Norah and Allan Ramsey slide compilation. Norah was one of Maud’s sisters. She got to know Allan during the First world War when she participated in an effort to improve moral during WW1.
Ladies were asked to volunteer to write to service men away from home, as pen-pals.
They exchanged letters and became fond of each other.
As I understand it, after corresponding through WW1, Allan returned to his outback farm near Adelaide, and invited Norah to join him and be married. She accepted!
In 1938 Auntie Norah made a visit back to England and on her return to South Australia she took Dennis with her and so began the story of Dennis’ and Evans’ family in Australia!
Seated: Elizabeth Woodham nee Andrews (mother of Norah etc). [Many thanks to Dennis for this information.]
Date: 1935 – the year of the wedding.
Extras from Dennis Evans’ Photo Album
A truly life changing day!
When Norah wrote that first letter to a military service man at war, little did she know the events their pen-pal love would bring! Not least that Dennis would follow her to Australia, meet Jeannette and create such an amazing family!
Allan after the War
Allan’s story after he returned from the war is that for a number of years he travelled around Australia as an iterant farm workman, shearing, cane cutting, whatever was available, before eventually returning to buy land near his family home between Bute and Lochiel.
He then worked hard to reduce his mortgage enough to allow a trip to England and to marry.
How Norah Made the Big Leap to a New Life
Norah’s story is that she left a comfortable home with her mother in Anderson Rd, Erdington and a capable job as a school teacher to go to a primitive house with no modern services.
She had to go out to a tank for water and to a pit toilet (or long drop). Cooking was done using wood as fuel. There was no refrigeration and after dark the only light was a kerosene lamp on the table, or a kerosene lantern to go outside.
The remarkable thing was that she insisted on taking with her the latest of a series of baby Austin cars which she drove. She did that even though Allan explained that it was not capable of surviving the rough roads.
Allan himself only had work-horses and a horse and cart for travel.
When I went there in 1935 (? Is his date correct given the wedding was also in 1935…) the Austin had long gone and Allan then had a Pontiac car.
At that stage American cars were much more popular with farmers for the rugged road conditions in the country than most English cars.
I am sure that the only thing enabling her to survive was her very strong love for Allan.
Having grown up with British cars in the 1960s and 70s I can well-believe that the Austin would have fallen apart in no time at all!
However, I can appreciate that in a way, that car probably didn’t need to actually take her anywhere. It could have been her last mental connection with the UK, and re-assuring as it stood there outside their home. A tenuous link with civilisation and her past-life. An escape route which knew she could take – but wouldn’t ever need…
Dennis has informed me via email that; “In 1938 Auntie Norah had a visit back to England and on her return to SA she took me with her.”
I have amended the comments to provide the correct date for the first visit by Dennis.