COUNTRY NEWS Lilydale
MR. AND MRS. RONALD LOWE, of Moulamein.. (N.S.W.), have been spending a holiday with relatives at Lilydale. They were accompanied by Mrs. Lowe's father, Mr. Chris. Johnston.
Mrs. R. L. Bardenhagen, of Lilydale, is a patient at a Launceston hospital.
She is reported to be making a good recovery. Mrs. E. Murfet(t), of Launceston, has been visiting her brother, Mr. L. A. Atkinson and Mrs. Atkinson, of Lilydale.
Miss Audrey Somerville, of Scottsdale, is the guest of Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Cameron, of Lilydale.
Mrs C. K. Denny, of Bridestowe, who has been in hospital for some weeks following an accident, is to return to her home within a few days.
Miss Dulcie Chick has returned from Victoria accompanied by her sister Mrs F. Hogan of Warragul.
COUNTRY NEWS (1947, February 12). Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), p. 7. Retrieved December 6, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60999941
My thoughts on reading this little "social notes" article.
1. People really loved their newspapers in the pre-television days. "Let's see what's going on in the world?"
2. MR. AND MRS. RONALD LOWE, of Moulamein (N.S.W.)... accompanied by Mrs. Lowe's father, Mr. Chris. Johnston.
Oh that's right. Ronald was one of Charles Lowe's twelve children, from the family who pioneered North Lilydale and set up sawmills and engineering operations all over Tasmania. And the mainland.
The Mahnkens bought new blocks and bought milled properties from Lowes, as did Denny of lavender fame. The generation born around the turn of the 20th century were in school with Lowe children. Chris Johnston rented a house on one of William Lowe's blocks and kids crossed that property to get to school. So naturally the Lowes and Johnstons cropped up in yarns and reminiscences.
My old cousin Marty Mahnken told me in 1983 that "Ted and Fred Lowe went to New Guinea and reckoned they'd make a great fortune there. They didn't, apparently. Ronald Lowe married Inice Johnston, a daughter of old Chris of North Lilydale. Ernest Lowe married Mary Mundy."
I scratched a note with the name as Mart said it. Only years later did I find her name was Inez Isobel Johnston, daughter of "old Chris" (brother of Jimmy Johnston of the Blackball Line who played the big bass drum in the Salvo band). Chris's wife was Mary or May Bird. Birds have been in Tasmania since Moses was a boy, related to so many families, and one of May Bird-Johnston's children married a Kelp and .. another day.
"Mrs. R. L. Bardenhagen, of Lilydale, is a patient at a Launceston hospital."
That is former teacher, Doris Wilson, wife of Roy who built the house "Korongvale" next to the general store that he co-managed and worked in all his life, except when away at war. Like her mother-in-law Amelia, Doris was a talented and willing piano and organ player. They were the parents and grandparents of teachers.
Mrs. E. Murfet, of Launceston, has been visiting her brother, Mr. L. A. Atkinson and Mrs. Atkinson, of Lilydale.
Well, in recent years I have learned quite a bit from Janet Mears about Atkinson, Cassidy, Targett and George "Bikey" Arnold families, and although I have seen the name Murfett (double "T") many times, and my father had an MTT bus driver mate, Brian (?) Murfett in the 1970s, I never knew of the Atkinson-Murfett link.
"Lot of things about a cat you don't know," as old cousin Laurie told me.
"Miss Audrey Somerville, of Scottsdale, is the guest of Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Cameron, of Lilydale."
Somervilles and Camerons were prominent among the settlers of Scots origin in the early days of Upper Piper. The 1945 obituary of Agnes Somerville who married Adam Offer is one of the best sources; they loved a good fulsome obituary in the olden days (pre television).
Agnes's daughter married Michael Collins, brother to the mother of my cousin Marty. It's all about who married whom. Every marriage brought a swag of other families into your relationship maps.
"Her cousin Audrey married a parson and Muriel married a Rawley traveller," as Marty put it.
Somervilles headed east to Scottsdale and west into Launceston. At Exeter I taught young Chris who became a policeman.
"Mrs C. K. Denny, of Bridestowe, who has been in hospital for some weeks following an accident, is to return to her home within a few days."
Her maiden name was Blanche Ellen Francis, from Bridestowe in Devon, always called Nellie, according to grand-daughter Susan. Nellie, a talented painter, grew the beautiful English garden that visitors to Bridestowe lavender estate at North Lilydale loved.
"Miss Dulcie Chick has returned from Victoria accompanied by her sister Mrs F. Hogan of Warragul."
Dear "Dina", daughter of Anzac Peter and noted seamstress Eva Chick nee Sulzberger. Dina was one of the WW2 younger set, spitting image when young of her daughter Marita; I knew Dina as a sweet and obliging soul, wife of gentle Jack Bardenhagen. I taped interviews with Dina on several occasions. She passed away on 3 September this year at age 96.
My late aunt Lorna asked me why I waste time on all these non-family. I feel like I belong to a big family spread over the whole district and privileged when they share interesting human stories with me. I am related closely or distantly to thousands of people (and my mother was a migrant, so count that side out.) But, who cares, related or not, real people's lives and personalities, the stories past and present in this my native place, are more enthralling to me than the endless parade of fictional faces paraded on screens. And just as important and worth remembering as kings and queens and politicians. Lorna would approve of that.