The Blacksmith’s Daughter by Fay Berry 2013 © – Chapter 52 – 1960 10 21

I began looking for a new job and by the end of June was employed as secretary to Mr RE Huxham, Australasian Sales Manager of Kelvinator Australia. I had not intended to take on a permanent position but I got so wrapped up in the IQ testing and other tests that I went through that I didn’t feel that I could turn down the job after all the work they had done to test my suitability. I took the job

Mr Huxham was an imposing figure of a man. He was well over six foot, rather burly, but what was really disconcerting about him was that when I was standing in front of him his right eye looked straight past my right ear and over my right shoulder. He had been shot in the eye during the war and his right eye was severely crossed. I always had to struggle not to look behind me to see who or what he was looking at.

What was even more interesting to me was that once you knew him, his eyes became barely noticeable because he himself was such a noteworthy person. He was clever and funny and quite wonderful, really. I so enjoyed my four months as his secretary. He was also brilliant at giving dictation. He could dictate a whole report practically without a pause and it really tested my shorthand skills keeping up with him. Mr Huxham’s office was very impressive too. It was all lined with oak paneling and his desk was one of those huge carved desks from another era.

I used to take a ride to work with a man called Mr Rust who was one of the salesmen at Kelvinator. He lived just across from our house, over Glen Osmond Road, and down one of the side streets there. He was a very pleasant friendly man and I enjoyed our daily interactions on our way to work. One Saturday I was walking down to the Eastwood playground to sit on a bench under the trees there when I passed down Mr Rust’s street.

I paused for a moment and on the spur of the moment decided to see if I could find Mr Rust’s house and maybe call on him. I remembered his street number from my address list at work, so I found the house and knocked on the door. His wife came to the door and I introduced myself and said that I worked with her husband and wondered if he was at home. She seemed to me to be a rather coarse sort of woman to be married to such an urbane man as Mr Rust, but then I felt bad for making such a judgment.

She invited me in quite hospitably and directed me to the lounge room where she said her husband was reading. I went into the room and to my (and I am sure his) absolute horror, there was my “agreeable and pleasant” Mr Rust, sitting in a lounge chair wearing nothing but his underpants! Why had Mrs Rust sent me in there, knowing that this was how he was dressed? He was sooo embarrassed and so was I, but neither of us knew what to do. I sat uncomfortably in the chair opposite him, trying to look anywhere else but at Mr Rust. His wife was obviously “paying him out” for something and maybe had deliberately wanted to embarrass him.

Maybe she had been trying to get him to get up and get dressed properly and he wouldn’t, I don’t know, but when I was “decently” able to excuse myself, I practically ran out through the front door and into the sunshine, breathing a sigh of relief as I did so. “Who would do such a thing?” I thought. From then on at work, it was hard for Mr Rust and me to know how to talk to each other anymore. Gone was our easy and friendly interaction, everything was polite and distant.

The four months that I worked at Kelvinator passed so quickly and soon it was time for me to leave. Invitations had been sent out for our wedding and amongst my treasured possessions is a letter from dear old Fred Cobbledick, written in his shaky spidery handwriting letting Jeff and I know that he would be unable to attend our wedding because of his age and infirmity. He died not long after this and I keep his letter to remind me of one of the most lovely old-world gentlemen that I have known.

I also have a letter from Jeanette Staunton, who was my friend Wendy Swain’s sister from my class at Unley High School. Jeanette’s letter described to me the details of Wendy’s death from septicemia after delivering her first baby at Calvary Hospital. Another letter wishing us well for our wedding came from my dear friends Stan and Sheila Bailey from Brisbane, the hosts at the Southport Youth Conference

The date of our wedding was rushing towards us and there seemed to be so many things to do. We had organised all the printing of the wedding invitations and place cards and such and I had chosen my bridesmaids. I chose two bridesmaids, Mary Eakins, Wendy Jolly, and one flower girl, Dianne Krygger the eleven-year-old girl I taught at Sunday School. Mary Eakins was the daughter of Bro and Sis Eakins from the Adelaide ecclesia who lived at Rose Park Adelaide. The “Rose Park” class was held at their home in a garage they had fitted out for that purpose. In it was held a young folk’s study group each Tuesday fortnight. Perce Mansfield was the leader and it was the best class in Adelaide.

One of the good things about the class, from a girl’s point of view, was that girls didn’t have to wear hats. This had the effect of loosening girls’ tongues so girls as well as boys felt free to speak and interact during the class. Perce used to joke and laugh with all the young folk and welcomed interjections and questions. He was very good at fielding those questions, and even if someone said something really dumb, he always made them feel their contribution was valued, so no one was scared to speak up. Mary’s Mum and Dad were a great asset to the young people in Adelaide. All the young people were welcome in their home and on class nights Sister Eakins would put on a beautiful supper and we all enjoyed this class so much. Even when this class was eventually transferred to Enfield Hall it was still known as “the Rose Park” for years after.

When I asked Mary to be my bridesmaid, I ensured my wedding would run on “well-oiled wheels.” By choosing Mary, I had her mother, older sister, and her father willingly and ably performing any tasks that needed to be done. With Wendy Jolly as back up I felt sure everything was well taken care of. Dianne Krygger was very precious to me, though I fear she may not have believed it over the pre-wedding planning period. I suspect I was a temperamental bride and often took out my anxiety on her, but she was very patient with me.

One of my pleasures on the night before the wedding was being able to set Dianne’s hair and comb it out before the wedding. She had such beautiful hair as can be seen in all the wedding photos. Our kitchen evening came and went in a blur. All I can really remember about it was my dress. I designed it and my dressmaking teacher made it for me. It had a fitting bodice with a square neckline and puffed organza sleeves. It was made of pink candy-striped cotton and had a flared skirt gathered into a fitted waist. A white pinafore organza overskirt, shorter than the dress was worn over the top. The dress looked really lovely. I knew it looked amazing because, by Sunday of the following week, Lily Lund had dressed her girls in miniature copies of my dress. I was very flattered.

Our wedding list had grown and grown as wedding lists do and ended up being about 200+ people. The reception was to be held in the rear hall of the temple. The groomsmen were to be John Martin and John Knowles. John Martin had been a good friend for some years and so he was the obvious choice for one of Jeff’s groomsmen. John Knowles worked with Jeff at Holden’s and he also taught Jeff the truth so he was also special to us. I designed my wedding dress and once again my dressmaking teacher, Miss Lehman, made it for me. It was made of white satin with a butterfly over a skirt and a small train and I loved it. I also designed the bridesmaid’s dresses and Miss Lehman made them. They were of satin and were a salmony color.

OUR WEDDING 21st October 1960.

The day of our wedding came. Remembering my “hair” disaster at my brother Maynard’s wedding, it was really important to me that my hair turn out “all right.” It did, and so I relaxed from there on. We left my beloved home at 118 Glen Osmond Road Parkside after some photos were taken by Rembrandt, my photographer of choice. We successfully got me and my dress into our car (Jeff would know what sort of car it was but I do not have a clue) and then were driven to the front of the Halifax Street Temple where we all alighted and walked to its front entrance.

I can remember walking up the aisle and standing next to Jeff with my bridesmaids on my left and the groomsmen on the right. I leaned forward slightly, and what did I see? I saw Jeff and John Martin both had tears trickling down their cheeks. There were no tears from me, I was smiling my head off, I was so happy to be there.

The marrying brother spoke the wedding ceremony that Jeff and I had written and then Jeff put the ring on my finger and we were married!! We went somewhere for the photos, I don’t remember where. Photos were all in black and white in those days so we had only one colour photo and that one was tinted by the photographer. I sat next to Jeff at the bridal table and I remember there were speeches, but I remember nothing of them. What I do remember is Jeff’s speech! It was sooo embarrassing. He raved on and on about how beautiful I was, how wonderful in every way. I simply didn’t know where to look I felt so terribly embarrassed. I have a photo that was taken right at that moment and I was looking down at the table unable to lift my eyes because of my discomfiture at the extremity of his words.

The reception was held in the rear hall of the temple and the food was simply beautiful. When it was time for us to leave after the reception I changed into my “going away” outfit and photos were taken with Mum and Dad and with Jeff’s parents and brother. After that we walked together out to the back of the hall where a taxi was supposed to be waiting for us to take us to “the place that no one was supposed to know where it was”. We didn’t take Dad’s car because we knew that all our friends would have sabotaged it if we did and we would be picking up confetti all night. So a taxi is what we chose.

But, the taxi wasn’t there! Someone told us we had to go out the front of The Temple and the taxi would be there. It was not! Then someone told us that we had to go into the side street just up from the Temple. We went there and as soon as we turned the corner we found ourselves in the middle of all the young people. John Martin and Des Manser had cooked up a scheme between them that they would kidnap us. John was to kidnap Jeff and Des was to kidnap me. What they were to do with us if they succeeded in spiriting us off, I don’t really know. They never did tell me.

John grabbed Jeff around his waist from behind and started to drag him off and Des grabbed me around my waist and tried to drag me off. They didn’t take into consideration Jeff’s determination. Jeff had both hands around my waist and was hanging on for dear life. By this time my feet were off the ground and I was only a few inches away from having the seat of my dress dragged along the ground. I screamed a very high-pitched and loud scream which scared everybody I think. Then right at that moment our “lost” taxi, which had been hijacked in the lane at the back of the Temple came speeding around the corner and had to slam its brakes on to stop from ploughing into the swirling mob of young people.

Then around the corner came my saviour, my protective elder brother who was not going to stand by and see his little sister hijacked at her wedding. He ploughed straight into the middle of the melee. The first person he disposed of was Georgie Hawkins who sailed over the front fence and onto the lawn of one of the houses on the street. Then Maynard shoved Des and John away and helped me back onto my feet and opening the door of the taxi helped me and Jeff inside. Des came rushing to the door on my side of the taxi, opened it, and said, “Fay, you said you didn’t mind if we ragged you a bit.” I said, “Yes, but I didn’t think you planned to Kill us, Des!” “Are you okay,” asked Des. “I’m fine,” I said, “I’ll ring you tomorrow.”

Our taxi took off, but that was not the end of it. Max Goodwin got into his car with a couple of the young lads and they began to follow our taxi. They followed us almost all the way to our destination and we thought we would never throw them off, but in the end, our taxi driver who was enjoying himself immensely, managed to elude them and we finally arrived at our destination with no Max Goodwin behind us. Our destination was the Brighton Hotel on the seafront opposite the jetty. We went upstairs to our room and collapsed on the bed to recover. Then Jeff said, “Let’s go for a walk along the jetty to calm us down a bit.” So we did. We walked to the end of the jetty and sat down on the bench there and looked at the moon hanging over the water. It was a beautiful night, so peaceful after what we had just been through. Jeff, of course, had enjoyed it all, he loves drama, but I said, “They nearly put a hole in my new dress!!” “Yes, but it was fun,” said. Jeff. “I don’t think Maynard would think so,” I replied. Eventually, we wandered back to our room, and I thought to myself, “I’m married!”

DIARY ENTRIES.

19600823 Tuesday on Kelvinator Letterhead – As usual all my good intentions have been shelved, and I have not kept a diary for ages. But, I have an opportunity now to write down a few things.

At present, I am secretary to the Australasian Sales Manager of Kelvinator Australia, Mr Huxham, and have an office to myself, which I am afraid to say is almost useless. It has windows on two sides starting halfway up the wall and one of the main thoroughfares passes my office so that I’m like a goldfish in a cage. I can’t read when I have finished my own work, because someone else will give me something to do. It’s horrible, but I’ve had this job for about two months now, and Jeff and I get married in eight weeks. In a way, I wish that I didn’t have to work after I am married, but now I have this job, I might just as well stay long enough to warrant a good reference when I leave.

I didn’t intend to take a permanent position for the last four months before I got married. I intended to do just casual work to fill in, but then I saw this job in the paper offering good pay as a secretary to the Sales Manager, it didn’t say what company, but I thought I would just “have a look at it” but probably not take it. The reason it didn’t say which company was offering the position was because the position was being handled by Whitford Psychologists and PR Company. This Company is located in the Bank of NSW buildings in Hindley Street.

Anyway, I went to their office at about 9.00 am without having made an appointment. Mr Whitford said he would interview me anyway. I spent the whole morning having an IQ test. There were tests for English, Arithmetic, checking of figures and names etc etc, and also an imagination test. After I had finished the test I was invited into Mr Whitford’s office where he hummed and haarred approvingly over my effort, read all my references and when he came onto my school report which said I “possessed average ability,” he said “Rot!” I said, “What’s rot?” and he said, “You possess average ability?” I said, “ Well, don’t I possess “average ability?” “You do not,” he replied, “You possess far above “Average Ability.” I said, “Well, that’s nice,” I said, “then what is my IQ score?” He said that he was not permitted to divulge that piece of information, “But,” he said, “if 100 people were taken out of a crowd of people, you would come about 15th out of that 100 in an IQ test. I said, “I guess it depends a lot on where you take the 100 people from.”

Eventually, he was satisfied that I was the girl he wanted for the job. He said that the Company that was hiring had actually asked for an older woman and not a young woman like myself, but he was going to submit my application to the board anyway. “What a lot of red tape,” I thought. He then told me that the position was with Kelvinator Australia and that there were two positions on offer, and I could choose either one of them. One was as secretary to the Australasian Sales Manager and the other was as secretary to the SA Field Sales Manager. He told me that Mr Huxham, the Australasian Sales Manager was rather  “brusque,” and not an easy man to work with whereas the Field Sales Manager was extremely nice and easy to work for. I told him I wanted the position with the Australasian Sales Bod. He grinned smugly and then asked me if I had a temper. I said, “Why do you ask that? Would it be a good thing or a bad thing if I had a temper?’ He said, “Well, you will need to be able to stand up for yourself if necessary.” I said, “Well, you don’t need a “temper” for that.” I said, “Most people have tempers if aroused, but if you are just saying that I will need to stand up for myself, then I can certainly do that!” It must have been the right answer because his grin reached his ears and he trotted me off to see Mr Armstrong, the Personnel Manager at Kelvinator.

I got there at about 3 pm and lo and behold, I was faced with another form with a thousand and one questions to answer! I wasn’t very happy about this as I felt I had filled in enough forms and answered enough questions to get myself a dozen jobs. I briefly answered the main questions, but when it came to “why did you leave your last position, I almost wrote down, “Mind your own business.” In the space left. I didn’t though, I merely left it unanswered.

A snooty-faced girl conducted me into the presence of Mr Armstrong, who subjected me to more questions and filled any gaps in my application form with my answers. He also told me that Mr Huxham was Not quite as easy to get along with as Mr Field, but when I still showed preference to the job with RE Huxham he told me that since Mr Huxam was otherwise engaged at present, I had better see Mr Field. Mr Field was a likeable chap but seemed a little put out when I told him I wanted to work for Mr Huxham. At 4.30 I got a hearing with Mr Huxham. He interviewed me and asked me a few more questions and then said that I would get a phone call the next day after the board had met.

I got a phone call the next day advising me that “My application for the position as Secretary to the Sales Manager of Kelvinator Australasia had been successful and they would be pleased if I would take up my new position the following Monday.” I wonder what would have happened if, after all that rigmarole, I had said, “Sorry, I didn’t really want the job in the first place.” So that’s how I ended up with a permanent job when I knew I would probably only be there for four months.

19600927 Tuesday Letter from Topsy Niejalke to my Mother – Private Bay No 1 Murrayville —

Dear Jean, Loving greetings in our Dear Master’s name.

Well, my dear, I am really ashamed of myself for not writing long before this; but you know how time flies when you are kept busy. I have good intentions each week in dropping you a few lines, but somehow the weeks go into months, and one wonders where the time has gone.

First of all Jean, how are you now? Ken and Pauline (Niejalke) were saying you weren’t well when they were down. I meant to write a few lines straight away when they told me but was pushed for time then with so many in the house. However, it seemed to get put off from day to day, till now, when I vowed I wasn’t going to bed until I did write to you.

I am so glad you liked Pauline, Jean, as we think she has made a wonderful wife for Ken and is such a help in the Truth. I was thrilled to hear of Fay’s and Jeff’s wedding coming off in October. You will miss Fay, Jean, the same as I missed Lorna and still do. Still, she is doing well with her nursing and has only eight months now before she sits for her finals.

Will Fay be living far from you? I hope not. I often long to see you all again and wish you could come up sometime. We were going to go down for a weekend when I came home from Hobart, but the weekend we thought of going, Ted was asked to help one of the neighbors with a job. We hope to be able to get down soon though. Haven’t we had a wet winter? Everything looks wonderful in these parts (Murrayville). Truly, we have a lot to thank our dear Heavenly Father for. It looks as if we are going to have a wonderful harvest. We have just finished shearing our sheep and Ted is going to help the next-door neighbor with theirs now. He also has his youngest brother’s sheep to shear yet too.

I have quite a nice vegetable garden going, also the flower garden looks lovely and bright too. I am kept busy with the weeds, as so much wet weather just suits them. Well my dear, I am nearly asleep, so will have to finish here. Give my love to all the family and all I know down there. Special love to you dear.

May God richly bless and comfort you and give you health and strength. Ted sends his kind regards to all, Love from your loving Sister in the one great Hope,

Tops Niejalke,

Murrayville.

196010 Letter from Fred Cobbledick re not being able to attend the wedding.—

Dear Fay and Jeffrey,

Regarding your invitation which I regret I was, unable to accept, this has not removed from my mind an important obligation I owe to you both. My severe sickness prevented me from making any choice of a gift, so I have decided on what I consider the next best thing. So I herewith enclose a small sum which will give you the freedom to choose some wedding gift.

Will you kindly accept the same with all my good wishes and genuine love, including the love and blessing of our Heavenly Father, while life shall last or till our Lord shall come.

Yours in the hope of eternal life,

Bro. F.J. Cobbledick

19601005 Letter to Mum and Dad from Mr and Mrs Berry, Jeff’s parents

19601007 Letter from Jeanette Mentiplay (Staunton, Swain)- the sister of my friend Wendy Swain from Unley High School. Wendy died having her first baby when she got septicemia

Jeanette’s address is Henion Tce, Stirling West. Phone 792221. 12 Strathespray Avenue Hazelwood Park.

Dear Fay,

Thank you so much for your letter, it was most kind and thoughtful of you to write.

Yes, it was a terrible shock to all of us when Wendy died. I don’t think that I will ever recover from it properly. Every now and again the realisation of it all hits me; that I will never see her again seems terribly hard to believe.

The cause of death was septicemia, which is a blood poisoning. This usually occurs when an infection, either through un-sterilised instruments or something similar, enters the bloodstream and causes most organs to collapse.

Wendy had her baby by a caesarean section operation and had she been able to have it naturally this blood poisoning may not have happened.

Her baby, Kay, is a lovely little thing and quite well. All the family and friends too feel so terribly sorry for Bob Byrne (Wendy’s husband) who is taking it marvelously.

My little baby who was born five weeks after Kay is named after Wendy, which reminds me that her feed time is due so I must close now.

I would love to see you and would be grateful if you could come up to see us sometime,

Love Jeanette.

(Alma Street, Panorama, Dianne is 13 1/2 Kaye Byrne 8 1/2, adopted girl 2 1/2

Pam married Colin,

Jeannette Staunton,

12 Strathsprey Ave Hazelwood Park.)

19601007 Letter from Mr Field, of Kelvinator.

Dear Fay,

As I won’t be back before you leave us to prepare for the fatal day I would like to wish you and your husband-to-be a wonderful future together.

I haven’t met him but he must be a good bloke for a girl like you to want to marry him.

To avoid duplicating any present you may have received, please accept the enclosed to buy something you haven’t got.
All the Best, DB Field.

Kelvinator Australia.

19601014 Finished work at KELVINATOR

19601018 Letter from Sheila Bailey – 38 Swain Street, Holland Park, Brisbane.

Dear Fay,
Loving Greetings — As your wedding day draws near, Stan and I want to wish you much joy and happiness in your new life. Meeting your Jeff is a pleasure yet in store for us and we look forward to that time.

Because you both share the same wonderful hope and the high vocations that are bound up in our Faith, we know that your united walk to the Kingdom will be rich in service to God. Together you can do so much for Christ. You know that the way won’t always be easy but it does take the cares and worries of this life to make us fully appreciative of the wonderful comfort and strength to be found in its truth. We ourselves know that very well.

Our thoughts and prayers will be with you on Friday and we truly do pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you.”

With fraternal good wishes and love in the Truth,

Stan and Sheila Bailey, Brisbane.

19601021 Consent to marriage

19601021 Wedding Reception Invite

19601021 Wedding card

19601021 Jeffrey Berry married Fay O’Connor.

19601021 The reception place card

19601022 Gift of Cutlery from Jeff’s parents

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