Return to the Home of our Ancestors, Glen Innes, New South Wales

Ret's turn to drive - the scenery was so beautiful

On Tuesday morning this week, my Aunt and two sisters, Gemma and Ret, drove 4 hours west of Ballina to reconnect with our family history. The countryside was so beautiful and green - thanks to a storm that put an end to a 3 months drought. We were all oohing and ahhing about  the stunning scenery, so we stopped the car and took a few photos. When we drove through the Gibraltar Range National Park we stopped and took a recording of the sounds of the Bellbirds. Such a unique and distinctive sound as it echoes through the forest. 

Ret and Trish en route to Glen Innes

Ret at the front door of the cottage

We had booked into a cottage that surprisingly was only 4 houses south of the home owned by our dad's (and his sister Dympna's) family. When I booked the cottage the manager gave me the impression it had 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms, but on arrival, we found it to have 5 bedrooms (1 queen with ensuite, 2 doubles, 2 single rooms and another 3 way bathroom, complete with 2 basins. Plus a huge lounge room, big kitchen, dishwasher, microwave 'and room for a pony'.  We thought we may have to share with another family…but no, it was all for us. Fantastic. 

Check out the lounge room - the corridor to the left leads to the bedrooms

The kitchen had everything we could possibly want...

Before we got settled, we all walked up the road to the old house at 29 Church Street - our cottage was in 21 Church Street. When dad's parent's died, they left the house in the will, and one year when I was only about 7 years of age, dad and mum checked us kids into the local school for one month so that they could have some time out. I remember it was one of the few times we had 'real' milk during our childhood - the school provided little bottles of chocolate and/or strawberry milk for morning tea. In Alice Springs during the 8 year drought we had no fresh milk in the town, only powdered milk. So these small, individual bottles were like gold to us Territory kids. I also remember I got my fear of bulls from this town - I was wearing a red sweater one day and my older brother Peter dared me to walk into a bull paddock. Not that I did, but he told me that if I did, the bull would tear strips off me as the colour 'red' aggravates them. To this day if I have a nightmare, it is about a bull chasing me… no wonder I was beside myself at our friends' ranch in North Dakota a few years ago when a bull charged our RV taking a dislike to our generator. Check out this link to read that blog entry!

Dympna and Gemma in front of the old Ryall home at 29 Church St Glen Innes

Rummicub game in action

The weather was glorious for our travels. One evening we had a few drops of rain to cool the earth down, but thankfully we had completed our visits to the cemeteries beforehand. On each afternoon and evening Dympna, Ret and I played rummicub to while away the hours. We were addicted! 

A kind man passing by offered to take our photo

On the first day we visited the town of Emmaville which is where my dad was born, and also where two of dad (and Dympna's) brothers were buried. We visited Maurice and Eddies' graves and said a prayer for them. It would have been our dad's 96th birthday that day, so it had a special significance to be there with his sister Dympna as we paid our respect to their brothers. 

Trish Dympna and Ret at Maurice and Eddie's graves

We also had time to contact a family relative Pat Newsome and her husband Don, and called out to their property 'Springfield' for a visit. For the family reading this, Pat is Ruby Ryall's younger sister. We had afternoon tea with Pat and Don, and Pat had whipped up a black forest cherry chocolate cake, savoury biscuits with cheese, lemon tartlets with cream AND lamingtons! 

Dympna Don and Pat

The next day we drove about half an hour East of Glen Innes to the little town of Red Range (home to around 70 families) where dad and Dympna's grandparents are buried. We drove up a narrow, winding country road and found the isolated little cemetery. Very 'Australian' countryside.

Road to Red Range Cemetery  

Click on this panorama to get a 'feel' for the countryside

Gem and Dympna with the grandparent's headstone in Red Range

The day before we left Glen Innes we lunched in a local cafe...

Gem and Dympna visit the Antique shop next door to our cottage 

Another panorama taken on our way home, to give you an idea of the beautiful drive we had  - click on this to get the full appreciation.

Our final stop on the way home was in Tynedale where Dympna lived with her husband John for 15 years before he died. The roses were blooming, and we couldn't resist asking her to stand out the front while we took a photo. We all arrived safe and sound back in Ballina after 3 nights away, and loaded with a host of new memories to treasure. Love my family!