Stinker’s History: Eve Ross and the war years

EVE Ross was born in 1934 in Raymond Terrace to Joe and Grace Robinson (nee Blanch).

Joe was a farmer and butcher, supplying meat, on a horse and cart, to Nelson Bay, Bobs Farm, Salt Ash and Ash Island near Hexham.

Eve’s mother Grace was a nurse.

In an interview, Eve recalled her early childhood.

“It was the best time to grow up,” she said.

“We were always safe.

“I could walk down the road to my friend Ruth Fenwick in the dark and not worry about anything.

“My sister and I rode the same horse to school; she would sit in the saddle and I would hang on behind until my backside got sore, then we would change places.”

World War Two brought major changes for the family however.

“My father was called up again and my mother was the only trained nurse in the area and was on call 24 hours a day,” Eve said.

“With her training she also gave First Aid lessons during that period.

“Mum and my eldest sister were left to run the farm.

“Everyone was told that if the Japanese arrived the chooks were to be poisoned and anything that could be eaten was to be buried.

“All the cattle had already been herded out to Gloucester.

“Once all foodstuff was destroyed everyone was told to gather at Taylors Beach where they would be evacuated by boat across the creek.

“Once on the other side they were told to head west into the country.”

Eve and her sister Cele, who was five years older, were eventually transported away from the coast to Cowra.

Eve can recall being desperate to return to Anna Bay, while her sister loved the country and was quite content to stay.

In total the girls were away from home for over a year.

At the time in Port Stephens, American and Aussie soldiers’ camps were spread out all through the bush.

Eve’s mother walked over the hill to get the paper and watched in some degree of fear as what appeared to be a brown mass moving along the road without a sound.

She realised it was the Americans, who wore soft soled boots, different from the Australians who had hard soles and could be heard marching from some distance.

By John ‘Stinker’ CLARKE