St. Cecelia’s Bazaar
Thunder rolled in from the coast. The sky darkened to a foreboding inky hue.
“Hurry my loves, or we will get very wet. I have a surprise for you when we get home.” Isabella tucked the weekly Freeman’s Journal firmly under her arm, thinking guiltily of the coin that should have gone on the plate during Mass, but had paid for her purchase instead!
I can’t wait to see their faces when I read it.
“Oh Mumma, my dress,” Valma wailed! “My boots are squeaking,” giggled Lorna.
“Garvice, stop jumping in puddles and come inside this minute,” Isabella called, hiding her smile.
“Da will have the kettle on, so get out of your wet things and then come warm up beside the range.”
On entering the kitchen later, she was assailed by a chorus of “What’s the surprise, Mumma?”
“Well, I need a cuppa first and maybe you three, a glass of milk and a rock cake?”
“What about me?” George asked as she sat down, giving him a peck on the cheek.
“Of course the server of morning tea always gets first choice,” she replied with a wink!
Opening the newspaper she started to read the article.
Amid the squeals of delight from his children, George marvelled at his wife.
Moving from Gunnedah to Wyong had seen her embracing church life with her usual gusto! Now here she was being written up in the paper for helping with the Church Bazaar. Madam Brandt, Misses Brandt and Master Garvice Brandt.
“Why did Garvice have his name in the paper and all we got was Misses?” wailed the girls!
Reflective Statement
I found myself wanting to write this narrative as it answered some of my questions as to why I have such a sense of family and church community.
The article in the Freeman’s Journal on Trove, brought to my attention a strong connection with the Catholic Church.
I hope I have conveyed through “showing with dialogue” the strong sense of family and community that Isabella, my grandmother, brought to her every day life.
A phrase from one of this week’s lectures “your imagination will be helped by research” found me googling many things for this narrative; the Freeman’s Journal, weather in September 1923 and many other tidbits of information.
I still find myself leaning towards dialogue and internal monologue as my preference.
I enjoy the Creative Non-Fiction Genre.
Reference
‘Wyong, St, Cecelia’s Bazaar, About £170 Realised’ Freeman's Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1932), 6 September, p. 19.
