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Published by becky, 2018-10-08 02:53:51

Lorraine Russell Flipbook

Lorraine Russell Flipbook

My Life Story

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Lorraine Irene Bermingham was born at the Crown Street Hospital in Surrey
Hills, Sy ney, ustralia on Mon ay, ebruary, She was the el est of
four hil ren born to ames obert an Marie nnie Bermingham nee M Lean
She was ui ly followe by a brother, ohn ames, born on th e ember,

, then a sister, anet awn, born on May, Her youngest brother,
Stephen Mar , was born ugust an omplete the family

Her parents, ames an Marie were both born an grew up in le an ria in
Sy ney, ew South ales hey ha met as hil ren, ha ing grown up as
neighbours li ing on opposite si es of the street in aterloo ames, a
han some young man of Irish es ent, was born in Sy ney on ebruary
to father homas Bermingham b ympie an his mother, loren e lma

rey b tober,

Marie was a pretty young girl with urly hair She was born on September,

Her father was name re eri ngus M Lean, b o ember,

, an her mother, Charlotte Irene Myers, b uly, lthough not

mu h is nown about re eri , who ie young, he was an meri an, an

belie e to ha e ome from Boston

Marie as a baby

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ames an Marie were marrie in when Marie was ust years ol an
ames ames wor e in the aper Mills at the time of their marriage
lthough the Se on orl ar was alrea y into its se on year an ames was
ol enough to be rafte , he was fortunate enough to be wor ing in a
spe ialise in ustry where his s ills were prote te an he was not re uire to
enlist or fight throughout the uration of the war

ames Bermingham Marie M Lean
Born th ebuary Born st September

t the time of their marriage, eorge I was on the throne of nglan , an the
then rin ess li abeth, only years ol It was a time where the worl was in
turmoil ustralia, with a population at the time of only , , people, ha
entere the war in September , an ha nearly a million young men an
women ser ing was a tumultuous politi al year in ustralia, with three

rime Ministers ser ing in the same year obert Men ies, ustralia s longest
ser ing M, an lea er of the nite ustralia arty, lost the support of his
party an subse uently resigne rthur a en, the eputy rime Minister
too o er the role, howe er hel offi e for only ays before being repla e
by ohn Curtin, whose Labour arty hel a motion of no onfi en e he

o ernor eneral at the time was le an er Hore uth en, st arl of owrie

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ustralian fa tories were in full war pro u tion mo e, an ue to the number of
men o erseas fighting in the war, women, for the first time, were starting to
un erta e obs tra itionally hel by males

In e ember of , apan formally entere the war, an in ebruary , ,
the apanese laun he their first atta on ustralia, atta ing arwin by air
Bla out restri tions were man ate , air rai sirens were installe , barbe wire
was implemente along bea hes on the east oast an families ug air rai
shelters In une , rationing was intro u e an ea h family was issue with
a rationing boo the number of oupons epen e on the number of people in
the house here were oupons for lothing, tea, sugar butter an toba o

or Lorraine s parents, ames an Marie, growing up in Sy ney in the s, life
ha n t been easy ustralia was in se ere re ession until an Sy ney was a
grim pla e to li e if you were poor Marie ha sisters an brothers, an their
father, re eri ngus M Lean was a stri t is iplinarian he all Street rash
in le to a worl wi e e onomi epression he ustralian e onomy
ollapse an unemployment rea he a pea of per ent in ational
in ome e line by a thir s a hil , the family were poor an Marie grew up
without shoes amilies often i n t ha e enough to eat, an there were few
obs Hun re s of thousan s of ustralians were out of wor

More than , men left their families an mo e aroun the ountry
esperate for wor hey set up shanty towns on the e ges of ommunities an
ampe in par s he few obs that be ame a ailable were esperately fought

o er By , more than , men, women an hil ren were epen ent on
the Susso , a state base sustenan e payment that enable families to buy the
bare minimum of foo or families still re o ering from the pain of the irst

orl ar, the reat epression was a ruel blow that s arre people for
e a es to ome It too ustralia nearly a e a e to re o er

Lorraine s maternal gran mother, Charlotte Irene Myers was only when she
marrie re eri M Lean hen he ie , fairly young, she remarrie a man by
the name of Bill right an ha another hil , a girl alle Irene, who sa ly ie
of rheumati fe er at ot long afterwar s, her se on husban ie also

ithout many life sa ing me i ations, su h as antibioti s, whi h only be ame
wi ely use in the s, life was a pre ious ommo ity in the first half of the

th Century, an there were no guarantees you woul sur i e isease if you
were unfortunate enough to be stru own

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It was ommon at that time for people to marry ery young an enter into a
lifetime of ommitment without mu h e perien e of the outsi e worl

pe tations were efine by so ial an religious stan ar s, an life was about
raising hil ren, wor ing har an getting by he neighbourhoo i s woul
play together in the street an it was here that Marie an ames first met as
hil ren By the time Marie was , she an ames were marrie an starting
their new life together he ouple were to remain together for years, raise
four hil ren, an go on to ha e ran hil ren an reat gran hil ren
before ames passe away on th ugust at the age of t the time of
writing, Marie is an li ing in orth arramatta in a retirement illage
Lorraine was born when her mother was years ol he ouple ha n t been
able to e i e on a name for their first hil , so although she was gi en the
mi le name Irene for her maternal gran mother they were still at a loss what
to all her when she was born hen the mi wife suggeste the name
Lorraine , the ouple e i e they li e it, an Lorraine Irene Bermingham
offi ially entere the worl

Lorraine Irene Bermingham
Born n ebuary,

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he family li e at aglan Street, aterloo an ames wor e har to
pro i e for his growing family Both he an Marie ha a strong wor ethi , an
sa e as mu h as possible, so e en though it wasn t easy, they were able to
pro i e well for their four hil ren as they grew he house they share ha
only two be rooms an a it hen he hil ren all share one room, an ames
an Marie s be room ouble up as the lounge an li ing area

In the s there were few reature omforts for har wor ing families ll the
housewor ha to be one by han here were none of the mo ern
on enien es people ta e for grante nowa ays, su h as fri ges, ettles,
telephones, ra ios or tele isions here was no running hot water, no flushing
toilets, washing ma hines or ryers, an there were ery few ars on the roa

eople usually wal e , use pushbi es or aught the tram

he mil man woul arri e ea h morning with a ontainer of fresh mil an pour it
into a mil ug or billy an whi h was left out ea h night Brea was eli ere

aily by the ba er an usually left on the front eran ah in a brea bo he
abbit woul ome aroun selling fresh rabbits, usually for ba ing or for
asseroles hey were heap to buy, not parti ularly tasty, but ery wel ome
when times were lean he unny Man was one of the least popular isitors
he unny art woul ome aroun ery early in the morning so as not to be
seen Be ause there were no sewerage plants, househol waste ha to be
ta en away wee ly he unny or toilet was usually in an outhouse, an
onsiste of a woo en bo with a steel pan insi e he unny Man woul ome
aroun , open a small panel in the ba of the toilet, remo e the pan an repla e
it with a lean one hen he woul arry the pans on his shoul er, whi h was
always o ere with an oils in ape, an put them in the tru in in i i ual
ompartments with lose oors an ri e away oilet paper was torn up
newspapers, torn into small s uares an hung on the ba of the toilet oor

ash ay for Marie was usually Mon ay, as it was for nearly e ery other
housewife ues ay was amp own ay , the ay all the washing that ha
been star he an rie was sprin le with water, rolle up an left for a few
hours rea y for ironing ues ay an e nes ay nights were ironing nights

s there were no washing ma hines all ottons were boile in the big opper
pan an po e own with a woo en sti hey were then rinse in big ement
tubs oollens were always washe an wrung out by han

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Sin e most people i n t ha e a phone, they ept in tou h by mail Letter
writing was ery ommon an fre uent rgent messages to family or frien s
were sent by telegram ou woul go to the post offi e an fill in a form of up
to wor s, an pay for ea h wor he message woul then be sent through
to the post offi e nearest to the re ei er, an eli ere in an en elope,
personally, by a telegram boy on a pushbi e
Lorraine an her brothers an sisters were only able to ha e a bath on e a wee
on e their mother ha one the wee ly washing She woul boil up the water
o er an open fire in the big opper pan, an wash all the lothes an sheets

hen she woul boil more water to rinse nly on e the lothes were lean an
ha been put through the mangle to ry woul the bath be rea y Marie woul
e onomise by ensuring all four i s hoppe into the bath one after the other

othing was waste in those ays

Marie an Lorraine, Sy ney
age about or

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he one thing that Lorraine s parents always prioritise for their hil ren was
goo foo ery night of the wee Marie woul ser e up sirloin stea with
peas, beans an arrots to the family lthough it was e pensi e, osting a
poun , Marie firmly belie e it to be the ery best foo she oul pro i e for
her hil ren Lorraine often longe for some ariety at the inner table, but she
un erstoo her parents were oing the best they oul to gi e them a goo
start in life

It wasn t until the age of , that the family got their first fri ge rior to this, li e
most people, they owne an i e bo his was a refrigerator si e bo into
whi h an i e eli ery man woul pla e a huge hun of i e e ery wee to eep
foo fresh from the e treme heat of an ustralian Summer etting a fri ge
was an e iting time, parti ularly for Lorraine as she ui ly is o ere how to
ma e her own i e blo s with or ial rior to then she oul only buy them
from the shops, so home ma e i e blo s were a real treat Lorraine s fa ourites
were alle S ybombers n parti ularly hot ays her a woul sometimes
gi e the i s some money to run own to the shops an buy one ea h t
wee en s, if they were lu y, their father woul gi e ea h of the hil ren a
shilling his woul be enough to buy them a ti et to the mo ies, a bottle of
o e, a pa et of hips an a S ybomber Lorraine i n t learn to ma e
S ybomber s, but home ma e i e blo s were still pretty goo

s a young girl, Lorraine atten e e fern ubli S hool She really en oye her
primary s hool years playing with her best frien s, Lorraine Haywar an twins,
Beryl an oy e Hannah

S hool photo, e fern
ubli S hool mi le
row, th from right
ge about

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Lorraine en oye li ing in her neighbourhoo in e fern It was a real
ommunity lthough no one ha a lot of money, e eryone wor e har to
pro i e a goo life for their families here was a real sense of aring for your
neighbours an e eryone loo e out for ea h other o one e en lo e their
oors in ase they ha isitors rop by he lo al hil ren woul play together
in the streets after s hool, either on their bi es, or with s ipping ropes or playing
hops ot h for hours, only oming home when it was ar an their mothers
woul all them home for inner n Christmas ay, after Santa ha been an
all the unwrapping of presents was finishe , all the hil ren woul gather
outsi e with their toys to show their frien s an oin in the fun whilst Christmas
inner was being prepare ne of her fa ourite toys was a oll resse as a
bri e, whi h she ept right up until her own marriage

asionally at the wee en s, Lorraine an her family woul go to the bea h to
swim an rela n Sun ay mornings howe er, li e e ery other hil at that
time, she woul atten the resbyterian Sun ay s hool lthough the family
wasn t parti ularly religious, it was normal pra ti e an something that that
e eryone i fterwar s she woul loo forwar to playing with her frien s
from the neighbourhoo in the streets while her Mum prepare a ba e inner
for lun h with the table set with the best linen an utlery n ustralian
tra ition

ne of Lorraine s fa ourite things to o at the wee en was to go to the mo ies
with her frien s t only years ol they woul at h the tram together into
town to go to the Mo ie heatre to wat h their fa ourite mo ie stars, o
Hu son an lan La Li e many young girls at the time, Lorraine ha pi tures
of her them on her wall

Lorraine an her brothers an sisters relationship with their parents was lo ing
an lose Lorraine was parti ularly lose to her mother, who often went without
herself to gi e her hil ren the ni e things she ha ne er ha as a hil , su h as
pretty resses an piano lessons Lorraine starte learning the piano when she
was years ol She be ame ery goo at it, rea hing ra e , before
stopping playing aroun the age of

amily was ery important to ames an Marie eople often tol Lorraine she
loo e li e her Mum but she always thought she loo e more li e her a

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eople woul often mista e her a for her ol er brother be ause of his
youthful loo s Lorraine a mire her parents, e en more so as she grew ol er

lthough they were not by any means well off they wor e har , ha strong
alues, an were honest people, influen ing her in a positi e way to be truthful,
etermine , fair, loyal, responsible honest an trustworthy

Lorraine was also lose to her e ten e family It was usual for families to
remain in the same neighbourhoo after they marrie an left home, an
Lorraine s fa ourite unt was untie iney, her Mum s sister unt iney ha
three hil ren, an her untie Bessie, who also li e lose by, ha nine i s, all
of whom li e in aterloo She was also lose to her paternal gran mother an
woul isit her, but her Mother s mum she remembers as really ran y an
woul sometimes e en sen her Christmas presents ba if she i n t li e them

ery year the whole family woul go the aster Show It was one of Lorraine s
fa ourite times of the year, an e iting for all the i s be ause they were
allowe to buy three show bags ea h Lorraine woul always hoose the
Ca bury Cho olate Bag, but she woul spen the whole ne t year planning
whi h other bags she woul buy the ne t time

n e a year the family woul pa up their bags, ta e their little og San y, an
hea out of e fern on holi ay for a ouple of wee s, usually to Boo er Bay or

ttalong on the Central Coast lthough it was usually the wet season, Lorraine
an her ousins i n t min hey woul spen hours playing at the bea h,
swimming an buil ing san astles, an if they were lu y, she woul get to go
to the mo ies with her brothers an sister whilst Mum an a woul ta e a well
earne brea

By the time Lorraine was twel e, her Mum went ba to wor full time as a
Ma hinist at illiam Broo s rinting, a ompany whi h printe phone an s hool
boo s Marie en oye her wor an ontinue to wor there for the rest of her
wor ing life he ompany was a goo employer an pai well, an pro i e
for the little e tras that the family en oye

Her a , ames, who ha mo e on from his areer in the aper Mills, spent a
short perio of time as a ta i ri er, before putting himself through e hni al
College an ualifying as a reen eeper He was ery prou of his reen an
woul ne er allow the i s to play on them, shooing them off if they e er trie
stepping foot on his lawns

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his meant that Lorraine ha to ta e on the responsibility of loo ing after her
younger brothers an sister, as Marie woul n t usually get home from wor until

pm lthough her father woul often be home first an oo the tea, Lorraine
was responsible for loo ing after the younger hil ren, ropping them off an
pi ing them up from s hool, as well as oing the family shopping his was

uite normal in families with two parents wor ing full time, but it wasn t easy for
Lorraine to manage, parti ularly as she ha to uggle this with her s hool wor

t the age of the family mo e from e fern to a bigger house in rmington
Lorraine relu tantly ha to lea e all her frien s an her s hool behin an start
again in a new s hool lthough it was a step up for the whole family, an a
mu h ni er house, she wasn t happy about it heir new house ha gas running
hot water an for the first time, a proper flush toilet, whi h was a huge
impro ement in their li es, but o erall, Lorraine foun the mo e har an she
ha a iffi ult time a usting She misse her ol frien s an her
neighbourhoo , an she isli e her new High S hool hey taught all the usual
sub e ts in s hool as well as sewing, oo ing, house eeping, typing an
shorthan lthough she i n t en oy learning mu h, she i en oy typing an
offi e wor Sports was her least fa ourite sub e t

She i e entually ma e a new frien alle San ra, an e ery Sun ay, she an
San ra woul go to ellowship together, a outh Club an ommunity gathering
pla e for young teenagers to rea the s riptures together, hang out an ust be
so ial fterwar s they woul stay for Chur h

ith two in omes oming in now, life was impro ing an her parents were able
to buy a se on han or ar By the time she was they ha e en sa e up
enough to buy a tele ision Mainstream tele ision wasn t intro u e into

ustralia until , an for many years it was only bla an white Colour
tele ision wasn t intro u e into ustralia until Before this, the only
person in the family who owne a tele ision was their untie orma, their a s
sister, so the i s woul often wal up the hill to wat h tele ision there

espite not parti ularly en oying oo ery lasses at s hool, Lorraine is o ere
she ha a hi en lo e for urry ne ay, whilst sear hing for a re ipe to ma e
for tea, her a pulle the Common Sense Coo ery boo off the shelf an
foun a urry re ipe It was her first time trying it out, an she li e it so mu h
she be ame ery goo at ma ing it herself

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lthough she es ribes herself as only a normal oo , she i ha e her
spe ialities, an oo ies an a lo a, an of ourse, urry, were top of the list
Life was easier in the new house, but there was still so mu h that was ifferent
growing up in the s an s In the two e a es imme iately after orl

ar II, ustralia s population ha grown from million to million, an this
generation be ame nown as the Baby Boomers nly ser i e stations an
on enien e stores were open on wee en s an so ustralians generally
en oye a healthy lifestyle, ate goo foo an too an interest in sport an
out oor a ti ities, spen ing mu h of their leisure time at the bea h here was
no fast foo , no home eli ere pi as or fro en inners It was rare for families
to eat out oo was oo e fresh e ery ay, mostly by the women of the
househol , from fresh, whole ingre ients here was no pro esse foo or fast
foo hains C, the first fast foo hain in ustralia, i n t arri e until the late

s ro u ts of on enien e that are ta en for grante to ay simply weren t
in e isten e at the time ne e ample is shampoo Shampoo i n t be ome
a ailable in the shops until Lorraine was or Li e e ery other woman at
that time, she use soap to wash her hair, then urle an set it using bobby
pins an rollers an left it in o ernight to ry

he ost of li ing in ustralia was also ery ifferent to what it is now, in
pint of mil was ents, an a loaf of brea aroun the same It ost ents to
post a letter, an you oul buy a four be room house in Sy ney for un er

, , or roughly times a man s yearly in ome By the mi s the a erage
earnings for wee s wor was , aroun in to ay s ollars

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MIDDLE YEARS

s Lorraine grew into a teenager, li e many girls of her age, she was self
ons ious an worrie about what other people thought about her lthough
not big by any stan ar s, she was taller an bigger than the rest of her family,
who were all uite small, an she felt ifferent to them, an was uite shy In
the s, whi h were also nown as the Swinging Si ties , fashion ha
hange ompletely from longer s irts an emure resses to mini s irts,
platform shoes an bell bottom trousers It wasn t a fashion that suite
e eryone, an Lorraine i n t li e it at all She woul woul wear longer minis
an hoose bell bottom trousers to o er up as mu h as she oul She i n t
ha e a hoi e It was all you oul buy either i she parti ularly en oy
an ing or going out, so her hoi e woul usually be to go to ellowship in the
e enings, whi h really a te as her lo al youth lub
Lorraine ha ne er really settle into her High S hool, an not being parti ularly
a a emi , she e entually persua e her mother an father to let her lea e
s hool at fifteen an a half lthough she ha always reame of wor ing in an
offi e as a se retary an loo ing fashionable in hats an glo es, she en e up
a epting a ob at illiam Broo s, the rinting Company where her Mum wor e
be ause the pay was so goo She staye there, wor ing on an off for
years

Lorraine an her frien
anni on their oint

birth ay th birth ay

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Lorraine starte off as a Ma hinist an then later on she wor e in the Canteen
with her goo frien , ettie ray s illiam Broo s was about minutes
away from where they li e , ettie an her husban ally woul pi Lorraine
up from home ea h morning to go to wor , an then rop her home ea h night
She woul help ettie oo up big pots of her fa ourite urry an ri e for the

plus wor ers who pai pen e ea h for lun h It was a goo pla e to wor
an benefitte the whole family In ee , both her sister an one of her
brothers also wor e there hey got pai well an gi en generous bonuses
Her first bonus, at , was , whi h ha a umulate sin e the time she
starte wor ing there n enormous amount for a young girl of her age, an
roughly e ui alent to at the time of writing this boo in She
bought her first ar with it, a Mini Minor frien of hers, ay awson, taught
her how to ri e
By this time, Lorraine ha starte smo ing, but hi it from her parents until she
was either of them ha smo e an she new they woul isappro e She
ontinue smo ing until when she ga e up

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ADULT YEARS

Lorraine s first serious boyfrien at was a young man alle ohn enman He
was a Carpenter, who ha ome to the house to buil some bun be s for her
brothers room an ha impresse the young Lorraine with his height an goo
loo s He was years ol er than her an the family ni name him he lying

ut hman be ause of his ut h heritage hey went out for about months,
before the relationship bro e up It wasn t too long before Lorraine set her
sights on ay awson, the young man who taught her to ri e, but ay was
intereste in somebo y else at the time

ery year, Lorraine atten e the Castrol il Ball It was the e ent of the
season, an she usually went with a frien from the neighbourhoo alle ohn

hey always en oye themsel es an ha fun, but by the time Lorraine was ,
ohn ha a girlfrien an was not able to es ort her s fate woul ha e it, he
offere to intro u e her to a frien of his alle Ma ussell who he as e to
ta e her instea Lorraine agree , on the on ition that she met Ma first
hen Ma ame to the house to intro u e himself, she hi in her be room,
instru ting her father to go an he him out for her first Lorraine li e well
turne out boys, an when her father reporte ba that he ha lean, shiny
shoes, she new it was a goo sign She fell in lo e with Ma at first sight He
was lean ut, smart an well presente , an the feeling seeme mutual


Ma an Lorraine on their se on ate

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She bought a beautiful new long ress for the ball, an when Ma turne up to
es ort her, he loo e ery ashing hey ha a won erful e ening, an Lorraine
e en an e hat Lorraine i n t now was that Ma ha alrea y tol his
mother he new he was going to marry her

Ma as a little boy
nly a few wee s later, ay, the boy she ha hel a an le for only months
earlier got ba in tou h an as e her to go out with him But now it was his
turn to be isappointe He was too late Lorraine an Ma were going stea y

Lorraine an her frien at at the
Castrol il Ball

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Ma was a uiet young man, in an thoughtful He wor e nights at a Coun il
arpar in Sy ney so when they first met they woul tal e ery night on the
telephone, an he woul uote her the lines of songs, an e en wrote her a lo e
letter He propose three months after they met in the etersham Inn either
ery tal ati e or parti ularly emonstrati e, he simply as e , hen are we
getting engage By then, she alrea y new she lo e him an wante to
marry him, an she happily a epte hey were marrie only months after
first meeting
Lorraine Irene Birmingham an Henry Ma well ussell were marrie in
rmington, i toria oa , at the rmington resbyterian Chur h on th Mar h,

Lorraine was years ol , an Ma , four years ol er at It was a
beautiful ay Lorraine ha her hair an ma e up one, an wore a stunning
white ress with a fitte bo i e an long train She new e a tly what she
wante , an so ha it ma e espe ially for her by a ressma er It ost , a
lot of money to spen on a ress in those ays, but for her, it was worth it She
loo e beautiful in it s she an her four bri esmai s were getting fitte on
the ay of the we ing, the ressma er tol them that she ne er seen su h a
beautiful we ing an the girls all loo e li e photographer s mo els Lorraine
felt li e a million ollars

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Ma an Lorraine
with their we ing

party

Lorriane an her
Bri esmai s loo ing
li e photographi

mo els

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here were guests waiting at the Chur h when Lorraine arri e in a large
bla we ing ar he whole ay went beautifully, an it was one of the best

ays of Lorraine s life She an Ma were ery mu h in lo e, an e erything
went perfe tly he we ing re eption was hel in ran ille at a enue
espe ially esigne for we ings Beautifully appointe , there were flowers
e erywhere an the ham an hi en sala ser e up for the guests was perfe t
for a hot ay

fter the we ing, the new Mr an Mrs Ma an Lorraine ussell tra elle to
the ol Coast for their honeymoon, staying at the Car el in Miami hey
spent their ays strolling through the streets of Surfers ara ise, e ploring the

ol Coast, eating out in restaurants an afes an ust en oying their first few
ays of marrie life ta ing some time away together an being tourists

Before he was marrie , Ma ha li e at home with his mother athleen in
Camper own Sa ly, she ha ie from an er only three wee s before the
we ing an Lorraine ha ne er really got the han e to get to now her hen
they returne from their honeymoon, they e i e to ta e o er the lease on her
apartment an set up home there together for years

Marrie life was goo Ma was wor ing at a Ba ery, eli ering brea by this
time, an Lorraine went ba to the rinting fa tory Ha ing two in omes
oming in ma e life easier, an although it still wasn t mu h, they were able to
ma e en s meet Lorraine was ery house prou , an although Ma was willing
to help out aroun the house, Lorraine felt she oul o better an woul often
shoo him away an ta e o er Something she regrette later on, when Ma ha
got use to not being allowe to help, an i n t offer again

Lorraine s brothers an sisters were also getting on with their li es anet
marrie a man by the name of ary Smithers an settle in rmington She
went on to ha e two hil ren, Lu e an Belin a Stephen ha an a enturous
spirit an left home at to tra el the worl lthough he woul ome home for
perio s of time, it wasn t long before he was off again entually he settle in

ew ealan , marrying his wife ay an ha ing two aughters, le an yler
ohn wor e at illiam Broo s rinting ompany his entire life, only retiring at

He settle in Baul ham Hills an marrie his wife Lorraine when he was
years ol hey ha one aughter, lita

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Life arrie on for Lorraine an Ma , an within si months she is o ere she
was pregnant heir first aughter, Susan athleen was born at ing eorge
hospital in Camper own on une, with r iggott atten ing

nfortunately, Susan was a si ly baby, an for the first few years of her life she
suffere ba ly an was often in hospital with roup, bron hitis or asthma ith
su h an une pe te ly iffi ult start to her baby s life, Lorraine foun
motherhoo stressful, realising only later in life that she probably suffere from
post natal epression

Be ause their apartment was opposite Camper own Chil ren s Hospital,
Lorraine felt as if she pra ti ally li e there for the first few years of Susan s life
But espite her health hallenges, Susan was a beautiful little baby Lorraine
lo e to ress her up in pretty outfits an foun she woul onstantly be
stoppe in the street for people to peer into the pram an a mire her

Lorraine with her parents at Susan age
Susan s hristening th une,

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But Lorraine was still struggling She oul n t e press mil , an i n t feel li e
she was oping Susan s health hallenges ause her a great eal of worry an
she be ame ery an ious, ne er nowing if Susan woul be alright n e, she
went to the hospital to isit her after Susan ha been a mitte with bron hitis,
an wal e into her room to fin she was gone Imme iately fearing the worst,
she es ribes that as the most iffi ult moment of her life Lu ily, the o tors
ha only mo e Susan to another room, an Susan was perfe tly alright But
Lorraine felt helpless, not being able to ma e her baby better She was at the

o tors two or three times a wee an Susan was onstantly being re a mitte
ne ay her Spe ialist tol her she ha to rela as she ha one all she oul
an was putting too mu h pressure on herself She realise she oul n t o any
more than she ha She was trying to be the perfe t wife, the perfe t mother
an the perfe t home ma er, whilst uggling Susan s ill health, an it was
affe ting her greatly hat, ouple with trying to struggle through on one
salary finalise her e ision to return to wor when Susan was months ol

She foun a lo ely in ergarten nearby for her aughter an returne to illiam

Broo s She staye there, wor ing on an off for the ne t years lthough

there were lots of rules, as the ire tors woul n t allow nions an were stri t

about the things the wor ers oul an oul n t o, the money was so goo it

was worth it lus, be ause her mother, brother an sister all wor e there it

was a home away from home for her She was pai a wee hat was

onsi ere a ery goo wage, appro imately e ui alent to a wee in
to ay s money

In the ouple bought their first house at war Street, lebe It ha
two be rooms, a lounge room, a ining room, it hen an bathroom hey pai

, , an li e there for se en years Lorraine an Ma s goal was to
e entually own their own home outright, so the entire of Lorraine s wage went
on one mortgage an Ma s salary helpe to o er the se on mortgage It
wasn t possible to get a ban to o er an entire mortgage in those ays, so it
was ommon to ha e two or more mortgages on a property hat left only

a wee to o er other e penses, whi h by to ay s stan ar s is roughly
ot mu h to fee a family of three

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By , Lorraine was pregnant again with her se on aughter She was better
prepare for parenthoo this time, an aelene Marie oine the family on

o ember, lthough Lorraine was worrie that aelene woul ha e
similar health hallenges to Susan, aelene turne out to be healthy, happy baby
who rarely rie his time, it was Ma who hose her name, e i ing upon

aelene after aelene Boyle, a famous ustralian lympian

aelene s hristening
th o ember,

aelene as a
baby

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Susan lo e her little sister an woul prou ly show her off to people when
Lorraine woul ta e them both out hey were lose as little ones, but li e most
siblings, use to fight a bit when they got ol er

Both Ma an Lorraine were ery happy to ha e two aughters, as both of them
ha wante girls Ma was a lo ing father, but, as was normal at the time, not

ery in ol e in the ay to ay wor of running a family Men weren t e pe te
to o mu h of the hil are, or help out aroun the house It was still normal
for men to go to wor an women to stay at home to loo after the hil ren full
time, oo the meals an eep the house If they i go out to wor , su h as in
Lorraine s ase, they too on the ouble loa of wor ing an oing all the
housewor an hil are

In , illiam Broo s lose the Canteen permanently isappointe ,
Lorraine hose not to go ba to her pre ious ob as a Ma hinist, an left the
ompany, getting a ob at Ma a tor, wor ing on the lipsti assembly line, an
a ing pow er puffs to ompa ts She en oye wor ing there lthough the
pay wasn t as goo as illiam Broo s there were less rules, an she en oye
hatting with the other girls there

he ouple sol their lebe home in an bought a bran new two
be room unit in etersham for , It ha a pool, whi h the i s lo e , an
there was no maintenan e re uire whi h ma e life a bit easier for Lorraine



Sue & Raelene Susan & Raelene, Feb 76
7 A e &

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But, as with all marriages, Lorraine an Ma ha their ups an owns Ma s
mother ha been a gambler, an when he been a young boy she woul as
him to go own the roa an pla e her bets for her his ha reate the same
habit in Ma , an it too its toll on the young family as they trie to ma e en s
meet, parti ularly with the arri al of another mouth to fee In , after ten
years together, they e i e to separate Ma was wor ing on the Sy ney

har es, an when he was as e to relo ate to the ol Coast he a epte the
transfer Lorraine staye li ing in the etersham unit with the girls It was a

iffi ult time for all of them Lorraine ha to ta e on e tra wor leaning
stairwells in her blo of units to get the money she nee e to support her
family ery wee en she woul go to her Mother s house, an her parents
woul help out with gro eries

Later that year, the in ergarten whi h aelene atten e offere Lorraine a ob
as a Chil are Helper his was i eal as she was able to wor part time aroun
the girl s s hool hours, whi h suite her perfe tly She woul help the hil ren
with their brea fast in the morning an prepare sna s an san wi hes for them

hen she woul set up the art tables, an help them to paint an o their art
wor an wat h o er them as they playe She remembers it as her fa ourite
ob She staye wor ing there for years

entually, Ma ame ba to Sy ney to isit the girls an help Lorraine out with
some e isions aroun Susan s s hooling Susan ha been aught smo ing an
both Lorraine an Ma were on erne about her Ma tol Lorraine he ha
stoppe gambling an wante to get ba together with her He as e her to
bring the girls an mo e ba with him to the ol Coast to start again

lthough Lorraine ha ate uring their separation she new that Ma was the
only one for her, an so she agree to gi e things another go he family
mo e to the ol Coast in lthough she was upset to lea e her Mum
an a , she wante to gi e her marriage e ery han e to su ee

he family rente a house in lori a ar ens near Surfers, an settle in But
with Ma now wor ing in the Mer hant a y, he woul often be away at sea for
si wee s at a time Settling into a new town an being away from her family
an frien s in Sy ney was har for Lorraine at first, parti ularly with Ma away
for long perio s, but e entually she starte olunteering at the girls s hool in the
tu shop, an met some new frien s hat ma e all the ifferen e, an
Lorraine really starte to settle into her new life

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fter months in lori a ar ens, they mo e to Broa bea h an rente a
pla e there for a while until they e entually bought a house at Sunshine
Boule ar , Mermai aters in September hey remaine li ing there for

years he girls atten e Miami High S hool, an ealene went to
Broa bea h ubli S hool

ne ay whilst Lorraine was at home, she re ei e a phone all s lu woul
ha e it, the man on the phone was loo ing for the woman who use to li e there
who ha been a Cleaner He wante to offer her a ob Lorraine imme iately

olunteere to ta e her pla e, an starte wor ing part time as a Cleaner
herself his was the perfe t ob for her She ha always been ery house prou
an ept her home spotless, so she wor e or ays a wee leaning an
then supplemente the wee ly in ome by oing some babysitting obs on the
si e

hey say the apple oesn t fall far from the tree, an with the two girls, it
be ame ob ious early on that Sue was uite similar to Lorraine, in that she was
the more strong wille of the two girls, an i n t li e to be tol what to o

lthough Lorraine ha been shy as a young girl, she ha be ome more asserti e
as she got ol er She alle a spa e a spa e, an if she i n t li e someone, she
woul n t waste her time on them Sue was ust the same aelene, on the other
han , was more li e her a , both in loo s an personality She was uiet an
easy going, be oming ery sporty as she grew ol er She lo e playing etball,
an most of Lorraine s Satur ay mornings were spent ta ing aelene to games
an wat hing her play

Similarly to Lorraine, Sue i n t en oy s hool ery mu h hen she turne ,
she ma e the e ision to lea e s hool an went to wor in mart Lorraine was
supporti e be ause she new how it felt to ha e to lea e your frien s behin
an start again in a new pla e an she un erstoo it ha been iffi ult for Sue

aelene staye on at s hool until ear , lea ing at an starting wor as a
legal se retary for a Soli itor that Lorraine new through babysitting his hil ren

By now Lorraine was in her s, an life was a bit more rela e he pressure
was off, the i s were ol er, an she felt more se ure an mu h happier
Mo ing up the ol Coast ha been one of the best e isions she ha e er
ma e

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Susan s s b a L a ne, Ma & Raelene

She en oye being ba with Ma , an when he was home, he woul help out
with the i s more an they woul go out to restaurants hen he was away at
sea, Lorraine woul wor part time, spen time with her frien s, an often tra el
ba own to Sy ney to see her parents an family

Lorraine an Ma holi aying in
Cairns,

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Her mother Marie ha retire in her fifties whilst her a , ames, arrie on

wor ing until he was hen they were both retire an ha more time to

themsel es they bought an ol holi ay home in Boo er Bay, an sometimes

Lorraine an Ma woul ta e the i s an oin them there for a brea en

though Lorraine ha been loser to her Mum as a young woman, her an her

father be ame a lot loser as he got ol er an ha more time s a young man

his fo us ha been on wor ing har enough to earn a goo li ing for his family

an he ha often been busy s he starte to slow own, Lorraine was able to

spen more time with him, an she herishe her eeper relationship with her

father He ha always been a frien ly an personable man an was well li e

by e erybo y hen he passe away on e ember, , she was
heartbro en

By the time Lorraine turne , she an Ma ha a hie e their goal of owning
their own home he girls by now were well into their wor ing areers Sue
wor e in retail for many years, an aelene was well establishe in her
profession Sue met a young man by the name of lan ierney an they soon
be ame engage n tober, , at the age of they were marrie , an
Sue ussell be ame Mrs Sue eirney hree years later, Lorraine an Ma
be ame prou gran parents for the first time when Sue ga e birth to her

aughter, rin eirney on May, erything hange for the family
with the arri al of rin She was born with own s Syn rome, something whi h
the whole family embra e Ma an Lorraine a ore little rin, an Ma in
parti ular was e tremely lose to his gran aughter He alle her his little
Bubba girl She alle him oppy Lorraine was alle an

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Ma an L a ne a
Sue s e n

fter Sue an lan s marriage split up in , Sue retraine as a urse
Lorraine was e tremely prou of her an a mire her aughter s tena ity an
wor ethi , alues she a mire , an ha always trie to instil in her hil ren Sue
went on to ha e another relationship an ga e birth to her son roy Mea e
se en years later on tober, rin be ame a big sister She a ore
her little brother s the only boy in the family for a long time, he was spoile
by e eryone

roy age
th tober,

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aelene met an marrie aniel Bellert on ugust, , an two years later
ga e birth to her only son, oah, on anuary, She now li es in
Burleigh aters with her family, an Sue, rin an roy li e in Mu gereebah

Lorraine with aelene on her Lorraine with oah
we ing ay Born th anuary,

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Chapter hea ing
Ma ha always struggle with asthma, an at the age of in he ha to
retire early from the Mer hant a y ue to his ill health He spent a lot of time
at home, an as his asthma got worse he was often in an out of hospital It
e entually be ame iffi ult for him to o anything ne ay, a Spe ialist put him
on some new me i ation an tol him if he wante to feel better he nee e to
lose some weight
Ma too him at his wor an starte an e er ise regime He starte to wal
He lost a lot of weight, an as he be ame fitter, en oye life mu h more
Lorraine woul often oin him for his wal s along the bea h s his health
starte to impro e, he an Lorraine starte to tra el more, an woul often

ri e to Sy ney to isit frien s an family hey en oye isiting angaloo an
orth Stra bro e Islan s for short brea s too

Lorraine s parents,
ames an Marie
th May,

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Lorraine arrie on leaning an oing some ironing She an Ma woul wal
to the a ifi air an go to the mo ies Her Mum an a woul isit twi e a
year an see the great gran i s
But before too long a itional health hallenges starte to ome Ma ha
some mini stro es, an e en though he re o ere his health starte to e line

entually, in , Ma was iagnose with esophageal an er an gi en
three months to li e It was one of the worst times of Lorraine s life, an she
was e astate Ma howe er, felt he ha ha a goo life an was philosophi al
about his time being up He ie at years ol , when Lorraine was hey
ha spent years together an his eath hit Lorraine e tremely har It too
her two years before she was able to feel she was ba on her feet en to ay,
when she thin s of him, she she s a tear

Last family photo

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s for Lorraine, espite a three wee stint in hospital at the age of with
rheumati fe er, the same isease that ha ille her great aunt at the age of
she ha been robustly healthy most of her life, until at the age of , she was

iagnose with breast an er She maintains she felt uite alm about her
iagnosis an too a pragmati approa h She ha a lumpe tomy, an ra iation
therapy, but she wasn t re uire to un ergo hemotherapy ow she has
regular he ups an goes to the hospital e ery months for an ultrasoun
an mammogram i e years on, she is oing ery well, an ontinuing to en oy
spen ing time with her gran hil ren

he three gran hil ren
rin, roy an oah

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s at the time of writing this boo , Lorraine is years ol , healthy, an en oying
life, e en though she a mits that growing ol er has slowe her own She still
loo s forwar to holi ays, an hol s out hope that one ay she will ha e great
gran hil ren to spen time with She owns a beautiful single le el be room
home in Miami, whi h of ourse, is imma ulately ti y typi al ay for her now
is to go to robus, a so ial lub for women, where she en oys listening to
inspiring guest spea ers, regular outings, lun h an meetings She is also a
member of the e Hatters So iety, a lub that also e ten s her so ial
networ ing an enables her to meet new frien s, ha e fun an en oy so ial
gatherings hen she s not tra elling, whi h she oes regularly all o er the
worl , she en oys going to the Bingo, an e ery se on wee en , she loo s
after rin, gi ing Sue time for herself She an rin are ery lose, an Lorraine
a ores spen ing time with her gran aughter hey li e to go to the mo ies
together an when rin was Lorraine e en too her on a Cruise to ila in
In onesia hey en oye it so mu h they went to i i on a ruise for two wee s in



rin age rin at her s hool formal
tober ge

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She still spea s to her mother as often as she an on the telephone, an usually
sees her a ouple of times a year She still at hes up with anet, her sister,
when she s own in Sy ney, although rarely sees ohn, an with Stephen in ew

ealan , only sees him when he is isiting Marie in Sy ney

rin with her great gran mother Marie
May

Lorraine s lose frien s are Li , ael, loria an hon a hey meet regularly for

lun h, offee or mo ies She tra els with ael e ery year to ur ey, ree e,

Italy, an the ree Islan s, an they also ruise together to ew ealan ,

ew or an Boston here is a ri er ruise from mster am to rague

planne in ugust of this year Her best frien , orothy Hol eness, sa ly ie

last year from an er She ha nown orothy e er sin e she mo e to the

ol Coast years ago hey tra elle to meri a together in , isiting

Las egas, L , San ran is o, an osemite ational par , an ha a won erful

time, reating some ery spe ial memories for Lorraine She s also been to

Cana a with hon a, gone on a ruise to las a an tra elle up the ast Coast

of meri a Her latest trip was ietnam with hon a in Mar h

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Lorraine, aelene an oah
th o ember,

Lorraine spea s with affe tion an pri e of her aughters an gran hil ren,
an a nowle ges them as the most important people in her life She trusts an

epen s upon them an lo es them all hysi ally affe tionate, she laughs at
how mu h she u le an isse her girls when they were little, an now
they re grown an on t allow it any more, how happy she is that she has su h a
affe tionate relationship with her gran hil ren, parti ularly rin

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ith nearly eight e a es of a umulate nowle ge an wis om behin her,
Lorraine has learne mu h in her life an seen so mu h hange in the worl

hey say you an ne er really un erstan someone until you ha e wal e a mile
in their shoes Lorraine s hope is that this boo gi es her hil ren, her
gran hil ren, an those generations she may ne er get to now the
opportunity to wal a mile in hers o un erstan what it was li e growing up in
the s, an li ing in the th entury, how ifferent life was an how mu h
has hange in su h a relati ely short perio of time

Lorraine s a i e to you, her family, is to stress the importan e of not trying to
be perfe t all the time, an en oy your life Life is too short an when you put
too mu h pressure on yourself it oesn t ma e you happy hen she learne
that perfe tion oesn t wor she rela e , an en oye her life more She s
prou of the fa t that her hil ren both turne out well an she s gla she ha
that opportunity an responsibility as it has brought her mu h happiness

She firmly belie es in the importan e of ha ing strong alues to arry you
through life Her a i e to her family is to Be happy et a goo ob that gi es
you enough money to o the things you want on t lie or har an eep
learning If you an, get a areer that an arry you through life, an whate er
you o, ma e sure it is what you really want to o Loo ing ba , she nows
that if she ha been more onfi ent an self assure as a young woman, she
woul ha e li e to ha e been a Hair resser, or e en a ea her

Her hopes for her family are that they en oy life, ha e a enture an happiness,
but also un erstan the alue of being truthful, honest, etermine an fair

Loo ing to the future, Lorraine wants to o some more tra elling, an be as
in epen ent as possible for as long as she an Her hope is that she an stay in
her own home as she gets ol er as she oesn t want to rely on or be a bur en to
anyone

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Lorraine an hon a in ietnam
Mar h

But for now Lorraine ontinues to be the won erful hara ter that she is She s
happy, healthy an en oying life She has her aughters, her gran hil ren an
her frien s, she lea s an a ti e so ial life an loo s forwar to rin s isits on
wee en s She lo es to shop for ni e lothes, an always loo s stylish She s
happy whether it s rela ing in her home, popping own the roa to play Bingo,
an maybe e en winning a few ollars, or meeting frien s for a goo hat an
planning her ne t o erseas trip She s wor e har all her life

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