Time to Roam Magazine Issue 5 - October/November 2013 | Page 14

Granny and Pop
run off to join the circus
George and Kelton Wilson, farmers turned circus cooks

Many retires have plans to work and travel Australia.
Farmers from Cowra NSW, George and Kelton Wilson,
raised more than a few eyebrows when they joined the
travelling Silvers Circus. Kelton takes up the story….
It was the 16th December 2006.
The harvest was over, we were
heartily sick of dry weather and
feeding sheep. Had caravan.
Started thinking about travelling.
My husband and I had often talked about
looking after other peoples’ farms while
their owners had a break. I looked up
the positions vacant section in the Land
newspaper and there was this advert;
‘COOK WANTED – OWN CARAVAN – must
be able to travel – CIRCUS’.
I thought will I or wont I, then, why not?
I phoned. Yes, the job was still vacant, but
we are 63 and 65, “oh just what we want,”
they said.

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The very next morning we were up and
off to the outskirts of Melbourne (an 8
hour drive) for our interview. We got the
job. Then it was back home to break the
news to the family.
The daughter-in-law looked at us and
said, “Oh Granny, what will we tell our
friends?”
The son just grinned and said, “Go for
it”. Our daughter and her husband could
only laugh, while our grand-daughters
asked to come with. Friends reacted with
amazement and disbelief, although when
they saw we were genuine they also had a
laugh and wished us well.
We didn’t have much time to worry
because we had to be there by December

23rd. So we packed the caravan and
headed south into the unknown two days
before Christmas.
On the trip down I couldn’t stop thinking
about what my mother would have said.
Dad loved rodeos and circuses and always
took me and my brother along whenever
the Big Top was in town. Mum refused
to go because she thought they were
dirty, grimy places where only the lowest
worked. “Only naughty kids run away
and join the circus”. Nevertheless, my
brother and I loved it all.
We joined the circus as it was touring
the Mornington Peninsula and started
becoming familiar with the set up.
The Big Top was already set up ready