Washing dishes, tidy the kitchen, then do the dinging room, lounge room, sweep the long hall, clean the bathroom by kneeling on the floor and using an oily cloth to rub all over the floor which was lead. Dust all the rooms and one day a week, the dining floor had to be polished with black boot polish all around the carpet on your knees. The phone, a large box affair, was on the wall in the corner near the main bedroom and front door. Not allowed to use, I had to go to the post office down Queen Street. I had to peel all vegetables ready for the meals and do the washing and ironing. I remember the hankies had to be hung along the lines and this day, I stretched it out to hang it, torn right down the side. It was a white one. Mrs J.C sat for two days to darn that hankie and I had a rasping as to how I happened to rip it. If I had the time before lunch, I had to scrub the back verandah and sweep the tool shed where I knocked a piece of steel down and broke bones in the top of my right foot. I was off for a week. The bones in my foot are still bent today. My room was quite bare except for an iron bed and dressing table. The window had no curtains, only a brown holland blind. My bathroom was a tin shed across the yard with a tin tub and small wash basin. The toilet you really needed a bike to go to. It was away up near the garage. I was scared to go to it in case J.C. came in while I was in it. It was so dark at night time. Anyway, the tin bath house did not take much cleaning. Neither did the bath take any time!! After washing every second Monday, I had to knee scrub the front verandah even though the front door was never open. When the Boys were at home, they had to sleep on the verandah on the west side. It had a gause and roll-up wooden blinds right along and a room at the end for Charles, Guy and Arthur to use for dressing in. It later was used for an office. It was off the breakfast room. I don't quite know where Everlyn slept. I had to wait on the table, the kitchen had a pantry and in it was a little door which I had to put the food, then go around to the dining room and place the dishes in front of Mrs E and J.C. Put to the right, take from the left. I remember it well. They called me by bell to collect a plate of food. Eat that and start wash up the saucepans etc. After all this is done, kitchen tidy, I can go off at 2pm. Tea was at six pm. I really don't know how I kept going until 1944 when I left to work in a shop for a person who was as equally as tough. I ended up walking out there. Back to "Nelia". One of my duties was to clean the hot water service. It was a large copper tank in the corner of the kitchen. One had to use lemon juice and salt and make it very shiny. Oh, I quite forgot. The silver had to be cleaned. The entree dishes one week and the forks and spoons the next week. And don't forget to brass the door knobs. Oh Gawd!!! What a lot. You were not allowed to pic a piece of fruit or eat a biscuit unless it was put out for you. If I recall, you were only spoken to when you were told to do something. When visitors were coming, a carroaway seed cake was made. I hated it anyway and the biscuit were milk biscuits with currants. They reminded me of squashed flies and had to be buttered on the right side. I was forever being told to make sure I went into the corners as teh last maid must of lived in a round house. When J.C. and Mrs E went away, usually to Armidale or Inverell or to their daughter Everlyn at Summerton, I was sent ou to Mrs E's sons place to clean their house until J.C. came home. That was my holiday? On Saturday, when the in-laws came for lunch and dinner, I had to entertain the children for the afternoon. After tea, I was allowed to go to the Scout Hall to the dances that were held to entertain the soldiers. Cost one shilling to go. Mrs E used to go next door every morning to her neighbours and partener in Dean and Smith Store. Had morning tea and home to make sure all meal was put on to cook for midday. Mrs Smith and Mrs Dean were sisters. All the linen had to be ironed, sheets, pillow cases and large starched table cloths. All white. J.C. Private Secretary was asked to dinner some times. Ruby was one. He always drove them home afterwards. The gardener was Pierre Gray. He was a funny fellow, but I got on well with him and we stayed friends until he passed away many years later. The Nelia garden was well kept and had such beautiful pine trees all along the eastern fence, long bricked driveways and trellises of red roses always in bloom. The seed of the large oak tree in the back garden was brought home from England when J.C. came home from WW1. The garden to the west of the house held quite a lot of fruit trees and raspberry vines. Most vegetables were grown on the eastern side between 'Bronte' and 'Nelia'. (Bronte was built by the brother in law, Mr Dean) The morning tea room was gaused in. It was on the east side of the dining room. Sometimes in the summer, afternoon tea was taken there. This is the area Cliff and I are restoring together. Some horrible aluminium additions were made to it, enclosing the area in tin and glass. Ever since we opened it up, it has become our favourite place to sit and eat breakfast and lunch. An owl even spent the first day with us, allowing us to hammer and scrape within a metre of it, perched on the door. It did not come back the next day though. Too much noise disturbing its sleep! It was quite lonely there without a radio or any music to play and having to ask for a book to read. I also found out that my room was inspected while I was out. J.C. Smith died 11 - 9 - 1947 age 73. Eva Smith 14 - 1- 1951 age 78. After the J.C's died, the house sold to the Lyall and Rita Capels who had it until they passed away and it sold to Charles Mason, then to Guy Witten. Mrs Charles Smith and Mrs Rita Capel were sisters. They were Bettlers from Inverell. Now "Nelia' again is in different hands in the name of Denise Lund who in fact, is an old Barraba-ite. Her family worked for the same family as Clifford, my husband. The Capel family took up lots of land in this area. Cliff worked for Gwen Capel and Denise's Dad, Don Lund, worked for Miss Elsie Capel. When I married, we lived at Longhorn and Don was often a visitor when driving Miss Elsie or when we had to drive Miss Capel to Piedmont. Denise Lund moved to the coast to be with her family and Cliff Axelsen purchased the home in February 2009. The maids name was not on the document. She died in recent years shortly after writing this, so I am guessing she was in her 80's. In conclusion, all I can say is thank goodness the WWOOFing conditions are a lot easier and much more fun than being a maid !!! | 
