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When war broke out in 1939, I was 18 years old and engaged to be married. My Fiance was almost 20 and was an apprentice polisher in Anthony Hordern鈥檚 Furniture factory. I was a packer and assembler in a large builder鈥檚 hardware, metal and electrical fittings warehouse.
We married in 1941 after my husband had completed his apprenticeship and had finished his military training which was compulsory. We rented a flat near Canterbury and had one whole year together before Darwin was bombed. That day was enlistment day for thousands of young New South Wales men; my husband one of them. He became N.X.28515, 2/35th Battalion, 鈥楤鈥� Company 10th Platoon. New Guinea Forces. (Patrol Leader).
I was advised to report to the Government Manpower Office in Sydney because I had no children. I was in a position to replace one of the young men now enlisting, from the food factories or warehouses.
I was then employed by Mathews and Thompson鈥檚 Food Factory, in Newtown Sydney, which was a 35 minute tram ride away. I used to read teacups for the different girls at morning teatime. The tea was supplied by the management so that we didn鈥檛 have to use our own tea coupons. I worked on the second floor - Packaging - which wasn鈥檛 too bad, or so I thought at the time.
Then came the day when the automatic filling machine went haywire. The usual two pound weight of flour came through the machine and dropped into my held out paper bag, that was O.K. Then came the second and I managed to save that one. Then, all of a sudden down came at least fifty pounds of flour and it just wouldn鈥檛 stop coming. We were in a right mess as you can imagine, and of course at that time we weren鈥檛 issued with any protective clothing or caps.
At first we tried to bag the flow amidst the sound of raucous laughter from the 鈥楽ealers鈥� working on the long bench tops, but as it kept flowing out of the Hopper upstairs, the laughter soon turned to shrieks as it began to flow everywhere. The floor was completely covered. We two packers were white all over, as well as becoming red with anger.
The next time it went wrong was even worse. It was when we were filling Strawberry Dessert mix for the American forces stationed in Australia. It was terrible. We were showered in it. We ate it, wore it, sneezed it. It was in our hair, it soaked through our clothes, it squelched in our open cut sandals, it was inside our bra鈥檚, in fact just about everywhere you could imagine. We were just one all over pink sticky mess. And to make things worse, there were no showers. We all vowed there and then, that we鈥檇 never, ever eat Strawberry Mix again.
We told the manager that unless we were allowed some sort of shower facilities, that we鈥檇 all go on strike. The answer was prompt. A resounding, 鈥淣o.鈥� We were then, all accused of being communists who were trying to sabotage the war effort.
When I got on the tram at night, (5-20pm), to go back to Canterbury, you should have seen the reaction of the passengers after I had been filling bottles of vinegar and Worcester Sauce in the Bottling Room. The noses began sniffing, the hankies came out and the sneezing started. My friend Lorna and I just hated that job when it was our turn. We did not have paper tissues then and handkerchiefs were half a coupon each. We thought this was outrageous! Fabric was three coupons per yard. Shoes were six coupons per pair. Nothing was in short supply.
After a while, I joined in a night technical dressmaking school, two nights weekly at Canterbury High School. We had good English and Yankee pictures at our local theatres. Saturday nights were reserved for dancing or the picture show.
I had a shared bank account with my husband and banked all his Army Allotment religiously. We had a plan drawn up by an Architect for the home of our dreams. I bought the land out of my savings, (拢85). He was very happy with my choice, it was 66 feet by 132 feet. We still live there today.
My parents lived in an inner city suburb close to a station, close to my childhood school. A very small garden by comparison to what my plans were for our future home, hence the size of the block of land I settled on.
My Dad was a wonderful gardener, he had ten green fingers. 鈥榁egies鈥� and Flowers, (chooks too). Really, we were never without food or meat or fish. Rabbits were only sixpence, (6d) each, and two rabbits was a good meat meal. Bread was fivepence per loaf, milk was threepence per pint, fivepence per Quart.
I have English, Scottish and Irish ancestry. My mother鈥檚 grandfather was Asprey of Bond Street, London, jeweller to the King. Is their shop still there? My dad鈥檚 father came from County Armargh in Ireland. My dad鈥檚 cousin was Sir John Lavery, Ireland鈥檚 famous portrait and landscape painter. He designed their (Ireland鈥檚) first banknote.
What else can I tell you? That I am Psychic, a Clairvoyant and a Healer? That I am very passionately in love with Siamese Cats and Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel Dogs? I am just one very ordinary lady whose soul loves to see the green fields of England and the Hills of Scotland and Ireland. Unfortunately it鈥檚 always in films though and it moves me to tears.

G. McDonald.
Sydney. Australia.

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