Bernd

 Bernd is my original German penfriend.

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Betty

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  Betty was a very dear neighbour to us. We've been living here a little over ten years and Betty was our neighbour until she passed away late last year. She had a special rapport with my youngest, Jared. He had just turned one when we moved in next door to Betty. Betty would come up to the side gate near the sandpit where he played and put her hand through the wire and hold his finger and talk to him for ages. She would also randomly emerge through the fernery on our adjoining side fence and try to start up a conversation with us. It soon became apparent why the people who lived here before us had gone to such lengths to make the patio private and grow great big hedges wherever there was a gap in the fence. Our nearest relatives live four hours away so Betty was the closest thing my kids had to a grandmother. She certainly went out of her way to be that person for them. She would regularly give them $50 for their birthdays, always leave chocolate Easter bunnies at the front door s...
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Nan

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Nan was my maternal grandmother. She was one of five children, married late, well back then 29 was old to be getting married, apparently after some pressure from her family to do so.  She married a farmer in Gippsland and being the era when Australia rode off the sheep's back, they did very well for themselves. My grandmother apparently was wealthy enough to lend money to others. She had three children, my two uncles followed by my mum when she was 40. She lived for most of my young years a short pony ride from the farmhouse they gave to Mum and Dad. She had an immaculate and modern white brick home having moved from the original property at Winton to a hillview over the Avon river. Recently her home was up for sale by the new owners so I got to step into it again with a virtual tour. Unfortunately, the new owners had completely destroyed the feel of the home. There was now a swimming pool embedded in the front yard instead of a gorgeous floral garden and inside all the fancy 1970s...
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Aunty Thelma

 Thelma was the older sister of both my grandma and my great aunt Jean. There's a lovely biography of her online talking about her career successes and everything she did for the advancement and education of women. Before I found this biography, I knew her as one of those relatives for whom Mum would always insist we have impeccable manners. Aunty Thelma would arrive with her brother Uncle Fred and they would bring us very odd gifts. Found objects, for example one of those high bounce balls that a dog had chewed a piece off.  Aunty Thelma had a very posh voice, a glorious beehive bun atop her head à la Bronwyn Bishop and great big hips.  I remember one time we visited their home in Auburn and Aunty Thelma cooked up an amazing batch of scones on the spot and we watched her and Uncle Fred cheer on the cricketers on TV. She definitely did believe in the advancement of women because when she died she left my sister Rebecca and I each $10,000 in her will. This little nest egg ...
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