The same story was repeated later when my mother was training to become a nurse in Western Australia and was called home to Mt Barker because her mother was having a ‘change of life’ baby. The pregnancy was difficult and my grandmother was not well. My mother was smart, and has had a good life but I wonder how different her life would have been if her family life had been different.
My own history is full of stories like this, of plans interrupted, many blind alleys – courses and qualifications I started but never finished. I bombed out of my Diploma of Visual Art in the early 1980s and had to settle for a Certificate of Visual Arts instead. There was a rather large monkey on my back when I signed up for a Bachelor of Visual Arts almost 20 years later.
I must have grown up, because even after all of my false starts I was the first in my family to gain a university degree. I went on to do Honours, then a Doctor of Creative Arts (art/philosophy), basically a PhD. It’s not quite the highest level of education you can get, but it will certainly do me. It took me 8 years and it was bloody hard work.
I’m sure other families have similar stories.
My own history is full of stories like this, of plans interrupted, many blind alleys – courses and qualifications I started but never finished. I bombed out of my Diploma of Visual Art in the early 1980s and had to settle for a Certificate of Visual Arts instead. There was a rather large monkey on my back when I signed up for a Bachelor of Visual Arts almost 20 years later.
I must have grown up, because even after all of my false starts I was the first in my family to gain a university degree. I went on to do Honours, then a Doctor of Creative Arts (art/philosophy), basically a PhD. It’s not quite the highest level of education you can get, but it will certainly do me. It took me 8 years and it was bloody hard work.
I’m sure other families have similar stories.
PHOTO ∆ From left: my mother, twin aunties, my aunty (1 year older than me), me and my brother (1 year younger).
Makes me think of my mother's family. They were immigrants from Eastern Europe who had come to America in 1921. My grandfather was a barber. My mother was one of five children. Her parents could only afford to send one child to college. They picked my mother's youngest sister. My aunt is now the only surviving member of that family. She is 95 years old, and I speak with her often. She always says, "I wish they would have sent Beatty (my mother) to college. She was really the smartest." She really was so smart. Reminds me of the line from "On The Waterfront"-- "I coulda been a contender, I coulda been somebody."
ReplyDeleteI can't believe the overlaps Robin. My grandfather was a 'continental hair dresser', my mother was the eldest of 5 children and my family were post-war immigrants - both sides. One from Europe, the other from Britain. I don't think it matters which paths you choose in the end. I am sure your mother was 'someone'. I don't think my mother was cut out to be a doctor anyway. But it was interesting to me that I became a 'doctor' - not medical of course.
DeleteMy grandmother was the youngest of 12 and was expected to remain single and care for her parents as they aged. Her older brothers, long since married, would even bring their shirts for her to iron.
ReplyDeleteShe married my grandfather though so I guess at some point she decided to do her own thing. I wonder how that situation went, I never thought about it before
Anyways, I guess my point was to say that girls often had opportunities stripped from them
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