The Children of Jessie and John Brett
When Eric was aged about thirteen, long hair was the fashion for boys as well as girls. His waist long, golden hair got him into a lot of trouble, combined with his pale blue velvet suits with lace collars. The other not so well dressed boys his age who thought he was fair game, and in proving to the others that he was not sissy, contributed to his being expelled from school. I know once he was involved in fisticuff with another lad, and somehow or other they were snarled up under the tank stand when he was unceremoniously hauled out by the headmaster, who was using the simple method of clutching two handfuls of long hair. Eric showed his disapproval of their treatment by offering to repay the headmaster in kind. Not surprisingly this led to his expulsion. Eric not to be outdone then hurled a large bottle of ink at the headmaster which dyed his lovely, long white teachers coat and lovely, long, white beard a lovely shade of navy blue.
Uncle Sam grew up to manhood and went into the carrying business with grandfather. Eric, after being expelled from school was sent to work on the wagons with Sam. One day when Sam and Eric were away, out in the bush, bringing a wagon-load of wool into the railway, Sam was brushed off the wagon by an overhanging tree limb and crushed beneath the wagon wheel. Eric could not do anything to help, he couldn’t move the team of twelve horses, and just had to sit by his favourite brother’s side and watched him die in agony.
Uncle Fred was a handsome young bloke and a big hit with the girls. Nothing else was known of Freddie because when he was twenty five years old he had a tooth extracted and died of tetanus.
When Aubrey was only a little boy he developed Polio and was crippled in one leg. Before he learnt to walk again, Eric, who was only two years older, ‘piggy backed’ him to and from school each day – a distance of about two miles each way.
When Eric and Aubrey grew up they were pretty wild young fellows. Perhaps due to the fact that Joe was such a goody-two-shoes, who neither smoked nor drank, nor did anything wrong (he only talked about how good he was), they may have been egged on to doing some of the things they did.
Down the road a piece, there lived a slightly retarded young man who could not shave himself. Grandma made Aubrey and Eric attend to the job of shaving this man on Saturday mornings. Saturday was the day the boys dressed up in their flashiest clothes and went off to town, they got very sick of having to wait for the young man to come for his shave. So one morning, Eric said to him “Gee wizz, you look crook this morning” and then Aubrey came out and said to him “What’s wrong with you today, you look very sick?”. The kept this up until the poor fellow felt so sick he fainted and they had to carry him home. They did this for a few more Saturdays until the invalid was too sick to come for his shave anymore.
The two girls, Eileen and Viola when young school girls, had bloomers made of flour bags. These often had the backsides emblazoned with the brand and name of the flour’s origin. Viola told me later that the bloomers wore out very quickly, helped no doubt by the continual sliding of their backsides down the hill by their home, to get the writing off. They even had long dresses with hoops.
Uncle Sam grew up to manhood and went into the carrying business with grandfather. Eric, after being expelled from school was sent to work on the wagons with Sam. One day when Sam and Eric were away, out in the bush, bringing a wagon-load of wool into the railway, Sam was brushed off the wagon by an overhanging tree limb and crushed beneath the wagon wheel. Eric could not do anything to help, he couldn’t move the team of twelve horses, and just had to sit by his favourite brother’s side and watched him die in agony.
Uncle Fred was a handsome young bloke and a big hit with the girls. Nothing else was known of Freddie because when he was twenty five years old he had a tooth extracted and died of tetanus.
When Aubrey was only a little boy he developed Polio and was crippled in one leg. Before he learnt to walk again, Eric, who was only two years older, ‘piggy backed’ him to and from school each day – a distance of about two miles each way.
When Eric and Aubrey grew up they were pretty wild young fellows. Perhaps due to the fact that Joe was such a goody-two-shoes, who neither smoked nor drank, nor did anything wrong (he only talked about how good he was), they may have been egged on to doing some of the things they did.
Down the road a piece, there lived a slightly retarded young man who could not shave himself. Grandma made Aubrey and Eric attend to the job of shaving this man on Saturday mornings. Saturday was the day the boys dressed up in their flashiest clothes and went off to town, they got very sick of having to wait for the young man to come for his shave. So one morning, Eric said to him “Gee wizz, you look crook this morning” and then Aubrey came out and said to him “What’s wrong with you today, you look very sick?”. The kept this up until the poor fellow felt so sick he fainted and they had to carry him home. They did this for a few more Saturdays until the invalid was too sick to come for his shave anymore.
The two girls, Eileen and Viola when young school girls, had bloomers made of flour bags. These often had the backsides emblazoned with the brand and name of the flour’s origin. Viola told me later that the bloomers wore out very quickly, helped no doubt by the continual sliding of their backsides down the hill by their home, to get the writing off. They even had long dresses with hoops.