When Elsie Evelyn Ryan was born on 27 September 1900 in Rockley, New South Wales, her father, Edward "Ned", was 45, and her mother, Ann Putland was 34.

Edward was a farm hand and miner and first partnered with Mary Ann Pusell (1857-1884) who had one daughter from a prior relationship.

Mary married William Thomas Baker (1851-1877) in Rockley on 5 January 1873, and they had one son James William Baker (1877-1957). After he husband died Mary partnered with Edward Cornelius Ryan and they had three children together. Mary Ann Pusell died as a young mother on 30 August 1884 in Orange, New South Wales, at the age of 27.

Edward's occupation required him to move around the farming districts as a labourer and the mining towns of Burraga andi Rockley and he lived at times in basic dirt floor accommodation.

Elsie's siblings therefore were:

1. half brothers James William Baker (1877-1957)

2. Robert Edward Pusill (1881-1941) and

3. Thomas Pusill-Baker (1883-1946) and full brothers ~

4. Cornelius Edward (1887-1960) and Edward Arnold (1911-1984).

5. Elsie's half sister Margaret Anne Pusill (1879-1962) and sisters ~

6. Mary Anne (Pol) (1892-1972) in married in 1911, Hamlet J Pollard (1888-1957); Registered in Grenfell.

7. Elizabeth Ann Ryan (1895-1960) born on 14 June 1895 in Rockley,

8. "Jean" Jane Catherine Putland (1891-1969),

9. Charlotte Jane (1889-1933),

10. Anne Kathleen (1906-1974).

Edward Ryan died in 1916, leaving some ten children some adult, aged from 10-40, in the responsible care of motherly Ann Putland Ryan.

Elsie Evelyn Ryan married Donald Wallace (Ben) Luck (1897-1963) in Carcoar, New South Wales, on 8 January 1919 when she was 18 years old. They had five children in 22 years.

1. 1. Ivy May (1919-2002)

   2. Donald Maxwell, (1924-1994)

   3. Wallace Edward, (1927-1985)

   4. Robert Joseph, (1932-1953)

   5. Peter Benjamin, (1941)

Elsie Luck suffered from asthma, which required rest and recuperation, and muck domestic duty support from her eldest daughter, Ivy. The family moved regularly with Ben's work of farming, freezer maintenance and butcher shops.

Ben and Elsie moved to ~ Colleen Street, Blakehurst ~ to be near to her daughter's home and as a youth I was a paper delivery boy, riding a bike and dropping in on Grandma regularly.

Elsie died on 8 March 1974, with Ivy by her side, and was buried in the Rookwood cemetery, Sutherland, New South Wales.