I would like to thank you all for coming today to help the family celebrate the wonderful life of Mary Eunice Williams.
She was a loving wife to pop and a very caring mother to Fay, Judy and myself. She was totally devoted to the extended family, including her grandchildren, great grandchildren and her many friends.
She would say to me Frank! you are just perfect and I would smile and of course agree with her.
However, I soon realised that I was not the only person to receive this praise. It extended to both of my sisters and all her grand and great grandchildren. She saw little fault in the extended family and her many friends.
She totally enjoyed interacting with everyone she met and this was acknowledged by giving a beautiful smile which lit up her whole face. The reason mum is being buried at Jarrahdale cemetery is because the Cope family settle there and many of the original family are also buried there.
The Cope story started in the 1870’s when her grandparents moved from Fremantle, where James cope was a warder at Fremantle prison. He took up employment at the newly established timber mill. Mums grandmother, a very enterprising lady, started a boarding house for single mill workers.
As you come into Jarrahdale today, on the left-hand side close to the centenary log, is a plaque which marks the location of the original boarding house.
As an interesting aside, near the boarding house was a very large Jarrah tree which had worried mums grandmother for some time. She sought out two of the district’s expert tree loppers to remove the tree. However, they miscalculated the direction of the fall and the tree completely demolished the boarding house.
Being irish, born in the county of Cork, the language she used to berate these men was a local talking point for years. Not one to brood, she re-established the boarding house in the hall next door to the old post office. Though now derelict, it still stands today.
Mums father, Thomas James Cope, was born in Jarrahdale on the 10th September 1879 he married Laura Woolston, who died in childbirth on 19th august 1898. She was just 24 years old. The child ruby, survived, and was later to become mums half sister.
Thomas cope remarried, to Ada Selkirk on 28th November 1908. There were nine children from this union but only four survived – Ernie, Athol, Jean and Mary.
Mums father continued to work for the Millars timber company at Jarrahdale but was killed in a shunting accident in September 1920. Mum was only 2 years old. After the accident mums three siblings and her mother moved to 44/9th avenue Maylands where they settled into family life.
Tragedy struck again 12 years later when mums mother passed away. Mum was an orphan at 14! Her siblings took on the job of looking after her, along with Aunty Nell, Uncle Harry and some of the aunties. Uncle Harry also paid mums fees to attend business college.
Mum had various jobs after finishing school, finally getting employment in the office at Boans factory in East Perth in 1936. About the same time a certain Godfrey Frank Williams was undertaking an upholstery apprenticeship in the same establishment.
He spotted mum and must have thought she was a pretty good sort. A friendship soon formed and they started going out together. However, because office staff were not allowed to fraternise with factory staff, mum would leave the office five minutes before dad wait around the corner. Dad would then dinky her home, thus saving her bus fare. This was the start of a great romance which was to last for over 75 years!
On 17th April 1940 they married in St Lukes church, Maylands. Dad, who had joined the RAAF, left for Ballarat the very next day. Mum travelled to Ballarat three months later to rejoin dad. Fay Margaret Williams was born nine months later!
The next chapter in mum’s life will be continued by my sister Judy (the brat) before I go, I would like to make a few observations about my mum. Mum was an extremely loving and caring person. However, she did, at times, apply a little discipline.
I can remember one instance when i was about 5 years old, I didn’t like what she was telling me, so I said “shut—up”. A not so gentle clip around the ears reminded me who was really the boss! I never uttered those words to her again.
There was a lot of fun times at school holidays. Uncle Bert’s farm at Minginew. Xmas dinners at Dianella. Caravan holidays at Rockingham and especially trips east to Aunty Jeans farm at Lascelle – Victoria.
Mum and dad always had an open house policy at home. Numerous people would come to stay for a few days or just drop in for a chat. Fay’s and Judy’s friends were regulars. It became home away from home for some.
As were my mates from Muresk agricultural college, particularly at Royal Show time. Ollie Cheam from Malaysia became a member of the family when on leave from Muresk. The caravan out the back was put to good use!
Ian McGregor was a special favourite of mums, spending many school holidays with her mum was a person who would do anything for anybody.
Mum took great pleasure from my appointment as AIC of WAQIS as she did when Bill Richie was appointed Commander of Garden Island Naval Base. She was a sponge when asking about the achievements and location of her Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren.
She never sought to further her personal ambitions, went without so that her kids could, advance and gave us unconditional love. I will love and miss her forever.
On behalf of my dad I would like to thank Fay and Judy for the constructive way in which as a group we achieved today’s arrangements. I would also like to thank Carol for her support over the last week.
20/11/2012