THE LIFE STORY OF ANNIE SARGENT

extra money from the acorns was used to buy boots for the children in winter. There was no shoe shop to go and make your selection, instead a shoemaker would visit the home and make individual measurements for each child. The boots were made by hand and delivered when they were finished. The family went to church every Sunday and if they saw the Lady of the house travelling past in her carriage; the family would move to the side of the road, stop and curtsey as she passed. As each girl reached the working age, they were usually employed in the Gentleman’s home, starting with the most menial jobs and working their way up the ladder. Margaret’s eldest sister became the Head Housekeeper, a role of great responsibility. Margaret started work at the age of ten years, scrubbing the stone floors of the kitchen and halls and then rubbing them with a white brick to make the floors white. When Margaret was older and more experienced she left Felbrigg Hall, travelling to London to take up a position in the home of a Lady as cook. She retained this position until she emigrated to Australia, a decision made with her new husband. The Lady of the house was disappointed to lose her cook, remarking ‘Oh Margaret, what are we going to do without your lovely rice puddings’. Jim Thompson met Margaret Harris on a train platform. Margaret was waiting for a train when Jim first spoke to her, and upon realising that the train had already left; he sat and spent some time talking to her. A friendship developed and eventually they married. They determined to emigrate to New Zealand as four of Margaret’s sisters had already done. Jim and Margaret paid the equivalent of $20 for their passage on ‘Demosthenes’ which was a six-week journey to Sydney. Margaret was pregnant with Annie before leaving England and so the journey had not been a pleasant one for her. Upon reaching Sydney, they were waiting for passage to New Zealand when they received a letter from Margaret’s sisters dissuading them from coming to New Zealand as the prospects were not good. Jim and Margaret took up residence in a small room in Surry Hills, a working-class suburb in the inner East popular with new immigrants. Jim and Margaret were without work and had very little money. Annie was born in August 1913, three months after the couples’ arrival in Sydney. Jim found work driving a delivery wagon for Schweppes, working twelve-hour days. It was the only way for the young family to get ahead. The family then moved south to Bexley which was then an outer suburb of Sydney. Emigrating to Australia meant effectively losing contact with Margaret’s family. They occasionally corresponded with each other but there was some expectation fromMargaret’s family that she would be able to offer financial support to them as they had unrealistic expectations as to the ease of making money in Australia. The reality of life in Australia was one of hard work and it was all that the couple could do to look after themselves and their growing family. For a time, Margaret and Jim had their own business, a fish and chip shop which thrived. Once Margaret became pregnant with their second daughter they sold the business and Jimwent to work for a boss again for a further seven years. Marge was born in 1918. The couple enjoyed running their own business though and over the years bought and sold a variety of shops and small holdings, building each venture up to be a success and selling it before looking for the next opportunity. Their last venture in business was the poultry and vegetable farm at Sylvania which they bought in 1928, establishing a roadside stall to sell their produce – the first in the area. They sold the farm in 1940 and bought a house in Hurstville with the proceeds. Margaret Harris passed away in 1941, at only fifty years old. In 1952 the family received a letter from Margaret’s sister Nell, who had obtained their address in a roundabout way. Nell was enquiring about her sister and Annie had to write back, telling her of her sister’s death a decade before. At that time there were only two of Margaret’s sisters and a niece still alive in England.