Weston, NSW:  

I remember a man with clear blue eyes who always wore his hat perched on his head at a jaunty angle.  He enjoyed various hobbies, loved a good yarn, had a twinkle in his eye when greeting the local women who came into our shop in Second Street, Weston for their groceries, and mercilessly tormented some of the local youngsters with riddles such as 'if a hen and a half laid an egg and a half in a day and a half...etc.'   

Dad always wanted me to study hard when I was at school, but I wasn't that enthused.  Later on, I so wished I'd heeded his advice!  I know I well and truly tested him at times when I was a teenager - it was a real battle of wills.  Dad always used to say to my husband-to-be during our courting days, 'think big, son, think big!'  I know he had some influence there; my husband John always remembered those words.  No doubt my father would have loved to have shared his wisdom, and perhaps some of his riddles, with our young ones, too, but sadly, we just didn't have him long enough.

Mervyn Augustus Frame was the second child of Edward John ‘Bluey’ Frame and Catherine Falvey. He was born in Weston NSW on 21 Dec1912 and was delivered by midwife Mrs Ray.  On 26 Jan1913, Mervyn was baptised at the Catholic Church Abermain; his sponsors were Andrew Flanagan and Evelyn Mosley.  Mervyn grew up in a large, close-knit family of five boys and two girls who always loved and looked out for one another.  They lived in the family home at 21 Eighth Street, Weston.  All of Dad's brothers had nicknames but Dad's didn't seem to stick as solidly as those of his father or a couple of his brothers. Nevertheless, I still remember some folk referring to my father as 'Pinto'.

Mervyn met my mother, Eva Mary Punton, the daughter of James Anderson Punton and Melita Catherine Mary Jahnson of Wallsend, while she was working at the Criterion Hotel on the corner of Station Street and Cessnock Road in Weston. At the time, this hotel was owned by Eva's relatives, Martha and Herbert Hill.  Mervyn and Eva were married by Father Morrissey in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Kurri Kurri on 26 Nov 1938. Mervyn was twenty-five years old and Eva twenty-two. The witnesses to the marriage were Eva’s sister, Melita Punton, and Thomas Gibson, one of Mervyn’s close friends.  Eva and Mervyn settled into their first family home at 23 Eighth Street Weston, right next door to Mervyn’s parents Edward and Catherine Frame.  

Mervyn and Eva Frame had three children:    

1. ANTHONY CARL EDWARD FRAME was born 11 Mar 1940 and died 25 Nov 1954 in Kurri Kurri, NSW.

2. JULIE DIANNE FRAME

3. CARL ANTHONY FRAME

As a youngster, Mervyn attended school at Weston and discovered a talent for sport in his younger years. Much to the consternation of his parents, he also loved to swim with his mates in their favourite swimming hole at the old homestead property behind Tenth Street Weston. 

One amusing tale passed down about Mervyn from when he was just a wee lad, is that if he were missing, his parents always knew to look for him at the swimming hole. No amount of coaxing or threats would ever get him to come out of the water, though. If his father went to one side to get him out, he would swim to the other. 

Edward and Catherine became so concerned for the safety of their young son and his swimming escapades that they decided to stitch his pants and shirt together to prevent him taking his clothes off to swim; however, this tactic only worked for a short time. Eventually the wily Mervyn and his mate ‘Googans’ Bolling undid the stitching and after their swim, would stich Mervyn’s clothing back together again. 

The truth about their deviousness came out one day when Edward discovered that young Mervyn had come home with his pants and shirt stitched together in a different colour thread.  Mervyn looked angelic in this photo with his older brother Andrew (Mick), but even then, he obviously had all of the hallmarks of a typical 'Aussie larrikin'!

As he grew older, Mervyn took up boxing and was trained by Mr Charlie Beaumont of Abermain. Bouts were held in what was then called ‘The Loft’ behind the Criterion Hotel at Weston.

My father also played tennis and Rugby League. He was a member of the Pagans football team where he was considered to be an excellent winger. His sister Dulcie always believed that if Mervyn hadn't suffered from ill health, he would have made a wonderful athlete. Mervyn was also very keen on horses, and shared a love of greyhound dogs with his father and brothers. 

The first job for Mervyn after leaving school was as an apprentice barber for Mr Bob Nichols who had a barbershop in Station Street Weston. Later, he went to work at Hebburn No.2 Colliery where he was employed as a driver. It seemed a tradition in the Frame family for the men to work in the mines. Mervyn’s grandfather, father, brothers and uncles were all miners.  Mervyn and his brother Andrew (Mick) both worked at Hebburn No.2 as drivers. Their sister Dulcie said that Mick and Mervyn would always enter the mine and come back out together. One wouldn't go without the other. Mick recalled one day when he and Mervyn were driving in the ‘One East’ section of Hebburn No.2. They were taking the skips to the ‘flat’ where they would pick up full skips to take out and then bring the empties back for refilling. Mick was waiting for Mervyn to come out this day so he could go back in, when he heard a loud crash. He was immediately concerned that Mervyn had more skips on than he should have; a practice they usually tried to get away with!  When Mick went in to investigate, the entire set of skips had tumbled over and Mervyn's horse Ginger was trapped underneath. Thankfully, Mervyn had been able to jump clear, and luckily, Ginger survived as well.  All of our Frame men who worked in the mines were fortunate in that they did not sustain any serious injuries. 

The 1929 Rothbury Riot was a dark day in the coal mining industry. At the time, it was the most infamous and probably the most violent industrial conflict to occur in Australia. Mervyn and his older brother Mick were there on that day. The great Depression was biting hard so many people were out of work. The mine owners wanted their miners to take a pay cut. They refused. The owners then locked them out and they lost their livelihood.  10,000 miners found themselves locked out of the Hunter Valley mines and the worst day -  the Rothbury Riot on 16 Dec 1929 - was just five days prior to Mervyn's 17th birthday.   

Following is a link to a documentary made for ABC TV in 1986.  The documentary features interviews with some of the locals who were also there at Rothbury and under police fire along with Mervyn, Mick and so many other miners: Henry (and Grace) Scanlon, Jim Comerford (a good friend of my father's and our Frame family), Wally Woods and Jack O'Shea.  In this short documentary, Who killed Norman Brown?  that was published to YouTube 11 Jun 2013,  Jim Comerford and his mates tell of their own horrific ordeals, and the tragedy, deprivation and pain caused to our local families during that time.  Fortunately, Mervyn and Mick were able to protect themselves from the police gunfire by diving behind a log. After the shooting ceased, a number of miners were found to be wounded, with Norman Brown later dying from his injuries. Mervyn and Mick made their way back to Weston that day but before they reached home, our local G.P., Dr. John Meredith, had already informed their very relieved mother that they were okay. 

See also, The Rothbury Troubles of 70 Years Ago.

As did many others in the Depression years when work at the mine petered out, Mervyn ‘jumped the rattler’ to try to pick up work further afield. Sometimes he was accompanied by his brother Mick. They had to be at least thirty miles (48.2kms) from home to be able to claim the seven shillings and sixpence (75c) ‘track rations’ from the Government. Life was very tough. Farley was the usual place to jump aboard the train to catch a free ride. The men would hide as the train stopped to take on water; however, it was usually inspected for stowaways before it pulled out, and anyone discovered would be thrown off. They would then have to wait for another train and try again.  Mick recalled one trip away when he and Mervyn were up near Grafton. Mervyn became seriously ill and it was feared he had appendicitis. They had to hitch a ride home on the back of a cattle truck; it was the only transport they could get. Mick said it was a nightmare journey, with Mervyn in severe pain all the way home. Mervyn was later diagnosed as having a kidney stone - a condition that continued to return periodically and cause him problems for the remainder of his life. He eventually had one of his kidneys removed.  Following the Depression years, Mervyn resumed normal shifts at Hebburn No.2 Colliery and on 1 Sep 1936, he joined the Weston Volunteer Fire Brigade, where he served for many years alongside his father Edward and brother Arthur. 

My older brother,  Anthony Carl Edward Frame (‘Tony’) was born 11 March 1940 - six months after the outbreak of World War II.  Tony’s precious life was far too short. He lived for just 14 years and eight months but he touched our lives in such a way that he will never be forgotten by those of us who knew him.   Tony was born a very healthy, bouncing baby boy.  His parents called him ‘Boy Blue’ – from the nursery rhyme Little Boy Blue. All but one year of Tony’s life was spent living at 23 Eighth Street Weston, next door to our grandparents, Edward and Catherine Frame and their family. Tony was such a shining example of thriving babyhood that his mother Eva entered him in many baby shows that were popular at that time.  The cups and trophies that he won were proudly displayed in our home. Eva’s youngest sister, Rene Punton Thompson, laughingly recalled that she was often given the task of taking Tony to the baby shows. If perchance Tony happened to be teething, or was just having a bad day and being uncooperative and came home without a trophy, then Eva would be quite put out, insisting it was Rene’s fault, she must have done something wrong!  At about that time, Eva owned a little Pomeranian dog called ‘Mammy’ and she told of how it was not unusual for her to find Tony and Mammy sharing a bone sometimes, one chewing from either end! 

Like all the boys in the neighbourhood, Tony progressed from peddle cars and dinky bikes, to spears and shanghais made from cobbler pegs. Kite flying was another favourite past time for Tony and his mates. Large pieces of brown paper and sticks were fashioned with glue and coloured paints and pencils, into kites of all descriptions. A large ball of string would be attached, and sometimes, these masterpieces would actually become airborne! There was always huge excitement and an air of expectancy when one ran along the road with a new kite held aloft, waiting for it to catch the breeze and take off.  The creek was another favourite playing area for all the neighbourhood boys. They used to make canoes out of pieces of tin and paddle them down the creek- often sinking in the middle, or they would dig caves in the creek banks and also climb the cliffs. They somehow survived these activities that I'm sure would be considered too dangerous today!

During World War II, Mervyn completed Basic Training with the A.M.F. and on 25 Mar 1942, he enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (R.A.A.F.) . His rank was Aircraftman, and his service number 63257.  Mervyn was initially sent to the Recruitment Centre at Richmond, in Sydney. Then followed postings to the Elementary Flying Training School at Narromine, Station Headquarters at Parkes, and the Operational Training Unit at Mildura. On 22 Jul 1942, Mervyn was discharged from the R.A.A.F. on compassionate grounds. This was possibly due to his own or my mother's ill health; Mum had to undergo major surgery at that time. 

Following his discharge from the Air Force, Mervyn resumed work at Hebburn No.2 Colliery. He was elected President of the Hebburn No.2 Miners Lodge following the retirement of his uncle, Roy ‘Frosty’ Frame. After Mervyn retired from the mine, his brother Edward ‘Coogan’ Frame took over as President. This was said to be the only time in Hebburn No.2 history that three members of the one family were elected President of the Hebburn No.2 Miners Lodge consecutively. Mervyn had worked a total of twenty-six years at Hebburn No.2 Colliery when he retired.

I was the second of my parent's three children and came along the year before World War II ended. I was born at the old 'Greengables' in Kurri Kurri and baptised in Abermain Catholic Church. My sponsor was my father's sister, Dulcie Frame Fleet.  According to my mother, I was a rather sickly child who didn't cry much. My health must have improved over time!

From what I recall of the first ten years of my life in Eighth Street Weston, they were happy and carefree. If my parents were affected by miner’s strikes and other problems, then I was oblivious to them. My small world was just fine. As soon as I was old enough I attended Weston School, and living at  No. 23 Eighth Street gave me huge advantages- there were plenty of places to go and people to see!

My first port of call when I did my 'rounds' was usually next door to see my Grandma Kate and Pa and their family. My father's younger siblings were still living at home then and I especially liked to spend time with my Aunty Dawn who always seemed more like an older sister, being only 11 years my senior.

My Godmother and aunt,  Dulcie, lived just a short walk up the hill in Weston Street, Weston so she was always second on my 'list' of places to go.  Dulcie’s house actually became ‘home away from home’ for me for ever so long. In fact, most of our family called in to Dulcie's regularly. 

My memories from spending time with Grandma Kate and Pa is an eclectic mix: the special moneybox where a coin was placed on the little black man’s hand, and he would then put it into his mouth to save it – the ornament of a shy girl holding her skirt out that sat on the mantelpiece - laundry day with Pa having a huge fire under the copper to boil the sheets and clothes - and steam everywhere! Then there was his vegetable garden where he could often be found toiling away but always willing to have a chat with his granddaughter. Pa always called me ‘Diannie’- he obviously had a preference for my second name. To me he was akin to a ‘Superhero’ since he was Captain of the Weston Fire Brigade and remained so for many years until he retired. And I was also in awe of Aunty Dawn.  Dawn could sing and dance, and even tried to teach me a few dance steps on the back cement, but I had two left feet. Grandma Kate and Dawn also tried to coax me to sing on a number of occasions, again that was all in vain. I would say, 'I’ll sing if you don’t watch me!' so Grandma and Dawn would leave the kitchen and go into the lounge room, but not one musical note could be squeezed from my terrified voice box! 

Other memories from those early years include taking a billycan to Green’s house on the corner of Weston and Eighth Streets to get milk from their house cow;  sitting out the front watching Mr Gainer break in horses on the spare block across the road, and having an occasional ride in Lumsden’s horse and sulky. The Lumsden family had a plum tree in their front yard, which produced delicious white plums. It was always good for a climb and a feast with my brother Tony. I guess having an older brother led to me being a bit of a ‘tomboy’. I gave the baker, John Connolly, an dreadful shock one day when he walked around the back of our house to deliver bread. Still quite young at the time, I had managed to get hold of a pair of scissors and had just finished cutting off all of my hair. The baker quickly called Mum outside, and quite stunned, she asked me, 'What did you do that for?'  Not really knowing why I did it, (perhaps subconsciously I wanted to stop Mum setting it in rags and fearing I was going to get my backside paddled) I could only offer, 'Call me Robert' as a solution to the problem!

I have fond memories of a favourite bedtime story that my father Mervyn told me frequently when I was a young child living in this Eighth Street home. It had to do with Dad being lost in the bush when he was a boy, and how an old black crow sitting in a tree told him, 'Ark! Ark! Ark! Follow the creek Frame, follow the creek!'   Sometimes, the details changed, but the part about the crow was always the same. I became so wrapped up in this story as a youngster that I knew if I ever became lost in the wilderness and came across a creek or river, that I too, would ‘follow the creek’! 

Dad was a respected greyhound trainer and his younger brother Alex, who was still living at home next door at the time, remembered helping Mervyn with the greyhounds and their training. I do recall some greyhounds from my childhood, and also the elaborate meals in enamel dishes that my mother used to prepare for them, but I don't remember which dog was which other than a couple that my brother Tony and I tried to claim for our own. We nicknamed them Bonnie and Butch.

The first successful racing dog owned and trained by Mervyn was Red Rinton. Following, among others, came Marie Profit, Wee Scamp and her son Removalist.  Mervyn's brother-in law Barney said it was proceeds from his wager on Marie Profit that allowed him to buy my Aunty Dawn her engagement ring! 

A number of Mervyn’s dogs were successful but the most noteworthy was Removalist. An American gentleman offered £1,000 ($2000) for Removalist, quite a considerable sum of money in the early 1950's, however Mervyn turned him down. He must have regretted his decision later on because poor Removalist was injured by a bull and never raced successfully again. That £1,000 ($2000) would have been life changing for my parents back then!

During the time that Mervyn worked at Hebburn No.2, he took our family  to Coon Island near Swansea for annual holidays. It was a very popular holiday spot for the local miners, with many of them owning the tiny cottages and boatsheds that dotted the shoreline right along to ‘The Point’ where everyone liked to swim.  My parents, Tony and I loved our holidays at Coon Island, especially the fishing and swimming by day and prawning at night.  Most, if not all of those cottages have gone now, but the memory of those holidays certainly linger on! 

If Tony were ill when we holidayed at Coon Island, everyone made sure he didn’t miss out on fishing – he would lie on his bed in the front room of the rented cottage, and a fishing line would be tied around his big toe and then cast into the lake just out the front. If he felt a bite on the line, there were plenty of willing hands to check if he had caught a fish. Because he spent so much time in bed, Tony read lots of comic books and also sketched, especially horses.  When he was feeling well, Tony was full of mischief. He had sparkling eyes and a shock of dark hair that always fell across his forehead. He especially loved to torment me!   Tony had a lovely singing voice and took lessons with Ms Joy Ramage for some time, possibly up until his voice broke. The Jordan family, friends of our family from the greyhound fraternity, sometimes took Tony up to their farm at Maison Dieu near Singleton, where he spent time with their son Bernard. Those holidays were a highlight in Tony’s young life.  Mum said he always returned home weighing a little heavier and with rosy cheeks.  Bernard Jordan sometimes spent time with our family when we holidayed at Coon Island, and in fact, it was he who fished me out of the lake that time when I almost drowned.

Like all of our family, Tony loved dogs and there were two that he could call his very own, one was a Kelpie-cross called Caesar (in the photo with Tony above), and later on, in 1953, our parent’s bought Lassie, a Collie.  Because it became impossible for Tony to attend school, he was enrolled at Blackfriars Correspondence School in Sydney. The little green exercise books were posted backwards and forwards with his assignments, and his teachers always encouraged him to do his best. His favourite teacher was Miss Leamon, and somehow he found the strength to put in a little extra effort for her; he loved her comments and generous praise. At thirteen and a half years old, Tony was still learning Fifth and Sixth Class work by correspondence because he had been able to spend so little time at regular school.   

After finishing work at Hebburn No.2 Colliery, Mervyn and Eva purchased a small mixed business in Second Street Weston across from the Capitol Theatre.  We moved into the premises on 27 Sep 1953.  Life changed dramatically after that.   Mervyn and Eva were kept very busy and consequently, were usually very tired from working long hours.  

Sadly, Tony’s health continued to deteriorate and in the latter part of 1954, he was hospitalised for the last time. Every effort was made by all of the family to try to empower him with enough strength to live. Tony had always wanted a horse and so his uncle, Paul ‘Barney’ O’Connor acquired a horse for him. He never got to see his horse, though, nor did he get to use the bridle that Mum and Dad bought for him to hold onto in hospital, in the hope that by some miracle, it might give him extra strength. 

On 25 Nov 1954, only about a year after we moved into the shop, Tony passed away in Kurri Kurri Hospital. He was just fourteen years and eight months. It was a bleak and distressing time for our entire Frame family, but overwhelmingly painful for my parents and me. The loss of Tony was just too profound and bewildering for us all to come to terms with.  Somehow, Tony knew his life was ebbing away. My mother said that he told her towards the end, 'Be good to ‘Mis’ Mum.'  (Mis was the nickname he tormented me with.)  His distraught ten-year-old sister was able to draw some comfort from those words much later on, but more so from his final words, when he said to Eva, 'Oh Mum, aren’t the flowers beautiful.' My mother said there were no flowers in the hospital ward at the time; they had all been removed for the night.  Tony slipped away peacefully with his horse's bridle still in his hands.

In the midst of that bleak period in our lives, and as hard as it was to imagine, there eventually emerged a shining light!  The following year, in October 1955, my parents welcomed their third child into the world, my brother Carl.  Not that he knew it, but this tiny baby, weighing well under 3kg. breathed life back into our shattered family. The joy that he brought with him was our salvation, I’m sure.  Tony would always be close in our hearts but this new, unique little boy, with his strong, determined personality, left no doubt in everyone’s mind, that life really was worth living again! 

Carl Anthony Frame, was born eleven months after Tony died, and Tony's Collie dog, Lassie, bonded with him from the moment he arrived home from hospital. Lassie wouldn’t let anyone near Carl’s pram. She would always push herself in between the pram and any admirer who dared to make goo-goo noises at her little master! 

Later on when he was a little older, Carl rewarded Lassie for her faithfulness by dressing her up in dresses and hats!  That dear old girl suffered this indignity with ever-loving patience; her young master could do no wrong. Sadly, Lassie’s life came to an end with a lot of pain, and her suffering from an internal issue could not be allowed to go on.  Carl remembers coming home from school one day and asking his father if he knew where Lassie was. When Mervyn told him the sad news, that Lassie had to be put to sleep, Carl wouldn’t talk to him for days. Our dear Lassie still has a special place in our hearts. 

If our parents were a little anxious and overly protective of Carl when he was a baby, it was understandable. If there was a tendency for them to ‘wrap him in cotton wool’, then this young dynamo soon threw aside that ‘protective cloak’. To say he was a little accident-prone is an understatement!  By the time Carl was about 11-years-old, among other minor escapades, he had:  

• Set fire to himself: This occurred because he couldn’t untie a cowboy scarf from around his neck and so decided to do the tough-guy thing and burn it off! 

• Sustained two broken legs: The first before he was old enough to walk, when he was involved in a car accident with our mother. The second happened about ten years later when he made a magnificent, albeit misjudged leap off the half-demolished bridge in Fourth Street. Carl thought he could jump to the creek bank on the other side. He was right! He made it; he just needed a better landing technique! 

• He was almost crushed under a marble mantelpiece: Carl loved to swing on things, and the lounge room mantelpiece proved irresistible. Eva heard an almighty crash one day and when she rushed to investigate, she found Carl on the fireside hearth, with the dislodged marble mantel on top of him. How he escaped serious injury on that occasion remains a mystery.

That didn’t stop Carl from swinging on things, however. Next, he tried the rotary clothes hoist. Wasn’t that why Hills Hoists invented them? Unfortunately, Carl had grown a little by then and instead of the crossbars remaining horizontal, half of them ended up pointing skywards.  

My little brother had no mercy on me either. I adored him and he knew it, but I was eleven years older – a teenager.  And I had things that he needed to investigate, such as my high heels, they were perfect for walking through puddles! And my perfume – it must have tasted good. Carl drank it and became intoxicated!  All of those knickknacks I had stashed away in my Glory Box for when 'Mr. Right' came along - they had to be examined as well. Many were left with a little trademark chip to show that he’d been there. Thankfully, Carl survived the escapades of his childhood and is now a loving father and a grandfather! 

When asked about his recollections from his younger years, Carl remembered many visits down to Eighth Street Weston to visit Grandma Kate and Pa. His most vivid memory is of Pa's huge vegetable garden and also a bush house or fernery up in the backyard. Visits to his Auntie Dulcie and cousin Cathy were also on his regular agenda. 

Once Mum and Dad moved into the shop, naturally it was more difficult for them to have a holiday break, but they did get to take Carl down to Coon Island once. Carl remembers our father rowing them out in a rowboat to go fishing, and how Mum always insisted on being dropped off on a sandbank where she preferred to fish. Mervyn and Carl would row to various fishing spots, and when they had caught sufficient fish, would pick Eva up on the way back. That Coon Island holiday with his parents left Carl with precious memories, just as the earlier holidays did for me before he was born.  I'm so glad Carl got to experience a Coon Island holiday too!

Later on during their life as shopkeepers, both Mervyn and Eva took up the game of lawn bowls for some well-deserved recreation. They were both accomplished at the sport, this proven by the large number of trophies brought home after winning competitions. Both were chosen at representative level.

Mervyn’s other great interest was growing orchids. He built a large orchid house in the yard at the back of the shop and it was a picture of magnificent blooms during flowering season.  I had home-grown orchids in my wedding bouquet.

After their shop was destroyed by fire in the early 1960s, my parents purchased a home at 49 Fourth Street Weston, just two doors from me and my young family, and in the next block to where Great-grandfather Andrew and Granny Frame had lived.  My father was constantly plagued with poor health by this time. He was a diabetic and had continual kidney and heart problems. Sadly, Mervyn only got to see two of his grandchildren born but they brought a new and special joy to his life. He would have been enormously proud of all of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, just as he was of his own children.

Our dear Dad, Mervyn Augustus Frame, finally succumbed to his prolonged illnesses, passing away 22 Nov 1968 at Kurri Kurri Hospital. This was a month before his 56th birthday and only seven weeks after the devastating loss of his own father, Edward 'Bluey' Frame.  Dad's passing left a huge gap in our lives.

My mother Eva remained in her Fourth Street home until the end stages of her life. Mum's home was always a favourite drop-in centre for her children and grandchildren whenever they needed a cup of coffee, counselling, or more importantly, a hug. Eva had a huge capacity for love and simply melted when her 'little people', her great-grandchildren, arrived.  Our dearly loved Mum, Eva Mary Punton Frame, passed away in Kurri Kurri Hospital 1 Dec 1999 soon after her 84th birthday.

As for my brother Carl and me, we are still happily getting on with our lives.  Carl is in Weston where our Frame family settled permanently in 1904, and my hubby and I have downsized and now living in Newcastle. We both married the loves of our lives. Carl and his wife Julie have two daughters and a son: Sharni, Danni and Sam, and five grandchildren.  For the greater part of their marriage, Carl and Julie have worked together in retail sales. 

My husband John and I also have three children: our daughters Toni, Tracey and Meredith, and are blessed with five grandchildren and now our beaautiful great-grandchildren. John and I worked together as a team for our entire married life until we retired.  Before retirement, we had both business and rural interests that we managed simultaneously. Life was fairly busy back then, but now, in our twilight years, its time for us to take it easy!

Weston, NSW will always be our old home town wherever we may live and will always be very important to our Frame family.

See: Weston (NSW) History & Heritage

With the inevitable circle of life, Weston has changed, as have the faces of our Frame family. The ‘old guard’ makes way for the new. Today light industry, tourism, vineyards and wine production are the driving forces behind our region's economy, but I do mourn the loss to the current townsfolk of Weston, the basic everyday services that we once had.

 See The Weston of my Youth

I must say, I enjoyed growing up in Weston.  Neighbours always looked out for one another and doors didn't need to be locked, but when the Hebburn mines closed, the heart and soul of Weston suffered tremendously. At times our hometown struggled to keep going, with many fearing it was in danger of becoming yet another ghost town. But I am happy to say, Weston's population is still slowly increasing!   

We sincerely hope our Frame surname survives in Weston and elsewhere in the Hunter Valley long into the future, and given that we have some younger males and females in our Frame clan now, that future look promising!  

See John Falk's website: MY FALK FAMILY