This month as part of our ongoing celebration of 120 years on our property I thought I’d share a couple of cherished family pieces. Portraits and furniture held generationally are always greatly loved. In the main homestead the oak dining-room table which comfortably seats 26 (when the extesion leafs are in) is a firm favourite. There are scratch marks and ink spots on its surface from when my mother taught myself and my siblings around the table (as well as some serious damage to the surface from parties and the plaster ceiling above suffers from Christmas day champagne corks). Early school days, what a great time; home-cooked food and early marks and then we were all outdoors in the scrub. By the time we were being schooled, before heading to the local primary school and then boarding school, the school-room, which was located in a separate building had already been converted into extra accomodation for the jackeroo’s.

Two of my favourite items however (among many) are the personal possessions of my (paternal) great-grandmother and (paternal grandfather).

Sarah-Ann’s sewing box is of inlaid wood with a centre mother-of-pearl motif. I can see her sitting by the fireplace in the original family homestead, needle in hand perhaps darning or doing fine needle-work. It is thought she brought the sewing box with her possessions when she married by great-grandfather and moved first to Inverell in the 1880s and then to our current property in 1893.

Next up is my grandfather’s cut-throat razor blade. Still deadly sharp and with its original box the knife was made in England and has a bone handle. Family oral history has it that he purchased the razor in London enroute back to Australia after serving on the Somme during World War One. Perhaps he did. The blade is paper thin from use. Either way as he passed in 1955 it is wonderful to still have it.

Hoarders we Alexander’s may be, but I’m forever grateful for such family treasures.