Mrs Rose McLelland's transcript excerpt...
"Mrs McLelland was awarded the
British Empire Medal for services to promoting the Scottish traditions
in Qld in 1979. She was a renowned Highland dancer teacher and adjudicator.
Mrs McLelland also received an appreciation award from McLean in the Tweed
Valley in recognition for her services and assistance. McLean still has
its annual Highland Gathering at Easter. She initially danced but when
she gave up competitive dancing, she later adjudicated."
EXCERPT
We lived on... it was called The
River Road in those days. There was no Coronation Drive or anything, and
there was two houses and this old Cocky Bates he owned the two of them;
and I can remember mother paying him the rent every week, you know, but
of course they've gone now too.
(Did he live there as well?)
No he didn't live there, he lived
further up in Toowong up on the hill. His name was Cocky Bates.
(So he came down and collected
the rent did he?)
Yes he did. He never forgot his
rent. No fear!
(Can you remember the date?
It was before I was married, I
know that, we lived there. We came from Petrie Terrace out to Toowong
there (where the baths are now there was houses there then) and then after
that we were in Petrie Terrace, but a different street and then from there
the family broke up you know. The boys went up to the canefields and all
that up in the north.
(So this would be about the
1930's? Depression time?)
Yes, during the Depression.
(So it would have been very
difficult to find good work which explains why the boys had to go....)
Oh yes, it was terrible. They never
had any work and I remember, do you know what we used to have? Bread and
dripping! Because there...with a bit of salt on it because there was no
money in those days. I remember...
...and we had to pay the rent.
(Now why did your parents shift
so much? Do you know why?)
No well my father wasn't working
in Scotland. He was a stonemason and with all the rain and everything
they never got very much work. Some years they'd hardly get any you know.
So, then he got this chance to come out to Mackay and he took it; and
I was young then.
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