My Clan
A Functional, Often Dysfunctional Family
by
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I guess one of my earliest recollections is, as a child of about four years of age, one day at pre-school (or kindergarten as it was called then). Marlene (my sister - who was only thirteen months older than me) and I had to go to kindergarten together, because Marlene had serious problems with her eyes and her doctor told Mum it would be good for her, so I went with her for company. I remember I was playing with some blocks and colouring in. Marlene, was building a block tower and was getting bullied by a boy who knocked her tower over, so I went over to him and pushed him over. Of course, I got into trouble, but he didn't bully my sister any more after that. When our mother came to collect us and was told about the incident, she roused at me a little in front of the teacher, but after we left she told me (tongue in cheek) I was a good girl for sticking up for my sister, but pushing and hitting were bad things to do to other people and there were other ways to resolve disputes that did not involve physical violence. (Of course, all of this was in "four year old” language.) Now, how many of you have an incident just like that one in your life – getting into trouble for protecting a brother or sister, or a friend, from some bully? You know, it's funny really, but when I was ten years old I once again got into trouble for protecting the same sister from the neighbourhood "tuffies". Marlene had gone down to Cecil Schmitzer's shop, which was on the corner of Jarrett & Rofe streets (just down from our house). I was on our front verandah with Mum when I looked towards Cecil Schmitzer's shop and saw those bullies pushing my sister around in a circle and calling her names like four-eyes, goggle-eyes, cock-eyes, etc. because she wore glasses. Well, I jumped over the verandah railing and bolted down there before Mum could stop me. Now all these kids were quite a bit bigger than me, but somehow I laid into them and even broke one kids nose (Lord knows how, but I did) and then they started to back away. I thought it was because I laid into them, when in fact it was because they saw my Mum coming down the street behind me and had backed off. Anyway, after the dust settled, I got into trouble again, of course, because the kid's mother came to see Mum to complain and threaten me with the Police. Talk about cheeky, but I told that lady I would break her nose too! My mother sent me straight to my room where I had to think about other ways to calm threatening situations and not be so aggressive in protecting my sister. For all our years growing up in that same neighbourhood, we had to – from time to time – contend with those "bullies". But we weren't the only family they picked on. They also gave the Schultz's hell. They were a family of five girls and we were a family of seven girls and two boys, although the oldest brother was ten years older than me, eight of us had been born within twelve years, and we were best friends with the Schultz's, who were similar ages to us.
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About the Book
This book gives the reader an insight into each member of a large household - sixteen people in all. The grandmother, the parents and their nine children, an aunt, uncle and cousin and a gay boarder. It spans five generations and shows what life was like for people in the early part of the 20th century. The grandmother, born in 1894, saw two world wars and the subsequent depressions and lost family in WWI. It shows how the grandmother was in a difficult marriage and ultimately got divorced in 1920's and life as a sole parent during that time. The father and the uncle were both in the army in WWII and gives a little insight into what they went through. It tells of school days in catholic schools and the abuse suffered there by the author and her siblings. The author tells about her life as being a victim/survivor of domestic violence and speaks of her depression. Each member of the family is unique and their stories are very real. It also shows a lot of love and support for each other and shows how multiple strong personalities can all live together. In this book you will see how my grandmother, born in 1894, came to be disowned by her father in 1915. How my mother became a state ward and the physical and mental abuse she suffered in the 1930's. Although in this book you will see incidences of bullying, abandonment, drug abuse and many other issues, you will also see that, for the most part, how each one has come through it all in this very functional dysfunctional family.
About the Author
The author is one of a large family. She is a survivor of domestic violence and has dealt with severe depression. Her life has led her down multiple paths, with different people, and shows what effect those people have had on her. Her story deals with issues of bullies, drug abuse, abandonment, financial hardship, loneliness, Alzheimers and other issues.