Shep's Place Family Tree

She was also governess to Willy and Bessie Hedges whose father, from Wistow near Mt. Barker, was a Federal Senator ‎(William Hedges)‎ at Melbourne, before the Federal Government removed to Canberra which was not until 1926. Maude was also companion to Mrs. Hedges and accompanied her on social occasions. They lived mainly at Melbourne. When her brother Will purchased at Naracoorte in 1903, in directories as "Brooklyn" near Hynam, ‎(but only 2 miles from Naracoorte)‎ she considered it her duty to join him as his housekeeper and resigned from her employment with the Hedges. Will did not want her at all, as was said in his section, and having built a splendid stone barn, he and Jack Tonkin were happily pigging it in some galvanized iron rooms. Maude arrived and took over the "tin" rooms and Will and Jack retreated to the barn. But, this accommodation affected her health and she moved in with the Threadgold family at "Lasswade" until Will built the three stone rooms of the house he never finished. E.M.S. stayed there in 1922 and 1933 and took exercise running around the foundations of the four large rooms that never eventuated in Will's life at "Brooklyn", but were completed by the purchaser of 1936.

Maude had the Wilson touch with gardens, her flowers and vegetables gained prizes at Naracoorte Shows. She even had a flourishing shade house built of brush. For pocket and clothes money she sold eggs, honey, rendered down fat, lard from pigs killed on the farm and a variety of other home products such as jams, pickles and preserves.

She was a fine needle woman, did embroidery and crochet, sketched, made beaten copper trays and other items and was an excellent cook. She also had a sharp tongue which brought her into frequent conflict with the two men, particularly William. She ignored class barriers and at a Naracoorte concert, ball, or evening affair would annoy the leading lights of the town by hobnobbing with all and sundry, including those who thought it beneath their dignity to acknowledge and talk to farm labourers and servants as Maude did.

Maude and her brother were both generous people and sent their city relatives boxes of fruit and farm produce, honey and much more by rail. For 18 months they cared for their niece Violet as has been told. They aided their neighbours when it was needed.

In 1914 when "Yallum, Park", Penola had an auction sale following the death of the owner Mr. Riddock, Will and Maude attended. Their transport was of course, always by horse and buggy. There was a bedroom suite, very large, of solid cedar, which had been specially made in 1881 for the use of one of the two Royal Princes who stayed at "Yallum Park" that year. These were the Duke of Clarence and his younger brother who eventually became George V. Will bid for, and successfully obtained the wardrobe, nearly 8 feet long, and the very large dressing table with a long centre mirror in a carved frame. The third piece, a matching but marble topped washstand remained. A Mr. Langeludeke, infuriated at losing the first two pieces his wife had wanted, ran up the price of the washstand to punish Will, who decided it was too high, and Mr. Langeludeke, left with the item, took it home to his farm, hung it up on the wall of his barn and there it remained for many years. Eventually the first two articles were handed down to E.M.S. who uses them now. Maude made do with a lesser wash stand of cedar, obtained elsewhere. Will also purchased for her a vast cedar table and its matching chairs and sideboard, and a cedar bookcase but these were all sold at the clearing sale when Will sold the farm.

In 1936 at the age of 84 Will decided to retire, and naturally Maude, nine years younger, and the ever faithful Jack Tonkin aged 63 accompanied him, and the trio set up house at 44 Tidworth Crescent, suburban Reade Park, which was to be absorbed into the larger Colonel Light Gardens in due course. ‎[See Historical Note below]‎ Maude had been a handsome young woman but her forceful character so developed her chin, that with the Wilson aquiline nose becoming more pronounced and with her extreme thinness and with grey hair she became more and more witch like in appearance. But for Jack Tonkin's care in the matter of food and fuel ‎(she only understood cooking with a wood stove)‎ she would have deteriorated even more rapidly in health than she did, after Will's death.

Presently Jack was unable to care for her any longer, and went to live with his niece, and a married great niece of Maude's, whose husband was away in the services, took over the difficult task. Maude had reached a stage wherein she would eat little else but cake and would raid the cake cupboard continually until it was empty. Nothing pleased her and all aid was regarded as interference. Late in 1946, and crippled with arthritis, she fell and broke a hip. At a ward in hospital and visited by her niece Violet, she glanced along the rows of beds and said that she did not recall inviting all those people to stay.

She had always been a great believer in her own ability to fix anything from a hen house to a fallen chimney as has been said once before "with a hairpin and the help of a strong boy". She died at hospital in the March of 1947 and the Reade Park house left to her for her lifetime use by brother Will, went per his bequests to the eldest Lakeman niece, and Maude's modest estate was divided between Jack Tonkin and three Lakeman sisters, Eunice, Olive and Violet. Edith was not included. Many of her belongings had vanished, as being of a generous nature, any caller who admired something, received it. A few pieces from "Westbrook" eventually came to E.M.S. besides, the cedar, gemstones from the cousin Victor Buckland of Emerald, Queensland, the painting of Madonna lilies by Diana ‎(Dan)‎ Paterson, and a River Murray scene in oils by Mrs. Hedges' sister, Isabel ‎(Mrs. William Shiels)‎ still in its original gold frame. There is also the presentation gold brooch with rubies which the Hedges gave Maude when she left their employ, as well as some books.

"The reference to Reade Park as a separate suburb is not correct. Tidworth Cres was always a part of Colonel Light Gardens from the first land sales. Indeed the property location of 44 Tidworth Cres was part of the initial land release in mid 1921 ‎(refer to the original sales brochure)‎. Some chose to refer to the northern area of Colonel Light Gardens as Reade Park as they were upset at the southern area being built for lower income groups in 1924. Reade Park was never the official name."
‎[I (the site administrator)‎ have not made a correction to the biographical notes above which are a transcription of Eunice Stevenson's history of the Wilson family. As it now reads, perhaps this reinforces Philip's well made point.]
Philip has sent a further note:
"We have our original house plans from 1926 submitted as ... , Reade Park. The Garden Suburb Commissioner approved the plans and added the words next to Reade Park 'Col Light Gardens.'
The story was if you wanted to open a store account or announced your wedding it was always Reade Park, if there was any trouble with the authorities it was always Colonel Light Gardens.
Many in the northern part of the suburb were upset at the 1924 use of the southern end for the Thousand Homes Scheme 'ruining' the suburb. It didn't, as it allowed the suburb to be built out just before the Depression hit, or else the northern end would have been built, and the southern end would have been finished post WW2 in a vastly different housing style.
The suburb was very fortunate with its timing. "