21/11/2025
Maureen Maloney
I was born in Tumby Bay on 9th March 1935. I lived in Edilillie for almost two years with my grandparents up on the hill where Puckridge’s are now. Then we moved to Port Lincoln, because Dad started in the railways down there. I was a Curtis. I had one sister; Doreen Hall.
When we went to Port Lincoln, we lived in a house just on the edge of where the Woolies car park is now, by the police station. I don't know how long we were there until Dad got a railway cottage in Elizabeth Street. That was a fair way from the railway station. Dad was on the trains, Mum had to pack a tucker box for him, put it in the pram with Doreen and me trotting along behind her down to the station. We walked everywhere because we never had a car. It took a darned long time to walk to the station.
We used to go by train to Wanilla for railway picnics from Port Lincoln, it was a lot of fun. In the holidays we would go to Edillilie to my Aunty’s via rail car. The trip would take around 1.5hours depending on how many stops the train made. I enjoyed going down to the dam and yabbying. At Christmas time, Grandpa would be out there with his piano accordion and all us kids would be lined up, singing and carrying on. We used to have some fun. It was good.
I went to Port Lincoln primary school for five and a bit years. I know one day I didn't go to school; I hid behind the wood box; Mum came out and went crook at me. She said I was going back to school, and she walked me down there. I didn't do that again, that's for sure. We were there until about 1946 when we came to Cummins in the second term. Changing schools was really okay. I settled in all right. I did year seven, eight, and nine. I enjoyed school, I wasn't a brilliant scholar, but I got through.
We lived in the third railway cottage from the Southern end when we moved to Cummins. There were not many houses around then. Mum worked in the refreshment rooms at the railway. I used to help when I got home from school, cooking and stuff. I left school at 14 to help Mum.
The railcars would come from Port Lincoln, Minnipa and Kimba. Cummins was one of the main refreshment rooms. There was one car on a Monday & Tuesdays and four on a Friday! You would have to be quick smart making the tea and having the food ready as the stops could be only 10 minutes. The kitchen was out the back and only little. There were scones, lamingtons and all sorts of things and they were all cheap. They were beautiful. A pasty was 10 pence! We used to make the hot water pastry. We’d use about 20 cups of flour and rub the dripping into them and put the hot water onto it and then you let it cool and the pastry used to come out beautiful.
In about 1950 Dad decided to go farming and worked at Lorna-Lue for Roseburne's. We were there until ‘56. We milked cows and helped Dad with things. Dad then went back into the railways. I don't know why on earth he changed. I wouldn't have a clue. That is just what happened.
Mum had three sisters, and I went and helped them when they had their babies, I think I was about 16 then. Sometimes I would go out for weeks. It just depended how much work they wanted done. I helped with washing, cleaning and looking after the kids.
I spent a lot of time with Adeline and Reg Shepherd, that's mum's youngest Sister. Aunty Adeline was good to me. I was out there with them at Marble Range when we went over to the neighbour's place. I saw this fellow working there, and I thought, he's a bit of alright. I don't know whether I said anything to the other kids but thought I'm going to marry him and blow me down if I didn't. So that's how I met up with Geoff.
I don't know whether Geoff said the same about me. We got together a couple of years after that because he was working around the place. I said I wasn't getting married until I was 21. I don't know whether some of the family were very pleased about me doing it, it worked out all right. We didn't really settle in one spot, we went everywhere, wherever there was work. Geoff was a handsome fella. We married in Port Lincoln Church of Christ, in March 1956.
When we got married, Geoff was working between Dublin and Two Wells on a farm for a bloke he knew at Gawler. We were there for 12 months, and Sharon was born. We decided we'd come back over here, because he'd probably get more work. He was a shearer and farmhand and did all sorts of things. He was born in Victoria and had worked in Adelaide and the southeast for a long time. I don't know why he came over here, thank goodness he did. We only had 34 years of marriage.
Sharon is my eldest and she married Peter Heath, he's passed away. John is over at Two Wells, he's just sold his property, and he's going somewhere out from Elizabeth to live now. Jenny Cabot passed away in 1998 and our youngest is Sandy Wauchope.
When we came back from Two Wells way we lived in Light Road. Dad bought a house there and we lived there for a while until we went down to a fruit block at Koppio, with an orchard and cows. Geoff was still shearing, doing things around and picking fruit to send up on the rail cars. Geoff was away shearing and had to come home to milk the cows because I couldn't manage it all with the kids. It just got too much.
While we were there the two eldest ones were living up at Mums going to school in Cummins and back on the weekends. Then Jenny and Sandy came along and we shifted again. One of many! We went for a little while to Starke's place at Warunda. Then moved on to Jones’s; Peter and Claire's for three or four years, and back to Cummins. Geoff worked in Trigg and Wedd's for a couple of years with Snow Millard.
I don't know how many houses I lived in and around Cummins. Some of them have since been demolished. I always thought ‘oh not again’ when we were moving again.
We were there for quite a few years and we got the school cleaning job. Cleaning the school was damn hard. I don't know how many houses I've cleaned in Cummins too. I was the cleaning lady! You can tell by my fingers, cleaning all the time has done that. It was all right. That was good, I enjoyed that. While cleaning I went on a couple of year seven trips with Mary Trigg. The first one I went on my own without the kids and did the cooking. One of the year 7 trips was in Adelaide, and one was at Currency Creek which Jenny was on. Very interesting, lucky I liked cooking.
We had been cleaning at the school 13 years, and it probably got too much for Geoff and he wouldn't say that he was feeling unwell. He was a bit miserable and went to the doctor, and they couldn't find anything, he had a stroke. It was pretty quick. It took a bit of getting used to it. The older you get, you feel as if you still have them. Well, you still haven't really got them. Different things that crop up make me feel him. He’s been gone a long time.
It was tough after Geoff died. I spent a fair bit of time up with the girls at Broken Hill. I did say “why did you both end up at Broken Hill, you could have gone somewhere closer!” Geoff did see his girls married, which was good.
Bradley Cabot and Kristy Batters and Craig and Justin Heath were the only grandies that Geoff saw, they were only little. I now have seven grandies; five boys and two girls and ten great grandies; seven boys and three girls with number eleven on the way! My first Great Grandy is 11 now. He’s a great little swimmer and he’s got medals galore. I was never a swimmer. I did not like the water. I think that comes from when I was around two, when we were living in Edillilie with the Grandparents. I wanted to get the dog a drink and climbed up on the wheelbarrow with all the scraps of milk for the pigs and fell in. Talk about a smell! I had many baths and still could not get rid of it. Mum said I could have drowned!
I've been in the units for 25 years. It's a lovely spot, it's very homely and it's nice. It’s nice having Bradley close by. He usually takes me for a drive somewhere on the weekends. It's good and he pops in every now and again.
I've lived longer than my grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa Harder were both 89 and did not make their 90th. I have seen a lot of things in my time and had a lot of experiences. One of the biggest changes I have noticed is mobile phones. I have got no idea. I've got one, but I'm hopeless. I had a tiny little one and got on really well with that. But when that went, I couldn't get on with the new one. It drives me mad.
I got my licence back when I was 16. Colin Ween was the policeman. The old police station was back further than it was. Mum and one of my auntys decided they wanted to get their licence too. We knew Colin Ween well and the three of us lined up, completed the papers in the room and got it straight away!
I only drive around town now, Bradley’s worried and said, ‘You better be careful now, Nanna with the trucks and that around’. I try and work it when you hear the trucks go down and you know that they'll be coming back later and time to drive between them. I use the Red Cross now for trips to Lincoln. You ring them up, make an appointment, tell them what days you want to go and usually Margaret Phelps drives in the council car.
I enjoy catching up and having coffee with people. I caught up with Jenny Secker for our Birthdays. We both said we will have to do it a bit more often. I go to Rumeo on Mondays at the library with Pat and cards Friday around at Janettes. I really like cards. It is fun.
I enjoy going to bingo too. Up at Broken Hill I went with Sharon. While she plays social bowls I go to bingo. It's nice there's things around to do and to catch up with people.
Doreen and I used to go golfing together, to the footy, shopping and everything. We used to do everything together. We looked very alike. I really missed that when she got dementia. She's been gone for three years now. Doreen's family has been good to me. I had an extra birthday with them. Judy Hall rang me up and invited me for a barbie. They came and picked me up and all Doreen’s family were there except one. I wondered what was going on. They said, “you're our only auntie, so we're doing something for your Birthday”. It was really special.
I have enjoyed time in the op shop. When they first started, they were up near where Lincoln Rural was. Its moved a few times to where it is today. I also enjoyed working with Nell Heath at Miroma in the institute supper room. It started by getting the oldies from Miroma and the hospital down there to do things. Eventually we went up to Miroma on Tuesday and Saturdays. We made and took scones and served afternoon tea and played cards.
I held office in the Meals on Wheels and enjoyed delivering meals to the oldies. You'd always have a chat, it was lovely. Now I get Meals on Wednesday and Friday and appreciate seeing people, receiving meals and having a chat. It's lovely.
I have a life membership of the Cummins netball club. I did not play netball. My two daughters did. I used to do catering for sales, scoring and all sorts of things. I was president of the netball association for two years. That was a good time. I did fill in at times when they were short on players for the practice matches. I went to an afternoon tea (life members day) recently at a Cougars game and caught up with some others that I hadn't seen for a long time. It was lovely.
In 1981 we'd come back to Cummins, Sandy and Jenny wanted to play golf. I said; “Well, if you're playing golf, I'm coming, because I'm not stopping home (Geoff and John were also playing) I'm coming too”. One day I paired up with Chris- Sandy's husband, because Sandy wanted to play with her dad (Geoff). We beat them! That didn't go down very well. Geoff and I had won a couple of things together too. That was special. I really enjoyed golf. Doreen and I played together for over 30 years.
I am an Adelaide Crows fan; one of Sandy's boys' partners organised a Birthday message from Tex. It was a real surprise when there he was on the Telly and wished me happy birthday. It was special. I enjoy watching the footy. Bradley is Port. I said I would never barrack for Ports. I am pleased when the Crows win.
I enjoy doing crosswords and I used to knit. I don't know how many Bananas in Pajamas I ever knitted. I used to make little ones, big ones and even ones with footy colours. I don't do any more knitting, my fingers won't do it. I wasn't a great sewer. Grandma Harder used to always do our sewing for us.
I enjoy the quietness of the area with no hills to climb! Geoff's Mum and brother lived at Norton Summit. I only met his dad once. I used to go up to their place and those darn hills! I said I don't want to live in the hills, just flat country to walk. I haven't been doing any walking lately. I have enjoyed walking and exercising. I was sorry when the gym stopped. I used to love going there and doing my thing. That was really good.
There’s probably lots of fond memories and things that warm my heart. Sometimes when I go through it, I think I don't know how I used to fit everything in. But I don't know. It just happened; you had to do something. I've enjoyed everything that I've done. The years have gone by quick. I wouldn't have it any different.
