[Briden, Mollie, My Life in Port Hedland (unpublished), A short hand-written memoir written by Mollie Briden at age 77, two years before her death., 1983, Copy provided to the author by Mollie's granddaughter Cathy Wallace.]
Mollie Briden was the youngest daughter of Harry & Annie Briden.
A copy of this memoir was made available by Mollie's granddaughter Cathy Wallace, Perth.
Mollie died in 1985, aged 79.
My Life in Port Hedland by Mollie Elliott, nee Briden.
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I must be about 12 years old now, & have two jobs, cleaning the Bank before school, it was only a small bank. Then after school, I swept out the school, one large room with verandah all round. My wages were £1-5-0 ($1-50) per month. Once during the school holiday Dolly, Girlie, & myself, went to the Poondina Hotel for a weeks holiday. Poondina was a railway siding 20 miles from Hedland, & supplied water from the river, when Hedland ran out of rain water, the water train brought in tanks of water & we bought it for 5/- shilling 100 gallons. Girlie & I wanted to play Tennis, so to learn, we used to get up early at the week ends & spend about an hour on the tennis courts. Later in life Tennis was one of our main entertainments. At the school holidays I went out to [?Nuniningarra] Station to look after two little children. Before this my Uncle Bert arrived from England. He was a watch maker. He didn't live with us, but I used to tidy up his shop at week ends. Uncle Percy & he went to the world war one. Uncle Percy was killed only after 12 hours in the firing line, Uncle Bert came through without a scratch, he was a signaller. He returned to Hedland after the war. His fiancee came out months later they were married in Hedland, and the wedding breakfast was held on our side verandah. Mum did all the catering.
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