Reflecting on the celebration of women in our community, I reflect on the contributions made by the female members on both sides of my family.
On my maternal side, there were women who stepped up and contributed ‘above and beyond’. My mother was the eldest in the family and was therefore assigned assistant home duties. All of her four sisters went into nursing.
On my paternal side there was only one female in a family with four boys. This must have been a challenge for my auntie, as her mother died when she was 19, which obviously left the bulk of the household duties under her guidance.
To continue the story, we need to move forward to the 1940’s. At this point in time my mother and my paternal auntie were living with my paternal grandfather in Flemington, having moved from north western Victoria in 1940. At this point my mother was in a relationship with my father, who was at that time serving overseas during WW2. They did marry on 20th May 1944 whilst my father was home on leave.
My maternal Auntie’s all went into nursing with three going into general hospital nursing, and one into psychiatric nursing. This Auntie did serve in the military during WW2 and returned to her normal nursing duties at the Bacchus Marsh Psychiatric Hospital after the war.
During WW2 both my mother and auntie stepped up to contribute. My mother worked at a facility in North Melbourne making aircraft identification models for the services. My auntie took up duties at the munitions factory in Maribyrnong. Both continued in their positions until the war ended. My mother then took on the task of raising a family and dealing with the issues that the war had inflicted on her husband.
My auntie later married but did not have children, however she and her husband successfully operated news agencies and sub-post offices for many years.
I am sometimes asked ‘Who runs the world?’. After some considerable deliberations over many years, I would submit that it is, banks, insurance companies and women……not necessarily in that order.
Barry O’Connor.
10 March 2024.
On my maternal side, there were women who stepped up and contributed ‘above and beyond’. My mother was the eldest in the family and was therefore assigned assistant home duties. All of her four sisters went into nursing.
On my paternal side there was only one female in a family with four boys. This must have been a challenge for my auntie, as her mother died when she was 19, which obviously left the bulk of the household duties under her guidance.
To continue the story, we need to move forward to the 1940’s. At this point in time my mother and my paternal auntie were living with my paternal grandfather in Flemington, having moved from north western Victoria in 1940. At this point my mother was in a relationship with my father, who was at that time serving overseas during WW2. They did marry on 20th May 1944 whilst my father was home on leave.
My maternal Auntie’s all went into nursing with three going into general hospital nursing, and one into psychiatric nursing. This Auntie did serve in the military during WW2 and returned to her normal nursing duties at the Bacchus Marsh Psychiatric Hospital after the war.
During WW2 both my mother and auntie stepped up to contribute. My mother worked at a facility in North Melbourne making aircraft identification models for the services. My auntie took up duties at the munitions factory in Maribyrnong. Both continued in their positions until the war ended. My mother then took on the task of raising a family and dealing with the issues that the war had inflicted on her husband.
My auntie later married but did not have children, however she and her husband successfully operated news agencies and sub-post offices for many years.
I am sometimes asked ‘Who runs the world?’. After some considerable deliberations over many years, I would submit that it is, banks, insurance companies and women……not necessarily in that order.
Barry O’Connor.
10 March 2024.
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