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Milk, 'Cookie' and more: two sisters tell of times past

SISTERS Nanette Jackson and Pat Auty have provided a fascinating insight into the days of yesteryear, thanks to Tales of Times Past at The Meeting Place.

The program, running 9.30am to midday every Thursday, encourages seniors to come together to share their unique stories and recall moments from their lives.

Program coordinator Vasanti Sunderland said Nanette and Pat’s memories of growing up on the family dairy farm in Clontarf Road, Hamilton Hill, were a wonderful example of the old saying “everyone has a story to tell”.

“Marsden Dairy began with a single cow bought by their father in 1929,” Ms Sunderland said.

“Nanette recalled her father delivering milk to relatives in East Fremantle on a pushbike, graduating to a Harley Davidson with milk cans in the sidecar as the herd grew.

“Pat would milk the cows by hand, before and after school, while Nanette’s job was to collect the cows at the end of the day after they had been grazing with the neighbour’s cows on common land.”

The sisters also remembered an old, one-legged chap named “Cookie” who would sit with his dog under a tree, on the corner of Douro and Hampton Roads in South Fremantle, during World War II.

“For a small fee, he would look after family cows for people in the area,” Ms Sunderland said. “The kids would deliver and pick them up each day.

“Pat and Nanette’s grandfather, Henry Ruby Patterson, also had a blacksmith forge in a large backyard shed, built around 1920 in Weld Street, Palmyra.

“They have many fond memories of this shed, which had a wash house at one end that doubled as a tannery.

“Nanette has even created a miniature blacksmith forge she will now take to show students when Tales of Times Past participants visit local schools.”

Ms Sunderland said Tales of Times Past was an ideal opportunity to enjoy good stories while in the company of people of all ages.

“The stories of our local heritage are important and need to be shared,” she said. “We invite all seniors to come along and share their stories, no matter how ordinary or remarkable they may seem.

“This way they can be enjoyed by their peers, along with younger generations in local schools.”

Tales of Times Past is held 9.30am-12pm each Thursday at The Meeting Place Community Centre, 245 South Terrace, South Fremantle, until mid-December.

• For more information and interviews, contact program coordinator Vasanti Sunderland on 9383 3790 or 0402 598 908. The Meeting Place can be contacted on 9335 3394.