Hats in Time

Believed to be the wedding of Edith Bound and Eduard Geyer in 1886

 

In days of old, a hat did hold

A charm and grace, a tale untold.

Upon the head, it sat with pride,

A symbol of style, a dashing stride.

Eva Pilgrim (nee Blythman)

A gentleman's hat, so debonair,

Topped with feathers or ribbon fair.

A touch of class, a dash of flair,

A hat that spoke of savoir faire.

Bessie and Abel Bound with Mrs Excell and Ruby Bound
Estimated to be 1890

For ladies fair, a hat adorned,

With flowers, ribbons and lace adorned.

A fashion statement, a work of art,

A hat to captivate every heart.

Unknown Lady, Great Aunty Eve Walker and Great Aunty Madeline Walker

In times gone past, a hat was worn,

To shield from sun or bracing morn.

A protective shield, a shield of shade,

A hat to don on every escapade.

Great Grandparents Mary and Ambrose Walker with horses Buzz & Silver
We believe the child is Aunty Phyllis Walker - about 1930

Oh, hats of old, we long to see,

The elegance and grace you used to be.

Though fashion changes, trends may sway,

Your timeless charm will never fade away.

I love the way that my grandfather, Gordon Walker, is looking at my nanna, Rita
At the wedding of my Aunty & Uncle in 1965

So let us raise our hats up high,

To bygone days and days gone by.

For in those hats, a story told, 

Of fashion style, and stories old.

Caroline "Carrie" Warner

Inspired by Sepia Saturday Click to see more posts.

                                       

Hoarder? Collector? Keeper of Memories?

 Did you know that the days & dates in 1966, 1977, 2005, 2011, and 2022 align?  

My father recently located a number of old calendars.  I immediately put the 1972 calendar on the wall thinking that it matched this year (2022).  However, I turned the page today and realised that 1972 was a leap year!  So the calendar is only useful January and February in 2022!  And what are the chances, but I am missing the years that I could use!  Darn!

I shall keep the calendar on the wall until the end of February 2022

Around every corner in our home, is a different memory.  EVERYTHING on display in our home has a meaning or memory. 

No longer are collections hidden in the cupboard.  They are on display for our enjoyment.

For years the badges were in a container in the cupboard,
but they are now on display

The bookcase below is older than I am.  Mum always had medical encyclopedias in it. Now it contains World Book encyclopedias.  My inlaws invested in these encyclopedias in 1972 to assist my husband and his brother with their learning. 

I am extremely grateful to my cousin for giving me the beautiful ruby block butter dish.  It is EAP Glass which was produced from 1850 to 1914.  This one is estimated to be from 1894. I suspect that this may have been a 40th wedding anniversary gift, passed down through several generations.  Perhaps a gift from my Great Grandparents Ambrose and Mary Walker (nee Mottram) to my Great Great Grandparents Alexander and Ellen Walker (nee Rowe) who celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on 20th July 1908.  Or was it a gift to Mary's parents, my Great Great Grandparents, Samuel and Elizabeth Mottram (nee Gourley), who celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on 27th January 1915?

My father has made me two replicas of this bookcase for side tables in the loungeroom

Every time that I look at the pair of candelabra I think of a deceased friend, Bill Terhorst.   Bill was an engineer and very clever.  He learned blacksmith skills from one of his relatives and made two of these, with the assistance of my husband.  

The good luck charm was purchased in China while I was on a trip with my daughter.

Hand-made by Bill Terhorst.

The small tea-pot belonged to my Nanna.  Several of her grandchildren remember cups of tea being made in it.
The kettle with the green lid was always on our stove growing up.  The fruit bowl (full of knick knacks) belonged to my nanna also.

The tea tin was a container for cereal when we were children.
The canisters were purchased from Bendigo Pottery when we visited friends.
The coffee grinder belonged to my husband's parents (and is of German origin)
The scales were from my days as a bank teller before coin-counting became digital.

The crystal cabinet belonged to Great Grandma Walker and was given to me by another cousin for safekeeping.  It was one of the first things I saw when I walked in the front door of my grandparents.  Nanna always had jelly beans for us, hiding behind a picture on the crystal cabinet.

The dancing doll in the bottle is another beautiful memory of my nanna, who would wind it up for me over and over again when I was a little girl.

The above barometer is one of a large number of pigeon flying trophies. 
My father in law won the VHA Long Distance Average in 1977

The dining room is full of memories. These are only a few examples.
On our honeymoon, we were chased down the road by a vendor eager to sell his wares.  We ended up purchasing the hand-carved cobra walking stick for $5, to stop him from following us.
The ice bucket and trays are VHA pigeon racing trophies.
The cup was given to my parents upon my birth by the masonic lodge.
The crockery is part of a set that belonged to my maternal great grandmother, Mabel Pilgrim (nee Geyer), but it has been broken up and shared among the family.
The goblets belonged to my mother in law.  They were always on display in her wall unit

The purple lamp was used on the kitchen table by my grandmother prior to electricity.
The iron lamp was a wedding present to my Great Grandparents,  Ambrose and Mary Walker, from the bride's father, Samuel Mottram.
The copper picture brings back memories of my grandfather, Gordon Walker, as it was on the wall of my grandparents home when I was a child.
Just out of view is a picture from Disneyland, a scent lamp which a gift from past colleagues/friends, and an urn from a visit to Turkey.

The knitting machine and cupboard belonged to my maternal grandfather, Allan Scott, who purchased them when he returned from World War II, to make socks for the soldiers.
The piano accordion (in the case) was my mothers when she was a child.
The hat was from when my husband was in the army.
The handbag belonged to my mother-in-law.
Mum made the tablecloth with hobbytex

I have given you a small taste of our eclectic style.  Some may think that I am a hoarder.  Others with say that I am a collector.  But I consider myself to be the keeper of memories. I have a book of photographs of all the memorabilia, which includes a description of its origin.  If something happens to me, others will also know the significance.

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This post was inspired by Sepia Saturday 606.

It started with calendars but finished with memorabilia!

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Enjoy Every Day

My grandmother looks so happy holding the snowballs.  She must be cold as she is not dressed for the snow. Her shoes, dress, and bare legs are totally inappropriate. But look at that beaming smile!    

It is November1962 and my grandparents are aged in their early 50's.  The youngest of their four children is 17 years old.  They are getting a taste for the travel that they have been looking forward to for many years.  They had no idea that in less than three years, one of them would be deceased.

Eva Scott
Mt Wellington, Tasmania
1962

My grandmother was worried that she would be seasick on the voyage from Victoria to Tasmania.  My Grandfather told her that it was all in her mind.  He believed that if she thought she would be sick then it would happen. But guess who was actually seasick? 

Allan Scott
1962

Allan Scott
Mt Wellington, Tasmania
1962

My grandfather had completed some unwanted overseas travel during WWII.  He diligently wrote to my grandmother every week.  Most of those letters made it back to Australia, with the main purpose being to let my grandmother know that he was missing her and the family, and that he was alive.

According to Defence records, my grandfather developed Asthma and Rheumatic Fever while in Egypt.  It was ultimately the Rheumatic fever that led to his death in 1965 at the age of 56. 

When my grandfather died, he wasn't much older than I am now!

My grandmother never remarried or had another partner.  I asked her once why she had not remarried.  She told me that she had 'married the best, so there could be no one else'.

However, she still fulfilled her travel ambitions.  It was her postcards from around the world that inspired my love of travel.  

Thank you Gran xoxo

My kids enjoying the snow in Germany in 2006

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This post was inspired by Sepia Saturday 605

She had the light of battle glimmering in her eyes

MOE's OLDEST FILM FAN WILL BE THERE

Experienced picturegoer
 Mary Walker
From silent films, to 'talkies, to  colour
widescreen.

In the long queue that tensed as the box office opened to book the first reservations for the new Civic Theatre, Moe, on Tuesday, there was the oldest and keenest movie fan in the district, and perhaps, all of Gippsland.

With the lively intention of getting a seat in a position most closely alike to the one she had occupied in the old Mechanics' Institute picture show for 30 years, she had the light of battle, should it be needed, glimmering in her eyes.

Mrs M. Walker, a film-lover to be respected, of the Princes Highway, who was 78 years old on January 20, knew what wanted and got it.

Before being satisfied with picked positions offered by the theatre staff, Mrs Walker several times inspected the actual seats and finally had the assistance of the proprietor himself, Mr Rex Hamilton.

He ensured that Mrs Walker secured an end seat that pleased her, on her chosen aisle, where she will be as contented and considerably more comfortable than in "L-1" in the Mechanics Pictures.

"I think this is something beautiful" said Mrs Walker to an "Advocate" representative, as she looked happily around.

The old lady became a regular customer early in the same seat very soon after the opening of Moe's first picture show; and having seen through 'twenties', occupying the same [seat, she has seen] stars come and go on the silent screen and sat through the development of talkies, and now will see the wide screen usher in a new era.

Asked what films she preferred, she replied, "I like religious pictures, and romantic ones, but I don't think much of those that have a lot of shooting."

So tonight, when Moe sees its first Cinemascope widescreen film in color in the town's new, modern, airconditioned theatre, there will be among those present the little lady who admits her greatest love is the 'movies' and who probably knows as much about them as any picturegoer in Gippsland.

She'll be there alone - but just exactly where, we are not telling.

Source: Narracan Shire Advocate - March 18th, 1955

Mary Walker (nee Mottram) is my great grandmother
Born 20th January 1876, Timor, Victoria, Australia
Married 21st May 1902, Havelock, Victoria, Australia to Ambrose Walker
Died 1st July 1958, Yallourn, Victoria, Australia

This post was inspired by Sepia Saturday
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Guess the Weight

"This pet sheep was led one mile to the Winiam Hall Sports, for the weight guessing.
The owner is Miss Nellie Ervin (later Love)
2nd Left is Walter Weir, 3rd is Perce Pilgrim
Far Right is Jim Pilgrim then Mr Bob Weir
Taken 5th April by Miss E.J. Pilgrim 'Almond Dale' Winiam Via Nhill"

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The Women In My Life

Agnes Scott, Rita Walker, Mary Jane Walker, Elizabeth Mottram,
Charlotte Drayton, Danielle, Ellen Walker
Mary Ann Scott, Me , Joy, Eva Scott
Jane Warrick, Mary Ann Pilgrim, Edith Geyer, Mabel Pilgrim

Girls commencing work today would not believe how things have changed in the past 30+ years!

When I started working, what we today know as "discrimination" was accepted as normal practice!

As a junior,  I made the coffee for all the men in the office every morning and afternoon.  It was an accepted part of my role to be the "gopher".  In the days before every branch had a photo copier, it was my job to run across the road to get any photocopying done!  I didn't mind as being a smoker back then, it gave me the opportunity to have a cigarette, as females were not allowed to smoke in front of customers (but the men could).  In the early years of banking,  I remember being disciplined for coming to work in trousers!

I was ambitious from a young age but had many doubters.............and they were not afraid to tell me either!  That just made me more determined!  When I was 20 , I was told that I could not have a supervisors role because "You are female and under age 21" even though I had been successfully relieving in the role for months!   Hard to imagine today!

A male colleague actually laughed at me one day and told me that I would never be a manager as I would "just get married and have babies".  I did get married and have babies but continued working! I achieved my ambition to be a Manager before I was age 30 and am proud that I was the first female branch manager in Gippsland.  How I hated playing golf after manager's conferences!  However, it was something that I needed to do to be considered an equal.  In reality,  I feel that I had to work twice as hard as my male colleagues to be considered equal!

I do not write this to complain but instead to highlight how things have changed. We have come a long way but unfortunately we still have a way to go until men and females are equal in the workplace.

However, I have had it easy compared to my female ancestors pictured above. Every one of the ladies above (except my daughter) has a story of adversity and courage.

My Great Great Great Grandmother, Jane Bound, was 39 years old with 8 children and another on the way when her husband died.  Jane was too old to come to Australia from England, but did not take "no" for an answer and successfully applied for a special dispensation from the Queen to bring her family to Australia in 1878.  That took courage!

When I chose to be a working mother, I did not realise that my Great Great Grandmother, Edith Geyer, was one of the first working mothers.   After her husband died of typhoid in 1899, she needed to work to maintain custody of her seven children.  The family faced further adversity and nearly died when the family went by wagon to Mildura to pick fruit.  You can read about it here.
Nurse Edith Geyer later built a successful private hospital business (with no formal education).  She was certainly an early survivor and entrepreneur.

March is Women's Family History Month and Tuesday March 8th is International Women's day. I would like to take this opportunity to remember and thank the strong women in my family.  I am proud to come from a long line of determined and resourceful women.  Maybe I have inherited my resilience, determination and work ethic from my fore-bearers?

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"Off for a Shot"

"December 1929 -  C Pilgrim, H Rowett, C Smith, L Pilgrim"
From the album of Eva Jean Pilgrim (sister of Lloyd Pilgrim)

Albert Clarence Pilgrim (known as Clarrie) was 19 years old and his cousin Lloyd James Pilgrim was 17 years old in 1929.  The middle two young men are not related to me, as far as I know.

I believe that this photo was taken at Almond Dale in Winiam.  The stable in the background looks very similar to the one pictured in other photos in my grandmothers album.   Did you notice that C Smith is wearing a tie?  He has an aura of confidence about him.  

The four young are men standing in among the flowers, which I imagine would have looked fantastic in colour! 

I find it to be a very interesting photo, but do wonder if it has been staged by my grandmother?  

What do you think?

This Post has been inspired by Sepia Saturday.  Please click fir more posts.

Smile for the camera

Eva Pilgrim  with her Box Brownie
Easter 1928 - Age 18
Stawell Gift

My grandmother, Eva Scott (nee Pilgrim), loved her "snaps".  She was proud that she had saved for her Kodak Box Brownie, which I now own.

There are albums and albums full of Gran's photos.  The old albums and photos taken with the Box Brownie in the earlier years are my favourite.  She was naturally a great photographer!  Anyone who reads my blog regularly will have admired many of her photos, which provide an insight into a different time.  

Gran received several awards at the Nhill Agricultural Show for her photos.  She also had many photos published in the Weekly Times.  I am looking forward to further issues of the Weekly Times being digitised, so that I can view them on the National Library of Australia archive Trove.

Many of the earlier, so called colour, photos in her albums have turned pink or orange. In later years she purchased postcards on her travels, rather than taking photos.

I would love to be able to talk to my grandmother now!  We have more in common than I ever realised!  Maybe my love of travel, photography and family history is genetic?   Did she recognise that we have a lot of similarities?  I will never know!

Eva Pilgrim, with her Box Brownie, at her Grandmother's home in Baille Street West, Horsham
June 1930
Is that steam coming from a laundry?

Pilgrim Family Gathering - Winiam 1934
Eva Pilgrim with her Kodak Box Brownie

My first camera looked like this (a Kodak also)

Gran's first camera - Kodak Box Brownie - remains
in excellent condition (with a use manual)

Me on a theme park ride in 2013

My Grandmother, Eva Scott, in 1990 (age 80)

The camera is never far away!

I was  snapped snapping in 2015

My daughter took this and said (A typical Mum pose)

This prompt was inspired by Sepia Saturday.  Click for more posts.

Great Grandma Scott's Biscuits

Great Grandma Scott's recipes for Cinnamon and Coconut Biscuits 

I have previously written about my Great Grandmother Agnes Scott and the unfortunate event, which led to her opening a tea house.  You can read more here.

Great Grandma's Cinnamon Biscuits

I have tried many of the recipes in her "Cookery Book" and have enjoyed them all!

Agnes Scott's Coco-nut biscuits

1956 - Waterfall Gully Road
Sisters:  Agnes Scott and May Telfer
Note the aprons

This post is prompted by Sepia Saturday.  Click for more posts.