But- I thought I'd post what I have done so far.... especially for the photos!
We've met Big Dave, and seen photos of him as a wee one...
Now it's Mum's turn for the same treatment....
Mum was born Rose Varnavides, on November 1st 1932, to a Greek family in Pemberton, Western Australia.
Bappou (Mum's Dad) was so drunk with his celebrations that when he registered her birth he forgot to give her the family middle name.
But then he forgot that he forgot!... So Mum actually thought that she had a middle name until her birth certificate was unearthed in the early 70s.
Her Dad was known in Australia as Victor Varnavides, and emigrated from Cyprus in the 1920's.... (I'll do a separate post on him)
He married Chrissie Comenos, whose family came from the island of Castellorizo in the Agean (and I'll do a separate post on her!
This is their engagement photo below... He is 28 and she is 17 in this one - photo taken in early 1929...
They set up a general store in Pemberton in the early 1930s, and were the only Greek family around for miles....
From the stories I have been told, life was pretty tough in those days for all concerned.
Grandma Vic was very young when she married (around 18) and started having babies pretty quickly.
Mum was the second child of eight- the eldest being Eva (born 1931). Here's a photo of the happy family, with Eve about 1 year old....
Here's a lovely photo of Bappou with Eva...
After Mum there was Con, George, Jim, Helen, Violet and then John... I think that was the order.....
In the photo below, Mum is far left, then Con, Bappou, Grandma Vic, George hiding behind Eva; bottom row is Jim and Helen...
As Eve and Mum grew up, and Grandma Vic was continuing to have babies, a lot of duties fell to them.... cooking, cleaning, washing, child minding, working in the shop, as well as going to school.
The girls were never expected to do well at school, and certainly were not encouraged to go any further than the compulsary level which was third year high- our year 10- at the age 15. They were expected to complete that year, then work in the shop until they married....
Mum broke the mould there- but more of that later...
So anyway.... some photos!
Mum was about 9 months in the photo below, and Grandma Vic is holding her up while attempting to hide behind her...
Here she is about 2... And looking like a worried little peasant woman....
Same chair and palm tree background though! The hands are in the same worried pose that Gavan has in one of his baby photos....
Mum, Con and Eva.... mid 1930s...
Same outfits as above, Mum on the left again and Eve on the right....
Another shot from the same day. Eve must have taken this photo...
The photo below would have been taken at the Pemberton "pool" which basically was a dammed part of a river... Left to right: Eve, Rose, Con; bottom row Helen and Jim....
Left to right: Eva with Jim, friend with George and Rose on the right...
Rose below with Helen in the early 1940s...
Not a great shot, but this looks like Eva and Rose on a field of flowers...
And with Violet in 1945...
There are many more photos, and I am just trying to order them and get some stories about the before I post...
Stay tuned....
This will be a Rose length saga...
Of course!
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