June Daysh

June Daysh

Personal Biography

Introduction

June Daysh was my great-grandmother on my mums side. My nana, Kathryn, was the youngest of 5. My Great grandmother was an incredible woman, living through the great depression and played Netball, Basketball and Jiu Jitsu. She also reffed Basketball until her 80s. She played a big part in who I am and I am grateful to be writing this biography about her.

Early life

My Great Grandmother - June Jones - was born at 3 am on the 13th March 1923, weighing 10.5 lbs. She was a very shy girl as when she was 3 or 4 a tragic accident happened.

Her father (William Alfred Jones) had just put in some new concrete by the new front gate. She was happily swinging on the gate when along came her brother, Des, who gave it a great big push and CRACK her elbow smashed on the concrete. When her mother (Jane Ann Gardener) rushed to the scene, roused by the screaming, she saw June’s arm hanging at right angles to her body, she rushed her to the hospital for her to stay there a whole year. And when she came home, her brother Ted pulled her socks off, and her off the couch and she broke her arm AGAIN. This caused her to be shy at a young age.

June went to school during the great depression, a hard time for everyone. Most of the kids had little or no money. Her family slept on sacks and she only had one dress, but one thing her mother always made sure was that they had well fitted shoes, which not many kids during that time had.

In standard 3 (year 5) June’s teacher saw her love for dancing and encouraged her to teach others. This landed her in the middle of a circle of 50 people teaching them how to dance. Doing this grew her mana and leadership.

Within that same year, June developed a love for basketball (now known as netball) and started playing in the school team.

June went to Seddon Technical College in 1937 and joined the jiu jitsu club because it was on the boys side of the school. However she became very good at the sport and won the jiu jitsu cup at the end of the year, as well as the basketball (netball) cup and the class cup.

She also became interested in shorthand writing, and achieved the best in form 3 at it. June was made Prefect in form 3, but was demoted for not wearing her hat out of school grounds because she biked home. Not long after, her mum got sick, and she had to stay home and look after her. She missed a lot of school and she finally decided to drop out and get a job. She got this at Turners and Growers. Her mum then died of cancer in 1939.

Family and community contributions

While working at T&G she got a goitre, an enlargement of the thyroid gland in the neck. This was caused by lack of iodised salt. Normally, a surgery would be needed to remove the goitre, but rumours she heard said that a local chemist had a cure that would remove it without surgery. He said that she had to eat a whole lettuce everyday. So she did. For a year. And it worked! She never had the problem again.

When June was 17, she and her friend from down the road, Phyllis Dodds, went to the ‘sixpenny hop’ a dance run by the caledonian society. On that exact night, two guys walked in and Phyllis said “hey June, here’s some new talent!” Her brother Des knew one of them, Hotch Lucas. Then Hotch introduced her to his mate Hugh, and from then on they were inseparable. So 4 years later, in 1944 they were married in St Lukes Church in Mt Albert. She had two miscarriages, but on her third pregnancy, she bore Evan Ronald her first child. The specialist wrote that he was “ONE BIG BOY”. In 1949 she had another big baby, Barbara Lynne. Raewyn Glen was next in 1952. And on seemingly the coldest night, on the 1st of September 1954, Alan John was born into the family. In 1959 Kathryn Judith (my nana) was born as well.

The Daysh family had its ups and its downs, and lots of fun times together as well. One memorable family story got published into a picture book and I grew up reading it and relating to it. The story is called Father bear gets mad, it goes like this.

In loving memory of Hugh and June Daysh.

Father bear was cross. Father bear was tired. Father bear was hungry.

Mother bear was tired too. Mother bear had been TOO BUSY all day looking after all her children. Mother bear was hungry too.

So Mother bear called everyone in for dinner.

Big brother bear didn't want to come in for dinner. He was too busy building his canoe.

Big sister bear didn't want to come in for dinner either. She was too busy skating down the driveway on her roller skates.

Little brother bear didn't want to come in for dinner either. He was too busy kicking his ball in the yard.

Little sister bear didn't want to come in for dinner either.

She was too busy playing with her dolls in the playhouse.

And baby bear just grizzled.

So Father bear yelled:

“If you don't come in now, youll go to bed without any dinner!”

That did it.

One by one the children came inside and sat at the dinner table while Mother bear set out the dinner.

There was thick stew, mashed potatoes, carrots, and leeks in white sauce.

Father bear poured everyone a glass of milk to go with their dinner, and he started to eat.

Then the children started getting REALLY naughty…

Big brother bear pulled Little sister bear's hair.

Little sister bear thought it was Little brother bear and she kicked him under the table.

Little brother bear yelled “Ouch!”

Big sister bear pulled a face and said “Oh no, not leeks again! I hate leeks!”

And baby bear just grizzled.

“Children!” said Mother bear “Eat your dinner!”

“Children!” said Father Bear, “Eat your dinner!”

“I don't like my dinner!” said Big brother bear, and he pulled his sister's hair again.

“I don't like my dinner!” said Big sister bear, and she pulled another face.

“I don't like my dinner!” said little brother bear, and he kicked Big brother bear under the table.

“I don't like my dinner!” said little sister bear, and dropped some meat to the cat.

And baby bear just grizzled.

Mother bear had had enough.

Father bear had had enough.

Father bear said very loudly, “I WILL NOT have this behaviour at the table!”

And he reached for his glass of milk.

Now Father bear MEANT to have a drink of milk.

He MEANT to keep his cool.

But do you know what he did?

He was so cross that he missed his mouth and he threw that milk all over his face!

“Oh!” gasped Mother bear.

“Oh!” gasped Big brother bear.

“Oh!” gasped Big sister bear.

“Oh!” gasped Little brother bear.

“Oh!” gasped Little sister bear.

And baby bear just giggled.

Father bear sat with his surprised eyes wide open.

Milk dripped from his bushy eyebrows and from his nose and chin.

It dripped off his face and all down his shirt and onto his trousers.

Father bear was speechless!

Then the corner of his mouth started to twitch.

And then suddenly, Father Bear roared with laughter.

He laughed and laughed and laughed, and then he laughed some more.

Then Mother bear and all the naughty children started laughing too.

They laughed so hard that tears streamed down their faces.

They laughed so hard that their tummies ached.

They laughed so hard that their cheeks wobbled.

Even baby bear laughed.

And it didn't matter that Father bear and Mother bear had been grumpy and that the children had been naughty.

They knew that they loved each other because they could laugh with each other.

And they were never naughty at the table again. (Well hardly ever.)

And the moral of the story is:

DON’T CRY OVER SPILT MILK - JUST LAUGH!

Conclusion

June Daysh died on the 14th of September 2016. I remember visiting her at the rest home for the last time, a few weeks before she passed away. The funeral was quite sad as I was only 6. She was 93 when she died. On her headstone it says “Together For Eternity”. In my religion, we believe that there is life after death, and I am happy to know that I will see my great grandnana again.

Reference list

The personal histories of Hugh and June Daysh

Father Bear gets Mad