​The male person I would like to write about is my Maternal Grandfather, Norman Delargy.  I didn’t know much about him. He didn’t come into my life until I was 10, when he came to live with us.

Over the last few years, I have been researching my family history and have been able to investigate his family and where they all came from.

Norman was born in Glasgow in 1892 and had six siblings.  His father Denis Delargy was Irish and was born in Antrim Northern Ireland in 1855.  Denis was married in Ireland and he and my Great Grandmother Margaret McBride moved to Scotland in the 1880’s to Maryhill, a suburb of Glasgow, then in the early 1900’s to Renton in Dunbartonshire. 

In 1913 Norman was 21.  He volunteered as a Royal Navy Reserve on the Minesweeper HMS Elgar  at the beginning of the First World War.  This vessel was called a Drifter, and they were requisitioned by the Admiralty to use as minesweepers.  By the end of 1915 there were 9,000 men employed on the minesweepers. 

I have my grandfather’s Mine Clearance Badge which would have been worn on his lower sleeve and was awarded to Royal Navy Sailors for minesweeping services during the First World War. His dog tags are included.  He was also presented after the war with the British War Medals which were issued to all officers and men of the British and Imperial forces who had served at any stage during the war or who had died.

​ British War Medals​

My grandfather never spoke of his time during the War and unfortunately at that time I never asked any questions.

He and my grandmother emigrated to Australia in 1921 along with my six months old mother. They started a new life in Australia.  Unfortunately, my grandmother died in 1952, the year I was born, and Norman decided to go back to Scotland to see his siblings.  He hadn’t seen them for many years. He was able to rekindle his friendship with them and decided to stay in his beloved Scotland. 

He returned to live with us some 10 years later.  I remember him as a tall, gentle man who loved his garden.  He was a gardener for many years when he came out to Australia.  He helped me establish my first garden in Frankston, where the soil was very sandy.  I remember growing corn and other vegetables.  My grandfather’s speciality was tomatoes; there were always different varieties for our salads and Mum made chutney with some too.

In 1973 I started travelling and when I was in Scotland, I was able to visit his sisters.  I also met my mother’s cousins and their families. They lived in the beautiful, picturesque village called Luss, not far from Loch Lomond, where the scenery was a stunning mix of sparkling lochs, wooded islands and dramatic mountain peaks.

​When I returned to Australia, my grandfather no longer lived with the family but was in a nursing home with Dementia.  He died at the age of 83 and is buried with my grandmother in Coleraine. I cherish our too infrequent trips to the cemetery.

I have loving memories of a beautiful gentle man who loved his garden and the serenity of the outdoors.


Robyn Desmier
September, 2026

When we bought our farm and moved to the country, people said we would never last.  Here we are 35 years later and still enjoying our life in the country.    We left behind all our friends and families to pursue a new and different life on the land. 

​Our farmhouse was located a long way from the main road and we were on a gravel road.  There were no neighbours within a few kilometres.  I always remember that at night there were no lights to be seen from neighbouring farms.  It wasn’t until several years later that houses were built near us.

Once at shearing time, a wife of one of the shearers suggested I join the local Craft Group.  I had always been interested in sewing and knitting, so this opportunity seemed just right for me.

I was lonely and needed some company.  I felt very isolated. There was always plenty to do on the farm, but company was what I was after.

I decided to go and investigate the Craft Group.  They met in an old school once a week and there were about 20 members.  Most of the members were farmers’ wives.  They were looking for company too. It was a lovely atmosphere, and I took my 12-month-old daughter, who played in a playpen.  They made such a fuss of her.  It was a great opportunity for me to meet new friends.  In January and February, it was too hot in our old schoolhouse as we had no air conditioning, so we took it in turns to meet at each other’s homes. 

As it worked out, I am still going to the Greta Craft Group some 34 years later.  We have seen so many ladies come and go. 

Over the years we have learnt many new skills including weaving, patchwork, dying, crocheting to name a few.  We do a lot of fundraising for different charities and make things like Carebears for children, Breast Cushions for cancer patients, Fiddle Muffs for dementia patients and many other community projects.  We always participate in the Cancer Big Morning Tea. 

We recently had our old school hall examined and it was deemed unsafe.  We must move as the school is being demolished. The CFA, who are next door, have funding to build a small hall, so we will be able to share the hall with them.  It will be very sad leaving our old school hall, as we have so many lovely memories there.

​

​Robyn Desmier
August 2026

​​One of our family traditions was Sunday lunch at my parent’s home.  It was a deeply cherished tradition which created lasting memories.  My mother always cooked a roast with crispy potatoes and pumpkin, all in the pan together.  The thick brown gravy was made from the liquid in the pan. This was followed by an apple pie or trifle.   The aroma that greeted us was always amazing.  On occasions my cousins would join our luncheon.  The dining room table would be set with all the good china, silverware and crystal glasses, together with colourful napkins.

Sunday lunch served as a dedicated time to gather around the table to catch up on recent activities and enjoy lingering conversations.

My mother was a great cook as was her mother.  They were forever fans of Mrs Beeton’s Cookery Book and grew up baking the recipes inside.  It was first published in 1861.  My Maternal Grandmother won prizes at the local shows with her cooking and when the shearers came to the homestead, she was head cook. I still have the copy of the Mrs Beeton’s Cookery Book they used, which was published in 1923.

Another tradition we had when I was small was visiting my Paternal Grandparents for afternoon tea.  When my sister and I arrived at their home we were instructed to sit on a rug, as wandering around and touching the furniture was not permitted.  The smell that greeted us was always beeswax.  My Grandmother was also a very good cook, and she made beautiful meringues which were always kept in a big glass jar.  It was always our reward to sample one of the meringues with afternoon tea.

My Grandparents were country folk who came to Melbourne from Hamilton in the 50’s as did my parents. My Grandfather was a wheelwright in Hamilton but opened an Antique Mart in the 1940’s. I found an old docket book with his name and date on it.

​My favourite times when living on our farm were shearing and lambing.

Shearing time was a hive of activity.  We inherited two Kelpies from the previous farmer, and one named Butch was renowned for being one of the best in the district.  The other, Ned, was the opposite.  He generally just followed Butch.  However Butch had a bad habit of biting sheep, so he had to wear a muzzle when rounding them up and when in the shearing, shed.  He lived to a ripe old age but became deaf and would go wandering.  He was buried under the shearing shed where he was always in charge.  Unfortunately, Ned was bitten by a snake.

​The sheep were always put in the shed a day before shearing to empty themselves and keep dry.  The shearers arrived early with the wool classer, and my husband was the roustabout.  Of course I was the cook.  One of the things we bought from the farmer was the wool press, which was essential when shearing along with the wool table.

​​I soon learnt that the shearers had specific dietary needs.  Sandwiches for morning tea, hot meal for lunch, usually a roast and afternoon tea cakes.  Lunch was served in our kitchen which always smelt of lanolin afterwards.  Our first shearing experience was with 400 Merino wethers which we bought from the previous farmer.  They produced 13 bales of fine AAA wool.  Wethers don’t have the stress of pregnancy like breeders, so they produce heavier and higher micron than ewes. Shearing took quite a few days and on the evening of the last day I went into labour and early next morning my daughter was born by caesarean section.

We sold the wethers not long after for less than we paid, but we received a very nice wool cheque.

In addition, we bought 700 maiden Merino ewes.  These were crutched and started lambing the following year.  Being maiden ewes many of them just wandered off leaving their lambs.  I had lots of lambs to raise.  Their first night was in the kitchen and if not responding to a hot water bottle, a teaspoon of brandy did the trick.  Our local dairy farmer supplied me with lots of colostrum, and this gave the lambs a great start to life.  Even though I had lots of pets, unfortunately we had a terrible birth rate that year, with foxes being the greatest culprit.

​​Our neighbour, a renowned Poll Dorset breeder, advised us to go into that breed for fat lambs rather than Merinos for wool.  We bought some of his pure-bred stock and had a much better lambing rate. The Poll Dorset Ewes have a superior mothering instinct; they produce more milk and raise faster growing lambs that reach market rate quicker.   We also bought some Suffolk sheep, and my daughter had great delight in winning first prize at the Wangaratta Show with her twin lambs.

​Besides the pet lambs I had as pets, we bought some poddy calves from the local dairy farmer.  We had great fun rearing them and they were fed in the shearing shed.

​Just looking back, I suppose some of the toughest times for me were the droughts of 1997-1998 and 2006-2007.  We were relatively new to farming after moving from Melbourne in 1991.  It certainly was a challenging time just adapting to farm life and all the scenarios associated with it.

Another tough time - the 1993 floods when we received 12 inches of rain over a 3 day period.  I remember hearing the rain on our tin roof and thinking when is it going to stop.  I suppose we were lucky as we came through it relatively unscathed, except for the loss of a few lambs.  The cattle ended up on the banks of the dam, so we were able to feed hay out to them. However we did have a windfall with the top soil from our neighbours farm being washed onto our paddocks.

In 1997 we had the beginning of a drought.  We planted over a 1,000 trees in August that year, given to us by Landcare.  It was hard work as the ground was hard and at that time there weren’t many Hamilton Tree Planters available, so my husband had to use a crowbar.  We waited for the rain but it never came and we lost all the trees.  Some years later we were given another 2,000 trees to plant.  The prisoners from Beechworth came to help us plant them. This was organised through Landcare.  The trees are still there today.

In 1998 we still hadn’t had rain by April then the frosts came.  I counted over 30 days in a row and one morning when we had -6 our hot water system blew up.  Most days our water was frozen until late morning when it finally thawed.  During the drought we were regularly buying truck loads of water for the house. Eventually it rained in July.

In 2006 the Spring was the driest on record in the North East District and on our farm we experienced very low rainfall and water shortages.  Our dams dried up and our largest dam became two small dams.  It was very shallow and we could walk across it.

Robyn Desmier
​May 2026

The assignment was for a month when the 3 teenage children were home from Boarding School.  I had my own quarters at the back of a small cottage used as their music room.  

The family were very kind to me and treated me as part of the family.
​

One of the main reasons I took the position was because of the horses.  They were always going on hunts, and it was my job to get the horses ready for the days event.  The horses were all clipped, as when hunting they became very hot.  They were rugged and stabled at night. On some hunting days I would attend the farewell drinks before the hunt, usually serving sherry to all the riders mounted on their horses.  They all looked splendid in their outfits.  The men in their scarlet coats and the women in black or navy.

​This was in the early 70’s before fox hunting with dogs was banned.  This occurred in 2002 in Scotland and 2005 in England.

I had a pony to ride called Mayfly, however I was not permitted to ride in the hunting party.

​​Birds have always been a part of my life.  As I recall my first bird was a budgie and I saw it hatch and grow into a very handsome blue male.  From that day onwards I have always had a pet bird usually a Budgie or a Canary.  These pets bring a unique blend of joy, companionship and gentle inspiration into daily life.  They act as a therapeutic, low maintenance companion that liven up a home with their vibrant whistle, chatter and personalities.
 
On the farm we bred budgies and supplied Frank at the pet shop, with a continuous supply of baby birds.  We had all kinds of birds, Ring-necked parrots, pheasants and at one time Peacocks – Sussan and Andrew. They loved looking at their reflections in cars and leaving their claw marks on the duco. Unfortunately we had to sell them for this reason.   Our Guinea Fowl were great at letting us know when danger was near.  We were regular visitors at the Euroa Poultry Auctions either buying birds or selling them.

​​I remember one time I rescued a Galah, which fell out of it’s nest.  I raised him and one day he wanted his freedom so he flew up into the trees.  He would come back for regular feeds but eventually he flew away.  I was happy he had joined[i] his mob. This I know as one day I was walking across the paddock, when 3 Galahs flew by.  Naturally I called out Rocky and to my surprise one flew back to me,  just to let me know he was happy out in the wild.

I had lots of different breeds of chooks but my particular love was the Silver Spangled Hamburgs.   I first became interested in them when I saw an advert in the Weekly Times for Silver Spangled Hamburg fertile eggs. I remember they arrived on the train and I was so excited about the prospect of raising a champion bird.  Well I actually raised two a hen and a rooster.  I won many prizes at the Benalla and Wangaratta shows with them and their progeny. ​

When showing these birds they had to be very tame and not flighty so the judge could handle them.  In appearance they had to have  a perfect rose comb (vasoline did the job) and a precise silvery white plumage with black spots.  The rooster’s tail had to be a certain length and a black spot on the end of each feather.  The hen’s fan tail was the same.  They are a very graceful, slender and active  bird but like any bird if tamed they make beautiful pets. It was a real procedure getting them ready for a show.  They had to be washed then dried with a hair dryer.  Their legs had to be clean and free of scaly leg mites. ​

​This hobby was something my daughter could get involved with too.  She showed Australorp Bantams and her hen was Champion hen of the Benalla and Wangaratta Shows. ​

Owning and caring for birds of any kind can be a rewarding pastime and one that gives so much pleasure.
 
 
Robyn Desmier
March 2026

​I suppose, when we sold our farm and moved into Benalla, I wasn’t ‘new in town’ as such, because our farm was halfway between Wangaratta and Benalla in Greta.   We shopped in Wangaratta, but we also visited Benalla regularly.  There was a beautiful dress shop in Benalla when we first moved up here, Pettifer’s, but sadly it closed the week we moved into Benalla. 
 
It was always in our minds that we wanted to move to Benalla, as it was smaller and closer to Melbourne for relations and friends to visit from Melbourne.
 
One of our criteria when looking for a home in Benalla was to have no close neighbours, as we had lived for 35 years with the closest neighbour being half a mile away.  We didn’t want acreage either as that was the whole reason for our move, making life easier for us in our old age. 
 
It was a very hard decision giving up the animals when we left the farm.  I knew we had to downsize and all I could take were my chooks and dogs, Ruby and Paris.

​The other thing I was excited about when we moved were the shops and restaurants.  However, since I have been in Benalla there have been so many closures in addition to Pettifer’s, including Target and Ella Goose. I have seen some wonderful cafes come and go too. However, I am delighted to say Rambling Rose and Millers are still here. 
 
I can honestly say my 10 years of living in Benalla have been very enjoyable.  I have met some lovely friendly people who have welcomed me into the town. However, sadly, my two dogs have since died of old age and my chooks were taken by a fox…  
 
 
Robyn Desmier
February 2026

On the farm we always had a fresh supply of vegetables for cooking.  It gave me great joy growing food and connecting with nature, gaining a sense of peace and patience.
 
Once we sold the farm, we bought an acre property in Benalla. I was so lucky as the previous owners had set up a lovely garden with different rooms of shrubs and plants.  The beautiful colourful flowers in Spring - Roses, Wysteria, Irises, Jasmine and wild Orchids – form a cascade of colour. ​

​I feel a garden provides a space from daily monotonous duties, allowing us to relax.  My garden is a serene and vibrant space that brings me immense joy and relaxation.  I can listen to the birds and watch them frolicking in the undergrowth. 

There are a variety of birds in my garden.  I have Crimson Rosellas, Blue Wrens, King Parrots and a variety of Honeyeaters. 

​I suppose there will be a time when my garden will be too much for me and I will have to hang up my gardening gloves, but until that time I am able to appreciate all the beautiful plants and birds in my garden. 

 
Robyn Desmier
November 2025

If Only ...When I think back, IF ONLY I had asked my Mother about her early life with my Grandparents....

When my Mother died in 2013, I came across 35 letters my Grandfather had written to her, when he returned to Scotland, after the death of my Grandmother in 1952. 

The letters described how my Grandfather returned home to Scotland after 32 years.  He hadn’t seen his brothers and sisters in all that time.  He stayed with different members of his family and there was plenty of celebrating with his home coming.
 
He had three brothers and three sisters.  Unfortunately one brother was killed in the First World War, another lived in Bath and the eldest lived on the Isle of Arran off the West coast of Scotland.  My grandfather stayed on the island with his brother for many months.  His brother had 12 cats, which all had names and were fed milk and mince every day.  He was a gardener and lived a very quiet life.  He never married or ventured very far from home. ​

Along with the letters I also found a photo album which belonged to my Grandmother.  There were numerous photos of family members I didn’t recognise and places I didn’t know.

I discovered that in 1921 my Grandfather and Grandmother emigrated from Scotland to Australia with my mother, who was 6 months old at the time.
 
Some photos were taken at Ercildoune near Ballarat, a beautiful Gothic styled homestead build in 1837 by two Scottish brothers.  One photo showed my grandparents with my mother sitting on the verandah of a Victorian cottage.   My Grandfather was the gardener at the homestead. ​

​I was intrigued to find out more about this beautiful Scottish homestead,  I noticed they had an open garden day so I contacted the owners and said I had photos from 1921.  They invited us down to see the beautiful homestead and gardens.

​It had been a fabulous experience looking back to the past era when my Grandparents and my mother lived at Ercildoune.
 
It gave me great satisfaction to know that I had been to where my Grandparents and my mother settled, when they arrived in Australia 104 years go.
​
 
Robyn Desmier
October, 2025