Evelyn was born at Glencliffe and spent her childhood years on her parents property in that isolated rural area. Her early schooling was mostly by correspondence as the local school was wrecked in a windstorm in 1925 and not rebuilt for many years.
Her parents moved to Kingaroy for the latter years ofher schooling and Evelyn revelled in the impact of the increased companionship and, sportswise, excelled at basketball. She returned with her parents to Glencliffe in 1932 and, for a few years, assisted with farm and household chores before moving to Brisbane where she stayed with her Aunt Eliza (Andison). Here she soon obtained work, the equivalent of today's nanny, with families of pre-school children.
When Evelyn and Ray were married they settled in Brisbane. Ray's interests lay in music, his forte being piano and piano-accordion. He teamed up with a saxophonist and they were greatly in demand for wartime concerts.
In 1941 Evelyn and Ray moved to Sydney, Ray responding to a call for Aircraft Construction staff as he felt he would not make a very competent soldier. They eventually settled in Randwick. Later, Ray worked at the Dept of Aircraft Production's engineering factory at Mascot and, as always, was involved as a member of the factory's concert party. He retired in 1977.
Meanwhile, Evelyn became involved in the Methodist Church Aid movement, being always a fervent worker for charity. After retirement, the couple moved to Hurstville and both joined the Red Cross there. Evelyn became a member ofthe Hurstville Pensioner's Association and the CWA. Her green thumb saw her spending any spare time in her garden.
In 1991, seeking a quieter life, they moved to Bateman's Bay and, in 1992, the Australian Red Cross acknowledged their service of fourteen years with a certifIcate. As with all active people, their endeavour to lead a less active life met with only limited success.
Evelyn died quite suddenly in March 1997. Their only child, Karma, and her husband now live in Batehaven, as does one grandchild and her family. Three other grandchildren live in Sydney. There are now eleven great-grand children of the marriage. |