Bern in the City of Sydney Eisteddfod, 1936 (front row on the left).
The handwriting on this photo says "Winners - ensemble of 8" although there appear to be 9 in this group.
Elder sister of our Grandmother
Bernice was born at Bombala on November 26, 1895. She was known to us as "Aunty Bern" although she was actually the aunt of our mother Joan. Bern left Bombala to live in Sydney with her brother Joe, a few years before the rest of the family moved to Sydney in 1920 when they bought the house at 54 Garfield Street Five Dock. She then lived with her younger sister Thelma and her family in Garfield Street Five Dock NSW for most of her life.
Bern in the City of Sydney Eisteddfod, 1936 (front row on the left).
The handwriting on this photo says "Winners - ensemble of 8" although there appear to be 9 in this group.
Bern hunting rabbits, presumably in or near Bombala, probably 1920s.
She was engaged to a man named George Jenkinson when she was young but Joan Dwyer (nee Rogers) says her fiancé wanted to leave Australia and Bernice would not go. However Kerry Rogers believes that the mother of Bern's fiancé disapproved of the match because they were very well-to-do and Bern wasn't good enough for him. John Phillips (son of Bern's brother George) confirms Kerry's version of events. In any event the engagement was broken off and she remained a spinster all her life. She did keep the engagement ring, platinum with some large stones. George Jenkinson had a sister who was known as "Girlie", who remained very good friends with the Phillips family after the engagement was broken off. Joan Dwyer remembers occasionally going out to Watson's Bay as a child with her mother Thelma Phillips, to visit "Auntie Girlie". John Phillips (a son of George and Annie) recalls that Girlie had some kind of hormonal problem that caused her to grow facial hair. He recalls meeting her several times at Garfield Street Five Dock and that she was a very nice person. More about the Jenkinsons here.
Bern worked as a secretary for the Managing Director of Mastercraft Chocolates in Surry Hills for 45 years, until she retired at 65.
John Phillips recalls Bern was called "Hop" by her immediate family, and that most of them had pet names for each other. - George was "Pud" and Thelma was "Coop". Bern was wonderful with kids and was a second mother to Thelma's kids, and a 3rd grandmother to their kids after that. She had boundless energy and could easily manage 5 kids on a day trip at the zoo for example.
On 11 April 1985 she was staying with us (the Dwyers) in Canberra, and had a fall on the front porch when she went outside to meet Joan, who had just had a car accident. Being 89 years old, the fall broke her leg. She returned to Sydney on 21 June (Source: Bill Dwyer's diary). After that she had to have her leg amputated and she was moved to St. Mary's Villa at Concord Sydney (Source: Kerry Rogers). She deteriorated over the next few years until she died on 10 June 1989 aged 93.
Bern at St. Mary's Villa, Concord, December 1986, aged 91 years.
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