The Middle Of 3 Sisters
Whithout Prejudice
I am the middle one, the second in line to Jacqueline Anne Benton, who is 4 years older than me and then we had a baby sister come along when Jackie and I were 18 and 14.
Jackie and I were not close when we were little. I thought she was a pain in the arse and she thought exactly the same of me. She was older and ourageous and brave and loud, fierce. Chubby and bossy and could sit on you and take your breath away. I always felt like I was in her shadow. She was confident and strong and I was at first a shy hesitant little girl with fine wispy hair, loads of freckles and a squint. Every photo of us as kids has Jackie beaming out at the camera, with neat dress and fat braids of dark fabulous thick hair.
And there am I, always to one side, head to one side, squinting at the box brownie in the sun. I am a hideous little thing, all straw hair cut into a fringe or bangs as the Americans call them. Then straight all the way around. Jac called it my Roman Helmet hair cut and would piss herself lauhjing every time she said it. She also told me my hair should not be off my face as I have a Widow's Peak, a cow lick and apparently the biggest forehead known to man. and very deep set eyes. Great ! All my life my Sister thought I was a freak.
I don't recall her playing with me that much as a child. I remember her ticking me off for being a "Tomboy", I didn't care, the boys did better "stuff". They would skive off from "jobs" and I would go with them. Jackie stayed home muttering darkly to herself and washing dishes and hanging out washing. She used to sweep the concrete floor of our Nissen Hut at the hostel.I never heard the end of that from my Mother.
"Jackie would clean the Nissen Hut from top to bottom", she would say to other Mothers and they would all beam at Jackie. Littel Toady !
In our house it was Janette was always on top of her bed reading and reading and Jackie was with Mum, doing lady like things. The call was always,
"Where's Janette?"
"In her room with a book"
Jackie was rightly disgusted with this and I don't blame her. But Mum and Dad spolied me in that way, they loved education as a lot of migrants do, and were proud when I got an A or won exams. Jackie they realised wasn't as academic as I was though, she's very smart. No Dad pushed Jackie towrds a singing career because she was an incredibly talented singer and also played bass guitar. Both of those talents bypassed me with a fierce genetic shove.
Jackie was a Star, I mean a Star to me. She was up on stage singing and she was amazing, belting out Brenda Lee and Edith Piaf, Cilla Black, Patsy Klein. She has a strong voice and can belt out a song and sell it to the audience and when I watched her I just thought it was so magic. The lights, the dresses, she wore, it breathed glamour ! One of my favourite words in the world.
When we were on the Ellinis going back to the UK, Jackie was 16 and sang on stage all the way on the trip and she was mobbed by "callow youths', who drank in her glamour and talent. She was very pretty with dark glossy hair and amazing green blue eyes and ground men under her very high heels. She's tiny, petite, a Kylie Minogue of the 60's. She wore her hair in chignons or beehives. I helped out in Dad and Jackie's act some times as back up singer.
Us girls would dress alike, go go girls in yellow from the late 60's, with big ball earings and sequins on sleeves and neck. It was the time of laugh in and Jackie and I adore Goldie Hawn, so we tried to be like her. Kooky, mod and happy, perky girls on stage with their Dad. Dad played a 24 string Hawaiian guitar that sat on legs in three tiers of wood. He was an amazing muso and if he hadn't been so preoccupied with kids, wife and no money, he would have bben a great swing band leader and play and sing as well.
While we were in the Uk a big surprise came along as my Sister Helen when Mum was 43. Mum was NOT happy to be pregnant at that age but when Helen happened along she became the darling of the entire family. Us kids being so much older just went for the baby and worshipped her. We taught her to say the word "light" by the time she was 8 months. We walked her in her big English Carriage Pram, minded her, played with her and generally dragged her anywhere we were allowed to take her.
By the time she was 2 and a half we were on our way back to Australia on The Southern Cross, boat travel was so much cheaper than flying in those days. Helen was sick and teething most of the trip and she would scream and cry and we had no idea how to keep her happy. Mum and Dad would just pace with her in their arms back and forth. They had had to do the same with my younger brother David, who never slept much. We used to drive as a family out into the desert land surrounding Port Ausguta and just drive and drive, cool breezes in our faces and finally after hours he would sleep.
Now we all are older mature women. Helen an RM at Caboolture Hospital in Queensland and she is cool happy and very confident. And funny. Helen is soooo funny, so self deprecating. She recalls the time Mum (Carrie's Mother, at that time) turned up at Helens school, mad as a cut snake. And Mum WAS mad. She had gone completely insane over the previous ten years. I'm talking about someone that can be violently insane and has to be dragged away in an ambulance. After 10 men could not hold her down. It was awful and tragic and scary but Helen was only 10 and when she saw Mum coming steaming up over the hill, she thought'
"Holy Shit !!!!"
By that time was Helen was a Pugsley Addams type of porky kid. She laughs till she wets herself nearly as she tells of leaping on to Mum's back and trying to stop her from attacking the Teacher. As she tells it amidst laughter, she clung on to Mum's back and Mum twirled her around until Helen's feet cleared the ground, and she was twirling around clinging like a limpet to Mums back.
Helen has a way of turning lemons into lemonade and I love her laughter. She's also a pretty woman. She lost all her puppy fat and turned into a beauty and a brainy one. Jackie is the Queen of her sumptuous home of 9000 sq feet. She lives with her husband, one of nature's great all round great guys, Winston Benton Esq. he's a perfectly happy wealthy (He says he is not ! ) man and they have been married 40 odd years and are still just as much in love as they ever were. Their marriage is an inspiration to all marriages.
Jackie rules the roost and Winn tries to think he does but he hasn't a hope. They have two lovely girls and heaps of grandkids and Jackie my Sister is like me and Helen, in Heaven where there are kids involved.
Jackie's worked all her life, same as me in offices, some of them where you just want to run screaming from the building. She had a test once for a Public Service Job and winning a position at the time was like winning rhe lottery and then for 3 months, 3 very long months, she took old rubber bands off documents and replaced them with new rubber bands at the Tax Department.
She now is semi retired and LOVES it. They are both wealthy and travel a lot. Winn did try retiring but was too bored so went back to the business. Jackie has a very busy life as she volunteers one day a week at a Nurding Home for dementia patients. And she is a Soroptomist and has fun and helps raise money for the people of East Timor and other places. I often joke with my Sisters that Jackie Is Hyacinth from "Keeping Up Appearnces" having the Vicar over for tea in the lounge room with the baby grand. I am the naughty wicked, Rose one with a short skirt and red lipstick and Helen is Daisy, the sweet one with her hubby in his undershirt
Helen went back to school when she was older, also like me, and in 4 years was an RN and raised 4 boys and her husband Robert has always been the House Husband and that helped Helen take off with her career. I like Robert as he is sweet and gentle and very very funny. he's an excellent Father and support to Helen and he calls himself Grumpy Old Man. Ha !
They live in the most stupendous house, it's rented but it is so fantastic. It sits on the water at Beachmere in QLD, and you literally walk to the water from their back door. A sweeping vista of water and sky greet you every morning. It is to die for.
And me I am the middle sister, the rebel. I guess. I've always lived in a big city and like it. I'm a city girl who loves clothes, shoes, writing, shopping, helping raise boys to manhood. I live independently from my second oldest daughter in her big backyard in Melbourn'e South East Suburbs. It is gorgeous and I love it as it's all mine. And I get to have family time and grand kid time and animal time but they are not my responsibilty. I am here if any one needs support or help with anything, homework, projects, baby sitting (rare) but otherwise it's just me and mine and my time.
I do all the washing for the family to help out and keep the side yard and front yard cleaned up. That's my share towards shring the property and otherwise we just get along with our lives. I write every day, clean every day, wash every day, shop everyday and run my life now exactly all for me. And boy is that heaven after 22 years of raising kids and a few more apart from my own.
I can do anything I want, no one telling me what to do or criticise or stop me from doing exactly what I want, when I want, with who I want, and I tell you something, it's the best feeling ever. It's called Freedom
Love Janette
I am the middle one, the second in line to Jacqueline Anne Benton, who is 4 years older than me and then we had a baby sister come along when Jackie and I were 18 and 14.
Jackie and I were not close when we were little. I thought she was a pain in the arse and she thought exactly the same of me. She was older and ourageous and brave and loud, fierce. Chubby and bossy and could sit on you and take your breath away. I always felt like I was in her shadow. She was confident and strong and I was at first a shy hesitant little girl with fine wispy hair, loads of freckles and a squint. Every photo of us as kids has Jackie beaming out at the camera, with neat dress and fat braids of dark fabulous thick hair.
And there am I, always to one side, head to one side, squinting at the box brownie in the sun. I am a hideous little thing, all straw hair cut into a fringe or bangs as the Americans call them. Then straight all the way around. Jac called it my Roman Helmet hair cut and would piss herself lauhjing every time she said it. She also told me my hair should not be off my face as I have a Widow's Peak, a cow lick and apparently the biggest forehead known to man. and very deep set eyes. Great ! All my life my Sister thought I was a freak.
I don't recall her playing with me that much as a child. I remember her ticking me off for being a "Tomboy", I didn't care, the boys did better "stuff". They would skive off from "jobs" and I would go with them. Jackie stayed home muttering darkly to herself and washing dishes and hanging out washing. She used to sweep the concrete floor of our Nissen Hut at the hostel.I never heard the end of that from my Mother.
"Jackie would clean the Nissen Hut from top to bottom", she would say to other Mothers and they would all beam at Jackie. Littel Toady !
In our house it was Janette was always on top of her bed reading and reading and Jackie was with Mum, doing lady like things. The call was always,
"Where's Janette?"
"In her room with a book"
Jackie was rightly disgusted with this and I don't blame her. But Mum and Dad spolied me in that way, they loved education as a lot of migrants do, and were proud when I got an A or won exams. Jackie they realised wasn't as academic as I was though, she's very smart. No Dad pushed Jackie towrds a singing career because she was an incredibly talented singer and also played bass guitar. Both of those talents bypassed me with a fierce genetic shove.
Jackie was a Star, I mean a Star to me. She was up on stage singing and she was amazing, belting out Brenda Lee and Edith Piaf, Cilla Black, Patsy Klein. She has a strong voice and can belt out a song and sell it to the audience and when I watched her I just thought it was so magic. The lights, the dresses, she wore, it breathed glamour ! One of my favourite words in the world.
When we were on the Ellinis going back to the UK, Jackie was 16 and sang on stage all the way on the trip and she was mobbed by "callow youths', who drank in her glamour and talent. She was very pretty with dark glossy hair and amazing green blue eyes and ground men under her very high heels. She's tiny, petite, a Kylie Minogue of the 60's. She wore her hair in chignons or beehives. I helped out in Dad and Jackie's act some times as back up singer.
Us girls would dress alike, go go girls in yellow from the late 60's, with big ball earings and sequins on sleeves and neck. It was the time of laugh in and Jackie and I adore Goldie Hawn, so we tried to be like her. Kooky, mod and happy, perky girls on stage with their Dad. Dad played a 24 string Hawaiian guitar that sat on legs in three tiers of wood. He was an amazing muso and if he hadn't been so preoccupied with kids, wife and no money, he would have bben a great swing band leader and play and sing as well.
While we were in the Uk a big surprise came along as my Sister Helen when Mum was 43. Mum was NOT happy to be pregnant at that age but when Helen happened along she became the darling of the entire family. Us kids being so much older just went for the baby and worshipped her. We taught her to say the word "light" by the time she was 8 months. We walked her in her big English Carriage Pram, minded her, played with her and generally dragged her anywhere we were allowed to take her.
By the time she was 2 and a half we were on our way back to Australia on The Southern Cross, boat travel was so much cheaper than flying in those days. Helen was sick and teething most of the trip and she would scream and cry and we had no idea how to keep her happy. Mum and Dad would just pace with her in their arms back and forth. They had had to do the same with my younger brother David, who never slept much. We used to drive as a family out into the desert land surrounding Port Ausguta and just drive and drive, cool breezes in our faces and finally after hours he would sleep.
Now we all are older mature women. Helen an RM at Caboolture Hospital in Queensland and she is cool happy and very confident. And funny. Helen is soooo funny, so self deprecating. She recalls the time Mum (Carrie's Mother, at that time) turned up at Helens school, mad as a cut snake. And Mum WAS mad. She had gone completely insane over the previous ten years. I'm talking about someone that can be violently insane and has to be dragged away in an ambulance. After 10 men could not hold her down. It was awful and tragic and scary but Helen was only 10 and when she saw Mum coming steaming up over the hill, she thought'
"Holy Shit !!!!"
By that time was Helen was a Pugsley Addams type of porky kid. She laughs till she wets herself nearly as she tells of leaping on to Mum's back and trying to stop her from attacking the Teacher. As she tells it amidst laughter, she clung on to Mum's back and Mum twirled her around until Helen's feet cleared the ground, and she was twirling around clinging like a limpet to Mums back.
Helen has a way of turning lemons into lemonade and I love her laughter. She's also a pretty woman. She lost all her puppy fat and turned into a beauty and a brainy one. Jackie is the Queen of her sumptuous home of 9000 sq feet. She lives with her husband, one of nature's great all round great guys, Winston Benton Esq. he's a perfectly happy wealthy (He says he is not ! ) man and they have been married 40 odd years and are still just as much in love as they ever were. Their marriage is an inspiration to all marriages.
Jackie rules the roost and Winn tries to think he does but he hasn't a hope. They have two lovely girls and heaps of grandkids and Jackie my Sister is like me and Helen, in Heaven where there are kids involved.
Jackie's worked all her life, same as me in offices, some of them where you just want to run screaming from the building. She had a test once for a Public Service Job and winning a position at the time was like winning rhe lottery and then for 3 months, 3 very long months, she took old rubber bands off documents and replaced them with new rubber bands at the Tax Department.
She now is semi retired and LOVES it. They are both wealthy and travel a lot. Winn did try retiring but was too bored so went back to the business. Jackie has a very busy life as she volunteers one day a week at a Nurding Home for dementia patients. And she is a Soroptomist and has fun and helps raise money for the people of East Timor and other places. I often joke with my Sisters that Jackie Is Hyacinth from "Keeping Up Appearnces" having the Vicar over for tea in the lounge room with the baby grand. I am the naughty wicked, Rose one with a short skirt and red lipstick and Helen is Daisy, the sweet one with her hubby in his undershirt
Helen went back to school when she was older, also like me, and in 4 years was an RN and raised 4 boys and her husband Robert has always been the House Husband and that helped Helen take off with her career. I like Robert as he is sweet and gentle and very very funny. he's an excellent Father and support to Helen and he calls himself Grumpy Old Man. Ha !
They live in the most stupendous house, it's rented but it is so fantastic. It sits on the water at Beachmere in QLD, and you literally walk to the water from their back door. A sweeping vista of water and sky greet you every morning. It is to die for.
And me I am the middle sister, the rebel. I guess. I've always lived in a big city and like it. I'm a city girl who loves clothes, shoes, writing, shopping, helping raise boys to manhood. I live independently from my second oldest daughter in her big backyard in Melbourn'e South East Suburbs. It is gorgeous and I love it as it's all mine. And I get to have family time and grand kid time and animal time but they are not my responsibilty. I am here if any one needs support or help with anything, homework, projects, baby sitting (rare) but otherwise it's just me and mine and my time.
I do all the washing for the family to help out and keep the side yard and front yard cleaned up. That's my share towards shring the property and otherwise we just get along with our lives. I write every day, clean every day, wash every day, shop everyday and run my life now exactly all for me. And boy is that heaven after 22 years of raising kids and a few more apart from my own.
I can do anything I want, no one telling me what to do or criticise or stop me from doing exactly what I want, when I want, with who I want, and I tell you something, it's the best feeling ever. It's called Freedom
Love Janette
