Memories of Mum

My mum. I’m suppose to have loads of memories about my mum and I’m sure I do but do you think I can remember them on demand. Nope cant be done.

Although I do have this memory of my mum when she worked at the picture theatre in the small town of Gore when I was about 10 I suppose. My dad had died when I was 5 and my mum had to move off the farm where dad had been the manager and move into the town of Gore. I was 5 and the eldest in the family my sister who was 15 and in between us were 5 other siblings, so if my math is correct that makes 7 kids and one mum.

It wasn’t easy for mum when us kids were young, from having to keep us feed and watered and on the straight and narrow. The saving grace for mum was that her mum and dad lived in Gore as well so she had support for when she needed it I suspect. Not that I as a kid ever saw my mum cry or show weakness or get emotionally upset about the lose of her soul mate, or maybe I just block those memories out, but I don’t recall her in those states.

There are only two jobs I remember my mum ever having and whether she had others I don’t remember but one was teaching people to drive and working in the local picture theatre. I thought it was just great that she worked there, the staff where lovely and so friendly, they would welcome me everytime I went there, which I must admit was probably far more times than I should have. I was such a frequent visitor that the staff who used to take the tickets (Doreen is the only one I remember) had a little office in the hall way to the theatre and on the door jam they would record my height. Every month I would be there standing up against the door seeing if I had grown. Oh how they must have laughed as adults do when they tease kids knowing that kids don’t realise what was truly happening. And so every month by some miracle I would grow according to the mark on the door jam but I somehow would remain my height of 4 foot! But it was great fun and to reward them I would do my gymnastics up and down the hall to show them how I was progressing. They would applaud and give me great encouragement.

My mum worked behind the counter selling the ice creams and lollies etc at the picture theatre. One of my strongest memories I have of my mum and one of my best is the smell of sweet popcorn that I would smell on her when she would get home from work. She would just smell delicious and in the weekends that smell was mixed with the smell of gin and to me as a kid I loved it!! It was my mums smell and she was special.