Wallingford Berks Line

Buried Presbyterian Section Junee Cemetery Grave Row E No 22/23. Trained as a dressmaker. Died of cancer.

Her obituary reads:

SHE CAME TO JUNEE IN A HORSE DRAWN WAGON

Mrs. Maud Gardner, of Hill Street, Junee, will be ninety years of age on Monday next.

She got her first sight of Junee at the age of six years when her parents were travelling through the town in a horse drawn covered wagon.

Mrs. Gardner was born into the Lovelock family when they were resident in the Darlington Point area.

They moved to the Victorian centres of Alexandra and Yarck before deciding to once again pack their goods and chattels and return north.

Stopping at Junee in 1888 for some supplies, her father, Mr. Charles Lovelock, struck up a conversation with a Mr. Fitzgerald.

They had a common interest because they were both blade shearers.

Mr. Fitzgerald convinced Mr. Lovelock that he should try his luck in Junee because he felt that "something would come of the place".

Mr Lovelock bought from an American Negro, Mr. Tom Ceon, the house in Peel Street which was recently purchased by the Junee and District Historical Society.

Behind the premises he set up a livery stable with a number of horses and conveyances.

Mrs. Gardner well remembers the old horse drawn "sociable" which was like a bus and intended for the conveyance of a number of passengers.

One of the occasions when it was most in use was during the annual Junee Show which were then held at the southern end of town on Mr. Wilesmith's property.

The Lovelock children had to walk the two miles to the Show ground because the "sociable" was kept for paying customers.

Mr. Lovelock was also paid by a local publican to go out regularly and bring the men into Junee from the vast shearing sheds at Wantabadgery.

He would convey them back to Wantabadgery when their cheques had been cashed and expended.

Situated almost directly opposite the Lovelock home, the "Junee Workmen's Club" was a rowdy place especially at the weekends.

The children were frequently castigated by their parents for sneaking into the front rooms of the house and watching fights and brawls through the window.

Mr. Lovelock also set up a business as a seller of water which had to be brought to Junee from Wagga.

The advent of a piped supply from the Bethungra hills was a disappointing venture for the Borough Council because the water had a scum on it and it had to be boiled before it could be used.

Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Lovelock eventually became firm friends and workmates.

As a matter of fact the McCaugheys used to pay their fare to Yanco to shear their stud sheep.

It was the McCaugheys who gave their old home to the Yanco Agricultural High School which Mr. Lovelock's great-grandson, John Hillam, subsequently attended.

Although she followed the Protestant faith, Mrs. Gardner was educated at St. Josephs Catholic Convent School.

Leaving school she started a career as a dressmaker with Miss Sell and Miss Kelly who were in Benjamins store, the premises now occupied by Keasts.

Mrs. Gardner worked for the first nine months without any payment and then she went onto the princely wage of 2/6d. a week.

"We had to make every thing from jockeys' silks to shrouds" says Mrs. Gardner.

Mrs. Gardner eventually married Mr. Frank Gardner who became a driver with the Railways Department, retiring after 42 years of service.

As a matter of fact he was the first man to drive a train across the bridge at Gundagai.

One of the bridesmaids at their wedding was Mrs. Tomina Weston, of Temora, who has reached her 84th year.

Mr. and Mrs .Gardner eventually set up their home in Hill Street, two blocks down from "Aylmerton" which used to be the home of the Dobbyns family.

Mr. Gardner was interested in coursing dogs and two of his best performed greyhounds were Woven Gold and Beaconlight.

They also ran to show ponies and the lofts are still at the rear of Mrs. Gardner's home.

Things were very primitive back in the early days, says Mrs. Gardner, especially the shops and the old cottage hospital facing Commins Street.

She can well remember a doctor who did his rounds of town on foot, resplendent with his bell topper, gloves and cane.

On the other hand the town at the time supported two separate bands as well as the Salvation Army band.

During the typhoid epidemic three of the young Lovelock children died in Junee.

Little was the wonder when there was need to improvise accommodation in unsuitable buildings and trained nursing staff was simply not available.

It must have been a bitter experience for Mrs. Lovelock who came to Australia at the age of three years.

She came from England in a sailing ship - the next vessel to leave was the ill-fated "Dunbar" which was lost at sea.

Children used to earn their pocket money from store-keepers by keeping the stray dogs away from the wares which they displayed on the footpaths.

It was a part-time occupation which earned them the title of "dog wallopers".

Up until a few short months ago, Mrs. Gardner was an amazingly active woman who looked after her own large garden including the pruning of various trees.

You could well believe that she was a crack rifle shot in her younger days.

Now she spends some time with her daughter, Mrs Gordon Hillam, of "Hillview", Illabo.

She was always an avid reader and it is only in recent months that she surrendered her membership of the local library.

We know we would be conveying the sentiments of the whole community when we wish her a very happy birthday on Monday next and many happy returns.