This is the last entry from this diary Pat kept in the years 1940 - 41.
She kept a journal or diary most of her life and others will be transcribed as they are unearthed. (I will edit this post later to add scanned clippings)
A very humid night - February 1st 1941 Saturday
Dear Diary
Events of all importance have happened these past days. On Thursday early, a tiny wee girl first saw the light of day. She is now just 3 days old, and belongs at last to the Bakers at Wentworthville. They wanted a girl so for their sakes I'm glad.
February 11th 1941 Glenayr Roseville
Dear Diary
It is eleven days since I last wrote and another eleven days of my life have gone from me.
Three days ago I did something I have regretted ever since, and I vow that as long as I live, I'll never do it again. I had my hair waved into a wella. It was madness to do it because I had such nice hair, even though I say it myself. But it was lovely and shiny in a pageboy, now it's a short frizz. I am going to let it grow from now on, and have it as I had it before. It will be at least nine months before it will be grown long enough to roll.
I have such exciting news, the results of the Scholarship examination I sat for in January have come out and I came 10th out of 1,468 girls and boys from all parts of Australia and New Zealand. I am awfully pleased.
On Saturday I had to take a wreath out to the crematorium for Farmers. One of the girls at work lost her mother. It was quite an experience but I wouldn't like to go through it again.
The February sales are on at work and we are having a busy time.
(Clipping about submarine to be added here)
A windy afternoon in February 22nd 1941
At my little attic window
Dear Diary
The sales are all over, and we are ready to begin life anew.
I am second in charge of the desk now and when the "head" is out, I find it quite exciting to exercise my power. I like it at work now, we're all like a happy big family. On Saturday next, Graham is going on holidays. We'll miss him because he's always around at the desk. He's so familiar to me now, I feel I've known him for years.
We have several boys at work. Gordon is another, he is nice too, but there's something about him I don't understand. His manner is strange, and whatever he says seems to have two different meanings, different ones. Then there's John Willie, at least that's what I call him. He is very young in his ways, and doesn't have much to say. His real name is John Williams.
When he smiles you can tell before that he is going to, by his face. He works it all up into a smile. Mervyn next, is tall and seems a very sensible lad. He told Shirley that I had a very sweet face. That's not why he's sensible, but he knows when a thing is carried too far, & he wouldn't let the older boys and girls too, tell their rude jokes in front of me, so he has some respect for me and I like him. There are two other boys, which I don't have much to do with. Graham is a very nice boy, with a good amount of common sense, and exceedingly handsome. He has great expression in his face, and the brownest of brown eyes.
(Clipping about airwoman here)
March 1st Saturday
Dear Diary
Today is the first of March. The days have been flying past me lately, I have hardly had time to breathe. Indeed I haven't seen myself in the mirror for a few days, but that doesn't say that I am usually vain. There always seems to be something else to do.
Spent Thursday night stocktaking and didn't leave until a quarter to ten. Flopped into bed at eleven and was asleep three minutes later. Late shopping night Friday, I stayed back for the presentation. Miss Kentwell, one of the girls at work, left, and I caught the later train, wasn't home until 9:30.
Tomorrow is Sunday! I'm going to spend a quiet restful day in the sun without a worry or care. I wonder if I shall be in the paper tomorrow? I may or may not, there are only two answers and the inner Pat doubts the outer Pat.
I'm being know at work as the little girl who writes poetry. Yesterday one of the supervisors, Miss Carroll, came up and asked for me, and she wants to know if I'd write her a poem about her niece Cynthia. She has blue eyes and fair hair, aged 14.
On Monday we were all in the line up for pay, and I was behaving rather mischieviously, tying a piece of string round one of Shirley's curls, when Mr Frawley saw me. Mr Byrne is away on business and Frawley is taking his place. He started to laugh and said, "I think you're a bit of a trick, are you?" I just laughed.
Dad framed my D.O.S certificate last week, and it looks very nice in its great white frame. I'm very proud of it. I forgot to say I got my photographs I had taken on my 16th birthday. One big brown & six little ones. I tinted one of them and spoilt the lips.
Anthony has been with us five weeks now, sometimes he can be very naughty, but otherwise he is a little pet.
(clipping - boy with no arms)
21st March 1941
Dear Diary
Today brought me a second letter from my soldier in Palestine. He sounded very excited and sent me two more snaps of Palestine. I will write to him tomorrow. I had a photograph taken in Hyde Park but it wasn't very good so will have another taken to send him.
There's a girl at work i wish would leave. She's horrible, but then I'm Cynthia & mustn't complain.
I am going to send my soldier (by the way his name is Arthur) a poem I had published.
Ivy's son is now three weeks old and is called Barry. I bought him the sweetest little pair of mittens.
I am horribly disappointed in Mervyn at work, and I'm going to have a word with him tomorrow.
29th March 1941 Mummy's birthday
Dear Diary
The Elfkins of Autumn are having a merry rondevous outside my open window tonight. They are chasing each other through the trees and the shivery grass is laighing at their antics.
Today has been splendid, as mummy's birthday always is. I wore my blue frock with cravat scarf and was told I looked nice. Mummy received three pounds 16/-, a pair of stockings, a jar of gorgeous nutties, which was a gift from myself, & a water bottle. She has retired to bed after a very pleasant day.
6th April 1941 Sunday
Dear Diary
The wind is playing havoc in the trees, it's not the elves this time, because it is not the gentle whispering little wind that I love, but a huge fierce biting wind that blows you inside out and makes you shiver at the very sound of it. It's a wind I hate. I do hope it will be gone before tomorrow as I hate being blown along, and my hair gets so untidy. I am wearing my costume, so I want to look extra nice.
I have just heard from Bruce that Germany has declared War on Greece and Yugoslavia. I will confirm the news by tomorrow's papers and slip on a cutting. It seems very sorrowful for those two little countries to be dragged into this awful mess. Especially Yugoslavia, which has only a young boy King to lead them, but he seems strong, and although only seventeen, he seems ever so much older. It is always that way with Royal children. Their childhood is over before they really see it, and the days of their youth move on quickly.
At the Sydney Royal Easter Show - about 1938
from left: Phyllis, Dad, Mummy, Peggy, Pat
11th April 1941 Good Friday
Dear Diary
Today is Good Friday, the day on which our lord died, ever so many thousand years ago. I am so ashamed of myself, I hate writing this, but at the exact hour of Christ's death, 3 o'clock, I was enjoying myself in a wonderful cool rolling surf, Splashing about, without a thought or care in the world, and if there was one thing i wanted to remember it was this Death. I feel horribly selfish and so afraid that God might be cross with me, but he must know I forgot and forgive me.
I am working tomorrow. It seems a great time since I was talking about Easter being in a few weeks, and I can hardly believe it is already here. I am going to the Show on Monday. Graham said to me "I'll be having good company at the Show on Monday, Mervyn is coming with me." I told him Shirley was coming with me and he said " Won't it be fun if we meet?"
I do hope we will, I'm going to tell him quite innocently where Shirley and I are going to meet & what time, and let him do the rest. He is such a sweet nice boy, I don't think there is another Graham like him anywhere, he's just Graham. We have such fun at work now. He teases the life out of me about one of the boys at the layby who is rather keen, and I tease him about Beverley, at the layby also.
But our fun will be marred now. Mervyn is leaving on Saturday and I feel something will go with him. He is such a decent boy, so understanding and loveable, and oh he has such a love of horses. I will miss him, why couldn't it have been Gordon who was leaving. I hate that boy. Life is like that and it isn't fair.
A bit of news popped up today. When Dad, peggy and Phyllis were coming home from the show this afternoon, they met P McDonald, and can you imagine it, Bruce has announced his engagement. It's incredible really, he's only 19 and his girlfriend is too. He won't be married until after the war I suppose.
I will away now as I have been having too many late nights.
So until next time
Patricia Anne
25th April 1941 ANZAC DAY
Dear Diary
I am writing for the last time in my old Diary. It will be hard to leave off my writings of little bits and pieces, but it'll be for the better. One mustn't think I'm going to leave off writing altogether, oh no, I'd die if I couldn't express myself somewhere, and from now on that somewhere is going to be in my dear little neatly bound blue book that Daddy gave me. It'll be a civilized book, which is more than this one is, that is, I mean to say the wordings and the frightful writings that I've written when I've been in a hurry, and just about had to jot everything down or bust. And I won't write unless I have a decent pencil, unlike the one I have now which has worn so low that the wood is scraping the paper.
I'll say farewell now, and one day in the years to come, perhaps when I look over these scribbled pages, I'll smile and think what a funny child I was.
So until then, for it will be then, and ONLY then that I'll unbind my book from its strong paper wrappings
I'll say
Avioure
Patricia Anne
16 & 1/4 years
(clipping Dionne Quins)
