1963-01-15 Margaret Wilson to Alf re Aubrey's death
| Title: | 1963-01-15 Margaret Wilson to Alf re Aubrey's death |
|---|---|
| Identifier: | archives.org.au/1963-01-15_Margaret_Wilson_to_Alf_re_Aubrey%27s_death |
| Parent item: | Letter to Alf, Ode to a Snail, and 2nd preface |
| Storage location: | |
| Date: | |
| Authors: | Helen Margaret Wilson (née Hall) |
| Source: | |
| Format and extent: | |
| License: |  Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)It will enter the public domain in Australia on 1 January 2071. |
| Related people: | Helen Margaret Wilson (née Hall) · Alf (create) · Ella Vera May Campbell (née Innes) |
| Related places: | |
| Keywords: | |
| Description: |
Transcription
I had been at the hospital three times a day & I am thankful for Dad's merciful end without pain or fear. Bib has had a stroke & is in Avro, can't gather my tired wits. Love to you all. I hope you're feeling better about things & that you have planned a path for the new year — may it be happy & successful. Love M.
36 Congdon St.,
Swanbourne,
15th Jany. 1963.
Tuesday.
My dear Alf,
I simply must get a letter in to the post to you to tell you that Dad died suddenly on Friday 11th & was cremated yesterday — a long delay because of the weekend.
I can't remember when I last wrote you but probably when I was staying at Mandurah for a week after Xmas. When I got home on the Saturday I could see Dad had deteriorated a great deal — he continued to have one or two dreadfully breathless attacks each day for the next four days & he asked to go to Bethesda last Tuesday so he could have oxygen. He improved immediately & was able to eat again & became stronger & was to be allowed up on the Friday. On Friday morning he had a good breakfast & asked Mrs Bell (Board of Management, St Aidens) in the opposite
2.
bed to ring for the nurse to take him to the bathroom. Mrs Bell did this & walked over to Dad's bed to help him out & in the time it took to walk across the room, Dad slumped on to pillows with a coronary & was gone. They rang for the Dr & as they did he walked in the front door to do an early round & so was with Dad within about four minutes.
With all the times I've been ready for Dad to go I was quite unprepared when Leigh Cook rand at 815 to tell me. I'd only just come in from swimming training with the boys. I rang Maurice in Sydney to tell Joan, Berry in Mandurah to tell Con, Alan Kopke at the Station & so on & don't seem to have stopped since. Con came up & stayed until after the funeral early yesterday. Ian Berryman came the 180 miles from the farm (I don't quite know why except that Con's wire got distorted & read "Grandma died this morning" & he didn't know which one. We haven't told Helen Rose this one, knowing how superstitious she is). Mother, incidentally has been very good indeed through all this
3.
My friends have been wonderful to me — calling in, letters, telegrams, & so on & the house is full of flowers. Con, Berry, Ian Berryman, Alan & I went to the funeral together which was a cremation service. There were 50 men attended & a couple of women. (Joyce Irving & Dad's Goddaughters). Paul Hasluck, Dr Guy Henn, Commander Hodge Ken Rosenthal were there — right on through to Kynaston the boot maker. Dad would have considered it a really fine funeral! All the people he ever knew & were still alive seemed to be there — such a lot of Nor'westers.
There were a few times when I could have done with Alfie Thrupp as a backstop but we managed. Con insisted on changing the house around whilst she & Ian were here to help & now it is all done. The dining room is re-instated, as is the T.V. room & Ron is in the sleepout & Alan, of course, is your room. Con attacked the books & threw half of them out in the woodshed & I'll get Ron Wright from the Public Library & the Historical Society, to vet them before dumping or burning them.
4.
Joan had the Martins to cheer her bleakness over the weekend & now you'll be seeing them next. Uncle Norman said he's written & given you the gen.
Do please send us a note soon to give us some clues as to your plans. I do wonder what you've decided.
Please tell your mother that her parcel has awaiting me when I got home from Mandurah. I'll be writing as soon as possible there are about a hundred letters to be acknowledged around the place but we'll split them up between the four of us.
Alan got all his 8 junior subjects & Jim his II, Penny Preston (8) Oh, Bruce May only get 3 or 4 — he rang to see you & I gave him your address. McAlland was the only boy to fail in 5P & only 5 of the other 26 got less than 8 subjects. Hugh Rockett & Brian Holmes 3 a piece only. I gather Scotch did very well.
Was agreeably surprised to have a note from Don Kilby asking if he could help in one way — wasn't it nice of him?
Jan Ing has a son & they are all right.
I'll be glad when it is about a month from now — my built in alarm clock still goes off at 7, 430 & 1030 to do Dad's eyes. Death is always very sobering & inescapably sad.
Letter to Alf regarding Dad's death.
H.M.W.
