"All those who feel that they can sustain Gretta Holzworth as a member of Brisbane Ward Relief Society, please show by the lifted hand?"
This is how I became a member of Relief Society! I was twenty four years and married.
I had been born in the Church and active all my life.
My mother was the Relief Society President, she had a tear in her eye when after being sustained in the Sacrament meeting, I was then sustained in Relief Society as my mother conducted the meeting that day.
You had to be a member in good standing in the Church and in the community and have attended Relief Society three weeks in a row. It was an honour and privilege to be invited to be a member of Relief Society. It was a special event for all the family.
So began a wonderful, marvellous, extraordinary, life changing, most important chapter in my life.
Wow, has it been a journey!
My mother was the Relief Society President, she had a tear in her eye when after being sustained in the Sacrament meeting, I was then sustained in Relief Society as my mother conducted the meeting that day.
You had to be a member in good standing in the Church and in the community and have attended Relief Society three weeks in a row. It was an honour and privilege to be invited to be a member of Relief Society. It was a special event for all the family.
So began a wonderful, marvellous, extraordinary, life changing, most important chapter in my life.
Wow, has it been a journey!
In those days we paid an annual subscription to the General Board of Relief Society. Each auxiliary of the Church had its own funds, they raised what was needed and spent as they thought best. We had a membership card from General Board which showed that we were paid up and a current member of Relief Society. No one had yet thought that it was a program of the Church, inaugurated by the Prophet Joseph Smith and was for all sisters. That came later.
http://sophrosynean.wordpress.com/
Tuesday was Relief Society day. Just about around the world, Tuesday was the designated day, much like Family Home Evening is Monday, 10.00am -12noon.
The chapel was at Kangaroo Point where the temple is now and we all caught buses and trams to get there.
I lived in Tarragindi. I had a half mile walk to the bus stop, jump off the bus at Chardon's Corner which is across the road from the Mater Hospital and then tackle the walk up Allan Street to the KP chapel.
In my hands I had the stroller with baby inside. Packed around baby was a nappy bag, baby needs, lesson manual, scriptures, visual aids, stuff and in my spare hand was the toddler and at one stage I had three children under three years to deal with. Was I ever discouraged? Never! I smiled and thought about my lesson, huffed and puffed, wiped the perspiration from off my brow and pushed on undaunted. I was quite mad, wasn't I ????
I was always a teacher in RS or served in an administrative role.
Coming home was worse!! Of course the children would go to sleep! The poor bus driver would soon realise that if he was to ever be able to move on, then the quicker he grabbed the stroller and took a child's hand and helped us all get off his bus, the quicker he would be on his way!
The lessons were Theology, Work Meeting, Social Relations and Cultural Refinement, in that order, with Visiting Teaching message. Eventually these changed to Spiritual Living, Homemaking, Mother Education and Cultural Refinement.
We loved Homemaking day.
We inaugurated our own mini class program as we moved from 'Work Meeting' where we did all the hand sewing on clothing articles usually made by the multi talented and faithful, Betty Geddes, for the ever happening street stalls.
Lunch was always the highlight. It was a sit down affair, knife, fork & spoon with cloths & flowers. Two courses always, the cost shared by the sisters attending, or the two sisters assigned the lunch (usually a once a year task) who would provide it. Sarah Scott would always bring parsley, eggs, lemons, new dripping, jams, Lemon Butter, relish, etc, which she produced from her garden and sell it us for a pittance and then give to the sisters who prepared and provided our lunch.
At home that night, we all made for dinner the new recipes demonstrated at lunch.
We talked the talk. Oh how we talked about everything and everyone around those lunch tables.
Rosemary Knoth would always blow us away with the description of her extravagant lunches which she made for her husband and three children. We would sit with gaping mouths as she described, what none of us ever even imagined, that she would buy a chicken, cook it and strip the meat for the lunch sandwiches!!! Unheard of! Chicken was for Christmas Dinner!
Oh, and we will never forget when Zillah Rope, 42 years, announced that she and her husband Stewart wanted to have another baby, and she did.
Then Rosemary Knoth and Deanna Dunham decided that they wished to lose a lot of weight and made a pact that they would not eat any food, only drink fluids, for one week. We couldn't wait for the next Tuesday to meet up again and yes, they did it, became sick and weak but stuck to their promise and both lost a stone in weight, about seven kilos.
Guess what? Next Tuesday, they both arrived very sorrowfully to announce that not only had they put the lost weight back on, but a few more pounds as well!!!
We young mothers learned so much from the other sisters. On how we loved each other. How we shared each other's burdens. Many a problem was shared and solved over the washing up in the kitchen following our fabulous lunch. We also got to take bits and pieces home. The sisters were truly my sisters. We worked hard on caring for the missionaries, earning the money to pay the debt we owed the Church as our share in the cost of the Kangaroo Point building. There was a Building Fund event every month, mainly orchestrated by the Relief Society. We were all shapes and sizes, ages, different backgrounds, different personalities, - we all loved and dealt with the sister from England, who played the organ and felt that she was the best at this and kept the key to the organ hidden so that only she did all the playing! We loved the romance which blossomed between Sam Parker 70 years and Lily Burns, same age. The RS put on the greatest reception for their wedding.
In fact, as each of our young people married, which took place in the chapel, the Relief Society, under the direction of the mother, always prepared and served the 'sit down' reception which followed the wedding. This was in the Cultural Hall where no effort was spared to make everything as pretty and special as possible.
We wept tears when we grew in number and the day came when we were divided as a ward, again and again. Our children grew up together, served missions and remained faithful.Our Priesthood leaders loved us also. We were well supported by them. When I look back, I am amazed at the extraordinary things we accomplished and cherish the strong bonds of sisterhood which we shared, the laughter, tears the good and bad of life.
Together, those early years of my life in Relief Society was where I learned to grab every opportunity to serve, whenever asked, to live life, to love and be loved, and to laugh often.
Hurrah for Israel!!!!!
By Gretta Holzworth
The chapel was at Kangaroo Point where the temple is now and we all caught buses and trams to get there.
I lived in Tarragindi. I had a half mile walk to the bus stop, jump off the bus at Chardon's Corner which is across the road from the Mater Hospital and then tackle the walk up Allan Street to the KP chapel.
I was always a teacher in RS or served in an administrative role.
Coming home was worse!! Of course the children would go to sleep! The poor bus driver would soon realise that if he was to ever be able to move on, then the quicker he grabbed the stroller and took a child's hand and helped us all get off his bus, the quicker he would be on his way!
The lessons were Theology, Work Meeting, Social Relations and Cultural Refinement, in that order, with Visiting Teaching message. Eventually these changed to Spiritual Living, Homemaking, Mother Education and Cultural Refinement.
We loved Homemaking day.
We inaugurated our own mini class program as we moved from 'Work Meeting' where we did all the hand sewing on clothing articles usually made by the multi talented and faithful, Betty Geddes, for the ever happening street stalls.
Lunch was always the highlight. It was a sit down affair, knife, fork & spoon with cloths & flowers. Two courses always, the cost shared by the sisters attending, or the two sisters assigned the lunch (usually a once a year task) who would provide it. Sarah Scott would always bring parsley, eggs, lemons, new dripping, jams, Lemon Butter, relish, etc, which she produced from her garden and sell it us for a pittance and then give to the sisters who prepared and provided our lunch.
At home that night, we all made for dinner the new recipes demonstrated at lunch.
We talked the talk. Oh how we talked about everything and everyone around those lunch tables.
Rosemary Knoth would always blow us away with the description of her extravagant lunches which she made for her husband and three children. We would sit with gaping mouths as she described, what none of us ever even imagined, that she would buy a chicken, cook it and strip the meat for the lunch sandwiches!!! Unheard of! Chicken was for Christmas Dinner!
Oh, and we will never forget when Zillah Rope, 42 years, announced that she and her husband Stewart wanted to have another baby, and she did.
Then Rosemary Knoth and Deanna Dunham decided that they wished to lose a lot of weight and made a pact that they would not eat any food, only drink fluids, for one week. We couldn't wait for the next Tuesday to meet up again and yes, they did it, became sick and weak but stuck to their promise and both lost a stone in weight, about seven kilos.
Guess what? Next Tuesday, they both arrived very sorrowfully to announce that not only had they put the lost weight back on, but a few more pounds as well!!!
In fact, as each of our young people married, which took place in the chapel, the Relief Society, under the direction of the mother, always prepared and served the 'sit down' reception which followed the wedding. This was in the Cultural Hall where no effort was spared to make everything as pretty and special as possible.
We wept tears when we grew in number and the day came when we were divided as a ward, again and again. Our children grew up together, served missions and remained faithful.Our Priesthood leaders loved us also. We were well supported by them. When I look back, I am amazed at the extraordinary things we accomplished and cherish the strong bonds of sisterhood which we shared, the laughter, tears the good and bad of life.
Together, those early years of my life in Relief Society was where I learned to grab every opportunity to serve, whenever asked, to live life, to love and be loved, and to laugh often.
Hurrah for Israel!!!!!
By Gretta Holzworth
I just loved how you shared with us the experiences of the 'old days'. We can certainly learned from this. I laughed, I learned something and I loved it. Thank you so much Gretta.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful article Sister Holzworth, thank you so much for sharing your experiences! I loved reading about the unity and sisterhood you all shared. It gives me something to work toward, thank you :) xo
ReplyDelete