"At last I felt I had had enough and asked them to find somebody else to run the Show. They pleaded with me to continue to manage it and offered me extra money to do so. I carried on for another two years and the money earned was put away towards Peg's twenty-first birthday party and her wedding.
Looking back at the Show I remember one evening when there was an open air programme which continued until late. It turned very wet and cold and people pushed their way into the kiosk after closing time and begged us to give them a hot drink and something to eat. We had nothing ready to serve but they looked so miserable that I mixed together odds and ends we had left over in saucepans, added some tomato sauce, heated it and served it on toast together with tea or coffee. Everybody said it was wonderful and asked me what was in it. I said it was a special secret receipt of mine and my helpers called it "Rusty's Special". I could not have told anybody what it really contained but it was wholesome, much appreciated, and added to the night's takings.
While running the Show we still had to keep the home fires burning. I had Harry and Peg at home and, before leaving for the Show, I would pack the fridge with meat pies, casseroles, cold meat and sweets sufficient to carry them over until I could get home for an evening to replenish stocks.
By the time the new building was in operation I was no longer State Secretary as, **my husband having gone, it was necessary for me to earn a full salary, and I had obtained the position of Confidential Secretary to the General Manager and Secretary of Boucher's Industries in Scarborough Beach Road, Osborne Park.
Now, thanks to a legacy from Mrs Rischbieth, the headquarters at 7 Harvest Terrace, West Perth, belongs entirely to the Guilds. It has been let profitably, and the rental pays for a delightful suite in the new Wesley Chambers, as well as the State Secretary's salary, so that running the Show kiosk is a thing of the past. The central position of the new Guild headquarters at the Wesley Centre makes travelling easier and even I, at ***83, am able to attend "Unalla" Guild once a month by taxi at the same time as I visit the bank and carry out necessary shopping.
Some of the present members of "Unalla" Guild were previously members of the Night Guild for business women. which is no longer operating but of which I used to be a member.
I was very devoted to Mrs Rischbieth and, **after Harry had gone and Peg was married, I often spent weekends with her at her home *"Unalla" in Peppermint Grove. Her death as a great blow and, as far as those of us who knew and loved her are concerned, nobody has taken her place.
I have in my possession two personal letters from Mrs Rischbieth which are included in these memoirs."
*Just for the heck of it I put "Unalla, Peppermint Grove, into Google and found the house that was once the home of the Rischbieths is now for sale and this is the picture shown by the real estate agent. It was built ca 1903 and sits on one acre of land (4,360SQM). It has five bedrooms and three bathrooms, a tennis court, water fountain, glass house and circular driveway. The asking price? Offers from $15,000,000!! I wonder what Mrs R. would think about that price?
***Mum was 83 in 1980 (the same age that I am now)
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteThat's a cracking property right enough... but REALLY??? Think of the upkeep too... or perhaps don't. It could unseat one.
I live the reference to secret 'receipt'; such an old and wonderful term; and goodness how many families know about such knock-together specials?!
Keep the episodes coming Mimsie! YAM xx
I did go to Unalla years ago and it was very impressive. There was a fete being held in the grounds so of course we didn't go into the house.
DeleteWhen my family would descend on me (2 adults and 3 children) I would make what I called a "chuck in" along the same lines as mum's secret receipt but usually with fresh ingredients. They often come out better than following a standard recipe. xx
My mum's version of a "chuck-in" was a savoury mince with everything that was leftover in the fridge chucked in, even uneaten meat from sandwiches. She was a little offended when my kids wouldn't eat it since I'd told her previously that my kids enjoyed savoury mince, so I told her we had eaten a big lunch at the cafe near the beach on our way to her house. Next time around we had to think of some other excuse.
Delete"Offers" from fifteen million dollars! Wow. I guess that means they expect to get even more than that. Boggles the mind. I know it doesn't make a lick of sense, but whenever I see huge houses like that, I always say something dumb like, "I'm glad I don't have to clean it!" or "I'm glad I don't have to wash all those windows!" As if anyone living in a place like that would wash the windows... sheesh.
ReplyDeleteI, like you, always think of the work involved but I guess i you could afford it you'd also afford people to do the work.
DeleteIt truly is a beautiful house and in Perth's most prestigious suburb right on the Swan River. It is also the smallest municipality in the metropolitan area. Very exclusive.
Mrs R's house is beautiful, but oh the work. And the expense in keeping it maintained as it should be. Though as Susan says, if we had the money to buy it, then we would also have the money to hire people to look after it.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that part of the reason your mama kept the separation quiet is that divorce/separation were still very rare. And looked down on.
You are right about the house. If you had that much money I imagine you would just sit back and enjoy it.
DeleteI am not sure about mum's secrecy re separation but mum always liked to be perfect so maybe that would make her less than perfect. Just a thought. Same with adoption.
That is a beautiful house with quite the price tag.
ReplyDeleteIt truly is Delores but if you had that money surely you should do something useful with it rather than indulge yourself to that extent. I also imagine someone living in that luxury and still claiming the old age pension as one's home doesn't count when claiming the pension. Just a thought.
DeleteThere's talk of changes regarding homes and pensions, especially if the home is large and worth a lot. whispers in the wind at this stage I think.
Deleteit's a beautiful house, but $15,000,000??
ReplyDeleteSad to hear the new show kiosk didn't do as well as the old, probably there were reasons no one knows about. Perhaps more people started bringing their own food, or sampled more exotic fare from other food stalls.
Divorce those days was often seen as shameful and kept quiet. I didn't know about my own parents divorce until a school friend read about it in the 'notices' section of the newspaper where such things were printed in those days. She recognised our surname and told me. Mum had been gone for several years by then, so I knew she wasn't coming home and hearing about the divorce from a friend didn't bother me. Later I thought they should have told me, but it still wasn't something I lost any sleep over.
Mum and dad never did divorce but just lived separately for the rest of their days. I doubt she would have wanted people to know the circumstances (she told dad they were separating and that was that). It did give her the opportunity to pursue the life she wanted so to her advantage.
DeleteThat is sad, even though it didn't bother you, that your folks never told you about their divorce. A bit like mum who would never have told me about the adoption if she'd not heard of a girl being told by her school mates rather than her folks. Mum still wanted it kept secret from everyone but of course since her death, I've never felt ashamed and everyone knows.