Courage

Courage. What is courage? My Aunty May had courage. Her courage sat within the framework of love. Courage and Aunty May share a common meaning. Aunty May’s courage is derived from the love of family and the love of life while the word ‘courage’ is derived from the Latin ‘cor’, meaning ‘the heart’. Aunty May’s whole life was one of courage mixed with a sense of duty, high values and attitudes, as well as common sense, fun and kindness.

What were the dangers she faced and why was she brave in the face of adversity? Was she fearful that she would fail and how did she overcome these fears? These questions can be answered in the story of her life. Aunty May was born at the turn of the century. She was a teenager during the First Wold War. She was a widow and mother during the Great Depression. She saw two sons go off to fight in the Second World War. She worked as a police woman during the Nineteen Fifties. She went on a trip to Great Britain by herself in the Sixties. She nursed her ailing mother during the Seventies.

I do not know very much of her childhood. Her married life I did know. Her husband, Jim, was a returned First World War soldier. He had been injured during the war and, on discharge from the army, joined the N.S.W. Police Force. Jim and Aunty May married after the war and raised two boys and two girls. Jim died suddenly as a result of complications from the war injury he acquired. Her youngest child was eighteen months old and her oldest was ten. This happened in 1930, just as the Great Depression was rearing its ugly head and she needed courage and tenacity to bring up four young children during very hard times.

My mother went to live with Aunty May to help with the children. This allowed Aunty May to join the Police Force as a matron at Central Police Station, Sydney. This was a time when women did not work outside the home, let alone work as a police woman. However, her new job was to check and care for women prisoners held in the cells. It was not a very glamorous job but she was always cheerful and conscientious. In her work, she met many of Sydney’s colourful and sometimes less desirable characters of that era and she had many a fascinating tale to tell. Nevertheless, she was courageous and compassionate in her dealings with them.

In nine years time, her two sons were old enough to participate in the Second World War. Imagine the thoughts that must have been racing through her mind and the courage needed as she farewelled each boy. They both returned home although one lost part of his hand and a use of his right arm.

In later life Aunty May was matronly. She had a rotund body encased in a whale bone corset. She always wore sensible shoes and her straight, silver hair was short and parted to one side. Her hair was held in place with a bobby pin. Blue plastic framed glasses encased large blue eyes. Around the house Aunty May would wear a cotton shift dress that she had made herself. She definitely was not handy with the sewing machine and never quite mastered style but she was always willing to try. Her skills and the sewing machine were in constant conflict. Both could be termed courageous.

Aunty May was frugal and innovative throughout her life but that is not to say that she did not achieve some of her dearly held wishes. As she lived on a war widows’ pension for most of her life, she still managed to save money each week to go on a trip of a lifetime. This she did with courage and determination on her own. Her husband was born in Scotland and Aunty May wanted to visit the town where he was born as well as to meet his elderly frail sister. She sailed on a ship taking six weeks to arrive in England. While passing through the Suez Canal, she visited the pyramids and even rode a camel. I can imagine the camel needed as much courage as Aunty May as they bounced over the desert. This was a wonderful time for her and she had many a story to tell us.

She was such a brave, sensitive and generous person who was not fazed by what life had thrown her way. Every Christmas, her sisters and their families would gather at Aunty May’s home for celebrations that included singing around the piano, a visit from Santa, present opening and a Christmas lunch. We just loved the event of the year and I particularly enjoyed listening to her soprano voice as we gathered around the piano. Then we would all beg her to get out her violin and play for us. There was not very much that Aunty May could not do or attempt to do and succeed. I have tried to live my life with her values and face my fears with her brand of courage.