Doug & Phyllis Rowlinson moved to Kybeyan in 1953 (Nov. I think.) They were moved there from Pambula with the help of Jim Parker I think. We lived in the shearer's Quarters to start with. Mum was pregnant with Barbara, & was due to have her soon. She was born on 14th Dec. '53. I (Lynette) was 3 ½ years & Margaret 2 years.

I can't remember the move, but I can remember living in the Shearing Quarters. I can remember Dad making Margaret & myself hot cocoa drinks (at night I thought,) but mum tells me it was in the morning before dad left for work. (Not a good habit she thought, as it was very early.) I think the shearer's quarters were a dark red colour.

Dad was a station-hand, jack of all trades. He did some bulldozing at Doolondondoo. I can remember going out there, I'm not sure if Mr. Mould took us out there with other mums & children, as I can remember being out there when the men were working, & seeing the huts that they lived in. (Mum says it could have been Mrs. Moore that took us out there) I can also remember going out there with dad, when he took us all out on a weekend, I guess it was.

I had this terrible fear of snakes, & still do. I can remember jumping onto a rock & a snake coming out from under it. I screamed & dad came running down & got me off & then turned the big rock over with something killed the snake. That was when we lived in the shearer's Quarters, so it was before I started school. I use to have nightmares about snakes.

Mum said that we moved into the middle house next. I can vaguely recall living there. I can see in my mind's eye being there, as I can in all the places we lived in there. Barbara was born when we lived in the middle house. Then I think the thews lived there. There was Eric, Janel and another child I think. I remember Mrs. Thew I think she use to teach us Sunday school. I think one of the kids had scarlet fever. I remember them sitting out in the sun when they were getting better.

We moved to Myola, I'm not sure when, but I know it was before I started school, & Barbara was a baby. Margaret & I used to see the school bus go by. We used to like playing under the pines at Myola, sweeping between the roots of the trees with our little brooms. I can remember Mr. Mould visiting us there. And I can remember mum making jelly & sitting it on the windowsill to set. Dad brought an echidna home one day in his Greatcoat (army). Margaret & I thought it was wonderful. The next morning it was gone.

I can recall a cow getting stuck in a bog at Myola and dad getting it out.

We became friends with the Tozers while living at Myola. I remember there was Terry & Katie, who were much older than us. The parents were Betty & Royce I Think. I think that they lived somewhere up on a hill on the right side of the road going into Nimmitabel. Not far from Myola.

We must have moved back to Kybeyan in 1954 sometime. I think we may have moved back into the shearer's Quarters, to begin with. Then we moved to the end house (the Costas lived there before us I think). John our younger brother was born while we lived there. I can remember pushing him around in our doll's pram. Sadly he died when he was 34 years old in 1990. Dad brought home a Joey, but we were unable to keep it alive. It was so tiny. I got my arm caught on the clothesline while there. I still have the little scar.

The Gammon's lived in the end house after us. There were Martin and Mrs. Gammon, and Helen and Michael (was it). I can't remember any others. I think that Robin and Carol Keir lived there as well.

We moved into the stone house next, I'm not sure when. The McCarty`s lived there before us. And for some reason I remember Vera McCarty wearing a lovely striped jumper. While we lived in that house, mum and dad were sick at sometime, and I recall people coming in to take care of us. Someone (I'm not sure if it was you Pattrick) would blow out the kerosene lamp when it was lit. I liked living in that house. Dad had his veggie garden down the back, and his flowers out the front. Our brother John got stuck in a bucket one day. His bottom was in the bucket, and his little legs and arm and head were sticking out the top. Mum couldn't get him out. I'm not sure now who got him out. Another time he got his arm caught in the ringer on the washing machine. We got the electricity on while living there as well. That was exciting. All those little white lampshades on the ceilings. I think Margaret may have lit a fire outside the yard as well one-day. I remember dad putting it out. Mint use to grow under the kitchen window.

I think I started school in May/June 1955. We traveled on the bus to Nimmitabel School. The bus was driven by Alfie O'hanlan I think. I remember being sick on the bus one-day on the way to school, and Alfie taking me to his house and I spent the day with his wife and little child. I also think it was Alfie who took the school kids down to Merimbula once or twice, but I could be wrong about that. Sometimes we had to be brought home early from school, because of floods or snow.

Learning to ride on Mable was a great treat for us young ones. I thought it was Raylee that gave us the lessons. As we got bigger, I can recall riding Bernie, I'm sure it was, which was a bigger horse. I think he was Raylee's horse. And there was a horse called Tango, and of course there was your horse Pattrick, which was Frosty. I can recall you putting a few of us up on Frosty at the same time, then Frosty throwing us all off. That was in the home paddock, and we all did the same with Bernie. You placed Bernie up next to the shearing shed steps so that we all could get on. This is what I recall anyway.

I loved riding. We used to go over the jumps down at the hall sometimes, with the horse stopping before the jump and us going over the jump without the horse at times. It was always very rewarding brushing the horses down at the stables. We had such fun. When the Moye's family used to come' up in the holidays, it was wonderful. They were all so nice and lots of fun. I used to go riding with Helen and Kathy. Helen got me to take a photo of her kissing one of the horses once (I don't recall which horse) but the next time they were up, she showed me the photo, and it was perfect.

We went riding one day and I rode this horse called Blacky, I think it was, and as soon as we turned to go back home, this horse bolted on me. I didn't know how I was going to stop him, and I was heading for the top of the hill coming down to the home paddock from Bill Keevers way. Anyway, I some how managed to turn him before then and raced back to the others. Then I walked him home I think, or maybe some one else did. That same horse bolted on me another time when I went mustering with one of the men.

It surely was a wonderful life we had. We used to go down to the river with the tractor and a car tyre tubes and have fun in the river. I think that I can recall going to the river with Robyn Keir and I'm not sure whom else.

There were the bonfires that were held in that paddock down past the horse stables. (I loved the smell of the horse stables.) Which if I recall properly, was on the way to the river where we used to go to swim, and also on the way to where Con and Yope lived. I also think that I went that way when I went mustering with Mr. Mould. One time, when the horse I was riding (I think it was Bernie) wouldn't go up the hill, so I went round the hill and your father went up over the hill.

In that paddock where the bonfires were held, which was great fun, that cubby-house was there. I think it was made of steel or tin. IT had a stove in it and we used to cook there with eggs. I think it may have had a couple of rooms.

There were the Christmas parties held in the shearing quarters that I remember, and every year I was always frightened of Santa. I used to try and be brave, but I would always cry. Then later on the Christmas parties were held in the hall.

There was also a hurdy-gurdy type thing out in that area in front of the houses that Mr. Mould put there for the children to play on. We also used to play hopscotch on the road outside the Parker's and Moore's house while waiting for the bus.

The Kleinekes must have lived in that house after the Moores lived there. I can remember that there was Syd Larry and Trevor Moore There was also a family named Cauldwal's, that lived in the shearing quarters when we living in the stone house. They had a son named Bobby and a baby girl (I think it might have been). Mrs. Cauldwal had part of one of her arms missing. We used to think she was wonderful looking after the baby. I met up with Bobby years later in Canberra, as he married my husbands friends sister. We got talking and realised that we had known each other as children. I haven't seen him for many years now.

The one thing that I do recall, and that is those wonderful garden parties held in your garden. And your dear mother used to have us kids decorate saucers with flowers. We would have sand in the saucers, which was damp, then we would delight in making our beautiful patterns with the flowers. I can also remember going to Bell and AIf's wedding in Whyndam, and it was Mr & Mrs. Mould that took Margaret and myself to that wedding. It was so exciting for us.

Your mother never ever missed anyone's birthday at Kybeyan. She was a very special person.

The shearing was another exciting thing that used to happen. We used to go up there and watch. We were always told by dad to stay away from the sheep dip but oh no, Margaret ventured their one-day and fell in. Dad used to say that, that was the reason that she grew taller than I was. Margaret and I roped a calf one-day in the cattle yard. We got into a bit of trouble over that. We also used to like to walk round the tops the tall (WELL THEY SEEMED TALL AT THE TIME) fences of the cattle yards with others. Is that where the horses used to get broken in, because I can remember horse breaking in (was it Tom Leach)

During heavy rain, sometimes, we had to leave school early so that we might make it back home before the rivers would flood, I recall when we got as far as that last crossing and we had to be taken across by the tractor. Other times it would have been because of the snow that we had to leave school early.

The Mueller's (not sure of the spelling) were another family that I remember living in the shearing quarters. I can't remember their names. But I can remember going up there and eating soup with pasta in it that Mrs. Mueller use to make. Also I think we used to go up there and cook with her daughter, making up our own recipes for biscuits. (They were yummy). I think there were a few children in the family.

The Everetts were another family along the Kybeyan road. I was friends with Gwen Everett while at Nimmitabel School. I recall staying at her place some weekends, which was wonderful, as she had a cubby-house, which was a purpose built cubby like a real little house. Gwen had an older brother, Max, and a younger brother, but I'm not sure of his name.

I think it was the Mooney's that lived near the Kydra River, which is where I think Alfie or Bernie, which ever one it was that drove the school bus to the edge of the river, and the bigger kids washed the bus and us younger ones paddled in the water. (That's what I recall, anyway.)

I also can remember riding the horses into the river behind the homestead, I think it was, and I'm not sure if we rode them to the Greens. But I know we used to go over there. I can recall that they used to have ferrets. Also there was the terrible time that Mary Green got badly burnt, and her mother s hands were badly burnt as well, trying to put the fire out as I recall. Mrs. Green had a young baby at the time. I think it was Frankie. I remember we found out when the school bus stopped at the Greens stop that morning. It was just awful. The ambulance was on its way. We used to write to Mary from school sending her lots of letters, while she was in The Children's Camperdown Hospital. I think I have the story right. I guess the Greens are the ones that would know the full story.

Bell and AIf Keevers used to live over on there property as well I think. Bell was mums niece I think. She is now deceased. I think Bell may have worked for your mum, before she was married.

I remember the Smiths. Lorraine was older than I was, but I'm not sure if Christine was, and I'm pretty sure that Irene was younger than I was.

There are so many things to remember, and to put it all down in order. I was 10 years old when we left Kybeyan, and moved to Dangelong in August/Sept. school holidays. I could be wrong, but I think when we moved there, that it was just temporary to start with, but we ended up staying. I really enjoyed my time there as well. We had to do school by correspondence, which was a real challenge for our mother, as I think we gave her a hard time. But I loved it. And we made our own fun; I had a horse there to ride, as I loved to ride. Margaret wasn't so keen on horses. The horse used to bolt as soon as I would turn for home. It also threw me a couple of times. I remember the horse standing by the fence one day, and the cat jumped onto its back, Well, did that horse buck. I think the horse's name was Mischief. We lived there until Dec. 1962. It was a sad day to leave there, as we were leaving our connection with Kybeyan behind. Mum and dad thought it was better for us to live closer to Cooma so that we could attend high school. I can remember hearing dad talking to mum, and being really worried about moving, as he would have preferred to stay at Dangelong.

I was painfully shy, and found it quite hard to go back to school. On my second day at school, everyone had to have a Mantu (not sure of spelling) injection, and I passed out when I got back to the classroom. I thought I that I was going to die, as I had known idea what was happening to me. I remember praying to God to not let me die.

At Dangelong we were quite isolated. We had a party-line phone. The Bells lived one side of us a couple of miles away. They had a son called Allen that also did correspondence. We used to go over there and hit a ball round the court with him. The FitzGeralds lived the opposite way from us some distance as well, and there was also the Blyton family, both with grown up children. Dad used to take us to the river swimming, Sometimes we'd go out in the old jeep across the river towards Kybeyan way. It was a rough way. There was a swing bridge across that river, which we used to love to go across (walk) it, was a footbridge.

We used to get snowed in sometimes, and flooded in, also unable to get back home in the car because of the floods. I can remember walking home in the rain, and dad going ahead to get the fires going at home. We had lovely big fireplaces there. We didn't have any electricity, which must have been hard for mum, after having it at Kybeyan. We used to have this old washing machine that us girls took it in turns to pump up and down to wash the clothes. It was a manual machine. With a handle to work the agitator up and down.

The mail was delivered by the McFarlins at Rock Flat, I'm not sure if it was once or twice a week, but Wed. comes to mind. Mum and dad stayed in contact with the Mc Farlins when we moved to Coolringdon.

I remember going out along that old Tom Groggin Road (I think it was called) when we used to go back to Kybeyan for a visit from Dangelong.

I agree with what everyone is saying about what a wonderful childhood we all had growing up on Kybeyan. By what I can remember, we all got on very well, and had lots of fun to boot.

I think that there was a ram in the home paddock that used to charge us. And I always remember the geese. They would hiss and chase us kids.

There were so many things that were part of our daily lives, like the little shop. Which I thought was up near the bowsers opposite the workshop. The cowshed, was that next to the stables? And the milk room (was that out through that area at your house where the mail used to be.) There was a room up between the garages and the house. I can't remember what it is. I have probably got it all wrong. Also in the long kitchen in your house (my memories) I can remember the coalscuttles with the coal for the big stove (I guess.)

Going into Nimmitabel and going to Vanzandens Bakery, and Thiseltons Store was a treat. When the Sundowners was being made, Mum had Robert Mitchum's autograph, and a couple of others.

Lynette Venables (Rowlinson)