Fay aged 77 on her birthday per favor of Verity Edgecombe
My name is Fay Berry and I am a writer..
This web site is where I keep all that I have written over the years.
Under “My Writings” there are two stories.
The first is “Runaway from Santipore,” the stories of some of the major personages in my family tree.
The second, “The Blacksmith’s Daughter” which is the story of the first 20 years of my life, written up from diaries I kept and memories that I have retained.
When I was very young I was so disappointed that I knew so little about my grandmother in particular and I think it was way back then, that I made up my mind to leave something tangible for my children and grandchildren (and now great-grandchildren) to refer to when they finally became interested in their “roots.”
It has taken me over six years to write what I have already written and there is much more to write. I first of all have to add into this website all the material that I put into my facebook page “Fay’s Story” and so this site is still very much a work in progress.
I love my family very dearly, each and every member, and I hope they will remember this when they read my story, probably when I am no longer here to tell them all about my life.
These three photos are my very favorite photos.
Fay O’Connor taken at Belair National Park when I was about 12 years of age. I love this photo.
Fay O’Connor on Uncle John’s horse Joan at Glen Shera Mount Compass at age 11. Cousin Shirley is in the background.
All three were taken when I was aged between 11 and 12.
The first photo was taken at Belair National Park, probably by one of my brothers, probably Graham or Maynard. I would have been about 12 years old I think, at the time.
The second was taken at the Adeladie ecclesia’s Sunday School picnic at Ridge Park. The dress I was wearing was made for me by my mother who always made me a new dress for each year’s Sunday School picnic.
Without fail I put a large three quarter tear in each of this dresses in fighting with the boys in and around the creek. But this photo was taken in the year I turned 11 and suddenly I felt “grown up” and knew with some sadness, that it would be the last year I behave in quite such an undignified manner.
The third photo was taken at Glen Shera, Mount Compass, the sheep and cattle station owned by the Simpson family (washing machine makers) where my Uncle John Critchley was Manager.
Here I am riding Uncle John’s horse Joan, and there was nothing I liked doing better in the world when I was 11 years old than ride his horse.
I hope you enjoy my stories, and I hope to get to write many more before I am through. Right now I am 76 years of age and it is January in the year 2016.
Love to you all,
Fay Berry (O’Connor)