The Blacksmith’s Daughter by Fay Berry 2013 © - Chapter 45 - 1958 01 02 - Fay Berry

The Blacksmith’s Daughter – Chapter 45

Over Xmas, we had an influx of visitors to stay at our house, one of whom was Peter Joseph, Beth O’Connor (Joseph)’s brother. Peter was a pretty shy boy and it took quite a time for him to lower his barriers and for me to be able to communicate with him, but by the time he left we were good friends. His letters showed me that he was actually very articulate and I really enjoyed them.

I loved my new job at Associated Public Relations. Only a week or so ago and I had commenced working at General Motors Holden’s but gave notice after only three days working there because I hated it so much. It probably was a good job but I found it so boring and repetitive. The Manager at Holden’s was amazed at me and assured me that I would never get a better, or as well-paid a job anywhere, yet here I was, little more than one week later, in the best job in the world and receiving more money than what I was being paid at GMH.

My bosses at APR were journalists and they worked for some large companies taking care of their public relations and advertising. One of the men, Bob Muller, was a glider pilot and he was writing a Gliding Manual for the Gliding Association of Australia and I was soon helping him by typing the manual for him.

I received a letter from Bruce Philp in Sydney saying that he and HPM wanted me to type up the Magnetic Island Conference notes and the conference was only three weeks away, not an easy job for me to get done in time.

On my return from Sydney I found that Jeff Berry was now in an uncomfortable on-again-off-again relationship with Elaine Luke. He got no sympathy from me. The one who had my sympathy was Elaine who didn’t deserve to be treated the way Jeff was treating her.

Keith Noble had had to cancel his booking for the Melbourne Conference because of his continuing ill-health. After his initial breakdown and hospitalisation, he seemed to be picking up, but then he was transferred to Northfield Mental Hospital and deteriorated rapidly from there on. Keith occupied quite a bit of my time and attention. I felt very helpless though and felt that Jeff Berry and John Knowles were the ones who should be doing more to support and assist Keith.

When Jeff refused to go the Conference with Elaine and instead organised to go to Sydney with Perce Mansfield, Elaine was not impressed and after a “barney” over this, the romance between Elaine and Jeff seemed to be pretty well over. When he made in my direction, again I was not impressed and I refused his overtures and told him in no uncertain terms what I thought of the way he had treated Elaine. Mum and Dad seemed very much in favor of Jeff and were not happy with my rejection of him and were both “conspiring” to bring us together.

Then came the Melbourne Conference and I went over o Melbourne to attend it as did Elaine Luke. She went out with a number of different boys during the Conference now that she had broken up with Jeff. Elaine and I went out together on the Sunday afternoon and evening of the Conference with Ray Tutticci and Joey Brown. Elaine questioned me about my past interactions with Jeff.

I attended one of the Conference afternoons in the city gardens where Bro Carter gave a talk. It was about “straining at gnats and swallowing camels” and his description of swallowing a camel with “it’s scrubby feet,” I found very amusing. His words of conciliation seemed to work and Unity in Australia was eventually achieved.

I went on a trip through the Dandenongs with a group of young people including Ruth Eakis, Ron Hick, Rob Stokes, Graham Bacon, Elpeth Kennett, and Rob Hicks. We went to a conference centre called “The Chalet” to check it out as a possible location for the Marysville Youth Conference for the following year.

Back home in Adelaide, Jeff left Adelaide to go to Sydney with HPM.

Phyl and John Knowles had been having a series of quarrels and Phyl Matthews was getting to the stage of possibly breaking up with John and at a picnic, John tried to use me to make Phyl jealous. They must have sorted it out in the end because they didn’t break up but continued to go together.

I had an accident on my bike and received a gash at the top of my leg which had to have stitches and ended up in providing me with a very welcome insurance pay out, which almost made the accident worthwhile.

Mrs Noble wrote me a letter giving me points on how to approach Keith when I next visited him in Northfield Hospital.

Jeff Berry, Keith Noble and John Knowles all completed their apprenticeships in May 1958.

I received a letter from Stan and Sheila Bailey (the hosts at the Southport Youth Conference) commenting about my accident and telling me about Stan’s illness and recovery. She talked about John Carter’s visit and how they had enjoyed having him in Qld. She said how delighted their ecclesia was with their new Church hall which was to be opened within the coming month.

In May, Jeff’s step-mother died and Jeff was very distressed about that.

Des Manser was to go to Melbourne for a period of time with his new Pharmaceutical representative job. He was delighted because he had been existing for a long time with a very small income and now his new job was to provide a much larger income and a company car. Ken Niejalke had stepped in to help Des find accommodation in Melbourne.

I wrote to my brother Charles and Sister-in-law Beth and told them all my local news and especially about my new job with Associated Public Relations. I told them about the happenings at Woodville Ecclesia and about my Sunday School teaching and my class of 10 -11 year old girls.

In September 1958 Jeff and I had a long talk and straightened out much of the problems we had between us. I still wasn’t really sure how I felt about him but would let some time pass and see what happened.

DIARY ENTRIES

19580102 Letter from Peter Joseph – Dear Fay, I arrived home at 8 o’clock on Sunday morning, tired, dirty and sick to death of train travel. After I left your place I put on my glasses and settled down for a fast ride to the station. Well the taxi didn’t go over 30 mph we caught every red light and stopped for every person who decided to cross the street, consequently I got to the station with about five minutes to spare. I grabbed my bag and went flying to the window to book me a seat but my good luck had not changed. In front of me there was an old woman arguing with the Clerk behind th window. With three minutes left the clerk informed me that I was too late to book a seat. I said a polite thank you, grabbed my bag, shot down the steps and piled on the train without about half a minute to spare. I dumped my bag in the corridor had a quick glance around for a seat, failed to see one from where I was and so I made myself comfortable in an almost empty first class carriage. I sat there until we were just about to Peterborough. Here we had to change trains from the wide gauge to the 3’-6 “ gauge. I was fortunate enough to get a compartment with four other blokes and we spent the night set out like a jig-saw puzzle. Although we were more or less comfortable there was no sleep to be had because the train bumped and jolted along, stopping about every ten minutes. Eventually we puffed into Broken Hill and I had to get a taxi to the other station which is about a mile away. Well when I asked the clerk for a seat to Sydney he told me I could only get one to Parks. When I got to Parks I asked for a seat to Sydney. The man looked at me then studied this sheet of paper for a while and then came up with “you had better get an unreserved seat as the train is booked out. Isn’t that just too brilliant? but! I got a seat with a girl and boy from your picturesque city on their way to my wondrous city. We had a compartment to ourselves until we got to Orange and we were made to sit up while our beds were taken by a soldier and his wife. We all traveled in discomfort until we got to Sydney. When I got home I went to sleep for a few hours and then went to the meeting where I saw my “sista” and your “brudda.” I told them about not sending your mother word and they came back with “Oh we were waiting for a letter from her.” On Monday I went to town and did some shopping and on Tues day I set out for Bodalla where I am now.

Since I have been down here I have fallen madly in love with a dark haired, blue-eyed doll. Every time I go near her, she laughs and gargles for joy. I bet she thinks I’m the best uncle she has ever had even though she is only 10 weeks old! Well thats all the room there is to write about me although I could have filled the pad! (cough cough) soo….. How is everyone at 118. All behaving themselves in my absence I hope? Have you started work yet? Sucker! Just think of me sleeping all day and night, being waited on and looked after by a devoted older sister and growing fatter every day, just like a little girl I know in Adelaide. By the way, how did my “ ‘packy” book end up. You need not send the book to me, just write it out and snd the copy of it.

You know I did not realise how much I would miss Adelaide until I got to Sydney. But you never can tell I might even force myself upon you next Xmas, if you think you could put up with me!

I sure can’t fink of nuffin more to talk about so I’ll say goodbye till next time

Yours sincerely, Peter Joseph.

19580205 Wednesday – My job is just beautiful. It’s my 5th day at Associated Public Relations and I really love it. It is certainly different to Holden’s. I am so glad I didn’t stay there! After two days I had just about had it – almost died of boredom. I gave notice on the third day. They could not understand it. They thought I was giving up the best job I could possibly get. No job however well paid was worth that mind-numbing boredom. It was only two days after I left GMH that I had applied for and accepted the job at APR and it was much better paid than the job at Holden’s too. Right now my new boss, Mr Rod J Martindale is away up in the Barrossa Valley where APR are making a film for Yalumba Wines and Rod’s second in command, Mr Bob Muller is the only one here. The work is interesting – APR is a branch of Macnamara Advertising Agency, and I love it. Rod and Bob are both journalists and they are so good to work for. They both type their articles and their English is perfect and my job is to re-type their articles in a special format they have taught me and I have to send them out to the various newspapers and journals and magazines. If the newspapers like the articles and print them then it is advertising for the companies they are working for and they get paid. Bob Muller is also producing a cookery book of all things for the SA Gas Company. That shows how broad is the scope of their work. Bob is also a glider pilot and he spends a lot of his free time at Parafield airport. He has asked me to help him produce a manual for the Gliding Association of Australia. I can do it in work time, but have to fit it in around my “real” work. We will eventually be moving to a new office building that LJ Macnamara is building on Park Terrace at No.104, so that will be good. It is just over the road from the parklands so I guess I will be able to spend some of my lunch hours sitting reading in the parklands.

19580206 Thursday – Today was as a repeat of yesterday. I played table tennis again at lunch time. I’m improving again. My table tennis had gone back from when I was being coached by Stan Dixon at The News.

19580206 Letter to Fay from Bruce Philp – Dear Fay, Greetings in the One Hope. As you are aware, brother HPM is over here and the special Town Hall effort is proceeding very well. We are all glad at the response and feel that we have been very blessed in our efforts. Some discussion has taken place as to how we would produce the Magnetic Island study notes, which are based on the Wyong notes of 1955. It has finally been decided to roneo (duplicate ) the notes, and we have revised them and we feel, improved them as a result of building on the foundation laid. Fay, the urgent problem now is production of the notes. I am anxious to send them north within three to four weeks. Perce suggested you may care to cooperate in the cutting of the stencils. If you would care to do so we are happy for you to regard it as an order on your copying office, for which we will reimburse you. Herewith are the notes. You will see they are an excellent study in jumbled manuscript form!!. Would you care to type these? If you cannot do so, would you please post them back by return mail so that I can make some local arrangements? If you can cut the stencils, please cut them for quarto sheets, single spacing (not double as in these notes). Immediately I receive the stencils from you I will arrange roneo-ing of 120 sets, roneo-ing on both sides of each sheet of paper. I will finish off the job by stapling and placing them inside a light cardboard folder. Well, Fay, this is a tall order as it will involve some 34 quarto pages of single-space typing – what do you think? I will await your advice. With kindest regards from Elaine and myself, to you, and all at home, Sincerely your brother in Christ,

Bruce Philp.

(1955 was the Wyong Youth Conference and 1958 was going to be the Magnetic Island conference – this was the conference for which HPM wanted me to type the notes).

19580208 Saturday – Rest home today. I mustn’t forget!!! The Bethsalem Rest Home is on Payneham Road and I am to work as a maid and or in the kitchen or wherever I am needed.

19580216 Letter from Peter Joseph ,- Dear Fay, Will you be able to forgive a very bad-mannered boy for not writing before this? I hope so, but, as you may have figured, I dislike writing letters something awful. I had to have my arm twisted and my ears bashed until I finally “decided” to settle down to write to you. I …hang on, I want to get your letter. Now I’ll start! When I read your letter I was quite surprised at the effect I must have had on you. You said you have grown into the resemblance of a washed out dish mop. What happened, did you have a wash? I didn’t meant that!!! Well, I hope you have recovered enough to cope with your new job. All this week I have been out listening to your Uncle Perce. All the young ones take to him like ducks take to water. Although he always went half an hour over time I don’t think anyone cared. He has a way of putting things over and make everything so easy to understand. He had my Dad chuckling to himself all night with the cracks he makes. I reckon everyone will miss him when he goes. If I start raving on about television don’t worry, because a bloke is rambling on and on right now on TV.

How are you all down there? Is it still hot? (The weather I mean). The weather in Sydney reminds me of a woman. It’s always changing its mind. It could be raining in the morning and by the afternoon you would be cooking! It’s queer! A few weeks ago all the young crowd went to a beach near National Park. There is a 40ft cliff where the game ones jump or dive from into the lagoon. Me, I only went off at the10 ft mark, that was enough! That day I got burnt but again I didn’t get sore or peel or anything. I’m still going to work but I’m still broke. I must have holes in my pockets. The other day it was decided that we would go to Luna Park. Me, I was broke so I got on my bike and set out for Cobbity to bite Dad. I got there ok, got the money (one pound) and set off back to Sydney. I eventually got back (a total of about 60 miles) only to be greeted by “Oh we decided not to go!!” I went to bed!

19580313 Thursday – Mr Martindale was complaining about his leg hurting and saying that he thought he might be finished for the rest of the tennis season. Mr Muller commented, “Well they’ll only notice your absence in the singles.” I love the way the two of them are always joshing each other. Rod is always stern and dignified but with a twinkle in his eye, and Bob is like a grown-up school boy with a shock of unruly blond hair and a big wide humorous grin. It is such fun working with them both.

19580324 Letter from H L Morgan -Letterhead- Australian Christadelphian Fraternal gathering and Conference, Melbourne, 1958. – HL Morgan , 63 The Eyrie, Eaglemont, Vic.- Dear Sister O’Connor, Sorry to hear about Bro Keith Noble’s illness and that he will not be able to attend the Conference. I will hold his cancellation in reserve for a few days in case of late applications. For this reason it would be easier for me to refund the deposit to you. Please find enclosed cheque for one pound ten shillings. If is is not too much trouble could you return to me the booking reservation slip for Bro K Noble’s room as it is easier for me to make a transfer if I have it, Sincerely, Your brother H.L. Morgan.

19580326 Wednesday – Well here we go again. This diary is becoming very spasmodic. It soon became evident that Jeff’s determination that he would not be going with Elaine was very elastic. He went with her over Christmas and right up till this very time he is still going with her. Odd instances here and there have proved to me that he is not in love with her, and it shows to me that he is not very trustworthy, either. Elaine is not to be envied because he is going with her because he is anything but “true” to her. During the Christmas period, we were all at Loftier Park and we had all been swimming. Elaine had been called away to play a game of tennis and Jeff stayed behind near the lake. He spread his towel out in the sun and lay down on it to sun bake. I was still swimming and diving off of the diving board and for a while there were no others around. Jeff commented on one of my dives and offered advice on how to improve it. I came up and listened to him for a moment. I could tell he wanted me to stay and talk to him. However, I said, “I’d better not stay here talking to you. I have no desire to make Elaine jealous.” He replied, “Do you think it would?” “I think it might,” I answered. “Well,” said Jeff, “just quietly, I couldn’t care less!” “Couldn’t care less!!” I thought. I was so angry with him. I said in a cynical tone of voice, “That‘s obvious!” and I picked up my towel and the rest of my things and walked back towards the crowd. It was lucky I did because as I walked towards the tennis courts, Elaine came running past me back to the lake to claim Jeff’s attention.

Another night, Jeff came to my place about the Colossians notes and to leave some Logos articles for me to type. We went up into Charlie’s room where he gave me long and unnecessary instructions on how to type the articles up. I guessed that if he hadn’t talked about that he would have had nothing else to say and he would have had to go straight home. Mum came in with supper and that ended the evening. I walked out to his car with him and after a bit of bother, he managed to start his “Austen-nearly.” He fiddled with the engine and then as though he had come to a decision he asked me if I’d like a ride. I said, “ Okay,” and he took me for a run to try out his car. Then he dropped me off back at my gate and drove home.

Since then, Keith Noble has got worse and he is now in Northfield Mental Hospital. I went out to see him a few times before he went to Northfield and on those occasions he seemed much improved, but since then he has got worse and worse. There has been a bit of bother with doctors and he has lost faith in them and this has hastened his decline. I also went out to Northfield to see him and I have never seen anything like it. To get to his ward you had to pass this big cage-like quadrangle surrounded by a high wire fence. Inside were all these “mad” men all cooped up and gaping at you through the wire as you walked by. It was like a medieval horror story. Then I had to go through all these clanging doors until I finally came to where they were “keeping” Keith. Keith has had shock treatment too and that is definitely medieval torture. The deterioration in him was horrifying. He was gaunt and his teeth were dark and decaying. I could not see how such deterioration could have occurred in such a short time. I felt ill. I just didn’t know how to cope. I was so glad to get out of there in the end. What a horrible, horrible place. “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.” This has of course resulted in a new spate of conversations and telephone calls between Jeff and me. One Sunday, after Jeff had been out to see Keith’s parents, he said he wanted to talk to me about the “situation”, that is, “If I could spare him a few minutes on Sunday afternoon.”

After Sunday School he was sitting in a row by himself, leaning over the back of his chair talking to Mum and Sister Ide. I was up the other end of the hall walking down. I was going to walk past him because I am now so used to avoiding him as much as is possible, but then I considered for a moment and thought that if it had been Peter or Robin Mansfield sitting there, I would quite naturally go up and sit next to them and talk. Because it was Jeff Berry, I would just walk by without stopping. I decided that would not do! I walked down the aisle and sat down beside him. We talked about Keith and how there was no possible way that he could go to the Melbourne Conference. Before Keith had got so bad, he and I had arranged to travel to Melbourne for the Conference together and when I had first made those arrangements, Jeff said that if Keith couldn’t go, he would be happy to take his place, to save me from being left with the ticket on my hands. Now what Jeff had wanted to talk to me about was partly about Keith but also that he thought that I had best take the tickets back and get a refund because he couldn’t very well go with me. I said, “Hardly, I don’t somehow think Elaine would be very thrilled with the idea.” “Not only that” Jeff said, “I’ve got an invitation to go over to the Conference with the Lukes. I’m not accepting it, though, but it wouldn’t look too good if I refused them and then went over with you?” “It certainly would not,” I said wryly. Then Jeff said, “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be, is it?” I began to smolder inside. While Jeff is going with Elaine he has no right to say such things to me. It just proves that he lacks a conscience. How can he keep up a pretense of affection towards Elaine and then say such things to me? It is so cruel to her. I said to him, “And whose fault is it that ‘it is not all it’s cracked up to be,’ Elaine’s I suppose?” “No” he said, “it’s mine and I know it.” I said, “If I were Elaine, I‘d not wait for your good pleasure to drop me, I’d get out right away, while I could.” “I’ve told her that myself,” Jeff said. “Then why on earth don’t you get out then ? You’re the one who should be ‘getting away?’ ” I thought for a moment and then I said. “Oh! I know what’s bothering you, Jeff Berry, you’ve realised that if you break it off with Elaine, you will have half the ecclesial world as well as Elaine’s parents on your back.” “Oh, no, I wouldn’t,” said Jeff, “I‘ve left plenty of openings to get out when I need to.” I shook my head in absolute disgust and unbelief, “The same old Jeff,” I said cynically, “always leave a way open so you can crawl out whenever you please. In the meantime you go on having a good time at Elaine’s expense. You are unbelievable, Jeff Berry, you really are.” I got up and walked away. When I got home, Mum was waiting there hoping to cheer me up a bit. I went into the lounge and told her a bit about what had happened. She was not impressed.

19580327 Wednesday – This afternoon a Mr Bradley came to the door of Associated Public Relations. He asked to see Mr Martindale. I showed him in, but in a few minutes time he returned. Then Mr Martindale came out and told me that the fellow had been a salesman and in future he would not see salesmen except by appointment. Mr. Muller, Mr Martindale and myself discussed ways and means of keeping salesmen away from our door. We thought of a sign reading “Salesmen not admitted except by appointment,” but Rod and Bob decided against that. At last we agreed on a solution. In future I would go to Mr Muller’s office and announce Mr X. Mr Martindale would then come out and meet Mr X. If Mr X’s business interested him, he would invite him into his office, if not, he would then tell him that he was not buying eggs today and Mr X would make a hurried exit. Remembering that today was Thursday (the day the egg lady brought eggs into the office), I said (smiling to myself) “Oh, but aren’t you buying eggs today?” Mr Martindale groaned, and banged his head on the door. Mr Martindale started back into his office then turned and walked back again. “You won’t believe it,” he said, “but last night I dreamed that you were leaving us. I regarded it then as a nightmare, but now I’m not sure that it wasn’t just a pleasant dream,” and shaking his head he turned and walked back into his office. I called out above the noise of Mr Muller’s typewriter, “I’ll hand in my resignation tomorrow if you like.” “Why not hand it in today?” came Mr Martindale’s reply. “Because tomorrow’s pay day,” I explained. Mr Martindale groaned and began muttering to himself, while I smiled to myself with satisfaction. Touche.

The Australian Conference in Melbourne.

(19580403 Thursday – Leave tonight for Melbourne.

19580404 Friday – Arrive Melbourne

19580405 Saturday – First day of Conference.

19580406 Sunday – Second Day of Conference – Ray Tutticci of Brisbane and Joe Brown of Melbourne came up to me together and asked me to go out with them for the afternoon. I said that I would go with Ray and of course that meant we had to find another girl to partner Joe Brown.

19580407 Monday – Third day of Conference

19580408 Tuesday – 4th day of conference – leave tonight for Adelaide.)

19580422 Tuesday – Jeff leaves to go with HPM to Sydney (and unbeknown to him, and in spite of everything, takes my heart with him)

19580423 Wednesday – At work today, there was a great noise of young voices coming from outside our window. I asked Mr Martindale what it was. He said it was most probably a riot. I went to the window and then returned and informed him that it was a small group of young girls going into the Town Hall. He said, “I told you it was a riot!”

19580425 Friday Anzac Day – Since I last wrote, Jeff has continued to dangle Elaine. There has been the Melbourne Conference over the Easter Weekend (which I attended and which I must write more fully about at some future date). However, while I was in Melbourne on the Sunday, both Ray Tutticci of Brisbane and Joe Brown of Melbourne came up to me together and asked me to go out with them for the afternoon. I said that I would go with Ray and of course that meant we had to find another girl to partner Joe Brown. The girl I suggested was Elaine Luke. She accepted. We were in the cloakroom doing our hair and Elaine came up with a very forthright question just as we were leaving the room. She said,”How well did you know Jeff Berry before I went with him?” I gulped. I had no idea what to say. I said evasively, “Oh, I knew him fairly well, we both went to Woodville Sunday School and we worked together on various things. I did some typing for him. Why?” I asked. “If It’s something you’d rather not talk about, then I won’t press you,” Elaine said. “It’s just that I remembered what you said about Jeff in the car that night after the party at your place. You said ‘the world teaches you to lie.’ You seemed to know more than was natural about Jeff.” At this crucial moment as I was floundering trying to think of what to say, Tutt came up and I was saved from answering.

Jumping the space of time between the Conference April 4 to today, 25th April, something has happened which seems to link up with the above. A few days ago I was speaking to Jeff over the phone and I asked him how Elaine had known that I had spent time with him quite a bit, because I had told no-one about us at all? He told me that he did not know, but he suspected that it was through the grapevine of Phyllis Matthews, John Knowles to Elaine Luke. He said that on a few occasions Elaine had said to him, “Well why don’t you go back to Fay if that’s how you feel.” “If she said that Jeff, then it was you who told her, wasn’t it?” I said. “She wouldn’t have said that unless you had talked to her about me?” Jeff denied that he had said anything to Elaine about me, but I don’t know, I really don’t feel that I can trust what Jeff says. In the end I wondered if it might be Phyl who had said something, because at one stage, just after I came back from Melbourne, Phyl rang me about the YF magazine and during the conversation she told me that she and John were still quarreling a lot. Then she told me that she was undecided what she should do about it. She said she sometimes wondered whether she should try to go with Jeff. I warned her rather feelingly to stick to John. I said “John is worth two of Jeff.” She of course wanted to know what made me so emphatic. I didn’t tell her of course. Then she invited me to come around for dinner that night and I agreed to go, but later I rang up and canceled because I knew that if I spent the evening with her I might end up telling her things I would be wiser not to tell (no willpower on my part), so I stayed home where I was safe from telling anyone anything. So I wondered whether she had started comparing notes with Elaine and the result, Presto! They added up one and one and got three and guessed there was something going on between Jeff and me.

To complicate things even further, I was playing tennis, (a picnic up at the Gorge) and John Knowles came up to me and said he had something special to talk to me about and I was to get duly excited. After my game of tennis, I went over to him. He was talking to Brian Sach at the time. I said, “What do you want, John?” and he sort of looked at Brian as if to tell him to leave, so Brian left. John told me it was a long story and I would have to come “Into his office.” I was really puzzled but I got into John’s car as directed. He then told me that next young folks was going to be a special night. He and Ron Hicks were to speak on Daniel and they wanted a special essay to go with it and they wanted me to write it. Ron came up during the conversation and joined in, making the expected comments about the cosy little gathering in the car. We talked about the essay and then Ron left.

I was left alone in the car with John and I felt strangely uncomfortable because it seemed to me that John had something else on his mind and not just the essay. I had my hand on the door preparatory to getting out of the car when the conversation began to take an unusual turn. John glanced around and said, “Phyllis hasn’t noticed you in the car yet, or she would have been here by now.” I laughed uneasily. To my amazement, John asked me an astounding question. He said, “What are you doing tonight?” I looked at him questioningly and said, “Nothing, why?” He laughed and said, “Phyl’s going out tonight and I’m alone.” I looked at him again, feeling bemused and quite out of my depth. Under his show of joking, John looked very serious and very embarrassed, as though he was trying to say something but didn’t know how to put it. I could see the conversation had taken an awkward turn so I did the only thing I could under the circumstances and treated it as a joke. “I said, Oh, sure John,” and laughed. He said, this is not how you put this sort of thing, is it? I’m losing touch with things.” By this time I had no idea where this conversation was going, then it all became clear! Up walked Phyl to the window on my side of the car. She had her arms crossed and was looking grim and hurt. It was plain to me that John and Phyl had had another quarrel and he was using me to make Phyl feel jealous. These devious men! I opened the car door and said, “Ok, Phyl you can take over from here. I feel sure we have finished our discussion about the essay” and I walked off. I bet Phyl has told John that she was considering breaking it off with him and this was his reaction to that. “What tangled webs we weave!”

19580502 Friday – Court – Kourakis – about accident. I’m not sure just when this happened, some time before this date I think. I was riding my bike home from The Temple and was making a right turn from Halifax street into Pulteny street in the city. I was turning with the light. A car traveling south along Pulteney street went through the red light and straight into me and my bike as I was turning south up Pulteney street. I was sent flying off of my bike and landed heavily on the ground. I got up and the driver of the car got out of his car and the first thing I said to him was, “If you’ve put a hole in my new dress, you are in trouble!” I think I must have been in shock. Anyway, he had put a hole in my dress and in me. I had a deep cut on my left hip just at the top of my leg. I had to go to the doctor and have stitches in it. On this date 19580502 I had to go to court for the court case over the accident and I was awarded damages for the injury I received which provided me with a nice little “injection” of cash which was actually very welcome because I was broke at the time.

19580507 Letter to Fay from the Nobles. 15 Lincoln St, Rosewater, It will be OK for you to see Keith on Sunday. As far as I know, John and Jeff are not going out to see him. I went out yesterday and saw him. He was expecting me so I found him a little brighter;. I asked him if he was pleased to see you last Sunday and he said yes, he’s pleased to see anyone, so dear when you see him don’t bombard him with too many questions at once, give him time to relax in between. I have noticed after I asked him a question or two his face begins to twitch. I think that’s when his mind can’t think quick enough to answer straight away and thus the self- consciousness comes in. About 10 minutes is his limit then he needs a spell, so if you could do that I think he will enjoy seeing you. I have not told him you will be seeing him, so it will be a surprise. His Dad thinks its too soon to see much improvement yet until after his 3 months treatment (shock treatment!) which has another three weeks to go so don’t expect too much from your visit will you dear. (I‘m one to talk aren’t I?) I had a talk with the attendant who was there the day Keith was admitted and he said in lots of ways he is showing improvement so that’s something to thank God for. So here’s hoping your visit will be a happy one, I must clock off now and drop a line to Beth and Charles. Give my love and regards to your Mum and Dad. Bye Bye with love, Mrs Noble.

19580507 Wednesday – Jeff received an invitation from General Motors Holden’s Limited for the 14th Annual Apprenticeship evening. – In the program it lists all the apprentices who completed training, and amongst them wre J Berry, KHT Noble, J.L Knowles and Jeff and John were listed as having tied for the 1955 JJ MacFarlane Prize.

19580508 Letter to Fay from Baileys – 38 Swain St Holland Park, Brisbane Qld. Dear Fay, Loving Greetings. We were very happy to hear from you last month, it was just like talking to you at the Southport Youth Conference – only not quite so good of course. So sorry to hear of your accident Fay dear and we both hope and pray that you are quite well again and not suffering any ill-effects. It is a shame that you heard such distorted reports of Uncle Stan’s illness. However that seems to be inevitable in a case of this nature. You would be surprised I’m sure at the rumors that circulated in our own ecclesia. As you said it was a very worrying time. Stan had six weeks in hospital – but how grateful we were for the prayers of our brothers and sisters at that time. We both looked upon it as a test of faith and really it has made us both very grateful for these things we all tend to take for granted. In times of trial there is no anchor except the Truth and what it means to us. We put our trust in God and Stan found great comfort in Hebrews 12. It is hard to realise that it is almost 12 months since the Youth Conference – that means almost 12 months since we’ve seen you. That’s no good Fay, there are lots of great things up our way, you know, and we’d love a visit from you. Do hope you enjoyed the Melbourne Conference and found it beneficial. We were so glad to hear news of you from Stan’s people.

We have had a wonderful visit from Bro Carter. There is no doubt he is a most wonderful brother and how we all wish that we could keep him with us for quite some time. No doubt you feel the same since you met him at the Conference. We hope in the very near future perhaps by the end of next month, God willing, to open our new church. The builders have done an excellent job and of course everyone in the ecclesia seems to be affected with the fever of joyful anticipation. We believe that God has very richly blessed us and we pray for his continued blessing in our new surroundings. I‘m sure you share our feelings, we have met in a house for so very many years, now. The prospect of a place of our own is no longer just a dream it has almost reached fruition, for which we are truly humbly grateful.

I’m sorry to hear of your family trouble Fay and I do hope and pray that everything will work out happily for you all and especially for your brother. If he really does have a good knowledge of the Scripture as you believe he has I’m sure he will sooner or later realise that he can’t easily put it out of his life. Then again, you can play your part, Fay. I must really stop now Fay, it’s almost time to get the children picked up. Do write again when you have time, we love to hear from you and often think and speak of our Conference “children.” Don’t forget to come to sunny Qld again, we look forward to seeing you some day up here, if the Lord delays His coming. With much love in the Truth from both of us, Uncle Stan and Aunty Sheila. God bless and keep you in all your ways, is our prayer for you. XXXXX

19580510 Saturday – This morning I went to the Rest Home and while I was there the phone rang for me and Mum told me that Jeff had arrived back from Sydney and had rung me at home. He had some books to give me from Sydney, so Mum invited him home to our place for dinner. He arrived at 5 o’clock and we sat in the lounge and I asked him what books he had for me. First of all he told me that Bruce Philp had just about wept on his shoulder apologising for not letting me know about the Magnetic notes for so long. He had sent a copy via Jeff to me. Jeff kept on talking and wouldn’t show them to me until he had finished going into a long and detailed explanation about whatever which really annoyed me. I asked him about Sydney and he told me a few things. I asked him who he had been referring to when he had written his card to me in Sydney. He asked me to show him the card which I duly did and he wouldn’t tell me who he had been referring to when he wrote that “numerous and varied inquiries” had been made about me. It was probably just him “inquiring” about me! Again so annoying. Then Jeff said, “Oh by the way I have something else for you,” and he produced a great book which he gave me. It was a Strong’s concordance. I said, “Oh, thanks Jeff, I couldn’t get one in Adelaide, how much is it?” He said “Oh nothing.” I turned and looked at him (I knew they cost about six pound six shillings, and he was just going to give it to me?). “Oh no, Jeff ,” I said. “I’ll pay you for it.” “It’s nothing to you,” he said. I considered for a moment. He was evidently determined to give it to me, so I gave in gracefully (but with misgivings) and thanked him nicely. Then he asked me how things had been progressing while he had been away. I asked, “In what way?” Oh in your direction,” he said??? It is so hard trying to work out what Jeff is talking about. His sentences are so convoluted, always full of innuendos and double meanings. I wish he would let his “Yea be Yea, and his Nay be Nay.” Now I know what the Bible means when it says that. Why can’t he just be a straightforward person and just say what he means (and like Alice in wonderland, also mean what he says).

19580517 Newspaper articles about the Death of Olive Berry Jeff’s Step Mum – On May 17, at hospital, Gladys Olive, sister and sister-in-law of Reg and Lorna Woolcock, always remembered.

19580517 Berry, on May 17, at QEH Gladys Olive, dearly beloved wife of James H., of Layton street Fulham and loving mother of Jeffrey and Robert, Rest in Peace.

19580601 Sunday – It is JR Muller’s birthday in June. Apparently he is just two months older than Rod J Martindale. His next birthday is in 1959 and he will be 36 years old.

19580605 Thursday – Time goes on and on an average of about once every three weeks, I berate myself for not writing up my diary. So much has happened that I fall into the depths of despair when I think that it hasn’t been recorded. I’m going to have an attempt at least at getting the bare details of the last year down on paper and into my diary covering the months, or whatever time it has been since I last entered up events, into a few brief pages. I’ll start at about Christmas last year, the end of 1957. I believe I’ve written about most of this but a bit of overlap will do no harm. Anyway, Jeff, after asking me “how my resolutions were going” and finding that “they were going very well,” started to go with Elaine Luke. I went to Sydney for my brother’s wedding and when I returned from Sydney, that was when Jeff told me that he had got himself “in a mess” and was now “tangled up” with Elaine and wouldn’t be able to get free until after Xmas!! I was most unsympathetic about this entanglement, in fact I wasn’t sympathetic at all. I told him he would be wise to stay with Elaine because one thing was for sure, Elaine’s family would not be pleased with his treatment of her. I said he would have trouble with her family AND the ecclesia if he dropped her like a hot brick. How right I was. When he told Elaine that he didn’t want to go with her any more her parents “had a little talk” with him and then it was all on again!

Elaine and Jeff continued going together for about 5 months after that, but it was very “on-and-off.” All through this period of time, Jeff treated Elaine terribly. Elaine was in a dither. It was all “Would Jeff like this?” and “do you think I ought to save a seat for him,” or “would he rather sit somewhere else.” He would always turn up late to the meeting so that he “couldn’t help” not sitting next to Elaine. I watched it all from afar and I was so angry with Jeff and so sorry for Elaine. She didn’t deserve him. She is a lovely girl from a lovely family and her Dad Lewis Luke would not stand by and watch his daughter be so badly treated I felt sure. Over the months, on odd occasions, Jeff would pass by me and say something like his favorite saying, “It’s not all it ‘s cracked up to be is it?” or it’s the “weakness of the flesh.” He would in this way try to excuse his behavior. He would say that “a man was better off without ties but a man is just too weak” etc. Over those months he seemed still to be trying to “keep me on a string.” A look here, a word there. In the meantime, Keith got worse and was put into Northfield Mental Hospital. This gave him a “legitimate” reason to talk to me. When he knew that I had been to visit Keith in hospital he would ask the outcome of my visit, or he would go to see Keith and I would want to know the outcome of his visit. And of course, I still did typing for him and that meant ongoing contact.

Then came the Conference. I attended it and so did Elaine. Jeff however, did not, because he intended to go to Sydney with Uncle Perce a little while after the conference. Of course, Elaine was onto Jeff with “Why do you want to go to Sydney with Uncle Perce, why not come to the Conference with me?” Of course Jeff was unable to explain why he wanted to go to Sydney with HPM. When Jeff tried to explain that there was no comparison between going on a trip with Uncle Perce and going on a trip to a conference with Elaine, Elaine did not understand. The “barney” that Jeff and Elaine had over this must just about have ended things between them and also Elaine must have been mulling over things at the Conference. On the Sunday during the conference Elaine said to me, “Fay, how well did you know Jeff before I went with him?” I simply froze. Just then Ray Tuticci came up and that saved me from having to answer Elaine’s question. I was so relieved. I didn’t want anyone to know, and especially Elaine, that Jeff and I had had anything to do with each other at all. All through the Conference Elaine endeavored to go with as many boys as she could so it was obvious to everyone that things were not going well between her and Jeff.

A short while after we arrived back in Adelaide, Jeff left for Sydney with Uncle Perce. Then came the essay I had to do for Young Folks and the consequent talk I had with John Knowles and also the trip to see Keith with John. Then I received a card from Jeff from Sydney which made obscure remarks about “many and varied inquiries” being made about me, and my “inability to get a nice young man” and “perhaps in time you will reconsider this important matter.” The morning he returned he rang me at home but I was at the rest home. He literally invited himself out to our place for dinner in the evening and that night he gave me a Concordance (Strongs) that would have cost six pound six shillings, so it was expensive. In spite of everything Dad obviously still likes Jeff so pretty early in the evening Dad and Mum went of to bed leaving Jeff and me to talk in the lounge. Jeff talked about his trip to Sydney and then brought the conversation around to himself and Elaine. He soon made it clear that he and Elaine were finished. I didn’t help him a bit so he began “fishing” for my reactions to that information. When I was not forthcoming with an opinion he asked outright for “my advice.” I told him that he wasn’t mature enough to go with any girl. I said that it may take years before he was changed sufficiently to be fit to go with any girl. I told him how disgusted I was at the way he had treated Elaine.

19580609 Monday – This evening, I was in the lounge typing the index to Eureka when Mum came to the door and told me someone was on the phone for me. I picked up the receiver and Jeff’s voice said “How’s the hot-tempered little Irish Colleen this evening?” I said, “I beg your pardon?” and he repeated it. I asked him what he was talking about and he mentioned a few things about what had happened on Sunday. I knew what he was referring to, but wondered just how he knew about it. I made him elucidate. So this is what he told me.

“Yesterday, I was sitting in Mansfield’s car waiting for HPM when I saw Ronny Noble and you, Fay, walking back to the Woodville Hall. It seems that you had invited Ron and Kay Noble to dinner as well as Mr and Mrs Noble and Trevor but Mr Noble had decided that it would be too much trouble for your mother to have Kay and Ron as well. But as your mother had already made her preparations you told Ron and Kay that it would be more trouble for your mother if they didn’t turn up. You sent Kay home post haste to get changed and then to come back with her things. In the meantime you rang your mother and spoke to Mrs Noble and told her that you were bringing Kay and Ron but Mrs Noble was a bit worried that Mr Noble would not be happy about it. I knew he would only not be happy because he would be worrying about all the work for Mum and since Mum had already done all the preparation, then they should come. Kay of course, in typical Kay fashion went home, packed her things and stayed for a snack. When eventually she arrived back at Aberfeldy Avenue, it was about twenty to six and so she had made you late. You would never have got home in time for dinner, so you caught a taxi. When you arrived home, Mr Noble was looking a bit seedy and was a little subdued. You endeavored to jolly him out of it and Des and Brian who were also there did their best to help. By the end of the evening he seemed somewhat happier but Ron and Kay were still rather scared about how he would be when they got home. Mrs Noble thought he would be all right when he knew that one of the reasons you had wanted to have Kay to dinner was to ask her if she would like you to coach her in arithmetic.

Your mother was not so sure and was rather scared you had done harm. “I doubt that I had done any harm.” I said, “And anyway, what has all of this got to do with you, Jeff Berry and who told you what happened that night anyway?” I asked. “Well, your mother wanted to ask someone for advice. “Advice?” I asked, “Advice about what? And did she ring you?” I asked “Wait till I see her, I’ll give Mum a piece of my mind for ringing you?”

“You will not,” said Jeff.

“And who will stop me?” I replied.

“You will” came the answer, “Just go and read the last verse of Proverbs 30 and act upon it.

“Oh, right!” I said. It seems that my Mum and Dad are both conspiring to try to stop me from rejecting contact with Jeff and being so angry with him.

19580623 Monday – In 1943 and 1944 Mr Martindale was engaged to a girl in America. The love affair died of malnutrition in the end because An they lived so far away. Her name was Ruth Mikaatis. Address 5629 South Wood St. Chicago 36. It’s on the south side, about halfway to the airport.

19580728 Letter from Ken Niejalke – Dear Fay, Greetings in the Name of Jesus, I received your note regarding accommodation for Des Manser, but had to wait until yesterday before I could see my people. I have someone lined up who thinks they can take him but are not sure until tomorrow, but you can tell Des that he definitely will have somewhere to stay because some have said, including Bro & Sis Mullin that they would take him if he couldn’t get in anywhere else. Mullins really have a full house but they are prepared to make the added effort if it is only for two months. I have of course only seen people from the Canterbury Ecclesia. I tried to get somewhere close to our hall but was unable. Anyway Fay, would you tell Des to write direct to me as soon as possible giving the date he will be in Melbourne and I will have a satisfactory answer by then.

How are things going over in the “sunny state?” I had a letter from Lew Osborne the other day, tell him I’ll write back as soon as I can, I’m flat out at present not sure which way to turn next. How are your parents, give them my regards. Must close now and do some more for the PMG. Regards, Your brother in Christ Ken Niejalke.

19580731 Letter to Beth and Charles – This is the 15th letter I have written to you. No, don’t raise your eyebrows, I have written 15 letters – the trouble is, I’ve posted few of them. Some letters I have finished some I’ve only half finished, but none of them are worth posting so I’m going to make another attempt to write to you.

Such a terrific lot has happened in the 7 months since you have been in Sydney, that it is impossible to tell you everything and I don’t know how much Mum has told you anyway. As you know, I left The News about November, I believe and didn’t try for another job until January. I answered an advertisement for an impressive-sounding job at Holden’s. I got it. The girl who was leaving was a plodding, conscientious type who though the job was a “challenge,” and was bitterly disappointed that she had to leave it to look after a sick mother. Well, the first day, I learned the job, the second day I did the job, the third day I was bored to tears, the next day I gave notice and left! The job consisted of taking shorthand and then typing it back, putting a blue copy in one basket and a yellow copy in another basket and then repeating the process all day. I’d have given up the ghost if I had to keep that up for long. I determined to get a job I liked or else! I went to Reliance copying office and took a speed test there and then went off with sheaf of names in my hand and tried them all. There were about 15 altogether and I didn’t like any of them. It felt quite funny, almost as though I was interviewing the boss not them interviewing me. I asked numerous questions and then told them whether I would consider the job or not. Eventually, I answered an advertisement I had seen in the the paper the day before. It was a company called Associated Public Relations Pty Ltd who wanted a “secretary.” They didn’t state whether male or female was required. The bosses weren’t in when I arrived, but I got talking to the secretary who turned out to be Gay Casebohn’s sister from Unley High. She informed me that the firm was a branch of Macnamara Advertising and they wrote press releases for firms such as SA Gas Company, Dalgety, Carr Fastener, Pope Products etc. .They made advertising films and did a lot of of publicity stunts etc. It sounded very interesting to me and the appearance of the office increased my interest, contemporary furniture, nice pictures etc. At last the manager, Mr Rod Martindale arrived and I went into his office for an interview. He hardly glanced at my references and a little hurt at this, I told him I was quite capable of doing the work, shoved my references under his nose again and told him they were exceptionally good ones and that he would do well to read them right through. Anyway, I got the job, and now I’m quite sure there isn’t a job to compare with it. The News and dear old Mr Barrow certainly gave me a good training and I certainly am grateful for that because I needed all the knowledge I had gained for this new job. The systems in the office were in a terrible mess when I took over and it took ages to work out a complete new filing system and to develop a completely new master list for press releases which it was finished would cut down my work by half for press and media.

Mr Martindale seems kind, considerate and he is exceptionally good to me, though I have to stand up for myself now and again. He’s about 43-45. Mr Muller is a younger man, about 37. I think and he’s also very nice. He’s got two children, and Mr Martindale has three. They are giving me a wonderful wage. When I started, I received twelve pound five shillings a week and after three months without having to ask, I would receive an additional 10/- with promise of a further increase in the near future after that. It’s wonderful not having to ask for rises! In exactly 15 days, we move into a new building being built for Macnamara Advertising our parent company. I’ve a feeling I’m going to miss the peace and quiet (in between the numerous rush periods) that we enjoy now with only the three of us but I’ll be getting an office to myself, so I’m not complaining. The new building is at 104 Park Terrace, North Unley, so I’ll be able to play tennis in the lunch hours and there will be a big expanse of nothingness on the second floor so we intend to play table tennis there. (Really, though, that is wishful thinking on my part, we’ve got table tennis in the building I’m in now (Chamber of Manufactures, Pirie Street) but I never get time to play, there’s always press releases to type, correcting etc to do). When we get to the new building, Mr Martindale says that I will be passing most of my work off on to someone in the typing pool and spending my time looking after him. (That means lots and lots of shorthand). I think I have to learn to drive too because he says that it would be very handy if I could drive his car. He also says that next time he goes to Yalumba Wines to work on the film I will be going too. You know something? I love my job! Well, so much for that side of it. I think this lengthy epistle brings you up to date as far as my 9 to 5.15 life goes.

The Sunday School Class at Woodville is studying Colossians this year. Uncle Perce takes the class (off and on) and Jeff Berry writes the notes, HPM edits them and I type them. They are progressing, slowly. Now I have been required by Lucien Wigzell to be a Sunday School teacher, and I teach a class of 10-11 year old girls. I have one black girl, one girl whose parents are Catholic and a motley mixture of others. Only four are of Christadelphian parents. it is an extremely keen, lively and intelligent class and includes two very bright Christadelphian girls, Elaine Churches and Dianne Krygger. I manage to keep the class pretty well in order. They are not too unruly, but they keep me on my toes. They have all decided they want to do projects on the year’s lessons for a prize at the end of the year and consequently spend a lot of time at my place working on them. I love teaching! However, I think I might be leaving Woodville at the end of the year to go to the new Enfield Sunday School which is starting up in October. I’ve bought (or should I say I am in the process of paying off) a new Remington electric typewriter. It will cost nearly three hundred pounds by the time I have finished paying interest, maintenance etc. So as I see it, my typewriter will have to be my husband, I can’t afford to have a real one. I’ve got no show of saving for a trousseau. Still, as I haven’t got a boy lined up, I’m not going to worry. I do typing for Frank Russell and Jeff Berry. Frank was at my place one night until 1.30 am. He was writing notes and I was typing them. I’m typing Obadiah notes extracted from old Logos magazines at the moment for Jeff. On the whole I seem to be quite busy. I’m in the process or marking Colossians and Revelation.

Des Manser is going to Sydney to live for about a month. He has got a new job with a Chemical firm and has to go to Sydney for his training. He then goes on to Melbourne for two months and then back to Adelaide. It will be rather a change for Des. He has been used to existing on a terribly small wage for so long and now he will be getting a high one with a Volkswagen thrown into the bargain. He’ll be staying with Neville Munroe’s grandmother at Hurstville, 33 Bellevue parade, Hurstville. Lewis Osborn has a girlfriend. How wonderful! He is going with June Bundesen from Brisbane and it has settled him down a lot. He is very happy these days. Brian Manser has also quietened down lately and he is to be baptised next week. Judy Vinall will be getting baptised as well. The young and wild crowd that had taken over the young folk’s group is gradually settling down and one by one they are getting baptised. Uncle Perce is going to speak in the Town Hall next week and they will be having a half page advertisement in the Advertiser. They didn’t know whether Adelaide ecclesia would support them or not, but I am sure they will in the end, though they were going on with it regardless and are still scratching to raise the funds. The Middle East crisis has brought another spate of high pressure lecturing and they have been exceptionally good too. At one of the lectures (at Prospect), Uncle Perce finished an extremely good lecture to a large audience (70 visitors) and then the chairman called for questions. A lad in the front row stood up and told HPM that “little green men from outer space had been warning about the things Perce had spoken about for a long time.” He said he had spoken with them personally and had been studying these things for five years. There was a deathly silence and amazed Christadelphians wondered how on earth HPM would answer him. He got up and said, “The ME crisis was foretold 2,500 years ago ” and turning to the boy he said, “and you’d do best not to dabble in that sort of thing and stick to the Word of God which alone can accurately foretell God’s purpose with the earth.” The sighs of relief from around the hall were audible.

Well, my dear brother and sister-in-law, how are you both getting on in the Sydney jungle? Report has it that you are still frolicking around like a couple of spring lambs. I hope you’re both well and happy and that you Beth have got over your headaches. I am not very happy lately, I guess Mum has already given you the history, so I won’t bother. Give my love to everyone at Cobbitty and tell Peter Joseph he must stay with us again on his next holidays. Also tell him I’m sorry I haven’t answered his letter, but to console himself that he’s not the only one who hasn’t received word from me for a long time.

I see quite a lot of Graham (O’Connor) these days, and I go out with him on his motorbike just about every second Saturday. It’s a bit scary – we nearly had an accident coming around a corner on our way home from Clarendon lake one afternoon. Graham came home for dinner once too. He talks about the Bible with me and last time he saw me he asked me to look up proof that Gog is Russia and let him have it, together with history books, because he was having discussions with a lad and he wanted to know the subject better. He is very unhappy at the moment and not enjoying his life very much, but I think he is so used to going the way he is that he can’t pull himself out of it. I feel sorry for him more than anything now, it seems he has left the Truth and is not likely to return.

My boss tells me it is time I went home so I will finish this letter now and whats more, I believe I will post it, love to you both, Fay.