I am taking the advice of a friend who said I hope you have written your experiences in Forrestfield down....I thought about this and decided that no I haven't not all of it at all.
Firstly we were Migrants and rather poor...I remember that when we lived in Fremantle for a little while...before going onto several other houses before Forrestfield...My Father would ride his bike from Freo to the Canning Bridge ...park his bike under it...sure would not be able to do that now...he would then catch a bus to Perth..then another to Forrestfield to work at a Saw Mill there...at the end of the day he would do everything in reverse.....come home when it was dark on his bike and do the same thing all over again the next day......not sure that I know of anyone who would be able or would even do that today...
But he had no choice...he needed work to care for us his two children and Mum.
Anyway back to Forrestfield......they, my parents bought ten acres on Berkshire Rd...
My Dad built this little house which had three rooms....I can remember that he took great pride in the wonderful job he did with our floor he had laid down a wooden floor with a beautiful pattern and the polish on it was beautiful.......something to be really proud of....... the little room just past Ed and my bedroom was just dirt.....and in time white ants ate all the photo albums and most everything that was in there. it was also probably the place where a snake came through and crawled under my pillow which I SLEPT on all night....only noticed it when I made my bed the next morning..... Mum somehow took it outside and chopped into little bits...oh how those little bits just wriggled and bounced around as there were now several snakes.
We had a little creek that would run through part of the property......which was so wonderful on hot days....it was just like a little pool in one area with loads of shade as wonderful trees shaded it...the only problem was that we would have to pick the leeches of us when we got out....which wan't pleasant. some where just really hard to get off.
We lived there with only a few neighbours, that were not close, so it was pretty isolated.....
I have thought so much about my Mother and Forrestfield ...not having any electricity no running water no phone of course and she didn't drive and hated the heat...it would have all been too much for her, she came from an area that was quite built up in Holland a little like Subiaco in the olden days.......What a shock Forrestfield was for her......for us I for one didn't mind it so much......we had one bath a week where Mum would light the copper and that was our bath water the rest of the week we had little washes......
What bothered me the most was walking to the end of the street and back to catch the bus to go to School in Victoria Park called St Joachims...it wasn't the walking but the dog down the road who had a mission in life to bite me...I did everything I could think of to sneek past but never succeeded ......only when it poured with rain also if it poured .....of course I would get wet and went to School wet......in Winter time I would leave home when still dark and get home when it was dark....a bit scary for a little girl.....I didn't like that at all...... we had gas lamps and Mum hated to light them....I can still see her flinching as she put the match to the little white thing in the middle...gosh I wish I knew what they were called....... anyway when the light was turned of it was off and dark...I can't remember having torches...I just remember that dark was dark
When you think of the distance of Forrestfeld to Vic Park it really doesn't seem that long...but it was in my day....when I got of the bus at the other end there was another long walk up a steep hill well it seemed that way to me...I can remember there were times that I popped off all the way up the hill...GRANDCHILDREN LOVED HEARING THAT STORY......I would often stop and go into the Chapel just before reaching the School and would have a talk to Heavenly Father...... I LOVED this time I knew without a shadow of a doubt that He existed. I wanted to become a Nun ...seriously ...... until I discovered boys !!!!!
It was a lonely time in Forrestfield I have one brother who is 5 years younger then me and so we really never had the same interests at the same time.
I spent my time playing houses .....I LOVED it so much...toys we didn't have...and to be honest I didn't miss them as I didn't know what it was like to have them...that happened when we moved back to civilization....and saw what other kids had.
I found a wonderful old tree with a large part at the bottom that had been eaten out by white ants but made a perfect little home for my imagination.....rocks and little branches became my perfect children....so well behaved they were and my little world was perfect..my imagination could blossom and it did.....I adored this little bit of Heaven that I created... I spent hours and hours playing House it was all in order and not a thing was out of place...not quite how my home is now but I have to say I love order...my brain functions better when I have order........ when my real life got busy having seven children...busy husband ......I used to try not to do anything outside the house until my housework was done and dinner was partially prepared.
Coming back to this later time to have some lunch
A good 48 hours later I'm back amazing how things happen !!!!! I've been suffering with sinusitis so I took some medication I had in the cupboard and about an hour later I could not keep my eyes open !!!! I was comatose for over 24 hours.....when I looked at the package it said that it could make you drowsy...well it did more then that I think I must have had a reaction to it......
Back To Forrestfield....
I remember when my younger brother got Tetanus which by the way was caused by a fly that was stuck in his ear......Actually one step back from that...my brother starting having spasms that were so violent that each time he had one he would bite off little chunks of his tongue and of course there was lots of blood...My darling Mum which is truly what she was...knew that there was something seriously wrong decided to walk, then catch a bus to Vic Park to buy my brother some P.J.'s as she thought that he would be going to Hospital...unfortunately for me. I was left home with my brother...each time he had a spasm and me being just turned 10 would run outside so frightened and not knowing what to do but pray..... eventually Mum came home and in the afternoon the green grocer came saw Eddy and took us to P.M.H. Eddy was in a serious life threatening condition.....we were told that he might not make it through the night...but not having a phone...they would send out a taxi to pick us up........Would you believe it never before or since But that very night a Taxi came up the gravel road stopped and came in and asked for directions as he was lost !!!!!!The epitome of isolation....
Eddy was so ill that they actually blocked of the roads right next to the Hospital which I now know as Hay street.....the Doctor's had put him in a coma and the slightest of noise could bring on a heart attack....I can remember the very first time I saw him the whole floor was covered in cottonwool type stuff and that he had a dried tear drop on his cheek...still brings up a myriad of feelings even today. He eventually became front page news. He obviously recovered thank goodness and became an Olympian.
Please do not judge my Mother although I could not understand the circumstances that I found myself in for years being left alone with an obviously seriously sick child ......I do understand and accept the circumstances surrounding the whole event....... we were migrants and looked down upon in those days and she feared she would be judged for our poor clothes.....
I can just picture her desperation as she was walking up that gravel road and wishing that the bus would go quicker and her fast pace as she walked back on the gravel rd home....I do miss her and love her she had such a hard life and did the very best she could....My Dad was just the dearest Man...I feel blessed to have had them both.......
Yesterday Tony and I went for a drive down Berkshire Rd and I could picture how it used to look.... quite different from now..... but I could see where the little creek used to run
After sometime living there a Dutch Family moved in not far from us and they had 9 children and one on the way....my life changed I had friends and so did my Parents.....playing and fun took me on a whole different path and I loved them being there...although it was only short lived as it was just too hard for them with no power or water..they soon moved out...but it was a wonderful time.
I remember at this time that I could hear earth works in the distance and I was told that a Highway was being built not far from us Berkshire Rd those days was a no through Road...that Road that was being built was Roe Highway.
Sure shows my age....but hey !!!
I longed for a bike as that would have made my journey so much easier to get to the bus....I did get one but it was so not what I wanted...us coming from Holland with the trillions of bikes...my parent were thrilled when they found a bike that was just like a Dutch one low seat and way high handlebars...oh how I hated that bike...it made me feel even more odd and out of place...I already felt different but now I stuck out...poor parents never understood why I did not want to ride this Non Australian like contraption.
It was while living in Forrestfield that I begun my love of Motorbikes My Dad had one and when he would let my ride as his Pillion...I knew exactly what he wanted me to do when going around the corners..I would lean with the bike and would just love it when I could feel my long hair touching the road.....
I still love Bikes ...... but to dangerous today to many cars etc.
If I think of anything more related to Forrestfield I will add later.
