Vale Win Brown

Win shared her life story through the JRV's Village Chimes, we share excerpts of her remarkable story here ...

Win was the second child of Roy and Frances Doust, and her earliest memories were of living in a home her father had built of mud mixed with straw in Burdett - an old gold mining site between Cudal and Canowindra.

With her siblings Don, Una, Sheila and Thomas, she attended Burdett Public School one mile away.

Each morning they walked over the hill and down a bush road to school and each day was an adventure - finding birds' nests, peeping down old mine shafts and picking wildflowers.

In 1928, Roy realised his dream of having a farm on his own and purchased a 650 acre property at Garema, where they attended the small school six miles away.

In the sixth class Win sat for and won a bursary, and joined the Forbes Inter High School as a boarder at St Johns Hostel. It was a terrific shock after a little bush school of little more than 20 children in years one to six.

Win's parents kept her at school all through the tough depression years and as their family welcomed another baby, Mary.

Completing school she found work as a governess, supervising correspondence work for children in the Bedgerabong area and earning 15 shillings a week.

This period came to an end when Win became unwell and went home, her next role was at a subsidised school near Dubbo.

Win did well in this role, enjoying teaching children from years one to six, and recalled the parents were lovely to her. She also taught at Garema siding and Wirrinya West.

Win was 21 when war was declared. She was accepted to the AWNS in 1944, but was persuaded by her parents to seek exemption until after harvest. By that time the war in Europe was coming to a conclusion, and she gave that course of action away.

On July 4, 1945, Win married Edgar Brown and they took up residence six miles west of Bedgerabong on the property 'Glamis'.

In the property's humble cottage the couple welcomed their first son, Scott, while the country was in the grip of devastating drought, he was followed by brother Lisle.

By the time a third son, Graham, arrived they were experiencing a major flood. All the property was under water with the exception of three sandhills, the house sitting on one.

Their lifeline through the 1950 floods was an old sulky that Edgar had fitted with steel wheels off an old hay rake.

Once a week, he would drive the old half draught-horse mare through the swamps to the township for mail, groceries, kerosene for the lights and bread.

The most memorable of the floods that followed was in 1952 when five inches fell on the Wyangala catchments when they were already dealing with major flooding.

Win and the children, having travelled from the farm in the sulky, were flown by Doctor Geoffrey Young over Grudgery mountain then by Tim Meagher to Daroobalgie where Keith Hawke took them into his home. Others stayed at the former war-time migrant camp at Parkes.

It was a wet decade, and in 1956 the flooding seemed continuous. Win had to teach the boys at home much of that year, the teacher sending an outline of their lessons home with Edgar each week.

Things were changing on the farm by then: an irrigation system was installed, a huge old wood gas engine that used to power the electricity for the township of Goondoowindi provided power to the pump.

Some paddocks had been cleared and fenced, levelled and check banked. The resulting lucerne and cereal crops kept being destroyed by floods - then the government licensed farmers to install protective banks and one was constructed around 200 acres including the irrigation area.

The Browns' permanent home was built in 1958, allowing electricity and other comforts. To crown it all, they welcomed a baby girl, Heather Jean, in 1959.

Win taught Sunday School at Bedgerabong, served as Bedgerabong CWA's secretary and President and later as one of the first to deliver Meals on Wheels in Forbes.

Edgar had a lot of community involvement including the show societies and the board of Forbes Hospital. The Glamis Border Leicester Stud was his delight and his crowning joy was to judge the breed at Sydney Sheep Show.

The road to Forbes was built up in low places and sealed, cars improved. Travel became a pleasure rather than a battle.

Edgar nearing his 77^th birthday when he was struck by a massive heart attack. He had just completed his book of Bedgerabong's history - A Big Tree by a Good Stream - and handed it to Dorothy Noakes to edit and print as the community prepared to celebrate the bicentenary in 1988.

Win and the family bravely attended the celebrations and described the support from family, friends and the wider community as marvellous.

Win remained active on the farm, with Scott and Deidre at the helm, until 1991 when she moved into Forbes with her sister Sheila.

She remained there for a number of years before moving into Jemalong Residential Village.

The family expressed their thanks to the staff at JRV for their wonderful care.

From Win's youngest sister, Mary

Win was pretty, she was clever, and she was good. She was a good little girl and a good woman.

We'd all be wondering what we would get for Christmas and looking and trying to find out, and Win would be sitting in the corner making a little handkerchief for her mother. That's the sort of thing she did.

She was patient, and she loved kids. She always had time for me. She used to read to me and play with me and she did with all her children, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren.

She also accepted everything that happened to her as she aged, and she was so grateful to everyone who looked after her and helped her.

She loved them all and she was still humble and steadfast in her faith.

From Win's eldest grandchild Andrew

This year has seen the worst bush fires in Australian history and a once in a 100 years pandemic but for many of us here today the year will be marked by the passing of Winifred Brown, Grannie to the 11 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren represented here, and a friend to many more.

Today is an equally joyous and sad day with a few minutes not nearly enough to celebrate the life of a women who has helped formed our lives and been at the centre of personal stability for many of us.

Two years ago we had the privilege of sharing grannies 100th birthday and taking the time to speak in detail of the many experiences we as grandchildren and great grandchildren have had with her:

It struck me that the most influential memories that we shared were from our younger years, and how grateful we are that she chose to spend time and invest in her family.

Gran's identity was found in her faith in Jesus and with more than 100 years of experience Gran knew what was really important.

She will be remembered as a, humble, loving, caring, thoughtful, hospitable and tough, but gentle women.

There are many things we have learnt from her that make our own lives more fulfilling and complete. She demonstrated: