You may remember that toward the end of 1966 Phil and I had moved into a house in Claremont. These photos were taken in 1967 and 1968. The first is the house itself at 358 Stirling Highway, followed by one of Phil in 1967 sitting on the front step with Charlie Brown and then a fuzzy one of yours truly relaxing in the back garden in 1968:
In February, 1967 I began working at Thomas and Co in Cottesloe and this photo was taken in the back garden behind the office. Oh, look some colour photography at last! Actually the Export Manager, Len Daymond, had just bought a Polaroid camera and wanted to try it out and I was the guinea pig.
After my divorce proceedings in June, 1967, Phil and I became officially engaged and then on 16th September we were married in Trinity Congregational church in St George's Terrace in the city. (Unfortunately brother Len took some photos but for some reason they didn't come out. I was surprised and rather disappointed as he was a commercial photographer. Strangely enough it happened again at the dedication of the seat to my mum in Kings Park. He said the photo shop had lost the photos). Once again we had to rely on our old black and white cameras but at least we do have a record of our wedding. I was 35 and Phil was 37. This is a photo of us arriving by taxi at the church:
and the bridal group outside the church door. Back row: Eddie Simcock, Phil me and Betty Simcock and front row Steven and Karen. (Steven was nearly 10 and Karen was 12).
This one shows Phil and me with (L-R) my niece Wendy, my mum and (far right) my sister-in-law Jean (Wendy's mum):
The wedding party once again, this time at the small reception held after the wedding cememony, and Phil and me cutting the cake:
We spent a lovely couple of hours with family and friends and then it was time to say farewell to everyone, go and change and leave on our honeymoon. First photo is of Phil and me outside the hall and then of us getting into the faithful Ford Anglia. (You can tell by the way Phil is standing to attention that he was in the army for a couple of years. He did two years National Service with the British Army with most of his time spent in Germany).
Looking back on these photos I am still amazed at just how young Phil looked. When these photos were taken he was nearly 38 and yet he looks about 25. There is a story that is often told about one morning when Phil was dropping Karen off at Iona College and her friends asked her if he was her brother. When she told them no, it was her step-father they thought she was having them on. I often wondered if he was perhaps taken for my son. Oh dear, what a dreadful thought.
P.S. For all those that I know are dying to know (not) what I was wearing....it was a pale blue suit with navy and white shoes, a navy bag and white hat. Karen was wearing a yellow dress with a lace yoke and sleeves I made for her, and Betty's suit was aqua with white accessories. A gentleman Betty and I worked with, Bruce Cantwell, grew the most beautiful orchids and the day before the wedding he presented me with 2 slipper orchids done up with fern for Betty and I to wear on our suits (I think back then we actually called them costumes). He also gave me a spray of cymbidium orchids for Karen to carry. I have always remembered Bruce's kindness in doing that.
On our honeymoon, Phil and I drove around our south-west in a week (we had to be back in Claremont for Steven's birthday on 24th September so couldn't stay away any longer). I have black and white photos which of course don't do justice to the scenery but perhaps next week I may bore you with some of them. That will give me a little longer to get my head around all that lay ahead.
This is Steven cutting his birthday cake with friends Stephen and Janet Simcock (children of Betty and Eddie), Karen and the lad at the back was a school friend of Karen.
Didn't youngsters dress nicely back in the "good old days"? (That was another yellow dress I had made Karen.
