History of Irene and Bill (chapter 1 of 3)
Chapter 1 - Birth, Marriage and the Cooberang Years
This is the story of the two people at the centre of our story – Irene and Bill O’Brien. I’ve divided their story into three chapters:
Chapter 1 - Birth, Marriage and the Cooberang Years – That period is covered in this document, and it takes us across the 53 years from Bill’s birth in 1888 through to the family’s move to Sydney in 1941.
Chapter 2 – Cammeray, Cremorne and the move to Willoughby – Which takes us through the next 18 years from 1941 through to Irene’s death in 1959.
Chapter 3 – Bill in Willoughby – Taking us from 1959, through the 15 years to Bill’s death in 1974.
When my sister Kate and I sorted through Mum’s memorabilia, we found quite a lot of material about Irene and Bill, and that’s been one of three primary sources for this story. The other two are Growing up on Cooberang, a book by my cousin Madonna Barraclough, and Ireland the Riverina and Beyond : The O’Brien and Flanagan Family History, a book by my cousin Shayne O’Brien. Occasionally I’ll mention Madonna and Shayne, so when I do, you’ll know where that material came from.
If you’re interested in getting a copy of either of these books, please contact me via the details on the contact page. I don’t believe that either is currently available in print, but there may be some way to arrange a copy.
Thomas Bede O’Brien was born on 2 July 1888. Some records say that he was born at Mimosa, which is a small New South Wales rural location within the local government area of Temora. There’s also some confusion about his name, with documents referring to him variously as Thomas William, Thomas William Bede or William Thomas. But I think we can clear this all up by looking at his birth certificate…although a part of that still has me stumped.
Thomas Bede (Bill) O’Brien’s birth certificate
Firstly, his place of birth is shown as Cowabee, which was the station which Bill’s parents owned. I imagine that was in the area now known as Cowabbie.
And secondly, there’s no “William” in his name. That said, throughout his life, most documentation refers to him as “Thomas William O’Brien”. Even his will refers to “Thomas Bede O’Brien (also known as Thomas William O’Brien)”. I’m not sure why he decided to go by that name, but it may have been because it was his Dad’s name.
I clearly remember him being called “Bill”, as do some of my cousins, although his wife Irene referred to him as “Will”. Of course I was never game to call him either Will or Bill – he was quite the daunting figure to me as a child. Anyway, for the O’Brien Clan website, I’ve elected to go with “Bill”.
So, Bill was the 10th of 11 children born to Thomas William O’Brien and Margaret Esther Ryan – you can read their story here.
Those who’ve already read that story may remember that in a case referred to as Bartley v O’Brien, the Supreme Court ordered that Cowabee, the station owned by Bill’s parents, be sold at auction in February of 1878. I’m yet to find out more details about the circumstances that led to that decision, but it seems odd that Bill’s birth certificate shows his birth being ten years after that order, and yet it still shows his place of birth as Cowabee, which by my reckoning should have been sold many years previous. This all needs a bit more digging.
Both Shayne and Madonna mention that Tom’s first job was at farm machinery company called John Meagher & Son in Temora, but I was only able to find a reference to a company called “John Meagher & Co”, which had several branches across NSW, one of which was in Temora, and which sold all manner of things – not just farm machinery. So again, a bit more research is needed.
Whatever the case, I don’t believe that that position lasted that long, as Bill moved back to the land in 1913 at the age of 25, becoming a share farmer, growing wheat on Walter Heffernan’s property Noorla, which was one of the largest properties in the area. Of course, he was yet to meet his future wife, so let’s see how Irene came into the picture.
Catherine Irene Casey was born on 10 April 1891. Her parents were Caroline and Tom Casey, and you can read their story here. Catherine was the third youngest of the Casey’s thirteen children, although two died very young.
Catherine Irene (Irene) Casey’s birth certificate
The Casey family, circa 1900
This is a picture of the Casey family outside their home, “Rose Villa”. I believe that’s Irene 3rd from the left. She looks like she may be around 9 or 10, which would mean that this photo wasn’t that long before her Mum died in 1901. That said, I’ve tried to work out who’s who in terms of the kids using their gender and year of birth, but it’s not as easy as it might appear. When time allows, I’ll do some more work on that.
You can see that Tom’s holding a violin. He no doubt entertained his family and their guests on many occasions. In fact, the Casey family was very social, and were keen on both cricket and tennis. If you’ve read the story of Irene’s parents, Caroline and Tom Casey (here), you’ll know that they had both a tennis court and a cricket pitch on their property at Tallagandra, with the Casey family hosting many social events for friends and family.
Madonna notes that:
…the Casey family was fun loving, and Irene's father quite a personality. People often visited Rose Villa to hear his stories. The annual school dance was also held there. As a child, Irene learnt how people could make fun in simple ways. Family members or neighbours would get together for cricket or tennis, to play cards, have sing-songs around the piano, recite poetry, tap dance and tell stories.
Four of the Casey children (Harry, Roy, Irene and Lina)
at the Tallagandra School, 1901 - Irene is 3rd from the left in the middle row
Two of the Casey children at the Tallagandra School, 1909
Roy 4th from the left in the second row, and Lina 3rd from the left in the back row
Sadly, when Irene was just 10 years old in 1901, her mum Caroline died of pneumonia, aged 51. That sounds way too young, which of course it is, but in 1901 the average life expectancy was just 49 years, and probably even lower for women due mainly to issues during childbirth.
Irene’s father, Tom, had little choice but to turn to his eldest daughter Ada to take over the household duties now that her mother was gone. Ada, who was engaged at the time, broke off that engagement. She never had any children of her own, and didn’t marry until she was 47.
This is a photo of the Casey family (minus Sydney) not that long after Caroline’s death, perhaps in 1904 or 1905.
The Casey family (missing Sydney), circa 1905
That’s Irene standing with her hand resting on Ada’s right shoulder. Roy (the youngest) looks about 8 or 9, which would make Irene 14 or thereabouts. Given that the whole family is dressed in their finest, and beautifully groomed, this may have been for an anniversary of Caroline’s death. Perhaps a special Mass was being held.
When Irene was a little older, she took up a job with Richard and Mary Hughes on their property, “Summer Hill”, where she provided household help to the family. Madonna describes Irene as being:
A lively and sociable young woman who…at 170 cm [5 feet 7 inches]…was quite tall for a woman of those times. Irene was a keen reader and well qualified on piano, so she also contributed such cultural interests to the household. Her payment for domestic duties would have been her lodgings, keep and a small amount of money. But the real value for Irene would have been to work for good people who were connected to her family. Irene's older brother, Harry, married Hughes' sister Maud, so Irene was treated like one of the family.
Irene and Bill met at a tennis party at Summer Hill. Madonna provides us with a rich description of the sort of event this would have been:
For everyone in those days there was a six-day working week. So the tennis party would have been held on Sunday after church, when most social occasions happened. Women dressed for the game in long sleeved, high-necked, white lacey blouses and ankle-length skirts. A sash was worn around the waist and often another one over the hat and under the chin. The hat was usually made of straw and could be decorated with ribbons and flowers. Men wore long-sleeved, white shirts buttoned to the neck and high waisted trousers held up by braces. The men's shirt sleeves were gathered into metal bands just above the elbows. The bands came in silver and gold and were used to save men pushing up annoying shirt sleeves.
Sadly we don’t have any photos of Bill before he was married, but we do have quite a few of Irene, including the school photo from 1901 and those above, each of which shows Irene in her late teens and early 20’s, which would have been about the time that she met Bill.
Aunty Anne often told the story that after meeting Irene at Summer Hill, Bill went over to his friends, and with a nod of his head towards Irene, who was on the tennis court, he said, “she’s for me”. I’m guessing that cheeky glimpse of exposed ankle was what clinched it for Bill.
And sure enough, Bill and Irene were married on 10 June 1916, when Bill was 27 and Irene was 25.
Irene and Bill on their wedding day
I remember my Mum telling me that, even though it was common for the man to be seated with his new bride standing, being the gentleman that he was, her Dad simply wouldn’t agree to that, hence why the photo is of them both standing. Although as a nod to the photographer’s likely insistence that Bill use the chair, he capitulated a little, and put one knee on it.
Bill, who was 6 foot 1 inch tall (185cm), was lean and wiry, but his sons always commented that his strength belied his build. Shayne recalled Jack O’Brien (Bill’s son and Shayne’s Dad) saying that his Dad was a great cricketer, even up to the age of 65 and was gifted in both art and music. Jack recalled his father making charcoal sketches for his children on the white‑washed walls of the fireplace at Cooberang, and the tunes he’d play on the harmonica for the ever-growing brood. In fact Bill had not only taught himself how to play the harmonica, but the violin and the button accordion as well.
Jack mentioned his Dad’s prowess as a cricketer, something in evidence in this shot below.
Bill and the Junee Reefs cricket team, circa late 1910’s
I believe that this photo was likely taken not long after Bill’s marriage to Irene, given that Bill (centre) has the same haircut. It shows Bill as captain of the team proudly sitting behind a trophy they must have won.
Bill and Irene’s marriage was built on solid foundations, and not just their mutual love of sporting activities. Both their families had pioneered farming in western NSW, both had strong Catholic backgrounds, and both were prolific breeders, a pastime that Bill and Irene clearly took very seriously as the years went by.
After they were married, the couple purchased two blocks of land that had belonged to the Heffernan family. You can see the two blocks marked on these two maps.
I have a high resolution of the map on the right, but it’s too large to upload. If you’d like to see it, please contact me using the details on the contact page.
So, the new family farm and the home that was built on it, was made up of two lots – Lot 96 of 640 acres and Lot 167 of 130 acres, a total of 770 acres. And Bill named the property “Cooberang”, a concatenation of ‘cooee’ and ‘boomerang’.
At this point in Irene and Bill’s story, I struggled as to how to tell the story of the Cooberang years. You see, life at Cooberang is covered so well in Madonna’s book that the only way I could see to cover this part of their life in detail would be to incorporate the whole book here, which wouldn’t really work - I fear that Madonna may sue me for copyright infringement!
I’d prefer to be able to say to everyone that “if you’d like a copy of Growing up in Cooberang, you should go to this link and purchase one”, because it’s a fantastic rendering of the family’s history across those 25 years. But sadly, I don’t believe it’s in print now.
So, I’ll chat to Madonna and see if there’s some way that works for her where we could make the book available either in printed form or perhaps as an e‑book. In the meantime, rather than cover ground that Madonna covers so well, I’ll do a summary of some of the key events during the family’s time at Cooberang.
While the farm was mostly dedicated to sheep and wheat, like most farms back then, there were all sorts of other things going on to allow the family to be relatively self-sufficient. Horses were a major part of life at Cooberang. They literally provided the horsepower for the farm equipment and the family’s transport.
There were also chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs and dogs – but not as pets, more for working with the sheep.
Bill also planted oats. There was an orchard. And of course there were vegetable patches that expanded just as their family did. And expand it did. Over a period of just 14 years, the couple had 12 children. In fact there were 13 pregnancies, with one baby being lost between Harold (number 4) and Cyril (number 5). Harold was born on 28 September 1920, and Cyril on 3 May 1923. For Irene that 31 months must have been blissful! Just 4 kids to look after, and a couple of welcome years free from pregnancy.
My Mum always recalled what a trooper her Mum was. She could only remember a couple of times when things got the best of her, and in despair she’d utter “pommie word”, which was a shortened version of “upon my word”, and there’d be a slight pause before she resumed whatever task she’d been doing.
Bill outside the house at Cooberang
Their twelve children were Mary Caroline (1917–1994), John Thomas (Jack) (1918–1985), Allan William (1919–1944), Harold Joseph (1920–2003), Cyril James (1923–2009), Helen Margaret (1924–2006), Joan Therese (1925–1994), Francis Patrick (Frank) (1927–2002), Gwendoline Irene (Gwen) (1928–2020), Reginald Michael (Reg) (1929–2000), Claire Evelyn (1930–2015), and Anne (1931–2020).
As far as I know, these are the only baby photos of the 12 O’Brien children. But I’d be very happy to find out that there were more.
Madonna recounts this story about Reg’s birth:
The youngest son Reg came two months early. William [Bill] drove Irene to the hospital as fast as their Hupmobile could take them. All the way he was saying "hold on Irene"; "hold on Irene". When mother and baby finally returned to Cooberang it was feared the baby would not survive. At 3¼ lbs [1.5kg], he was half the body-weight of an average newborn baby, and looked just skin and bone. Despite this, Irene nurtured him successfully and Reg grew into a healthy child.
At Cooberang there was no inside toilet. Irene had to cook for 14 hungry mouths, and apparently was an absolute marvel, not just with the three squares a day, but also with all manner of baked goods. And even though the only way she could judge the temperature of the oven was to open it up and put her hand inside, everything turned out perfectly. Washing was all done by hand – “what…no nappy service?”, I hear you say. The house was divided into a “boys” side and a “girls” side, and there were three beds to a room.
But despite an increasingly crowded house, and the relatively basic living conditions, I never heard Mum or any of her siblings say a bad word about their childhood. When they did talk of those times at Cooberang it was always with fond memories, funny stories and the utmost respect and love for both of their parents. Mum used to say that Bill was strict, but that he had to be to keep everyone in line, and to make sure they contributed to the smooth running of the household.
Bill worked hard from sunup to sundown every day except Sunday. Without much money, and with a growing family, he had to cover just about every job on the farm – managing the crops, animal husbandry, veterinary tasks, engineering, building, first aid, butchery, fencing, farriers work, mechanical repairs, animal dentistry, and much more. One task that was outsourced was shearing as Cooberang had no shearing shed.
Sheep paddock at Cooberang
By all accounts, Bill was a meticulous and tidy man, not just while at Cooberang, but throughout his entire life. All the work that he did came with thoughtful planning, an eye for detail, and always with the goal to build or repair something so that it lasted for as long as possible. The era of “makeovers” and kitchen and bathroom renovations and upgrades was a long way into the future, and not something that either Irene or Bill would have considered.
And even though times were tough, both Irene and Bill knew that their parents and grandparents had had it much tougher. They were the pioneers in Western NSW, and were generally on massive properties of thousands of acres far from neighbours, and in places where there was no nearby town. By the early 1900’s people like Irene and Bill felt blessed to be able to go to a town to supplement their own produce.
Water was the most precious commodity, and over time, Bill and his family built a system of infrastructure to give the family the best chance of having access to water for drinking, for the stock and even for fire‑fighting.
Fire was a significant threat, particularly during harvest time when the wheat was dry and easily combustible. Fire wasn’t just a danger within your own property but could obviously spread to adjacent properties and beyond. Every wheat farm had its own firefighting equipment, and at the first sign of fire anywhere across the district, all the local farmers would rush to quash it before it had a chance to take hold.
One of the stories Mum used to tell was about how the family kept things cold, like milk and meat. Of course there was no electricity and no fridge. Instead they had a setup called a Coolgardie Safe, which was a cabinet made of wire mesh, hessian, and a wooden frame, and which had a galvanised iron drum on top which was filled with water, with a tap which slowly dripped water onto the hessian.
The hessian bag would be kept constantly wet from the dripping tap. When a breeze came it would pass through the wet bag and evaporate the water. This would cool the air inside the safe, and in turn cool the food stored in the safe. The process is due to the water in the hessian needing energy to change state and evaporate. This energy is taken from the interior of the safe (metal mesh), thus making the interior cooler. There’s a metal tray below the safe to catch excess water from the hessian.
The Safe was usually placed on a veranda where there was a breeze, although Madonna’s father (Harold) recalled it being inside at Cooberang.
A Coolgardie Safe
A makeshift refrigerator
Many years later, when we were babies, Mum used a similar technique to keep us cool on the hottest of Sydney’s summer days. She’d turn a small table upside down, put the mattress from our cot on the underside where she’d lie us down, then she’d spread a damp sheet over the upturned table legs and point an electric fan on it. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.
Over time the O’Brien family got what they would no doubt have called “luxuries”. With items like a hand turned butter churn, and a manual washing “machine” taking some of the tedious repetition out of the most manual of the household tasks.
As the family grew, and before the children were able to travel by themselves to school, they were taught at Cooberang by a series of governesses. Then in 1929, Irene and Bill decided that the six older children could navigate the 7 mile (11 kilometre) trip to and from school, using the family’s horse and buggy. At this stage even the eldest, Mary, was just 12 years old, and she was joined by Jack (11), Allan (10), Harold (9), Cyril (6) and Helen (5).
As the years went by, the younger children would join this merry band of O’Briens on the journey to school, with the buggy full to overflowing. In later years, as the older children finished their schooling, it was just my Mum (Gwen), Claire, Reg and Anne, with Mum and Reg generally taking turns driving the buggy.
Outside the house at Cooberang, with Nancy at the ready for the school trip
Gwen is at the front, with Claire, Anne and Reg behind
Given that the school was a considerable distance and that the O’Brien’s made up a substantial percentage of the students across many years, the family received a Government payment to help subsidise the wear and tear on the buggy.
Junee Reefs school, 1935 - 9 O’Brien children
Front row 2nd from the left Claire (5), 2nd from the right Reg (6)
Second row 3rd from the left Joan (10), next to her Allan (16) with his athletics trophy, far right Gwen (7), and 2 to to the left Helen (11)
Third row centre Harold (15), 2nd from the right Frank (8)
Back row left hand side Cyril (12)
Junee Reefs school, 1937 - 6 O’Brien children
Front row 3rd from the left Claire (7), two to the right Anne (6), and next to her Reg (8)
Third row left Gwen (9), two to the right Joan (12)
Back row 2nd from the left Frank (10)
The teacher/headmaster at the school was a Mr Brown (Claude), and he was popular with the students and their parents. At one stage, news arrived that he was about to be transferred. Well, Bill wasn’t about to let the popular Mr Brown go without a fight. He put his case to the Education Department by letter and convinced them to leave Mr Brown exactly where he was. A good result for both the Brown and O’Brien families.
Years later in December 1985, Mr Brown and his wife visited with 8 of the now adult O’Brien “children” at Claire’s place. You can see him here with eight of his old O’Brien students - Mary, Jack, Cyril, Joan, Gwen, Reg, Claire and Anne.
Madonna included this about the school:
As the school grew, the one-room building was no longer big enough for teaching the children. So it was organised for another building to be transported by wagon and set down on blocks next door. Miss Hosken and then Mr Brill were now employed as well as Mr. Brown, so Junee Reefs Primary became a two teacher school.
When William [Bill] was president of the P&C he started a new routine at little lunch that would have been very popular with the students. Winter was bleak in the Riverina, so William [Bill] organised cups of hot chocolate for all the students to keep them warm. The photo below shows how happy the children are outside with their drinks. The tall young woman in the centre is Mary, who was about fifteen years old.
Junee Reefs schoolchildren enjoying a hot chocolate - Mary is the tall lady in the centre
Some time during the early 1930’s, Bill decided a tennis court would be a fine addition to Cooberang, so he and the older boys took to building one. Although it was a big job, the family reaped the benefits during their ten remaining years at Cooberang. The whole family learned the game, and there were many Sunday afternoon tennis parties for family and friends. Of course, those occasions were reciprocated by the O’Brien’s neighbours, as you can see in the photo below. This is the O’Briens and the Heffernans at Lake Noorla enjoying a picnic day.
The O’Briens and Heffernans at a picnic day at Lake Noorla on the Heffernan’s property
This photo looks like it was taken about 1938 or 1939 to me - and I did find a note that Jack may have been courting Celia at the time, so that would be about right. In the front row 2nd from the left is Gwen (11), one to the right is Anne (8), two to the right is Claire (9), two to the right is Reg (10), Jack (21) is standing far right. Then in the second row third from the left is Irene and I believe that’s Helen (15) on her lap. Above them is Joan (14). And right at the back with just the top of his head visible is Bill. I’m not sure where Frank was that day - he did have a bit of a habit of disappearing.
Of course, the children didn’t just go to school and picnics. There were plenty of chores to do…and that was relentless and every day, even before heading off to school. Chickens and turkeys had to be fed. Cows had to be milked. The horse and buggy had to be set up ready for the trip to school.
And after school and on Saturdays, meat had to be salted, firewood collected, washing gathered in and folded, and much more. And of course the older children had to take care of the younger ones. There wasn’t much time for rest. Keeping a household of 14 running smoothly meant everyone had to pitch in.
The children received very little pocket money, if any – they were part of the household, and everyone had to do their bit. Things were even tighter from the onset of the Depression in 1929. Although the O’Briens were relatively self‑sufficient, they also sold sheep, wool and grain, and the Depression meant that prices for all those commodities fell. In previous years Bill had had money to spend on getting contractors in to help him with the heaviest of the work and the busiest of times, but that money had dried up during this difficult time. In a fluke of timing, the older kids were now able to help him much more than previously, so the work went on, driven mostly by the O’Briens themselves.
But despite their own hardships during the Depression, Irene and Bill never shied away from helping those in greater need. Many unemployed men packed up a swag and headed for the country to try to track down some work. Some would arrive at Cooberang, and Irene and Bill would do their best to take them in and feed them, and even offer them what work they could. Often, they were unable to pay the men aside from lodgings and food, but most of these travellers were just grateful to have somewhere safe and warm to sleep, and to get a home cooked meal.
Shayne noted that during these dark days, the shopkeepers allowed struggling farmers extended credit until the wheat harvest was complete.
Throughout their time at Cooberang, Bill and Irene were both heavily involved with the local community. In 1935 Bill became a Justice of the Peace. My Mum used to say how proud Irene was of Bill, often saying that he was a fine stamp of a man. I’m sure that this would have been one of those very proud moments.
Bill’s appointment as a Justice of the Peace, 1935
In 1937 Bill attended the Farmers and Settlers’ Conference, as one of 8 delegates who canvassed a range of matters which particularly affected the farming community. These ranged from the special income tax, the allocation of petrol tax revenue, wage tax, income averaging for primary producers, probate duty, and deductions for farmers including allowing working horses to be deductible as “plant”.
Bill (4th from the left) - one of 8 delegates at the 1937 Farmers and Settlers’ Conference
Photo from The Land, Friday 20 August 1937
At the conference, the temporary “special income tax” was discussed with a call to reduce it as it was a significant impost on low income earners. Bill spoke up, asking “how a man receiving just over 4 pounds a week could pay wages tax and keep a family without hardship”.
Bill even wrote to the paper when his dander was up as you can see below.
Bill’s letter to the Editor of the Land, 29 March 1940
As the older children left the Junee Reefs school, they took a variety of paths into adulthood. Mary left at round fifteen to do her senior school years as a boarder at Mt. Erin Convent in Wagga Wagga.
At 17, Jack passed the intermediate certificate in 1934, then left school to work with his father on Cooberang.
Allan, who was very spirited and didn’t always get along well with his father, was sent to St. Joseph's College, Hunter Hill in 1936, aged 16.
Madonna recalls what happened to her father (Harold) in the following paragraphs.
At 14, Harold started fainting in classes at school. He had become very tall and by 15 was his full height of 6' 3" (190.5 cm). As a teenager, he had also developed asthma. When William [Bill] and Irene consulted Dr. Weaver he said to forget about Harold's schooling for a while as he had outgrown his own strength. It was decided Harold should have six months off school, so he went to stay with his mother's sisters. Both Ada Darcy and Lina O'Dywer lived on properties at Bogan Gate. As Ada and Mick Darcy never had children, they loved 'adopting' Harold. He spent three months at each place enjoying the rest, milking a few cows, delivering cream to the railway siding and shooting lots of hares. Harold remembers he 'had a ball' while he was away. He returned much stronger and his school work didn't suffer, as it was easier now for him to concentrate.
To top up preparations for his Intermediate, Harold was sent to Junee State High School for nine months as a weekly boarder. William [Bill] would drive him to school on Mondays and pick him up on Fridays. Like Jack, after his intermediate, Harold did not go on to senior schooling. Money was very limited for the family and William [Bill] often apologised to Harold about it, but Harold said he was happy, so he continued working on the farm with his father.
Cyril was always a good student, as you’ll see when I gather the various snippets from the newspapers about his educational successes – a task for the near future. He won a bursary, which entitled him to five years free secondary education at the school of his choice, and he also won free entry to university.
In 1938, Helen went on to senior schooling at Presentation Convent in Wagga Wagga. Joan joined her there the flowing year.
Madonna recalls that:
Helen says she loved her time there as they were 'wonderful years' and she was sad to leave. Without the support of her parents and older brothers, especially Jack who helped pay her school fees, Helen would not have enjoyed the opportunity of senior schooling.
So, as the family spread out and grew into adulthood, Irene and Bill decided to sell Cooberang and make the move from Junee Reefs to Sydney. My cousin Madonna sums up the decision here.
In 1941 William [Bill] and Irene O'Brien sold Cooberang to Tom Heffernan (Walter's son), who grew up on Noorla, the property next door. From the outbreak of World War II, the future of running the property looked uncertain. Working the land became increasingly more difficult as the O'Brien boys Jack, Alan, Harold and later Cyril enlisted in the Air Force or Army. Meeting the demands of ploughing, planting and harvesting meant that Irene and most often Helen started driving the tractor to help William [Bill] with his duties. This situation did not please William [Bill], so it was decided that the family would move to Sydney.
My Mum was 13 when that decision was made. In her video interviews with my sister Kate, Mum remembered the move like this:
Dad moved especially for us girls. He knew we wouldn’t go on the land, and he wanted us to have the chance for education and a job. I remember travelling up to Sydney in Mum and Dad’s car with Mum, Allan and Dad in the front; and me in the back with Anne on one knee and Claire on the other. All we owned was packed and stacked, and in and on that car, all around us. I don’t know how we did it! I don’t know what happened to the furniture we had in the old house. Maybe it was just left for the next people?
This is an article from the Cootamundra Herald of 30 July 1941 about the family’s departure from The Junee area.
After having followed farming pursuits at Junee Reefs since 1914, Mr. T. W. O'Brien, accompanied by his wife and family, have left. Mr. O'Brien received an appointment as a draughtsman with a metropolitan engineering firm. Mr. O'Brien was studying mechanical draughtsmanship by correspondence. Very general will be the regret at the departure of the O'Brien family from the district, where the various members have been a tower of strength over a period of years. Mr. O'Brien in particular interested himself in the various organisations which will tremendously miss his practical support.
Cootamundra Herald of 30 July 1941
And so the O’Brien family arrived in Sydney in the latter half of 1941. Well, at least those who were not out and about doing other things.
To continue with the second chapter of Irene and Bill’s lives, click here.
Written by Rob Landsberry, last updated 23 May 2023
References:
This part of Irene and Bill’s story wouldn’t have been as complete without the books listed below, which not only provided a huge amount of assistance, but from which I was able to draw many quotes. Thanks to both Shayne and Madonna.
Growing up in Cooberang by Madonna Barraclough
Ireland the Riverina and Beyond : The O’Brien and Flannagan Family History by Shayne O’Brien