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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Favourite Photos

I often say that my favourite photo is yet to be taken.....but maybe it was taken near 100 years ago?

I received my first camera in 1978, to take on a school 'train trip' from Stratford to Swan Hill (Victoria, Australia) and return.   Although those first photos were terrible (blurred and on an angle with no thought about composition), I was addicted, and have been taking photos ever since.

Was it that school train trip that inspired my love of taking photos (recording memories) or was it genetic?  Although I knew that my maternal grandmother was keen on 'taking snaps', I did not realise that she had real talent and had been taking photos since her teens.  It was only after she died in 2006, that I became aware of some of her photo albums.  The earliest of Gran's photos were taken in 1927 when she would have been 17 years old, and continued until her later years.

One of Gran's earliest photos, which was taken with her Box Brownie. 
Gran took many wonderful photos of farm life. 
1927 Edna Pilgrim on Kit, Hazel Pilgrim on Benny with Joker the dog

I have just realised another similarity to my grandmother; I carry my camera around with me often too. 
There are many photos of gran with her box brownie in her hand (which I now own).
Future generations will also see many photos of me with my camera in hand!

There are many wonderful photos in my grandmother's albums, which give a fantastic insight into a different time.  I am not sure now where the below photo came from, but I believe that it came from my Great Aunty Mavis' photo albums. It has always appealed to me and is the background for this blog. I don't know when it was taken or where, but it speaks to me of a different time. It may not be of great quality but look closely as there is so much detail in this photo.  For me, it tells a story, but it also makes me wonder.......

What stories does this photo bring to mind?
What questions arise?
How does it make you feel?

The photo below is another of my favourites.  Look at the size of those horses!  Even the chook in the background is big! Does anyone recognise the hill in the background? Could this be taken on Lloyd Street, Moe?

Mary and Ambrose Walker with grandaughter Phyllis
The horses are Silver and Buzz
Late 1920s or early 1930s
According to the Electoral Roll, they lived at Lloyd Street, Moe, Victoria

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This is the third post of the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge.  

#52ancestorsin52weeks

This weeks prompt is "Favorite Photo" but I could not limit it to one!

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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Samuel Mottram married Sophia Lillian Walker

Walker Siblings married Mottram Siblings.

Samuel Mottram is the brother of my Great Grandmother, Mary Mottram.
Sophia "Lillian" Walker is the sister of my Great Grandfather, Ambrose Walker

Samuel Mottram
circa 1904

You can read more about Samuel in my B is for Buried alive post.

Sophia "Lillian" was born at Balaclava, near Maryborough, Victoria Australia on the 25th June 1886. 1 (Can anyone tell me exactly where Balacava was? I suspect it was a mining area rather than a town.)

Lillian was the 11th of the 15 children of Alexander and Ellen Walker.

She married Samuel Mottram junior at Alma (also near Maryborough, Victoria) on the 27th March 1907.2

Samuel was killed in a mining accident on 27th February 1918 3.  He was 35 years old.  Lillian was left to care for their three children, aged 10, 5 and 3.  At the time, two of the children were in hospital "suffering from infantile paralysis" 4 (polio).

Lillian married George Allan Sewell in 1937 5 and was widowed again on the 4th January 1963 6.

Lillian was 97 years old when she died at Clarendon House, Maryborough from a "Chest Infection and Vascular Disease" 6.  She is buried with her first husband at Timor cemetery.

Alexander and Ellen Walker and family
The original (which hung on my Aunty's wall) was unnamed.
I cannot be certain of who is who (except my great grandfather Ambrose) but based on other photos and their ages, I have been able to identify many of them and make educated guesses as to others.  I am very confident that Lillian is one of the two sisters on the left but cannot be certain which one.  Lillian is two years younger than Emma.  

Sources
1 Birth Certificate
2 Marriage Certificate
3 Death Certificate
4 "MINING FATALITY" The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924) 28 February 1918: p 6. Web. 22 Apr 2016 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article154724294.

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Phyllis Myrtle Lester

c1926
Grandfather Ambrose Walker
and Phyllis Walker

c1928
Phyllis Walker

Phyllis Myrtle Walker was born at Yallourn, Victoria, Australia on the 14th December 1926.  She is the eldest child of Gordon and Rita Walker.

I would visit Aunty Phyll every time that I went through Moe and she would always make me (and the family) feel welcome.  Many of the Walker photos and items that I have today were from Aunty Phyll's estate.  We would often discuss family history when I went to visit, but for some reason I never found out where or when she married Uncle Frank Lester.

1958
Phyllis Lester

Memories of Aunty Phyllis:

• I always loved her garden.  There was a huge tree in the backyard.  There was lots of ivy and ground cover.  It had an enchanted "fairy garden" feel to it.
• When we were kids, they had a dog that they would feed chocolate bars to!  I think it was a collie.
• Visiting Aunty Phyllis was like visiting a museum!  Her house was full of interesting antiques and family memorabilia.  
• I always loved the family pictures on the wall (two of which I now own).
• When Aunty Phyllis and Uncle Frank danced, it was like watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers!  They didn't dance, they glided!  Beautiful and mesmerising!
• Aunty Phyll would always have a tablecloth on the table and there was always tea and cake/cookies, served formally with sugar bowl, milk jug, cup and saucer and little plates.
• She was very involved in the community.  She did a lot at the Moe Historical Society (note to self:  I really need to visit it) and for the anti-cancer (as Uncle Frank died from cancer).



Cousin, Bob Walker (background)
Father, Gordon Walker
Phyllis Walker
Stratford  Dec 1976

• She hated that I was a smoker and would remind me that Uncle Frank had died from cancer. She would be proud that I have finally given up!
• Aunty Phyll was a lady, she always seemed very prim and proper but when she got together with her sisters and brothers she was a real character.
• When making a speech at my father's 50th, she had written notes on the back of a coaster, which she was holding for the entire speech.  Little did she realise that the coaster said "on tap" and she was holding it at her chest all speech! 
• We visited Aunty Phyllis in hospital not long before she died.  We knew that we were there to say good bye.  I was amazed at her strength and character. She was always a lady, polite, attentive and smiling.  She was ready to go and to be with Uncle Frank.

Feb 2008 - Tasmania
Cousins - Bob and Phyllis Walker

Aunty Phyllis died 27th May 2008.  She had arranged her own funeral, which was one of the best funerals that I have attended (Is it bad to say that?).  It was like Aunty Phyllis was speaking to us from beyond and it really was a celebration of the things that were important to her.  At the end of the funeral, the Can Can was played, which is up-beat and not a song that is normally played at a funeral. Someone behind me, commented "that is not appropriate".  However,  I thought it was totally perfect and it made me smile and cry at the same time.  The Walker girls would often dance the Can Can together after a few drinks so it was the perfect finale!

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Judith Ann Neczypor

This is the most difficult post that I have ever written!  There have been many tears today as I write this and remember my Aunty Judy, who was taken from us unexpectedly and too soon in 2012.  

 

Judy Neczypor
2012

Judy Neczypor
2012

Judith Ann Walker was born in Yallourn, Victoria, Australia on 25 January 1946.  She was the youngest child of Gordon and Rita Walker.

Sisters; Judy and Phyllis Walker
1946 - Moe

Judy Walker - Moe 1946
Many important photos were taken on these steps!

She married Ladyk Neczypor at 2pm on the 25th September 1965 at St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Moe.

Gordon Walker and Judy Walker
Moe - 1965
(The same steps)

Judy Walker

Judith Ann Neczypor died at Wynnum, Queensland on the 3rd August 2012 as a result of complications from surgery for a grade 5 brain aneurysm, which had occurred 18th May.

I feel guilt that I was unable to attend Aunty Judy's funeral.  I remembered and farewelled her on the day in my own way.  

Judy Walker and her walking doll

Wally Hibbs and Judy Walker
I would also visit Wally & Jessie Hibbs
when I was a child.

Although I did not see Aunty Judy very often (not often enough!), I have some vivid memories about her;

• I feel very fortunate that by luck, I was visiting my cousin, and I saw Aunty Judy before they headed off on their trip to W.A, which was earlier in the same year that she died.  
• To me, she always seemed to be the quietest and most thoughtful of the six Walker children at family gatherings.  As the youngest child, she probably couldn't get a word in from a young age,so perhaps this continued into adulthood? 
• I remember when they lived at Newborough and I told her that the food that she was cooking smelled very nice.  I was amazed when she told me that she was cooking food for her little dog! We just fed our dog out of a can and scraps!
• When I was living at Phillip Island and was on relieving staff,  I called to tell Aunty Judy that I would be working in their area for a week and wanted to see them.  Aunty Judy immediately invited me to stay with them.  I had a great time, playing cards every night with Aunty Judy and my Uncle.
• When seated,  Aunty Judy would put her hands on her legs and when thinking, would rub them backwards and forward from thigh to knee and back again.
• She loved children.  If there was a young baby around, it would end up in her arms.  She seemed to prefer to play with the kids on the floor, rather than talking to the adults.
• I remember her showing me photos of her first grandchild and all the trophies and ribbons that her granddaughter had won.  Aunty Judy was so proud!  This pride continued as she bragged about all her grandchildren and then her great grandchildren.  They were the centre of her world.

Judy Neczypor
c 2006

Aunty Judy was often thoughtful
18 Dec 1992 -  Orbost

My cousin told me that her mother was a "good mother, a great grandmother but an amazing great grandmother..........she loved each and every child in her life....but as she got older she also appreciated them more too..........the great grandchildren have awesome memories of a lady who wanted to spend time with them".

Her Great Grandson, who had just turned four when she died, recently remembered his Great Grandmother fondly when he said "Do you know that Granny used to sprinkle sugar on my apples for me?"

When I asked permission to write this blog, my Uncle replied that Aunty Judy always said "My Dad would always say, people should take responsibility for their own actions!".  I loved hearing this. I did not know that Aunty Judy, and Granddad before her, would say this, but boy have I been saying it a lot recently, so it made me smile!

In reviewing the photos for this blog, I noticed in several photos that my Uncle openly and visibly showed love and pride for Aunty Judy over their many years together.  This is rare to see.  My cousin said it best "Love that lasted a lifetime". 

Love that lasted a lifetime.
1965

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Hazel May Elizabeth Walker

Betty Walker

I know very little about Hazel May Elizabeth Walker, who was known as Betty.  I have not been able to locate any further details.

Betty is my first cousin, once removed (ie. my father's cousin)

Before her brother Bob died, he told me that she was born in August 1930 and she died in Western Australia in about 1963.

However body language told me that there was more to the story than her brother Robert "Bob" Walker was willing to tell.  When I asked more questions, he changed the subject and our family history discussion was over!

There are many more photos of Betty as a girl in my album.  If you have any other information about Betty, please contact me.

Bob and Betty Walker
1941
"Cahermoyle" is a place in Ireland but I
do not know the significance.  The
family likely lived there as there are
several photos taken there when they were kids.

Mary Walker and her granddaughter
Betty Walker
Feb 1947

Betty is the daughter of Frank Walker, the granddaughter of Ambrose Walker and niece of Gordon Walker and Nellie Walker.

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