forward to that.
Back row: Peter, Marjorie, Me.....................Front row: Norm and Wendy Keilar
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