The chicest woman for me was my great aunt- Bernice, she came from an era I love and try to bring into my life, and she lived it until the day she died. I have never met a more glamorous and charming woman, her beauty advice to me was always: a good night's sleep, plenty of water, and little alcohol. My Nanny Iris & her sister Bernice had an ongoing rivalry until the very end yet loved each other dearly, they were complete opposites and both had such admirable traits.
Aunty Bernice was such a fine woman! She stood tall, with model proportions and worked in Liverpool Street, Sydney as a seamstress, and was a wonderful dressmaker on the side. Aunty Bernice later retired from her fashion days to marry Uncle Bernie (Bernard Moffat) and become a wonderful wife (I have never met a better named couple, true soul mates in title and in each others hearts)
Bernice Kathleen Moffat & Iris Veronica Doyle
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| Aunty Bernice in her favourite dress |
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| Bernice on Bondi Beach, Sydney. |
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Bernice & Bernie on Bondi Beach, Sydney.
Many Australian summer days were spent down on Bondi Beach, with Bernice, Bernie, Iris and other extended family. Always in the same spot for hot chips for lunch, wrapped in newspaper, followed by a tram ride home to the flat on Old South Head Road, Bondi Junction (6/139 to be exact)
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| The glamorous Aunty & Uncle B |
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| Bernice working in Sydney |
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The back of this photo reads:
"To Bernie, Hoping we will always be as happy and in love as we were the night this photo was taken. From Bernice" |
My nanny Iris, the one who lavished me with unconditional love, and food! This woman loved me so dearly, and I loved her equally. Every Friday afternoon she would have me after school, we would stop off for hot chips with vinegar, a fillet o' fish from McDonalds, followed by a fridge full in her Redfern flat. Nanny Iris was one of ten children, all of whom were born and raised in a terrace home on 84 Wilson St, Newtown. I miss her greatly, and wish both her and Aunty Bernice were alive now so I could ask them a million questions about the past, and enjoy just one more cup of tea.
