More about my life at Amiens

I have always been glad that I had this opportunity to experience country life. I think my later time in Cloncurry as a young wife and mother would have been more difficult if I had not had the experience of living away from the city.

It is good that I was able to see life on working farms. I have good memories of being in the packing shed at Uncle Ernie's farm and watching apples being graded, sorted and packed ready to be sent away to market. At some stage Mum purchased the farm on which we were staying and I remember our being sent to help the farm manager chip the rows of cabbages.

the farm

I dont think these are rows of cabbages..may be potatoes.

When we first arrived the orchard was very neglected but as I said earlier the trees were full of summer fruit. Later the apples came on so we always had a good supply of fresh fruit.

I remember this photo being taken. We had not been there very long and the cart was found among the farm implements. Dad was there and he told the girls  to sit in the cart and Alan to pick up the shafts as if he was going to take us for a ride. I am fairly sure that the other two smaller girls are Gloria and Lynette Marshall, daughters of my cousin Edna who was with us for a short while.

I met Edna again some  years ago at a family reunion in Brisbane.

Hilary with Edna Marshall at reunion in 2003

Uncle Ernie had Italian prisoners of war working on his farm. They were very fond of Ernie's little girls as they missed their own families very much. Most of them had been captured in North Africa and sent to Australia and placed in POW camps. From about 1940  Italy was no longer a major participant in the war in Europe so many were released to work on farms. If my memory is correct they had their meals with the family . They used to talk to us and tell us about their families, showing us photos. They were good workers and very friendly men. I learnt a few Italian phrases from them but the only phrase I remember is a swearing phrase taught to me by one of my Italian school friends.  Mum came out to the veranda one afternoon to ask what all the giggling was about and we had to do some quick thinking as Lois and I were practising the phrase. It used to come in handy to mutter quielty ( very quietly) when I didn't want to do something. 

We didn't see so much of our Auntie Ethel , one of Mum's older sisters, and Uncle Will as they were a bit further away. Uncle Will was in charge of the Forestry at Passchendale. Mum went down to Brisbane once, taking Lois with her and Alan and I went to stay with Auntie Ethel . She was very strict  but was kind to us. I remember helping her in the kitchen and enjoying that. I was never confident around Uncle Will...for some reason I was not comfortable in his presence...perhaps he was just different in some way from my father.

When I went into Stanthorpe for Rural school I sometimes had to go to the shops first to buy ingredients for the cooking class or items  for sewing. One of the first things we had to sew was a large wrap-around apron similar to a lab coat which we had to wear during the cooking class.. I seem to think the next may have been a pair of bloomers...an exercise in flat seams! I sometimes also had to buy a few things like cotton which Mum needed. When it was time to make a dress, I bought some white cotton voile ; the teacher decided it would be good fabric on which to learn pin tucking so I had to sew pin tucks all over the front of the bodice. Mum was not very impressed with my choice of material...probably wondered when I would ever get to wear it.

I  think it was probably for Mothers Day that I bought this gift for her in Stanthorpe.

The Wandering Musician

Mum gave this back to me some years before she died and I now cherish it. I can still see my pencil "To Mum" on the back.

Meanwhile in the "real" world...

At Amiens we were happily enjoying fruit straight from the trees,vegies from Uncle Ernie's farm; riding our bikes and visiting relations; exploring the bush around the house and seeing lots of little wildflowers; going to the station on train days to watch the engine taking on water and the men loading the fruit and veges.

But in Brisbane and elsewhere in the larger towns and cities of Australia things were not so comfortable.
The northern part of Australia including Queensland was considered the most vulnerable so restrictions such as the blackout were tightly enforced.

In February 1942 the Japanese bombed Darwin, in March bombs fell on Broome in West Australia and in June that year submarines shelled Newcastle and Sydney.

Petrol rationing had started in 1940 and now in 1942  Ration books were issued for tea, sugar and clothing. Later butter and meat were also rationed.  All persons over the age of 16 were issued with identity cards which had to be carried at all times.

I remember Mum making butter while we were at Amiens but whether because of a shortage or because she always was ready to learn something new I cannot say. I do remember she often said we all had to " do our bit" while there was a war. We had no electricity so no frig and also no ice so no ice-chest. How did she keep food fresh? Maybe we had a Coolgardie type safe...will have to ask Alan if he can remember.

There was a  small local store and I think a bakery but I dont remember a butcher shop. I know we always had plenty to eat while at Amiens and I expect at that age I didn't take much notice of  how Mum went about getting supplies.

Country school

No Infants classes(Prep); half-day school only for other grades... as long as they had slit trenches and daily air-raid practice!!!
That was the story for many Brisbane schools in early 1942...no such luck for country schools. Having come from one of the larger primary Brisbane schools I found the one-teacher, 2 class-room school at Amiens quite a change.



Amiens school
 ( acknowledgement :Amiens State School 75th anniversary 1919-1994; J Harslett)

This photo was taken in 1925 but the school looks very similar to my memories of it in 1942. From classes of approx 20 pupils, I had come to a school with a total enrolment about the same. Yes, we did have to have daily air-raid practice. There were slit trenches under a double row of pine trees and when the "siren" went we had to go down ( in an orderly manner please!) into the trenches and crouch down with our head on knees and hands on heads until the "all clear siren" sounded. I dont remember being scared...probably we all found it a good lark as the war seemed far away.

This little school was bitterly cold in winter. The area around the Granite Belt can be extremely cold. There was a chip heater in the room which helped a little. Mum made me some long warm pants but she added a bib with shoulder straps thinking that would make them more comfortable for me.Unfortunately some girls told me they were like baby pants so I always hated wearing those pants even though they were warm.

Pupils from Grade 5 went into Stanthorpe once a week for rural school. I was in Grade 5 but was still only 10years so was not eligible. However the teacher made application and approval was given for me to go. The girls did Cooking and Sewing and the boys Wood and Metal work. We travelled into Stanthorpe on the back of a truck...I think with a long seat each side. Alan and I were picked up at our front gate. There were already several children on board by the time it reached us and I dreaded the moment of personal indignity as they hauled me aboard as Alan pushed from behind. This young city girl was not used to climbing into the back of a large truck .Coming home was not without its worries either . The girls had to protect their cooking from the boys!

The gate leading to our house.

At first we walked to school then at some stage we acquired bikes.  Either Alan or I gave Lois a ride to school . One day I was giving Lois a "doubler" when we had a buster. I had a billycan on the handlebars and as I was standing ( Lois being on the seat) my knee became caught under the billy . The bike came to an abrupt stop and Lois went flying off the bike landing face down. The dirt road consisted mainly of crushed granite so she didn't have a soft landing. She scraped all the skin on her nose ; possibly there were other scrapes but we remember the nose because a scab formed and Mum said it made her look like a little koala bear. For many years after we referred to her "koala" nose.

I was never the athletic type and can't remember any sports activities at Yeronga School. It was a surprise when I found myself being trained to represent Amiens school at a  District  inter-school sports day in Stanthorpe. There cannot have been anyone else in my age-group available! The teacher also  did his best to teach me to high-jump but I couldn't get the knack of missing that bar. I must have reached some qualifying time in running as he had high hopes for me. He gave me a pep talk just before the race; I remember handing him my watch to look after, and shortly after  seeing all these other kids running  in front of me. Apparently I was slow off the mark and couldn't catch up.

I dont remember missing my Brisbane friends which is surprising as I had been at that one school for all my schooldays to that time. I must have made some new friends as I dont remember being unhappy . There were a few who enjoyed teasing the city kids which eventually led to the one outstanding memory from this school.

I'll have to give you the background to the occasion. Mum had always had a "project". In Brisbane she had been involved with the Mothercraft Association and was also on a committee to try to have a Kindergarten establised in Annerley. With her interest in women's affairs and children it is not surprising that she became involved with the local Italian women. There was, and still is,  a large Italian community in the area around Stanthorpe.  The men were interned during the war leaving the women to run the orchards and farms. Many became ostracised by the local families. They had not been accustomed to attending  to business matters which were regarded as men's responsibilities so Mum often helped the women fill in documents etc. We became friendly with several families and I played with the children at school. Several times when walking home from school some of the girls, bigger and older than me, tried to bully me for "fraternising" with the "enemy"

We were already a little on the "outer" because we were 3 city kids in a country environment; add to that we were ahead scholastically and so all three of us topped our classes. This so-called fraternising gave them just the excuse they were looking for to "have a go" at us.

At the top of the paddock behind the school was the school tree plantation ( schools celebrated  Arbor Day each year by planting a tree.) The young trees had to be watered by bucket. One day several kids were up there and shouted out for the rest of us to come up and see something. We rushed up and immediately a ring formed around Alan and me and they drenched us with the buckets of water. I cannot remember anything about the aftermath of that happening; did we go back into class wet? did the teacher say anything? Maybe Alan can remember. Did we tell Mum...I doubt it.

School must have continued as normal now they had had their fun as I dont remember being unhappy there. Alan did Scholarship that year and left to go to Brisbane . We left at the end of first term 1943 and returned to Yeronga state school in May.

I dont know what happened to our bikes as I dont think I had a bike again until we lived at Petrie in 1945-6.

Many years ago I accompanied Bill to an official function somewhere outside Stanthorpe and as we drove 

away afterwards we passed near Amiens.  We toyed with the idea of trying to find some familiar landmarks

but as we wanted to return to Toowoomba that evening we decided not to delay. Later this year when the weather is warmer we will go and stay a couple of days . We will start from the school and see if anything seems familiar to me. Hopefully I may also be able to make an appointment to see over the school.

I may have something to tell you in a later post.

Adapting to country life

The purple passionfruit hung on the vine just waiting to be picked. If I didn't grab it soon I could be sure someone else would but it was tantalisingly out of easy reach. There was no way I was going to step in closer because I just knew that there would be snakes lurking in all that growth. Our home at Annerley in Brisbane had been on the edge of bushland and as I often trailed after my brother and his mates as they headed down to the creek and thereabouts, I already knew to watch for snakes. However, this was the "real" bush and warnings had been delivered in a way which was not to be taken lightly! I had also heard all about death adders and they had me really worried. Needless to say it didn't take Alan long to find a way to harvest the passionfruit so I just kept close to him.

From the start it was my chore to gather kindling for the stove. Alan had to collect the heavier branches and cut them to length . We usually just headed out to the roadside as there was plenty of fallen branches there. Every skinny branch and twig was carefully looked at to make sure it didn't wriggle!

Close to the cottage was an outcrop of granite rocks. This was a favourite playing place where Lois and I could mark out pretend rooms and play "house". It was the ideal place for snakes to warm themselves. While we never became blase about the chance of snakes and  always kept a lookout we learnt not to let our fear  interfere with our activities.

When later I had a bike,someone told me that if you ran over a snake it could wind itself around the spokes in the bike wheel. Did a lot for my confidence!

The only time I can actually remember encountering a snake close-up was when I returned home from school one afternoon and there was  a snake lying just in front of the small house gate. I remember standing there for ages waiting for the thing to move so that I could get to the house. I suppose a local kid would have thrown a stick or something but I wasn't that game. I have seen a few snakes even here in my Toowoomba garden but have never lost that shudder on coming across one.

As far as I can recall we didn't ever have one come into the house at Amiens.

 I dont have a clear mental image of the layout of the cottage. This may seem surprising as I was there for about 18 months and from 10 1/2 to almost 12 years old. We moved so frequently in the following years that I think each move must have wiped out the previous one. There was no bathroom and we had our bath in a large round galvanised tub in front of the stove. Because the water had to be heated on the stove, there was a strict pecking order for a bath with a top-up of hot water in between each person. I expect Alan was unlucky last and had the job of emptying the big tub. I think there was a shelf by the kitchen wall and two basins underneath it. One was a white enamel to use for our daily wash and the other was the tin dish for washing the dishes. I think there was a tap over the shelf . I assume it was connected to a tank. There was a well in the backyard some distance from the house though I dont think we used that water for drinking or bathing. I have no memory of how Mum did laundry but expect there was a copper outside somewhere.

There were no other houses for miles. Mum used to cycle over to visit  other women in the district or to Uncle Ernie and Auntie Mary. If she wasn't home by a certain time it was my task to start the fire in the stove and peel the vegetables. One afternoon I had trouble getting the fire to"catch", so , as I had seen Mum do on occasions, I poured in some kerosene. Unfortunately I didn't have her experience and the whole thing flared up strongly. I singed the front of my fringe and all my eyebrows and burnt the backs of my hands as I put them over my face. Mum must have bandaged them later because the next morning I had to go to the Rural Nurse and was very scared wondering if the bandages would have stuck. I had to go each morning for a while to have them inspected and the dressings changed. It didn't get me out of school!

The house must have been rather crowded in the early months while Edna and her 2 girls were with us. I dont think they stayed very long as they dont figure in many memories. I do know that Edna milked the cow. How did we acquire a cow! Probably Uncle Ernie arranged that. He used to come over each week in the early stages to do the heavy things like disposing of rubbish and emptying and burying  the contents of the  outside toilet...a job which Alan eventually  had to take over.

There was no electricity so light was from lamps;  no TV of course and papers only came in once a week on the train. I expect Mum had a portable "wireless"  and kept track of news of the "real" world. It is only as an adult that I can imagine how her life had changed and how she must have missed her home and life in Brisbane. Still we were safe and Dad was not overseas as so many men were. For us life was a bit of an adventure and there was a new school with new friends to meet.

Introduction to country life

The atmosphere on the railway platform was not "right."  Usually when we were going anywhere by train it was to the beach for our annual holiday. The station would be busy and noisy with happy voices and children would be dashing around hoping to find some of their friends also waiting to board the train.
On this particular morning all seemed very quiet; we were sternly told not to wander away. There didn't seem as many people as usual waiting to board; the adults were all very serious and talking among themselves quietly. Grandfather Tarbit, Ida and Agnes as well as other relatives were there to see us off  and Auntie Agnes kept squeezing me with big hugs. I think I was only interested in my "new" watch! Mrs Henricksen, a family friend, had given me a watch she no longer used and I thought , at 10 years, that I was very "grown-up"  wearing it.

No buckets and spades this trip...I knew that we were off to a place called Amiens somewhere in the country near Stanthorpe. We would stop briefly at a place called Toowoomba on the way and  an Aunt and two young girl cousins whom we had not previously met would be on the platform to say Hello.
 It was to be a long day and I had books and things to keep me occupied...and quiet!

Our home at Annerley was near a reservoir and therefore in an area designated as "high risk" for possible air raids now that the war with Japan was coming closer. Dad had been spending many nights in the city staying in a flat made available for his use as part of Communications within the Defence Force.  I can only assume that he must have had constant worries about out safety while he was absent. Many schools and families had decided to evacuate and go to country areas away from the city. Just when the decision was made for  us to go I do not know. Did I know when at the school "break up"at the end of 1941 that I would not be returning to Yeronga school the following year? I do not know.
It was now January and we were on that train heading South West. Uncle Ernie, one of Mum's brothers, had found a deserted house for us to rent in Amiens. He lived in Bapaume on the same railway "loop" line.

The stop at Toowoomba proved disappointing. I was excited to be meeting some cousins but whether it was shyness on both sides or what I can only remember feeling that they were not interested in meeting us. I dont remember anything about the rest of that journey or how we actually arrived at the house. I think it was already dark and assume Uncle Ernie must have provided transport. My cousin Edna and her two little girls accompanied us ( I am fairly certain about that) but I am not sure if her husband also made the trip. Dad was only there to get us settled and then had to return to Brisbane. I have very vague memories of a rather chaotic first night.

The next morning though brought lots of excitement as we explored our  surroundings. There was a grapevine all around the verandah of the cottage and it was laden with ripe white grapes. The orchard had peach, plum and apricot trees full of fruit! There was a huge barn behind the house and on the side of it was  a heavily-laden passionfruit vine.  There were some sore tummies for a few days until we all settled down!

Amiens is about 15km from Stanthorpe in South Queensland. If my memory is correct, there was a "loop" line from Cottonvale ( before Stanthorpe) and a train which ran once a week from there via Paschendale, Poziers, Bapaume and on to Amiens which was the end of that line.There may have been other stations but those are the names I remember. The "stations' were really only sidings and un-manned. Someone attended the Amiens stop on train days. The line had been set up when the area was opened up for soldier settlement after World war 1 ( hence the names of the "towns.") It was not a passenger line as such as its purpose was to transport the fruit and vegetables to go to the Brisbane markets.

Although I did not know it at the time this was the start of big changes in family life as I had previously known it.

House at Amiens

Mum picking peaches in the orchard