Olive Rose Steel
Early Years
Olive had many memories of growing up in Sydney and in spite of the hardships of the time this was a happy and carefree period. However there were secrets in her family which she didn’t discover until she was 74 years old. And some secrets she never found out about.
She was born in Newtown, Sydney on 31 March, 1921 to Gerry and Pat Stanley. Australia’s population was only 5.4 million, Billy Hughes was PM and King George was on the English throne. She was named Olive Rose, Olive after her father’s sister and Rose after her mother’s mother. Olive, a pretty name which she never liked. I once pointed out that her father’s other sisters’ names were Stella and Mary, she didn’t like those either. Looking back on her choices of names for Gaye and Jill I realised she wanted modern names, not old fashioned names.
She remembered growing up at 141 Queen Street, Woollahra close to Centennial Park and trams to Bondi. The family lived in the ground floor of a terrace house, a French couple lived upstairs. Olive remembers learning French from them and eating olives. There was also a pet cockatoo. She went to kindergarten and attended an all girl’s primary school. Her best friend was Joan Studley, in summer they would catch the bus to Bondi and swim all day. They could also walk to Centennial Park to watch the movies at night. She learnt ballet, tap and acrobatics; there is a photo of her aged about 6 dressed as “powder puff” in a pink ballet outfit.
The powder puff outfit for ballet.
It was an economically hard time in Australia, work was scarce and by 1929 there was the stock market crash. Her father had various jobs, including driving a horse and cart, she often went with her father to feed the horse on weekends. When they lived in Annandale she was very excited when she given a walking doll. Her father’s brother Sid also lived with them in Woollahra, she remembered him as a quiet and generous man. He gave her one pound each Christmas. Of course the rest of her father’s family lived in Norwich but they must have written often as sheknew about her aunties and sent photos. When she was 6 in 1927, her grandfather Cyril Stanley visited Australia. She had no recollection of this but there is a photo of her with him and another unknown man.
Olive with her grandfather, Cyril and unknown man.
She did have lots of contact with her mother’s large Budd family, her grandmother and grandfather Budd lived in north Sydney and other aunts and cousins were not far away.
Move to Canley Vale
She loved living in the city, so it must have been a shock when in about 1931 her parents packed up and moved to Ferngrove Road in Canley Vale, 20 miles west of Sydney. Mostly bush and small farms, a world away from the beach and shops. But it seems to be sensible at the time, they could grow vegetables, have a cow for milk and butter and chooks for eggs. She was about 10, she had to go to a new school, Canley Vale primary and make new friends. Gerald also had a horse, Ginger, and cart. In Torrens St they had a small poultry farm. She had a beautiful Alsatian dog, Dale.
Olive with father Gerald and dog, Dale and pups.
Beautiful clothes
Once her father picked her up from school in his horse and cart but she was very embarrassed and refused to hop up on the cart, she said he laughed and told her she would have to walk home which she did.
Stanley home Canley Heights
The Harbour Bridge opened in 1932 and Olive remembers walking across, she always loved the bridge and her eyes lit up whenever she saw it. Through all this time of her life she never knew she had a half sister and 2 half brothers, living not that far away. Her mother had been married previously and had 3 other children; she had left her first husband and gone to live with Gerald. They didn’t even marry till 1936 when Olive would have been 15.
Teens, Work and Courting
Olive went to Liverpool High School but she didn’t like high school. Classes would have been huge and lessons quite basic especially for a girl. She left as soon as she could, aged about 15. Her mother did not want her to leave but Olive managed to get herself a job at David Jones. At the time she had long plaits and when the other girls laughed at her on the first day she had them cut off, much to her mother’s chagrin. Her first work at DJ’s (somewhere near Central) consisted of putting catalogues into envelopes to be sent to country clients. Her salary was 10 shillings and 9 pence. She was later transferred to the Elizabeth St. store into the Accounts Dept. using an adding machine. She made good friends here – Molly, Vera and Mavis.
Olive with work friends
Olive 26 March 1942, almost 21.
While working at DJ’s Olive and her mother bought Royal Albert tea sets and many other porcelain pieces.
David Jones George St. store
Her mother bought the first fridge in Canley Vale, paying it off in instalments. Olive always had beautiful clothes which her mother had made for her.
Olive with mother “Pat” shopping in Sydney
Olive with her parents “Pat” and Gerald
Holidays were spent at Tuggerah Lakes with the Budd family and Forster with the Burlings. She first saw Ernie when she was 16; he was playing tennis, but was too shy to talk to him. Their first outing was to Taronga Zoo, a photo of the couple shows this was an important occasion. Olive wears a beautiful white linen 2 piece outfit and a large wide brimmed hat. Ern is wearing a suit and tie.
First outing at the zoo
Hawkesbury River
Other photos show that it was important to dress well at this time, men in suits often wearing a hat; women in beautifully cut dresses and often a hat too. Later outings included the pictures and Sunday School picnics.
Walking down Martin Place
Off to the Royal Easter Show
They also went to Canberra on motor bikes with Norm and Marie Burling, it rained all the way but she had a great time. When it rained Olive rode in the sidecar of another bike. Ernie had bought a second hand BSA Goldstar bike.
The Canberra trip on motor bikes
Olive and Marie Burling in Canberra
Olive and Ernie were married on 31 December, 1944 when Ernie was on leave from his posting in New Guinea. It was the war years and money and all goods were in short supply. She borrowed her wedding dress and veil. Ernie wore his uniform. They were married in the Anglican Church in Canley Vale; the reception was in Ashfield and they honeymooned at a guest house on the Nepean River. Later they had a folloiw up honeymoon in Forster.
Honeymoon. Look at that flathead
They lived with Pat and Gerry for a few years before they bought their house in Kiora St.
Marriage. Gerald is next to Olive
Olive and Ernie had 3 daughters; although not money wealthy it was a happy time with good neighbors and family gatherings. When the girls were old enough Olive did some part time work in Diana’s dress shop and Sonja’s Hairdressing Salon in Cabramatta. She enjoyed having the extra money to spend as she pleased. The family continued having holidays in Forster, the central coast (Woy Woy, Long Jetty) and Lake Conjola. Olive was always very close to her father, she said that although he was quite strict he was always a caring and loving father.
Olive and her father, Easter time.
When he died in 1958 it was a shock for all the family. My grandmother fell apart and stayed in bed at our house for weeks. My mother had to look after her while also grieving. My grandmother was quite a demanding person and Olive often found it difficult coping with her needs; she did not realise there were in fact 3 other children who might have lightened the load. Olive’s mother, Pat, died in 1972. Again another shock for her because Pat was killed in a car accident. The police came to the home and delivered the news, fortunately my father was able to go to do the necessary identification.
In 1975 the couple went a Pacific Island cruise with 2 other couples – Dot and Sam Thomas and Eleanor and Bryce Wickham.
Olive and Ern bought some land at Green Point on the north coast with the intention of building there.
Olive Green Point
When Ernie retired they moved to their newly built house in Green Point in 1977. This was possibly the best time with fishing, tennis, golf, boating and enjoying the warm climate and spectacular views. With family making frequent visits, especially at Xmas time when everyone packed into the humble home.
Christmas gathering 2005
Family was a very important part of Olive’s life. She loved her daughters susan, Gaye and Jillian and later her 4 grandchildren Joel, Briony, Lewis and Marlon.
Christmas 2002
Olive and her grandsons
Olive finally got a passport in 2008 when she went to New Zealand for Kate Jordan’s wedding. We all stayed on Waikheke Island for a few days and had a wonderful time at the wedding. Afterwards Gaye and Bob took Olive on a road trip around the northern part of the north island of NZ. She always enjoyed car trips, especially the green countryside and cows.
Off to Kate ‘s wedding Waiheke Island, NZ
In April 2009 Gaye and Bob take Olive on another road trip to Adelaide to visit Susan and Peter. We spend 4 days on Kangaroo Island. Not only did she not see many cows, she also didn’t see many kangaroos.
After Ernie died in 2004 Olive struggled on alone but increasingly found it difficult to cope and in 2010 moved to a small unit in the Sunrise Group in Tuncurry.
Olive in her new unit at Sunrise Retirement village
In 2011 Olive became a great grandmother when her grandson Lewis and his partner Maraia had a daughter, Ruby.
After a short illness in late July 2012 Olive died in Forster Hospital on 5th August 2012.
For more information on David Jones see link http://www.davidjones.com.au/About-David-Jones/The-Story-of-David-Jones
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