Rae's documents/CMWAND~1.doc

CMW and my father and Maimie Margaret and Agnes will all need to be done together as their lives were all connected in too many ways.

First, AGNES HAY WILSON born August 1878 died 1858.

The first time I met Agnes was when I came home from school one afternoon and she was visiting my mother, very much a flying visit and I think she was passing through on a ship. I still have a mind-picture of a tall, slight woman with dark reddish curly hair, very pretty hair but a strong-featured face, with freckles, a happy face. And as I knew her later I know she was always a sociable kind of person, loved company, lived most of her life in boarding houses or guest houses, never learned much about cooking or domestic chores. She was the yougest of the family and the only one who to my knowledge went to Melbourne University. She started a little school where a large variety of subjects were taught. There is a brochure giving details in the large scrapbook which was at Linlathen. Agnes later on joined the Victorian Postal Service and was stationed in a number of places, and later on in New South Wales where I was told she was post-mistress for many years at Kiama and her last posting was Moree. She never married. In 1953 when my brother Murray was killed Agnes had to go to Linlathen, she had been living in Queenscliff in a guest house, enjoying her retirement. It was only then that I got to know her at all and she told me many little things about the family. She still had a good head of hair which she wore in a long heavy plait at night. She did the best she could in helping Charlie and Margaret to cope, Maimie was still able to do wuite a bit but Margaret had been the mainstay of the family for many years. And unfortunately Margaret had a dreadful accident a couple of days after they received word about Murray fell forward into the unprotected fire in the dining room and was badly burnt about the face hands and arms. They sent a telegram to me in Perth I think the day after Murray’s funeral, I was needed at Linlathen and arrived there to find Margaret in a sad state, heavily bandaged but refusing to go to a hospital. I sat and talked to her for ages and finally she agreed to let Dr    whose name I cannot remember, he was a wonderful man who was ver well known for the work he had done during and after the war with badly burnt airmen. He saw her and between us she did get into a hospital and he hid a very good repair job but really never revered and was bedridden until she died, needing day and night nurses for most of that time.

CHARLES McHARG WILLIAM WILSON was born in September 1873. He showed early promise of being a successful businessman. He had kept a letter that his brother Andrew had written to him, Andrew then teaching in a school in Warrnambool. Charlie had evidently been given the job of buying a few things for his brother, andrew had sent him a Money Order to pay for them, the twelve-year-old Charlie did it and sent a Money Order back with 10% deducted for his commission. He was tickisted businessmanistedised off in no uncertain terms, this was a time when Andrew was sending most of his earnings home (his brothers had also done this) to help with family finances. Charlie learnt that family is family. Charlie later became apprenticed to his Uncle Robert Wilson who had a high-class Grocery store in Melbourne. After being there about a year Robert evidently thought he had reason to break the apprenticeship, Charlie was without a job, and Charlie sued his Uncle Robert and was awarded a thousand pounds in compensation. So Auntie Agnes told me, she said this was how he started his timber business in Perth. There is no doubt that Charlie was a hard-headed, tight-f

(It really does end like that!)