“Jimmy knew about pubs but I had never set foot in one or had a drink in my life. I wasn’t happy because we had sold my shop. I had made good friends and my kids had made a lot of friends in that shop. People used to just come in to talk, all the mothers would come in the shop just to have a chat.
The Winsome was most mostly all men so I didn’t go downstairs to the pub for over 2 months. Jimmy said, ‘You have to come down so the people can see you’. They are asking why my wife doesn’t come to the pub’. I said ‘I don’t like it’ and he said well you can’t say that now because we bought it. After a while I would go downstairs. We lived upstairs where we had a whole story and we rented out the top story.
Jacko was a barman who came with us from Casino and he knew how to run a pub. He used to work at a hotel in Casino. He said to me, ‘Mother, you come and I will teach you how to pull beers just in case Jimmy gets sick’. I used to go down at night till Jimmy closed. Thursday and Friday was the Soccer club nights and it was packed and I never wanted to go near it. Jimmy told me to come down on Thursday arvo, not to pour beer but just to walk around and talk to people as everyone was saying, we haven’t met your wife. I would hide behind the glass cupboard and watch. Jimmy said, Don’t hide behind there, they can all see you! It took me a while but eventually I liked it. They were often drunk but they were very friendly in North Lismore. Jacko looked out for me. He was an old man and a good man.
After 6 years in the Winsome we bought our house in Goonellabah. All the kids wanted to ride bikes and be kids and they couldn’t outside the pub It wasn’t safe with drunk people leaving the pub. There was too much going on. We decided to sell the pub so the kids could all have a normal life. The two eldest had left and also had arranged marriages. We bought the house and we lived there for 5 years. Jimmy started to worry about the kids. He said they cannot sit here all their lives, they need to get out there amongst it. Our youngest, Narelle finished school and had her graduation. We asked the girls if we bought something else would they come with us and they said No. They were happy here. Jimmy didn’t want to leave the girls behind even though they were 18 and 22 but they were quite happy for us to go. (laughs)
We bought a pub in Maryborough. We didn’t have the money to buy here but we kept the house here which the girls stayed in. I think it was party time for them. We stayed in Maryborough for 22 years. We loved it and we made a lot of friends.
The last 7 years Jimmy got sick. He had a heart attack and he had open heart surgery but he never recovered properly. Jimmy loved the house back here because it was in a lovely area and it was close to The Hilltop. We sold the pub and came back here mid August and Jimmy died 13th September 2011. The house here was a mess as it had been rented for 22 years. I have since fixed a lot as Jimmy always wanted to do it up. He was so happy that we were walking distance to the Hilltop but he never got to go, not even once. He was 71.
I went back to India after 17 years. Jimmy never went back because he got very sick with Yellow Fever in India and the doctors gave him the wrong medicine so he became more sick. If he didn’t come to Australia he definitely would have died. He never wanted to go back but he helped me to go back.
We always loved each other. Actually the first time I ever saw Jimmy I really loved him. He was the only boyfriend or man I had ever seen. He was always more mature than other 16 year old boys and he was very handsome. We were married for 53 years. We had a good life and we have 13 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Jimmy’s favourite number was 13. He died on the 13th hour on the 13th in Room 13.
I feel like I’ve come full circle, back in the same house. It’s different because I had all the kids before. I feel like my interesting life has gone, the shops, the pubs, but life must go on. I loved the talking and the cups of teas in the shop. I am so happy I have my family. When you have been working with the public for 35 years it’s a big change but as I said, life must go on.”
The Winsome was most mostly all men so I didn’t go downstairs to the pub for over 2 months. Jimmy said, ‘You have to come down so the people can see you’. They are asking why my wife doesn’t come to the pub’. I said ‘I don’t like it’ and he said well you can’t say that now because we bought it. After a while I would go downstairs. We lived upstairs where we had a whole story and we rented out the top story.
Jacko was a barman who came with us from Casino and he knew how to run a pub. He used to work at a hotel in Casino. He said to me, ‘Mother, you come and I will teach you how to pull beers just in case Jimmy gets sick’. I used to go down at night till Jimmy closed. Thursday and Friday was the Soccer club nights and it was packed and I never wanted to go near it. Jimmy told me to come down on Thursday arvo, not to pour beer but just to walk around and talk to people as everyone was saying, we haven’t met your wife. I would hide behind the glass cupboard and watch. Jimmy said, Don’t hide behind there, they can all see you! It took me a while but eventually I liked it. They were often drunk but they were very friendly in North Lismore. Jacko looked out for me. He was an old man and a good man.
After 6 years in the Winsome we bought our house in Goonellabah. All the kids wanted to ride bikes and be kids and they couldn’t outside the pub It wasn’t safe with drunk people leaving the pub. There was too much going on. We decided to sell the pub so the kids could all have a normal life. The two eldest had left and also had arranged marriages. We bought the house and we lived there for 5 years. Jimmy started to worry about the kids. He said they cannot sit here all their lives, they need to get out there amongst it. Our youngest, Narelle finished school and had her graduation. We asked the girls if we bought something else would they come with us and they said No. They were happy here. Jimmy didn’t want to leave the girls behind even though they were 18 and 22 but they were quite happy for us to go. (laughs)
We bought a pub in Maryborough. We didn’t have the money to buy here but we kept the house here which the girls stayed in. I think it was party time for them. We stayed in Maryborough for 22 years. We loved it and we made a lot of friends.
The last 7 years Jimmy got sick. He had a heart attack and he had open heart surgery but he never recovered properly. Jimmy loved the house back here because it was in a lovely area and it was close to The Hilltop. We sold the pub and came back here mid August and Jimmy died 13th September 2011. The house here was a mess as it had been rented for 22 years. I have since fixed a lot as Jimmy always wanted to do it up. He was so happy that we were walking distance to the Hilltop but he never got to go, not even once. He was 71.
I went back to India after 17 years. Jimmy never went back because he got very sick with Yellow Fever in India and the doctors gave him the wrong medicine so he became more sick. If he didn’t come to Australia he definitely would have died. He never wanted to go back but he helped me to go back.
We always loved each other. Actually the first time I ever saw Jimmy I really loved him. He was the only boyfriend or man I had ever seen. He was always more mature than other 16 year old boys and he was very handsome. We were married for 53 years. We had a good life and we have 13 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Jimmy’s favourite number was 13. He died on the 13th hour on the 13th in Room 13.
I feel like I’ve come full circle, back in the same house. It’s different because I had all the kids before. I feel like my interesting life has gone, the shops, the pubs, but life must go on. I loved the talking and the cups of teas in the shop. I am so happy I have my family. When you have been working with the public for 35 years it’s a big change but as I said, life must go on.”