COMMUNITY HEALTH DATES TO REMEMBER ... - Platypus Country

Remembering Freda and FrankThis month we remember two former Tubbut residentswho passed away in recent weeks. Although it’s a longtime since they lived here, their years at Tubbut left theirmark on our community and was an important period intheir lives.Freda HortonFreda was born in the central NSW town of Condobolin onthe 16 th May 1931. She was the eldest daughter ofFlorence, known as Toss, and Arthur Hurley. She lived atKeirin Hills station near Condobolin with her parents andyounger brother Bill and sister Laurel until marrying at theage of 20.Freda commenced school at ‘Kerein Hills” in a tin shed onthe property where the family and other local childrenwere taught by a governess. The school closed when shewas 7 or 8 and she was taught correspondence by hermother until the age of 12 when she went away as aboarder to a convent in Forbes and later to ClairmontLadies College in Sydney. Apparently she had to attendboth a Catholic and Church of England school to appeaseher two grandmothers!After finishing school Freda returned home and becamethe postmistress. She also ran the telephone exchangewhich was set up at “Kerein Hills”. All telephone calls inthe district came through the exchange and it was Freda’sjob to manually connect the calls.David first met Freda when she was 17 years old and heand his brothers were droving sheep in the district. Theycalled in at Kerein Hills for a cuppa and Freda remembersthat when she entered the room he stood up.….alwaysthe gentleman! She told us that David was very good toher parents and they actively encouraged the relationship.David found ways to stay in the area, droving and shearingover the next years, we asked why and he said it wasbecause Freda was chasing him – sounds like he wantedto be caught. They purchased a property which had 2houses and set about preparing the better of the housesto live in after their marriage. They painted the house andfurnished it so that they could move in after the wedding.Unfortunately, 6 days before the wedding a fire destroyedthe house.They were married on the 16 th of January 1952 in Orangeand had a honeymoon on the NSW South coast. Whilethey were enjoying their honeymoon they received amessage to say that a bushfire had burned near theirproperty and the fire fighters had emptied their stocktanks leaving the sheep with no water. They had to returnimmediately and take the sheep straight ontothe road to save them from dying of thirst soFreda started her married life as a drover….notreally what she had in mind!Freda and David have been married for over 60full, busy and eventful years. They had 5children, Lesley, Scott, Toni, Stuart and Brett, 9grandchildren and I, soon to be 2 greatgrandchildren. There has been much happiness,many memorable parties and some tragedyand deep sadness due to the death of theiryoungest son Brett at the age of 24.They spent the first 9 years of their marriage inthe Condobolin district and in 1961 theybought a farm at Tubbut in far East GippslandVictoria. They piled children, furniture, chooks,a cat and all worldly possessions into an oldblitz truck and set off for Victoria. Fredathought that the chooks needed to stretch theirlegs so she let them out for a run at Bredbo,near Cooma and there was much effortexpended in gathering up the chooks.On arriving in Tubbut late in the day they drovepast the tennis court and as they got closer tothe house (now the home of the Auer family)