The Slovenian Lady On The Nature Strip
Without Prejudice
One of the first people I helped in Lauren's name was Essy. She was a friend of my girlfriend Sylvia, who is a Slovenian Syl speaks both Serbain and Croatian and is proud to be a "Wog Wog", A wog wog being the old school wog who was born in Yugoslavia and is old enought to remember Tito.
She rang me one day at work and said she had thought of me straight away and could I help ?
Essy was a lady of mature age, late 50's. Sylvia was being her taxi at the time as another friend had gone overseas and had asked Syl to "look out" for Essy. So she did, they went to a few "do's" at the German club and Planica and Eltham. Essy was happy to go along with Syl. She was tall, sweet face and sweet natured and lived with her daughter and son in law and her 2 grand daughters in a double story house in Rowville.
She had been a widow and sold property in Slovenia and moved to New Zealand years before to join her daughter who was about to give birth to her first child. She stayed with the family for 7 years and 2 girl grand children had been born. Essy took care of them as the Nanny while The Son In Law worked and so did the daughter. They moved to Australia and Essy went with them. The girls by then 9 and 7. Essy loved her charges and raised them up to be little ladies.
But life at home with the family was becoming more and more difficult. She stayed in her room all weekend when the family had visitors. She joined the family for meals and the couple were still both working full time so she also cleaned the house.
One day she had a row at the dining table with her Son In Law and he grabbed her stuff, packed it in a suitcase and put her out on the nature strip. Homeless with no where to go. Essy didn't speak that great in English and had little or no money. The little grand daughters, crying, begged her to come off the nature strip and begged their Father to not be so mean to their Nana.
he did allow her back inside but it was temporary only, he wanted her out. So Syl asked me did I know anyone that could help. I was so distracted at work and trying to learn a new sysytem I told her to let me think about it and I'd get back to her. I rang Alena, my youngest daughter, a champion of the down trodden and a walking encyclopdia of Centrelink, Housing, DHS, you name it, she knows it.
Alena gave me the name of a housing worker that had helped Alena get a male friend housed with his son. A single dad, a good one, who loved his baby son, the Mother on drugs and gone. I handed on the number to Syl and went up to see her that night after work. Syl explained at length that "her people" and there were a lot of them, had no idea where to go to for help.
Not really trusting authorities and questions and probing in to backgrounds. But I assured her all would be well. At that time Essy hadn't turned 55, the first criteria for homeless help at her age. Her birthday was 5 months off. Essy couldn't stay in her situation another five months we were going to be lucky to get 5 weeks out of the Son In Law.
Syl couldn't take her in as her place was too small and Syl was darkly jealous of anyone that hadn't had to work as hard as she did. And moaned about her arms and shoulders and wrists all the time. But Essy and I knew Syl was a whinge at the best of times so we quietly ignored her. Syl was very good in taking Essy to the Housing Worker as Syl worked afternoon shift at Bosch and I worked full time at HSV. And Essy didn't drive.so one of us had to take her.
The housing worker took Essy on and put ther in touch with Knox Council and another worker there , so we started the ball rolling of getting Essy housed and safely. And it all took place within five weeks from start to finish. The waiting list was long when we started out but became less and less as we moved forward.
And five weeks later when we helped Essy to move in to her one bedroom flat she kissed my hand and cried,
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, she kept saying. Syl was jealous. The flat was a top floor flat set in a complex surrounded by mountains and trees in Boronia. It was clean and large, consisting of one bedroom, large, laundry, bathroom, lounge and kitchen. The council had even provided a cheque for a fridge and the cost was $50 a week and included electricity.
Syl thought it was so elegant and so European and Essy cried at the hills and the trees as it reminded her of her homeland. The beautiful Slovenia and its forests of green. And it was Essys for life, no one could take it away from her, no one could throw her out on to the nature strip.
She had it set up so well, rugs and loved books, and a sumptuous bedroom full of light and colour. the lounge room like a Parisian flat with picture windows and a fireplace, a white laced covered table at the window where we sat and had tea and Pasztitzi which is a pastry with fresh walnuts and chocolate. Syl roamed around exclaiming in delight at everything but I knew she was jealous and as soon as we took our leave of Essy, she started.
Instead of being happy for her friend she was not. Syl had worked in this country for x amount of years and Essy didn't work. And had been given a flat, gratis and on and on she ranted and I just let her go. Syl can be like that, don't get me wrong I adore her but she can be a "whinging Wog" a lot of the time and don't worry about the word wog as that is what she insists on calling herself.
Syl did the same to me when I 'Dared" to go back to school and get my Year 12. I never heard the end of it, she stopped talking to me, she hated me, she said how dare I levae hubby and 4 kids and go back to school. And when I passed and won the English Prize for the year OMG. She still has digs about it all these years later and that was 1985 !
It didn't matter that I had to work in the business and look after hubby and 4 girls and not be able to study till 11 pm at night. And find the inspiration and the knowledge to drum up a 5,000 word essay on Loneliness or The 2nd World War or The Appellate Court System or Tough Biology. I have no idea where her jealousy comes from. I guess she feels abandoned, her Mother left her behind when she escaped Slovenia and Syl was 4. She was a product of war rape her Mother said and Syl spent the first few months of her life hidden in the attic.
Until the Grandfather summoned his daughter down from the attic with her baby girl. But Syl knew the stigma of being illegitimate from a young age and once the Mother left was sent to school with a kick up her arse. She had moved to an Aunts by then and the Aunt was not so kindly as the grandparents. The Aunt lived closer to the school and Syl was forced to stay there and when she was 13, her Mother sent for her.
The Mother was living in Australia by then and Syl left Slovenia to join her and meet her as if for the first time. her Mother had married some guy who Syl immediately hated. Syl spoke no English, was in a new country, new culture and by the time she was 16 had met her future husband and left the Mother and Stepfather and began boarding with another family.
So Syl ranted about Essy's "Good Fortune", I ignored her. Essy had pulled me to one side and cried, she was frightened that she would never see her granddaughters again and I reassured her she would. The son In Law in an act of contrition had moved her furniture himself, hiring the truck and paying for it. I assured her it would all settle down, she was the maternal grandmother and they always come first.
I knew from experience that daughters always need their Mums and grand daughters need their grand mothers. And the last I heard that is exactly what happened. It took a while but there was reconciliation. Essy had also been going out with an older rich married man. I thought he was revolting as he had one eye looking at Springvale and one eye looking at Dandenong. but she had clung on to him thinking one day she might be housed with him. He was in his 70's and looked like Montgomery Burns. All spindle shanked and given to being mean with his money.
Essy dropped him like a hot potato once she was safely housed. And Syl? Syl wrote Essy a five page letter of disgust at her getting the place and Essy rang me and she was crying. I told her to ignore it, Syl was just jealous. I wasn't at all happy at Syl after that. She'd acted like a cow and she knew it. Essy had nothing, Syl had plenty and squandered a lot of it in silly mistakes with unsuitable men.
But who cared ? Essy was happy, safe, secure and didn't care if she never met another man, was never lonely as the complex where she lives is a Social one and all the people there are her age, over 60 now. One couple married and moved in together and that was how Essy's flat came about. It was the right time and one of those times when the heavens smile down and give some one deserving a break. Warms the cockles of my heart and always will, and I've decided I'll go see Essy and see how she is and she will I bet be exactly the same. Gracious, smiling, a lady
Syl remains on her own these days, says she's done with men, forever. I'll believe that when I see it, Syl was my Mentor of individuality for years, she was fearless and could sleep with men for Australia. She's 67 or so now, still working, still complaining and still a "wog Wog" . I've said to her she likes to work as she then has something to complain about.
She still slyly rings me and calls me Miss Genius and Computer Whiz, I ignore her and see only the spirit beneath her "guff" and love her anyway, and when no one is around tells me of her exploits with various men when she was angry and upset. She points to the shed,
"Remember the guy, that worked on the guttering and I ..........
Yes Syl I remember, and the real estate guy, the mechanic, I think in her ire at that time she racked up something like 7 men in a few days. Not bad going for an old girl. I rang her once and she had to go, as there was a naked man at her bedroom door going Yoo Hoo.
I laughed and asked what he was waving but she was gone
Love Janette
One of the first people I helped in Lauren's name was Essy. She was a friend of my girlfriend Sylvia, who is a Slovenian Syl speaks both Serbain and Croatian and is proud to be a "Wog Wog", A wog wog being the old school wog who was born in Yugoslavia and is old enought to remember Tito.
She rang me one day at work and said she had thought of me straight away and could I help ?
Essy was a lady of mature age, late 50's. Sylvia was being her taxi at the time as another friend had gone overseas and had asked Syl to "look out" for Essy. So she did, they went to a few "do's" at the German club and Planica and Eltham. Essy was happy to go along with Syl. She was tall, sweet face and sweet natured and lived with her daughter and son in law and her 2 grand daughters in a double story house in Rowville.
She had been a widow and sold property in Slovenia and moved to New Zealand years before to join her daughter who was about to give birth to her first child. She stayed with the family for 7 years and 2 girl grand children had been born. Essy took care of them as the Nanny while The Son In Law worked and so did the daughter. They moved to Australia and Essy went with them. The girls by then 9 and 7. Essy loved her charges and raised them up to be little ladies.
But life at home with the family was becoming more and more difficult. She stayed in her room all weekend when the family had visitors. She joined the family for meals and the couple were still both working full time so she also cleaned the house.
One day she had a row at the dining table with her Son In Law and he grabbed her stuff, packed it in a suitcase and put her out on the nature strip. Homeless with no where to go. Essy didn't speak that great in English and had little or no money. The little grand daughters, crying, begged her to come off the nature strip and begged their Father to not be so mean to their Nana.
he did allow her back inside but it was temporary only, he wanted her out. So Syl asked me did I know anyone that could help. I was so distracted at work and trying to learn a new sysytem I told her to let me think about it and I'd get back to her. I rang Alena, my youngest daughter, a champion of the down trodden and a walking encyclopdia of Centrelink, Housing, DHS, you name it, she knows it.
Alena gave me the name of a housing worker that had helped Alena get a male friend housed with his son. A single dad, a good one, who loved his baby son, the Mother on drugs and gone. I handed on the number to Syl and went up to see her that night after work. Syl explained at length that "her people" and there were a lot of them, had no idea where to go to for help.
Not really trusting authorities and questions and probing in to backgrounds. But I assured her all would be well. At that time Essy hadn't turned 55, the first criteria for homeless help at her age. Her birthday was 5 months off. Essy couldn't stay in her situation another five months we were going to be lucky to get 5 weeks out of the Son In Law.
Syl couldn't take her in as her place was too small and Syl was darkly jealous of anyone that hadn't had to work as hard as she did. And moaned about her arms and shoulders and wrists all the time. But Essy and I knew Syl was a whinge at the best of times so we quietly ignored her. Syl was very good in taking Essy to the Housing Worker as Syl worked afternoon shift at Bosch and I worked full time at HSV. And Essy didn't drive.so one of us had to take her.
The housing worker took Essy on and put ther in touch with Knox Council and another worker there , so we started the ball rolling of getting Essy housed and safely. And it all took place within five weeks from start to finish. The waiting list was long when we started out but became less and less as we moved forward.
And five weeks later when we helped Essy to move in to her one bedroom flat she kissed my hand and cried,
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, she kept saying. Syl was jealous. The flat was a top floor flat set in a complex surrounded by mountains and trees in Boronia. It was clean and large, consisting of one bedroom, large, laundry, bathroom, lounge and kitchen. The council had even provided a cheque for a fridge and the cost was $50 a week and included electricity.
Syl thought it was so elegant and so European and Essy cried at the hills and the trees as it reminded her of her homeland. The beautiful Slovenia and its forests of green. And it was Essys for life, no one could take it away from her, no one could throw her out on to the nature strip.
She had it set up so well, rugs and loved books, and a sumptuous bedroom full of light and colour. the lounge room like a Parisian flat with picture windows and a fireplace, a white laced covered table at the window where we sat and had tea and Pasztitzi which is a pastry with fresh walnuts and chocolate. Syl roamed around exclaiming in delight at everything but I knew she was jealous and as soon as we took our leave of Essy, she started.
Instead of being happy for her friend she was not. Syl had worked in this country for x amount of years and Essy didn't work. And had been given a flat, gratis and on and on she ranted and I just let her go. Syl can be like that, don't get me wrong I adore her but she can be a "whinging Wog" a lot of the time and don't worry about the word wog as that is what she insists on calling herself.
Syl did the same to me when I 'Dared" to go back to school and get my Year 12. I never heard the end of it, she stopped talking to me, she hated me, she said how dare I levae hubby and 4 kids and go back to school. And when I passed and won the English Prize for the year OMG. She still has digs about it all these years later and that was 1985 !
It didn't matter that I had to work in the business and look after hubby and 4 girls and not be able to study till 11 pm at night. And find the inspiration and the knowledge to drum up a 5,000 word essay on Loneliness or The 2nd World War or The Appellate Court System or Tough Biology. I have no idea where her jealousy comes from. I guess she feels abandoned, her Mother left her behind when she escaped Slovenia and Syl was 4. She was a product of war rape her Mother said and Syl spent the first few months of her life hidden in the attic.
Until the Grandfather summoned his daughter down from the attic with her baby girl. But Syl knew the stigma of being illegitimate from a young age and once the Mother left was sent to school with a kick up her arse. She had moved to an Aunts by then and the Aunt was not so kindly as the grandparents. The Aunt lived closer to the school and Syl was forced to stay there and when she was 13, her Mother sent for her.
The Mother was living in Australia by then and Syl left Slovenia to join her and meet her as if for the first time. her Mother had married some guy who Syl immediately hated. Syl spoke no English, was in a new country, new culture and by the time she was 16 had met her future husband and left the Mother and Stepfather and began boarding with another family.
So Syl ranted about Essy's "Good Fortune", I ignored her. Essy had pulled me to one side and cried, she was frightened that she would never see her granddaughters again and I reassured her she would. The son In Law in an act of contrition had moved her furniture himself, hiring the truck and paying for it. I assured her it would all settle down, she was the maternal grandmother and they always come first.
I knew from experience that daughters always need their Mums and grand daughters need their grand mothers. And the last I heard that is exactly what happened. It took a while but there was reconciliation. Essy had also been going out with an older rich married man. I thought he was revolting as he had one eye looking at Springvale and one eye looking at Dandenong. but she had clung on to him thinking one day she might be housed with him. He was in his 70's and looked like Montgomery Burns. All spindle shanked and given to being mean with his money.
Essy dropped him like a hot potato once she was safely housed. And Syl? Syl wrote Essy a five page letter of disgust at her getting the place and Essy rang me and she was crying. I told her to ignore it, Syl was just jealous. I wasn't at all happy at Syl after that. She'd acted like a cow and she knew it. Essy had nothing, Syl had plenty and squandered a lot of it in silly mistakes with unsuitable men.
But who cared ? Essy was happy, safe, secure and didn't care if she never met another man, was never lonely as the complex where she lives is a Social one and all the people there are her age, over 60 now. One couple married and moved in together and that was how Essy's flat came about. It was the right time and one of those times when the heavens smile down and give some one deserving a break. Warms the cockles of my heart and always will, and I've decided I'll go see Essy and see how she is and she will I bet be exactly the same. Gracious, smiling, a lady
Syl remains on her own these days, says she's done with men, forever. I'll believe that when I see it, Syl was my Mentor of individuality for years, she was fearless and could sleep with men for Australia. She's 67 or so now, still working, still complaining and still a "wog Wog" . I've said to her she likes to work as she then has something to complain about.
She still slyly rings me and calls me Miss Genius and Computer Whiz, I ignore her and see only the spirit beneath her "guff" and love her anyway, and when no one is around tells me of her exploits with various men when she was angry and upset. She points to the shed,
"Remember the guy, that worked on the guttering and I ..........
Yes Syl I remember, and the real estate guy, the mechanic, I think in her ire at that time she racked up something like 7 men in a few days. Not bad going for an old girl. I rang her once and she had to go, as there was a naked man at her bedroom door going Yoo Hoo.
I laughed and asked what he was waving but she was gone
Love Janette
