Gallery Samples Stories of our Ancestors | Page 37

When Ruby was very old and reminiscing, she
expressed such fear of her mother and in the
year before she died her thoughts went
constantly to the trauma caused by her when
she was growing up. This is so very sad as when
Ida was young and when she had only a few
children, the impression given was one of
happiness.
Ruby and her sisters (The Aunts) adored their
Father. He, of course, was never there to see
what went on at home nor was he there to help
in any way. My cousin Paddy (Tilly’s daughter,
Patricia) and I always referred to him as ‘Saint
Jack’! Apparently all the ladies loved Jack and he
was not averse to the attentions of a pretty girl
when she came his way. Ruby tells of a holiday
that the family spent in Port Alfred when there
were lots of kids around. One of these
RUBY ANDERSON
‘girlfriends’ of Jack called Sylvia happened to be
staying close by and she and Jack just ‘happened’ to meet fairly often. Ruby and her friend Mary
Rowe were having none of this hanky-panky so they kept close watch on the two of them,
insinuating themselves between them until Sylvia said he had too many children for her liking
and she waved him goodbye.
Back at home baby number 5, Vera, arrived and Ruby was about to turn twelve. Ida now getting
tired of babies made an announcement to Ruby: “This is your baby to take care of, Ruby”. Since
that moment, Ruby treated Vera as her child and the two of them remained especially close all
through their long lives.
At the same time Ida decided it was time to put her eldest daughter into a corset. Twelve,
apparently