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Thyra Eleanora, the second child born to Ellen and Jørgen Berthelsen, entered the world on 11 December 1877, at Danevang, a Danish farming community in Pialba, Queensland. In later years the family moved to Queen Street, Maryborough where her father plied his trade as a tailor. In one of Thyra's letters to her niece in Johannesburg, she relates how she had limited English when starting school at Maryborough’s Albert State School at age six in 1884. As the family spoke only Danish in the home, Thyra had little to no exposure to English, and before taking lessons in the traditional subjects of reading, writing and arithmetic she first had to learn the language of the locals. Within three years of starting school, Thyra’s education was interrupted when she left school to assist her mother with home duties and caring for her siblings. Thyra’s husband-to-be, William Curtis, the son of Tom Curtis, a Crown Land Ranger and later, Land Agent, lived in Woongarra Street, Bundaberg. Thyra’s family moved there circa 1884/5 and that is where Thyra and William met and later married on 17th March 1897. Before too long they moved to Russell Street, South Brisbane, not far from the present-day Greek Club in Edmondstone Street. A later move saw them resident at "Hillsboro",1 71 Sackville Street, Greenslopes where Thyra remained living until she died in 1949. Thyra was a member of the Exclusive Brethren; it was said that she was a deeply religious woman and was often heard quoting passages from the Bible. The Exclusive Brethren is a very closed chapter of religion and even today, contact with "outsiders" is forbidden.
William died in 1931. Thyra became severely crippled with rheumatoid arthritis and was bed-ridden for the last ten years of her life. During this time she was cared for by her married daughter, "Lizzy" Thrush. Thyra spent much of her confinement crocheting, a skill that did not escape the notice of her nieces, Edna (Berthelsen) Wright of Alderley and Olga (Berthelsen) McGibbon of Windsor, whose recollections of her talent are noteworthy. Edna and Olga were the daughters of Thyra’s brother, George.
Thyra’s only child, Elizabeth Ellen (known as “Lizzy”), before her marriage to Leslie Alexander Thrush in 1922, worked as a dressmaker at Finney Isles and Co., a well known and respected Queen Street department store in Brisbane. Les was born in Chippenham, County Wiltshire, England in 1899. History repeated itself in that only one child was born of this marriage—Ronald George Curtis Thrush, on 19 June 1931.
Lorna and Mavis Chenery, (see photo) who were “Lizzy’s” teenage cousins, were taken in and cared for by Lizzie and Leslie Thrush when their mother, Nellie Katrina (Berthelsen) Chenery, died of a liver complaint in 1933. Lizzy’s son Ronald was a cabinet maker by trade and served his apprenticeship with Andrei "Tony" Antonieff, a relative by marriage, who owned Woodcraft Furniture Co. on the corner of Coronation Drive and Cribb Street, Milton. Ron, Lorna and Mavis grew up together at 71 Sackville Street, Greenslopes. On 2 September 1958, Ron married (Florence) Adele Smith. They too established their home at Greenslopes not far away from No. 71 - at 99 Sackville Street. They remained there until 1990 when they moved to Carindale. Ron and Adele had two children—Trevor Ronald and Suzanne Adele. Suzanne married a policeman, and they live at Capalaba. Trevor and his wife Nadia continue a family tradition by living at 99 Sackville Street. They have one child: Jared Alistair.
Lizzy died in 1963 and her husband, Les, remained at 71 Sackville Street until around 1968 when he sold the family home and went to live with his son, Ron and Adele at number 99. Five years later, Les died on 2 September 1973, coinciding with Ron and Adele's wedding anniversary. Ron’s wife Adele passed away in 1997 and he married for the second time the following year. Ron and his new wife were married in Tasmania.
(Left) Lizzy and her husband Les with their young son Ron. (Middle) Lorna and Mavis Chenery
William and Thyra, “Lizzy” and Les - all four are buried in the Balmoral cemetery at Morningside. Lizzy and Les’ monumental inscriptions read –
THRUSH
My beloved wife & Mother,
Elizabeth Ellen THRUSH,
died 22 May 1963,
aged 65 years.
Also, my dear Father,
Leslie Alexander THRUSH,
died 2 September 1973,
aged 74 years.
1 In a picture card of Thyra dated 7 July 1938, addressed to her sister-in-law, Etta (Henrietta Pollitt) in Bundaberg, (courtesy of George Pollitt of Bundaberg), this was given as her address. "Hillsboro" was the name of the home.
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