Shep's Place Family Tree

For most of her life Ada's allowance from her mother was 5/- per week, and on this she dressed well and with style. She was tall and well built and had been slender when young, but after an illness at 28 she gained weight which led to her nickname, but being good natured she did not resent it. She had aquiline features, dark brown hair ‎(and plenty of it)‎ and the Scotch agate eyes like her father. She was handsome rather than pretty. The siblings thought her bossy, since no doubt she had to be to keep them in order.

Although not formerly engaged to her friend George, whose surname I have now forgotten, they intended to marry, but he was killed in France in 1916 during the First World War. She was fond of travel and had the means been forthcoming would have liked nothing better. However she was able to make a number of trips to the eastern states when young and stayed at Linton and Ballarat with Nicholls relatives. She had a strong phobia concerning goats and said that if there was one loose within miles of her she would be its target. She liked to tell the story against herself of going for a walk at Linton and being, suddenly surrounded by a large herd which gathered around to ruminate and stare at her while she stood petrified until rescued by the owner. Afterwards she regarded this as a great joke, but not when it happened.

Ada was most particular about both house and her person and loved to dress up. She kept different sets of ear-rings for morning during household chores, afternoon when she dressed for callers, and others for "best" wear, and I recall that once when she was to be driven home from hospital, at night, I had to find and deliver the appropriate pair.

The family friend Harriet Winter bequeathed her jewellery to Ada. This included a set of opals which consisted of ring, bracelet, and three brooches ‎(one had 3 stones)‎. These came to EMS. There was a wide circle of friends - the Misses Caddy, the Kelly family of Grange, Mr. Bray who owned the Crescent Printery, Adelaide, his wife and her sister Lavinia ‎(Vinnie)‎, the Gully family and a great many more whose names I can no longer recall. Ada's most particular friend was a Miss Strapps who had a booming contralto voice and who brought her back a fine string of Venetian beads from her world tour of 1929 - All of these usually visited Unley Road as Maria seldom left the house and when Ada was absent she was always uneasy until her return.

In 1931 the youngest sister, Jean, became ill with Bright's Disease and was at first cared for at the house by professional nurses, but the financial burden became a strain on Maria's resources so she and Ada took over, with the doctor calling every second day. Ada being the younger and stronger took the brunt of this nursing and by the time Jean died in July 1933 she was exhausted. The doctor ordered that she take an extended holiday, preferably away from Adelaide, and brother Ronald came to the rescue and paid for a Pacific cruise that took her to Noumea and other islands, followed by a month in Tasmania.
This was the time when EMS stayed with Maria. Arrangements had been made for Kathleen Schulte, the eldest granddaughter, then aged 21, to stay at Unley. Unfortunately Kathleen's mother, Hetty, was smitten with a severe case of jealousy of Ada's vacation, and almost at once removed Kathleen home hoping to force Ada back before she embarked at Sydney. Maria was always afraid to be alone, particularly at night, so in much agitation took a tram into the city to consult Keith at the Goverment Printing Office. She was very much distressed at being abandoned. This caused a split in the family for many years. Hetty was no longer welcome at Unley. Some of the family made excuses for her while others ceased to acknowledge her existence until long after.

A letter from Ada to Keith indicates some of the feeling:-

Launceston, Tasmania,
Saturday April 31, 1934
Dear Keith,
Received your letter a few days ago and was pleased to see that Mum was doing all right. Well Keith, when I received that letter it did upset me and gave me a nasty heart for an hour or two. I knew I was a long way from home and could not get there very quickly if anything was wrong so thought I would get a wire through. I can tell you I was waiting for the answer. My word, how her Ladyship did perform in that letter and show off her temper. Ever since she knew I was going ‎(on the holiday)‎ she has been playing up and I told Mum she was going to make trouble and sure enough she did. Well, now I hope that Mum has had her eyes opened to them both. Kathleen has not a bit of love for Mum, I always told Mum that, but of course she wouldn't take any notice of me and she played up one Sunday when Jean was alive and I shut her up, then Mum took her part and went for me. Het has always been nasty to me and she makes trouble wherever she goes. Keep her out of your life if you and Vi want any peace. She was very nasty when I told her Ron was giving me the trip, it was nothing to do with her. I won't forget this lot I can tell you. I have had enough of it. I am very glad that you told her off, you Boys never knew what she was like. Neither she nor Kathleen came to say goodbye to me, but that didn't hurt me.

I am starting tomorrow at 10.15 for that five day trip. I leave Launceston and go by the East Coast to Hobart and return by the Great Lake. When I get back the next will be a boat from here to Melbourne and from there back to Adelaide. I am waiting on the Bank here, they close for a whole week at Easter. I am feeling better and by the time I am through with the sea I will be Some sailor. I did a beautiful trip to the caves yesterday and we did not get back until 7 o'clock. I was tired but pleased. I am going to Princes Square to see their fountain with the flood light on. I thought you might like to see this card. I hope everyone is well, and with love to all, Ada.

The above was written on "Strathaird" stationery that had a series of five pictures of the ship and cabins on the reverse side. It was a tourist ship of the Peninsular & Oriental Navigation Company. This letter of 50 years ago is included to show one side of a family squabble "first hand" as usually reports of such become twisted in the handing down to later generations. With so many strong minded persons in one family such differences were inevitable and rumours of some great verbal fights have filtered through which probably accounts for the retreat into silence of RRS in his latter years.

When Maria died in 1933 the house at Unley, "Craiglea" as a brass plate near the front door announced, had to be sold under the terms of the RRS Will and Ada found herself homeless. It remains a mystery why the Mrs. Howden was able to rent this house for the next five years while Ada existed miserably in rented rooms. The first of these were at Park Street, Hyde Park, with former neighbour Arthur Bailey and his wife Amy. Relations became more and more strained as these people increasingly interfered in her life and her health suffered. Once more Ronald came to the rescue and sent her, in December 1937, to New Zealand by the "Strathaird" and she toured the North island extensively.

On her return another set of rooms was found for her, this time at Unley, right beside the football oval which amused her, particularly as she was not an ardent sports fan.

She had been permitted to choose some of the furnishings of the old home. Ronald had arrived from Melbourne for his mother's funeral and proceeded to throw out everything that did not interest him, and this included old family photographs and papers which went into a bonfire and so much of interest was lost. What Ada had chosen crowded her small rented rooms uncomfortably. She spent several holidays with the Warnes family in the far north, these being also family friends of long standing. They owned three properties of vast acreage. In 1939 on a visit she fell in the bath and fractured several ribs and by this time arthritis was plaguing her, particularly in the feet, so that eventually bones were removed from both and walking was always difficult afterwards.

In 1939 Ada came across a property a few streets away from the rooms she occupied, at Malvern, the next suburb south, and she noted it was being sub-divided leaving one very small block with a frontage of only 40 feet. Nothing would have come of this and she would have continued unhappy and restless in other people's homes but for Keith's wife who encouraged her to purchase this small holding with a view to building there. The brothers rallied to her aid. Stuart the architect drew a plan for a cottage of four rooms and all mod. cons. Blaine was the business manager of finance with which Ronald, then a rich man, gave some help. Keith helped in a variety of ways and Walter in Western Australia gave moral support. The neat small house at 206 Wattle Street Malvern was completed just before the start of the Second War and there she had twenty years of quiet contentment. She was but one block of houses back from Unley Road with its shops and entertainment centres.

The brothers had continued to pay into the account kept for their mother, Ronald being the largest contributor and from this fund Ada received her tiny income. The war years brought ever increasing costs so she was persuaded to apply for Social Security. Of this she was ashamed all her life and would never go to her letter box for the fortnightly cheque until the day following in case any of the neighbours should realise the source of her income. Together with the Fund proceeds she was able to live comfortably and was most hospitable and kindly. During the war years she worked regularly at Red Cross city headquarters.

She reluctantly agreed to the brothers' wish that she should let one of her rooms. It had been supplied with an outer door during the building. It had but one occupant, an Irish woman of doubtful cleanliness, who left some two years later after a monumental disagreement and Ada sighed with relief and managed to escape another such entanglement.

In her late seventies Ada looked remarkably youthful and even had an admirer named Arthur Smith who was always hustled off when EMS called, rather unkindly out the back door, so that I never actually saw him. He visited frequently. I have an idea that he lacked dentures, hence the hurried removal.
Towards the end of her life Ada suffered a series of minor strokes, then at 80 a severe one and was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital and died there six weeks later. During this time EMS visited her four times a week and had power of attorney to attend to her monetary affairs and was with her when she slipped into a coma that led to her death a few hours later on January 25, 1959. She left her small estate to her three nieces.