Since getting married in November, 1968, Erris and Peter (we) toured the South Island on their honeymoon in their little lime green Fiat 500. At one stage while driving north up the West Coast the Fiat got a flat tyre. The car was light so we were able to lift it up to change the small tyre! We drove from Nelson to Picton along Queen Charlotte Drive and stopped at times to take in the view. (22 years later we bought a section at 2719 Queen Charlotte Drive and built a house there). We love the South island.
After we got married Peter and I lived in a flat in Constitution St, Dunedin near the University where Peter was studying. After he attained his BSc honours 1st class in statistics at Otago University, Peter applied for a Commonwealth Scholarship and was successful in his application. This meant he would get paid to study for his PhD in statistics with Professor Ted Hannan at the Australian National University, ANU in Canberra, ACT. I had gained a Teachers Certificate from Dunedin teachers’ College and was teaching 6 year old students at Fairfield Primary School.
Neither of us had travelled much at all let alone go overseas!! It was all very exciting for a very young newly married couple. We had to pack up, move out and drive to Christchurch in March, 1969 where we said goodbye to Mum and Dad, Esther and Hugh and Elizabeth and flew in a DC 8 to Sydney and then another plane to Canberra the capital of Australia.
At first we lived in student accommodation for couples - the Turner flats. Peter biked every day to university and I drove our HD Holden to Downer Primary School where I taught Year 5 students. This was our first big trip overseas and we were newly married - every experience was new to us - daily living, study and work commitments, meeting new people, making friends, learning how to cook and entertain, learning about SLR cameras and black and white photography, buying our first hi-fi piece by piece as and when we could afford it, buying records to play and listen to, learning about Australian wildlife, going to restaurants occasionally, learning to play bridge with our New Zealand friends, Dave and Ruth Ryan, walking and exploring Canberra and beyond in our HD Holden car.
Mum and Dad and Esther and Hugh came to visit us on separate occasions. It was their first big trip too and quite an experience for them all. We showed them around Canberra and where we worked as well as taking them to Bateman’s Bay on the New South Wales coast.
While we were living in the Turner flats we went to the Queanbeyan Leagues Club with our friends Alan and Barbara Young. Queanbeyan was across the ACT border in NSW where gambling was allowed. The pokies were a new experience for us. We got a huge surprise when Alan pulled the lever and a large amount of cash poured out of the machine - it was hot! We divided it amongst each other and went home happily with our winnings!
I remember taking my class into the school hall to watch the moon landing on the black and white TV set - July 20, 1969. The children and I were all very excited. There was a piano in the hall and I used to practice my pieces on it after school. When Mum and Dad came I played my pieces for them. I remember wanting to show them that I hadn’t given up playing the piano after all the sacrifice they went to, to give me lessons.
In 1971 I had been on the contraceptive pill for three years andour doctor suggested that I take a break from them. This was the recommended advice at the time as the long term effects of this medication was as yet unknown. We decided that we would not
take any precautions during this break and would be happy if we got pregnant or didn’t - no pressure. Well, hey presto in 3 months I was pregnant! We were very happy. This meant I only had 8 months of teaching and then we would have a new
addition to our family. Also, the ANU had different accommodation for couples with children. We had to transfer to a flat in Campbell not long before our baby was due. The Campbell flats in Vasey Cres were quite close to the Australian National War Memorial near Mt Ainslie.
On the morning of October 13th, 1971 I started to have contractions. Peter was timing the interval between each contraction so that he knew when to take me into hospital - we had a book with diagrams and information about pregnancy for new parents. We arrived and I saw my gynaecologist who promptly slapped me on the backside and told Peter to take me home and give me a brandy as I wasn’t ready to give birth yet!!
We didn’t have any brandy so I just managed without the aid of alcohol. My memories are vague as to what happened next but my contractions certainly got stronger and closer together. We decided it was time to go to the Royal Canberra Hospital
maternity unit - and it needed to be quickly!! I remember Peter having to stop on the roundabout from Anzac Parade onto Parkes Way so that I could be sick!! By the time we got to the delivery ward I was nearly ready to have our baby - no time for an enema
or shave just fast breathing with the help of nitrous oxide. At that time it was unusual for expectant fathers to be allowed into the delivery room but my gynaecologist said Peter could stay at the head of the bed but come no further down!! I was given an
episiotomy and very soon Bronwen was born - yay! She was a beautiful, healthy little girl weighing 6lb 8oz. What a joy. Bron has been beautiful and healthy ever since.
Me holding Bronwen in the nursery at hospital. Mothers stayed for 10 days to learn how to look after their new babies in those days in Australia
