x x x x   <  ELSIE’S LIFE STORY>   x x x x

ELSIE STEPHEN :  Elsie Baird Clark’s Life began on her Parents ALEXANDER CLARK and MARGARET MAY CLARK (nee CAMERON)  farm at LEWISTOWN, DESS, ABERDEENSHIRE, SCOTLAND  on 8^TH MAY 1903.

Elsie was the eldest and was joined within five years by two brothers and two sisters:  Bill, Mary, James & Mag.

Elsie worked hard from her earliest years helping both her Dad in the Byres and her Mum in the house.   She started School at six years, still helping both before and after the schoolclasses.   Elsie met her future husband JOHN INNES STEPHEN  whilst delivering eggs to his Landlady Annie Morris.   John was Signalman at Aboyne Railway Station and was involved in the Royal Train security when it passed through on its way to Ballater Station when the Royals travelled to BALMORAL CASTLE, about 15 miles from Aboyne.   John and Elsie were married in ABERDEEN on 24^th April, 1925.   They had four children,  ETHEL,  DAPHNE (Dee)  JOY  &  IAN.

ETHEL Margaret married John Mackie –Grandchildren Joan and Lillian, Gt.Grandchildren Jane & Bryan, & Kyle, Great Greatgrandies, Kelli, Connie & Abbey  and   Gemma & Nicole. ………….

Elsie DAPHNE  Innes married James Copland – Grandchildren Kathleen, Edith, Jim,  Gt.Grandchildren  Karen & Jenny, & Gillian & Nicola, & Ross & Neal, GreatGreatgrandies  Shannon & Cara, & Holly, & Rachael & Katie, & Lucas James …

JOY Elizabeth Cameron married Lawrie Dunlop- Grandchildren Lawrie John  and Murray, Gt.Grandchildren  Lawrie Andrew & Callum & Russell.         

John was 45 years with the Railways and on his retirement they moved  from Railway Cottages to a Home at Birchwood Place, Aboyne.

Elsie & John both grew up in Christian Families and were active in their St. Machar Church at Aboyne, John an Elder and Elsie a Member of the Women’s Guild and Women’s Rural Institute.   They both were community helpers supplying needy with Honey fresh vegetables homebaking and during the war sometimes taking in refugees and also billeting soldiers and their wives.

 Joy migrated to Australia  with her husband Lawrie Dunlop & baby son Lawrie John  in April 1958 and Elsie first came to Australia in 1959 for three months, also visiting with her Australian Cousins Mary Maller and Mag Cormack whose parents ALEX CORMACK & LIZZIE (nee CAMERON) came to Australia on Sailing Ship in 1911 and Elsie had corresponded with Lizzie on behalf of her Mum Maisie for many years.

Elsie found she loved Australia.   John had wanted to come out and join an Uncle here on Australian Railways for years, but she didn’t want to move away from still helping her parents on the farm.at that time.

After the family younger members were grown up,  Elsie worked in one of the Village Hotels, the Huntly Arms, as Head Waitress for several years.  After John’s retirement arrived, the parents were both passed on, and son Ian had completed his Masonry Apprenticeship and was about to join Joy in Australia, so Elsie and John came along too with adopted son MORVYN MIDDLETON.In 1961.   Elsie, Ian & Morvyn settled O.K. but John was homesick and in 1963 Elsie and John sailed off back to Scotland and again enjoyed the company of their daughters Ethel & Dee and their grandchildren , Joan & Lillian Mackie & Kathleen Edith & Jim Copland.

After John passed on  (September 26^th 1966)  Elsie once again returned to Australia. Helping look after her 2 grandsons Lawrie & Murray whilst Joy was at work.

Elsie enjoyed moving around amongst her cousins again, Mary Maller, Bessie Maller and Mag Spence & Mag’s daughter Zelma Hanley & husband Eric have been special friends regularly visiting Elsie,  and she has always been Grandma to Morvyn & Family  She also visited with the friends she had made whilst travelling on Shipboard on her visits from and back to Scotland.  English ladies Maidie in Tasmania and Belle in Sydney  In all Elsie had about 10 visits home to family there  – we called her the Globetrotting Grandma!!

In Australia Elsie again kept herself busy and was  often called on to do the housekeeping and cooking when someone was sick or absent from the home. Helping many friends and their families.

This Lady, ELSIE,  was a Super, Beautiful, “Live-Life-To-The-Full personality.  A very strong determined and effective participant in any cause she adopted and most of all with all of her family individuals.  Joy remembers always being told she was “her problem child” to which Joy would retort: “well, you made me”!  Joy remembers  as she and Ian grew up there were lots of fiery exchanges between Elsie and John who didn’t always approve of what she got involved with and remembers heading inside the gate as Dad was coming out and being told “watch it – Mt.  Vesuvius is erupting”.

Most of all Elsie has been a dedicated Granma for her many many Grandchildren, the Greats and Great Greats – always corresponding with them and sending Birthday Cards and Presents and so proud of all of them..

SOME ANECDOTES ABOUT ELSIE:

After returning to Oz Elsie mostly made her home with Joy and spells with Ian and other family and friends.  Sharing home with Mum was not always plain sailing.  Some funny stories from those times were when Elsie would arrive unexpectedly and do the washing, ironing etc. and soaked a brand new Sports girl blouse Joy wore with a suede leather waistcoat, not knowing to pick the bits of suede off, the favourite blouse ended up with big navy blotches all over the white and red stripes, just like it had measles – guess who erupted then!  When Joy lived and worked in Brisbane at King & Co. Elsie often arrived Friday nights from Toowoomba and walked from North Quay Train Station to King George Square and would join in with the “Kinky “ Gang going to dinner and drinks.   Another time her Tassie English friend Maidie Childs was over on holidays and they wanted a night out on the town with Joy – went to Wilson’s 1770  and got very merry and left Joy’s new  Sportsgirl  Multicoloured Velvet Jacket in the Taxi – never to be seen again.   Then at Eumundi – she loved the huge area where we had heaps of fruit trees, papaws and she could grow lots of veggies and propagate plants.  Some of the Pawpaw Trees were on a steep bank and although Joy told her often that she was not allowed to take stools there to stand up on to pick Pawpaws, guess what happened – came home one night to find  house in darkness and she hiding under a banket – all black and blue as  the stool and she had  rolled down the slope!   She just loved sweeping up the leaves and bricabrac and having a wee bonfire and one day at work Joy gets a call from A Noosa Council Inspector friend (Denis)  suggesting she rush home as “your Mum phoned saying there was a fire she wanted help with going down at your Eumundi House”.   On arriving home there was Elsie - with raincoat dripping, face and nose blackened  and still watering the smouldering bank & Shed – lucky for Joy the neighbours up above had  heard her screams and saw the blaze and come down with their hoses.

There was always lots of Pawpaw Chutneys and Jams and Grapefruit & Orange Marmalades and always boxes full of Shortbread and all the pants patched and socks darned..

The biggest escapade was when she got us arrested in Amsterdam, when on her last trip back for a Gt.granddaughter Wedding at age 94(with Joy as Carer),  because she jumped off the plane (against orders)and got parted by the crowd from Joy and gave the Customs Bag containing a Video Camera to another Lady to carry (who offered to help when she saw her struggling along) which eventually had a Customs Officer arresting Joy thinking Joy was trying to bypass customs,  and making us miss our plane to Scotland !!

Elsie moved into Carramar home in July 1995  and entered into all the activities, Christmastime found her in the Kitchen making up batches of Shortbread .

 Elsie loved Carramar Home and enjoyed being in the Ad for "A Beautiful Place to Live". Loved the activities and friendships with her mates there, loved her Carers, the RNs the Chefs the Volunteers  Louise & Admin folks and Blanche, Dorothy & Robina visits (she hid all the overseas stamps from me to keep for Robina) Harlow Lodge Carers especially (Gabby/Wendy) and all Staff there helping and always had family/friends coming for Lunches and other Celebrations.  The Highlight for her was Carramar's Party for her 100th Birthday, when Scottish Family came and old friends from many parts of  Australia.  Now she joined the Queensland Premier Beattie's 100+ Club and had three marvellous outings to Christmas Lunch at Parliament House,  as she continued on to enjoy 2 more Carramar Birthdays.   In 9 weeks time Elsie would have attained the 103,  and we know in Heaven Elsie will be having that very Special Party - for she was a "Jolly Good Fellow" " Special Lady" - Goodbye Darling and God Bless. 

GOODBYE CARRAMAR - A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO LIVE       xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx