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Interviewee

Gladys (Christian) Wedlock

Place Recorded

Coffs Harbour-NSW

Interviewer

Lesley Gibbs

Collection

Agency

Yarrila Arts & Museum (YAM)

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Gladys Wedlock Interview

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IntervieweeGladys (Christian) WedlockInterview Date24 October 1986Place RecordedCoffs Harbour-NSWDuration46m25sAccession NumberLS2020.1.97Credit LineCoffs Harbour City Council, 1988.

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Description

Mrs Wedlock is one of seven children. She was born and raised on Newry Island, Urunga. The Christians were a dairying family who originally came to the area in 1888 and successfully grew sugar cane.

InterviewerLesley GibbsCollectionYAM Museum CollectionVoice of Time oral history projectAgencyYarrila Arts & Museum (YAM)SummaryStandard disclaimer. Visit the 'Voice of Time' web site to read or listen to the disclaimer. Gladys Wedlock was born on 17 May 1897 -- Mr and Mrs Wedlock have one son. They married 17 April 1929 -- Gladys was born on Newry Island. The family bought land there to grow sugar cane. Firstly they had to fell all the timber. The Christian brothers cooperated to make a go of the project -- They moved from Kempsey in 1888 because of floods. The frosts, however, ruined the sugar cane -- Supplies and equipment were brought up the coast by bullock team. The roads were very bad -- Newry Island is eight miles around and the Christians owned half of the island. After the sugar cane failed the brothers started dairying with fine cattle bought on the south coast of New South Wales. As a result of good breeding and hard work Alf Christian, Gladys's father, became a director of the C.D.A Butter Factory -- The cream was transported to the factory at Raleigh by launch after delivery by horse and slide to the wharf -- The cream launch would also deliver the mail three days a week and the children would sometimes go with them -- All Newry Island families had to travel to the mainland by boat. The bridge was only built 'recently'. Bridges couldn't be built because it would interfere with shipping -- All supply orders were kept in one big room in the house -- Visitors had to cooee and the children would row across to pick them up -- The Island only had little floods, not big floods like the ones that bothered the valley area. The first big flood was in 1950. Up until that time the bar at Urunga had been dredged all the time. The soil dredged out of the Urunga bar was used to fill the swamp and that area now forms the golf club of today -- The big ships would come up the river to the Island with supplies and take away the timber as cargo. Tugs would help the ships once they had crossed the bar. When the trains came the tugs went and so did the need for shipping. The railway opened about 1924. Transport in general became much easier -- Life as a child on Newry Island was great fun. When the war came and the men went away, the girls had to do all the work -- Children spent their time dancing, skating, playing cards and marbles. The family house grew as the family numbers increased -- Her father was a farmer. Her mother was busy with the children. Mrs Ness was the midwife for the area -- The children went to school by boat. The school was called the Nessville School, after a family in the area. There was only one teacher in the school of 20 students. Children went right through school together - learning and playing games. The children took sandwich lunches to school -- Mornings and afternoons were spent hand milking the cows. Bananas and orchard fruit were grown on the farm for the family -- Gladys left school at 14. Years were then spent helping around the house. Brooms and sugar soap were the only cleaning aids -- Laying the lino with newspaper underneath -- Coping with household pests. The children and the kangaroo. Bunny met a sad end -- Gladys was never very fond of horses, she preferred cows -- Playing the piano and the singalongs -- Gladys moved to Sydney when she married Charles Wedlock from Fernmount. They met at the dances -- They married in Sydney at Hurstville -- The Depression time. Gladys actually lived through two depressions and two wars. Times were not as hard on the farm because everything was available at home. Her brother Sid went away to war. He joined the Light Horse and went to Egypt. He was wounded and never talked about the war days -- The families at home were kept posted on the war events by newspaper and gazettes -- The Robinson Brother coaches. The opening up of the North Coast -- The first planes came to the area in the twenties -- Gus Walker, the show and the first car in Bellingen. It was 2 shillings for a ride around the block. The show ground was where the 'Yellow Shed' is today. The great family love. How the parents dealt with accidents -- The droghers work up and down the rivers and the children would rush out to see them. One day in his rush, her brother Sid fell down a well that had not been covered. Her mum saved him with the help of a clothes prop. That evening a baby sister was born two months early -- Kerosene and methylated spirits were used for cuts and bites. Sulphur was the thing for sore throats -- Urunga started in the early days with the help of the Atherton family. Snakes and ticks in the area were also treated with kerosene -- Horses and cattle traded in the area -- Pigs raised on the farm and the tasty bacon from open fire smoking -- The ironing was the worst job -- Starched dresses and underwear for the dances -- Full days were set aside for each job -- Baths were had out in the open -- Homemade soap during the war years. Her father built the first Urunga Golf Club -- Gladys had a great love of tennis, golf and bowls -- Local dances went on until dawn -- The sulky ride to Bellingen took one hour, after swimming the horse to the mainland -- Refreshments at the dances were free and so was the music. The Greer band and Edith Buckman -- The parties at home. The punt at Urunga and "the poor man" working late on the dance nights -- The Hodges and the Fowlers also lived on the island -- Mrs Black taught the girls to sew -- Painting was also a favourite pastime -- The best time of her life was the war years. Baking cakes and writing letters to the boys overseas.