Bread Upon the Waters

Bread Upon the Waters

In the early days of the Golden Mile, Davy Jones was working on a mine and according to custom, he bought a block of land in preparation for the time when he and Mifanwy could marry. A little house was built, and as a wedding present, he handed her the deeds. He remarks today that it was the wisest thing he ever did. The Welsh lassie indeed proved a grand wife to him. When the children came along a couple of rooms were added and paid for, thus with the advent of the second little one they felt they could afford some help, although Davy was still only on a moderate wage. On inquiry from that greatly loved Methodist parson, the Rev. Tom Allen, they heard of a little girl whose father was dead and the mother seriously ill. For some weeks she had been the breadwinner for her mother, sister, and herself.

The child came along and said that Mr. Allen had sent her, but she looked so tiny and frail that Mrs. Jones told her that she was very sorry, but she did not think that she would be able to give her the help she needed. The little girl, Marie, went out into the lane at the side of the house, and the tears that she had so bravely held back came, and she stood there sobbing. Just at this moment, Davy, who had just come off a night shift, arrived, and hearing someone crying, he went into the lane and there found the child. Guessing who she was and what was the matter, he asked her to come inside, and after he had gone in to see Mifanwy and the wee babe, and after a talk, they decided to give Marie a trial for a week or two to see whether she would be able to do the work.

Marie went back to the one room in which they lived and gave her little sister Rose a couple of shillings, all she had left from her last job, to keep the sick mother and herself until she could bring home her first wages.

À few days after Marie had found what was to become her real home, her mother died. What was to become of the little sister? Some near relations of the bairns came in from the woodline where the husband was cutting firewood, and said that they would take Rose out with them to the tent camp in the bush. Mifanwy, who had brought the second girl to their home as soon as the mother had been taken to the hospital, told the children that while they would keep Marie, the relatives were willing to give the little sister a home, rough as it was, but the latter pleaded not to be taken away from Marie, and then ran out of the house and did not return until nightfall.

Thus it was the next morning when the relatives came, Davy told them that they had decided to keep both children. Years afterward when telling the story to the writer, Mifanwy, then grey-haired, said, “It meant six mouths to feed, but we had been careful, and we knew that a ‘Higher Power’ would provide, and since then we have never looked back. Soon Davy obtained his promotion to shift boss, which he retains to this day.

The years of semi-starvation had an effect on the children, especially on Rose, who developed a trouble that meant a daily visit to the doctor for treatment. It meant the cost of medicine and tram fares, to say nothing of the doctor’s fee. After many weeks she was declared cured, and Mrs. Jones called to see the doctor and asked how much they owed him. He went into his surgery and in a few minutes returned with the account, which he handed to her. She looked at it and said, “Doctor, we can only let you have half of this now, and will send some money after each pay.” He replied, “That is what the fee would have been, based on the visits, but what I have done is very little to what you and your man have done for these two bairns; you do not owe me a penny.”

Buying water at Dunnville, 1894 – Photo SLWA

Many years passed, and one of the girls married Jock Kirkaldy, and one day he came home bringing with him, a thin, hungry, and sad-faced young man, who looked as if he had lost hope. He had come up to the mines, hoping to get work, but the bosses who “picked up” the men did not look at him twice – he could never push a truck or handle a shovel. He was desperate when Jock happened to see him, and remembering when he too had looked in vain for months for a constant job, talked to the lad, and hearing his story of having been working in the jute mills, Terry was advised to come to the warmer climate of Western Australia, he brought him home. His wife was only too glad to provide a good hot meal for the lad, and they suggested that if he cared to do so, they could give him a shake-down on the verandah and his meals until he found a job.

Through a friend of Jock and fortified by good food for a week. Jim, the lad, was given work on one of the plants and was soon in a job loved by Scotchmen as fitter’s mate. Another two years passed and the call came asking if any married folk would provide a home for the duration of the war for children to be evacuated from England. Jock and his wife felt that they would like to take two children, but wondered whether they could afford it when Jim happened to come along. Hearing the discussion he said: “If you will house and clothe two bairns, I will pay you for the outlay in food for them.” The wife looking up into her husband’s face, remarked, “Bread cast upon the waters.”

by DIORITE. Fimiston.