I didn't think I had any family photographs showing suitcases at all, but when searching for a photo to suit next week's topic, I came across this one of my parents Jean and Ian on their honeymoon in April 1950. They spent it in Nelson in the north of the South Island, NZ. Not surprisingly, they look very happy.
Jean and Ian did many trips over the years and Jean was always a great packer, neatly rolling up items and managing to fit an amazing amount of well-chosen mix-and-match stylish outfits plus numerous pairs of shoes and accessories into a very small bag whenever she travelled. She now resides in a nursing home and future travelling is unlikely. Unfortunately I can't claim to have inherited her packing skills, with my packing style being much less meticulous and a lot more random.
They were together for almost 50 years, until Ian passed away in February 2000 after a short illness, just a couple of months before their golden wedding anniversary date. Jean had been looking forward to celebrating the event and had even bought herself a gold coloured dress in readiness, but sadly it was not to be. It's great to have photos of them as a young couple, just married and with their lives ahead of them.
Jean and Ian Cruickshank, Nelson 1950
For other travelling photographs, just do as the man says below, pack up your troubles
7 February 2014 Update:
Two more photos found, showing yours truly off to primary school in 1960 and then high school in 1965, with my school bag, which looks basically like a smaller version of the cases Jean and Ian used on their honeymoon. No backpacks back then, although my brother looks to have something over his shoulder, and was happily heading for his first day of school, at the beginning of another long journey really.
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We don't get a lot of snow in Australia, and here in the heat of summer the thought of snow is really quite refreshing! We have some mountainous ski areas of course, but for snow to fall and settle outside those regions is quite unusual. Neither Sydney nor Melbourne ever experience it, but occasionally Canberra does, and Hobart in Tasmania has even been known to have it fall on Christmas Day. I've been looking through my mother's old albums and have discovered the following few photographs of snowy days from her childhood in Christchurch NZ in the 1930s, showing Mum and her five siblings having fun after a snowfall at their family home there at 2 Aylmer St.
Ken on his bike, ready to ride to school. Apparently little brother Derek in the background had the mumps at the time.
The Morrison children posing in the snow. My mother stands ready for action with a large snowball in her hand.
Peter born 1937 in the family pram, parked in the snow
Graeme and Peter on another snowy day
On to the 1950s, and I had to go to Cambridge to experience my first snowfall, as documented by my mother in her trip scrapbook, complete with an added poem and wisps of cotton wool for visual effect.
Here's a group of New Zealanders, including my parents and yours truly, well rugged-up for the Cambridge winter of 1954
The next photo is a sweet one of my sister in about 1960, looking rather nonplussed by the snowy scene confronting her around our home in the Canberra suburb of O'Connor.
Fast forward 20 years to 1982, and here's our first daughter enjoying her first taste of snow when visiting her grandparents in Canberra. I lived there for 25 years and can only remember snowing falling on a handful of occasions, so naturally they were captured on camera! My mother had brought back that sweet little duffle coat from England for her, but it only got warn rarely, as Sydney wasn't cold enough to need it, and it must have been given away when outgrown which is rather a shame, because the wearer now lives in England and is expecting her first child soon, and it could have had a lot more use over there.
Right on cue, Google+ adds the snowy effect to the outlook across the street from my parents' house
Over the years we were lucky enough to be able to take the children on various skiing holidays in Australia, NZ and overseas. Their father learnt to ski as a child in Austria and they have all became competent skiers. but I must confess it's not for me. I'm happy just to watch and take photos or sip hot chocolate in front of a warm fire!
Our younger daughter learning to ski on the 'pulli' in Wengen, Switzerland, 1993.
Plenty of snowy peaks in NZ, and here is a recent photo of Mt Cook, the highest at 3754 metres.
Now for more snow, no doubt a lot more than you can see here, just ski on over to Sepia Saturday 212
Late final extra: More snow photos discovered, 7 February 2014!
While searching for other things, I came across a few more snow photos in my mother's albums. Clearly I should have checked them more thoroughly. Firstly here are a series of three from a good snowfall in Christchurch NZ on 6 June 1955, when I was two and a half. In the middle picture it looks like I'm talking to that snowman! Interesting to see that I'm wearing a duffle coat here, just like my daughter in the photos of her around the same age that were taken about 27 years later. I imagine my mother had not forgotten that first coat of mine when she bought the second coat for her granddaughter. Maybe in a couple more years we'll have a matching photo of the next generation.
The other set of appropriate photos I should have discovered relate to a snowfall in Canberra in August 1965, which I believe was quite substantial by Australian standards at least, and shows my brother, my sister and myself playing on the snow up a nearby hill, and with the snow people we made then. Clearly they were friendly folk, as they hung around for a while after the snow had gone.
My grandfather's brother Austin Lindsay Morrison lost his life in The Somme in 1916, aged 24. His photograph was published not long afterwards in the Supplement to the Auckland Weekly News on 26 October 1916. Here is the page that includes Austin's photo. Note the larger photographs for the officers, followed by smaller ones for the enlisted men:
So many men lost over such a disastrous few years, and doubtless every one treasured and mourned by their own circles of family and friends.
Gunner A. L. Morrison, killed in action, from ' Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19161026-40-24 '
Austin was born in 1891 in the Marlborough district in New Zealand. I had some trouble finding his name in the birth index, because the transcription of it given there is 'Estion Liencey', which I find very strange, but not strange enough to compel me to purchase a printout of the record so I can interpret it for myself, although I suppose I really should. My grandfather, the son born two years earlier, was simply named John!
When the Great War broke out, Austin enlisted and became a member of the Machine Gun Section of the 2nd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade. His unit left New Zealand for the Suez on 9 October 1915.
Early in 1916 the local Marlborough paper published a report of a letter that Austin had sent home, which must have provided some degree of hope and comfort to his Irish-born mother Mary Bridget and father Daniel.
Marlborough Express, 22 January 1916, per Papers Past web site
Sadly the worst news arrived later that same year, when the family received advice that Austin had been killed in the Battle of the Somme on 16 September. Austin was much loved and missed by his parents and his ten siblings. I've written in an earlier. Sepia Saturday blog about the last brave letter he wrote to his mother just a week before he was killed, but no doubt received by her after his death.
Report published in The Press, 9 October 1916, per Papers Past web site
Here is a photograph I took in 2003 when we visited the Caterpillar Valley (New Zealand) Memorial, where Austin's name is listed amongst those of the many whose remains could not be found or identified.
Memorial detail
There is also a Roll of Honour at the Canvastown School attended by the Morrison children. It shows the names of Austin, killed in action, and of his brothers Stan and Arnold, who also served but thankfully returned.
A sad postscript to Austin's story:
I posted the photographs of Austin and the Caterpillar Valley memorial on the Find-a-Grave web site, and this led to my being contacted by the wife of my second cousin Kevin, whom I had never met, but to whom Austin was also a great uncle, and whose grandfather was Stan, as noted on the above Honour Roll. Kevin's father was named for Austin, and his German wife was also interested in family history. A couple of years later we were travelling in Germany and met Kevin, an ex-New Zealander who spoke fluent German after living and working in the country for about twenty years. Kevin collected us from our hotel and took us to their home for 'Kaffe und Kuchen' in the small village where they lived near the town of Mainz. They seemed a lovely couple, so we were shocked and saddened to hear in 2010 that Kevin had died, his wife was in a mental hospital, and their two little boys were in care. I don't know the exact circumstances of what happened, but I don't think it was through accident or illness. RIP Kevin.
Here's a song written and sung by one of my favourite Scottish Australian folkies, Eric Bogle, that illustrates the essential futility of war. I've been to so many of Eric's concerts over the years, but they are always great!
And finally, a sad 'in memoriam' notice, placed in the Ballarat Courier 9 August 1917, a year after the death of my husband's great uncle, who died aged 19 at Monquet Farm, near Pozieres, France, on 8 August 1916:
FEATHERSTON.-In loving memory of
my dear son and brother Private Albert Leslie Featherston,
killed in action in France 8th August, 1916 (previously
reported missing).
Your country called for soldiers
To fight 'neath the Union Jack:
With a cheerful smile Les left us,
With a hope he'd soon some back.
You fought midst other heroes;
Yes bravely fought and fell
how we sit and think of you, dear Les,
No other tongue can tell.
-Inserted by his loving mother, sisters, and brothers, Joe, Ralph, Sylvia and Lillian.
Private Albert Leslie Featherston, photo from the Ballarat Courier, 2 June 1917.
I haven't found any old books with photos inside, or none that I can remember, but I'd like to share these photos of an old book called Gibson's Surveying, which by complete coincidence a cousin and I happened to see advertised for sale on Ebay several years ago. The reason we were interested wasn't because of the subject matter, and at an asking price of over $300 we weren't quite keen enough to bid for it, much as we would have liked to have it in our possession as a family heirloom, but because the photographs provided by the seller indicated that its original owner had been my husband's 3 times great grandfather Dan Calwell, 1775-1836, who resided in White Deer Twp, Union Co, Pennsylvania. I've written previously about his accomplishments and the substantial home that he built here, in Sepia Saturday 201.
Photo from Ebay, seller's advertisement, 2006
Dan appears to have signed his name several times at the front of the book, in fact it rather looks as if he was trying out different styles of signature. His surname was Calwell, although he has signed his name as Caldwell here, but we know from experience that the name Caldwell is very much more common than Calwell, particularly in the United States. Dan signed his name without a 'd' while he was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1821/22, and his tombstone in the Warrior Run Graveyard near White Deer Twp has the correct spelling, but the headstone of his son Dr George Washington Calwell in Hegarty Cross Roads Cemetery, near Glen Hope Twp, Clearfield Pennsylvania has had the 'd' chiselled out of the name in both places where it appears, probably by some unhappy relative who knew that a mistake had been made. Dan's Australian descendants are proudly Calwells.
The date given in the inscription below is 22 January 1797, when Dan would have been about 21. I'm not sure what it says between the signature and the date however, and any suggestions would be welcome. This book Gibson's Surveying was specifically included in a long list of Dan Calwell's effects, and the administration of his estate provided for the appointment of Mr Charles Gudykunst as guardian of Dan's minor children. The frontispiece of the book has the name C. Gudykunst written there, so together with the signatures it seems pretty certain that this book indeed belonged to our Dan Calwell. Hopefully whoever purchased it treasures it in their antique book collection, even if they don't have any personal connection to its previous owner, and at least we have the photographs.
This week the topic photograph is of an old vehicle, possibly known as a charabanc, which looks to be awaiting its passengers, who have alighted to visit the Cordeaux Dam, south of Sydney in New South Wales, the structure which can be seen in the background. This dam was completed in 1926, and more information about it can be found here. What is intriguing is that the Cordeaux Dam is hardly in the same direction from Sydney as the Jenolan Caves,which is the destination of the bus according to its sign, but perhaps the passengers were being taken on a roundabout tour of the wider Sydney region. There's a similar vehicle in a photograph on the web site of the Library of New South Wales, the caption for which is "Visitors walking from charabanc to the entrance of Jenolan Caves for the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the discoveries of various caves, 23 February 1929". Click here to see it.
Parts of the Jenolan Caves were initially discovered in the early 1840s by members of the Whalan family, and form part of the Blue Mountains, an elevated and very scenic rock formation to the west of Sydney. A very informative site about their history and attractions is located here. There are lots of articles in Trove about the Caves and various events that have occurred there over the years. For example, additional spectacular caves in an extensive underground network of caves were discovered in the 1890s by the Caves keeper Mr Jeremiah Wilson:
Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 23 February 1893, from the Trove web site
The Caves became a popular tourist attraction for Sydney visitors, and many overseas dignitaries have been taken there on official visits. Of course it was some years before the Caves were able to be illuminated sufficiently so that their beauty could be safely appreciated, and the accommodation provided in the nearby Caves House was originally very basic, as this correspondent who called herself Mother Hubbard complained in a letter she penned to a major Sydney newspaper in June 1886:
Letter to Sydney Morning Herald, 9 June 1886, per Trove web site
The present day grand hotel, Caves House, isnow on the State Heritage Register.It was constructed in 1896, and was designed in the Federation Arts and Crafts Style as a retreat for the wealthy, and became a popular destination for honeymooning couples and other sightseeing tourists. Here's a lovely detailed report of the wedding of one such couple in 1904:
Catholic Press, 28 April 1904, from Trove web site
Here's another report, this one of a wedding that took place in Sydney precisely 101 years ago, on 4 January 1913:
Sydney Morning Herald, 11 January 1913, per Trove web site
The road up the Blue Mountains and over to the Caves was winding and treacherous and visitors travelling there for fun, adventure and relaxation did not always arrive or return home safely. There have been a number of serious accidents over the years, for example this one which occurred at Lawson in 1929:
Toll of the Motor, Braidwood Review and District Advocate, 8 January 1929, from Trove web site
Here are a couple of dramatic reports of accidents, in which amazingly no one was killed:
Northern Star Lismore, 5 August 1927, from Trove web site
Illawarra Daily Mercury, 20 April 1954, from Trove web site
An accident with a more serious outcome occurred on 5 January 1962:
Canberra Times, 6 January 1962, from Trove web site. One of the injured passengers subsequently died, bringing the death toll to four.
There have also been unfortunate fatalities within the Caves themselves, for example this one in 1937:
Canberra Times 8 February 1937, per Trove web site
A fatality also resulted when another woman fell from the same location in 1940.
Several of the above reports relate to events that took place on or about this coming weekend, on or about 5 January. Actually it's a personally significant date, as Sunday 5 January 2014 will be our 40th wedding anniversary. We went to New Zealand, not the Jenolan Caves, for our honeymoon, but here's a photo of my grandfather Oliver Cruickshank and his second wife Maisie, who came over from NZ for our wedding and afterwards visited the Blue Mountains. The photo is taken at Echo Point, overlooking the Three Sisters. It's likely that my parents also took them on to visit the Caves.
Granddad and Maisie at Echo Point, January 1974
We went to Jenolan the following year in 1975, and here are a couple of photos from that trip.
At the entrance to the Caves
View of Caves House, from Carlotta's Arch
So that's my brief history and reminiscence about the Jenolan Caves, sparked by the bus destination in the photo prompt. Happy New Year to everyone, happy holidays and most importantly, stay safe travelling home!
Now I'm off to Hobart, Tasmania for a few days, where we'll celebrate by having dinner with one of my bridesmaids and her husband, who got married a month after we did, and have lived down there for most of the ensuing 40 years. My other bridesmaid was my sister, who is now a jeweller and she has made me a ruby ring to mark the occasion.
In the grounds of St Ninian's, Lyneham A.C.T., 5 January 1974.
Link to the prompt photo? Well I am wearing white, like the waiting attendants in white coats :-) That old oak tree beside us is no longer standing, but thankfully we still are! For more takes on this week's theme, just drive on over to Sepia Saturday 209
ps.Hope you enjoy this traditional rendition of Auld Lang Syne, as sung by the lovely Scottish singer Dougie McLean, whom we coincidentally saw in concert at the Clarendon Hotel, Katoomba in the Blue Mountains a couple of years ago.
In December 1954 my parents and I were on our way from England to New Zealand, aboard the good ship RMS Rangitiki. We steamed home via the Panama Canal, arriving back in Auckland on 1 January 1955.
Christmas aboard the Rangitiki looks like it must have been fun and relaxing for the passengers. I went to the children's fancy dress party in a crepe paper Christmas tree costume my mother had created for me, and won a prize. (I've posted this photo in a previous blog but I think it bears repeating). The next photo is of a fragment from my outfit that Mum stuck into a scrapbook of the trip. It's quite well-preserved really, so you can imagine what the photo looked like in colour.
My mother's scrapbook also includes both the children's and adults' menus for the various Christmas events.
Children's Fancy Dress Party Menu
For Tea on Christmas Day the children enjoyed Fillet of Cod au Gratin, Cheese Salad, Roast Chicken and New Zealand Ham, with Peach Creams, Neapolitan Ices and fruit for dessert. Fried Lambs Sweetbreads and Sheeps Tongue were included in the menu at the Children's Xmas Party on December 24 - not my idea of party food, but I think in those days they were believed to be good for children. They were also served coffee ices, which seems a bit strange too.
Boxing Day Children's Menu Cover
The adults dined pretty well on Christmas Day, once the children had been fed and safely put to bed, not that I was always safe - apparently one night during the voyage I somehow escaped from the cabin, and if a purser hadn't discovered me wandering about on deck, I might not be here to tell the tale!
The adults' Christmas Day Menu cover appropriately featured the New Zealand Kowhai Ngutu, also known as the kaka beak flower,
A Sumptuous Xmas Feast: Rangitiki Menu, Dec.25, 1954
Scotch Woodcock is apparently a dish of soft scrambled eggs on toast with anchovy paste, which seems an odd thing to serve for Christmas, but perhaps it was included for the vegetarians, as there was not very much else offered for them.
And yes, Santa did manage to find the RMS Rangitiki on the high seas, somehow or other!
Best wishes to everyone for the festive season, wherever you may be, from Merry Melbourne, where it's presently around 40 degrees in the shade. Thankfully Xmas Day is not predicted to be quite so hot! I hope you all have a very happy and relaxing time with family and friends. To close, here are some Melbourne icons for you, with a little added Christmas flavour - they're neither old nor sepian, but I hope you enjoy them, regardless!
Gingerbread model of the Melbourne Cricket Ground., which also plays host to Aussie Rules in winter.
Melbourne Town Hall lights up with a festive light show each night before Xmas
No one's watching the football, they're all queueing up for some fun at that other Melbourne icon depicted here in gingerbread, Luna Park at St Kilda Beach.
For more festive season memories,thoughts and wishes, just lie back, relax and head for Sepia Saturday 208
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