Joy Clist, d. 1935

Histories

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Grandma Mary Scarlett neé Mulvay (b. 1869)

as told by her granddaughter Bessie Clist
Found among Bessie's handwritten memorabilia. Bessie's Grandma Mary Scarlett was born in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. When married she lived at Arapito, Karamea, also in the South Island. She was a widow for many years and died in 1941. She is buried in Karamea Cemetery.

Bessie writes:

I was 5 years old when Grandpa and Grandma came to Auckland [in 1924] at the time when Grandpa died. When mail arrived for Grandma, addressed to Mrs. Mary Scarlett, she sadly said, “They have even robbed me of my title."

The next recollection I have of my grandmother was when my father drove us all down to Karamea for the 1926 school holidays.  En route, possibly Nelson, Grandma accompanied us to Arapito.  She sat in the back seat with us children, Sylvia 11, Albert 9, myself 7.  Mother and Father and the baby, Beryl 9 months were in the front. I remember how the curtains flapped as we hurried along, and how we had tiny packets of Sunmaid Raisins to eat.

My father was trying to race the Nelson-Westport Service Car, and I remember how people laughed when we approached, and my father indicated to them that it was behind. But it was not long before, in his haste, he had gone down the water table and into the bank, and we were all jolted and crying, but not injured.  Grandma took us 3 older children along to a little waterfall and cleaned up our tear-stained faces with her handkerchiefs, and encouraged us to be good children and stand up straight and not to cry any more as we were going to get in the Service Car, and she didn’t want any of us crying.

My father remained with the car until it was towed to Westport with a broken axle.  We all stayed in a nice hotel and I liked to lean over the balcony to watch the people on the footpath. When the car was repaired, we were all able to continue on our journey to Arapito, where we all stayed with Aunty Rene and Uncle Alex {Scarlett] and family.
 
On Christmas Eve, after all the children were in bed, Grandma helped in filling the stockings which had been hung from the mantelpiece.  The only present I can remember and which I still have and cherish, is a little china shoe with a bird eating cherries on it.  It had a ribbon round it, tying a block of chocolate underneath it.  Sylvia’s present from her was a china horse and cart with chocolate similar.

Grandma came to Auckland from Arapito to stay with us periodically.  When walking to the local shops one day she met a neighbour of my mother’s who spoke to her, calling her Mrs. Scarlett.  Grandma was surprised she remembered her, but the neighbour replied, “Oh it wasn’t you I remembered, it was your hat!"

Grandma kept house for us once when my mother had to go away to her sick sister at Mangonui.  I remember how she liked to measure the correct amount of tea leaves for her cup of tea with her fingers, and also was the first person I knew who sprinkled salt on her porridge.

Once when convalescing at Arapito, she fancied some chicken broth, so they killed one of the hens. Later, when allowed outside, she looked at the hens and said, “Where’s Old Scrukey?” “Oh you ate it,” was the reply.  She said, “If I’d known that I’d never have got better!”  They said they thought it was a pity to kill a good one!

As we grew up she took a great interest in us.  I always remember how she warned us girls not to put our hair in water without trying the temperature with our hand first. She had a wonderful head of raven black hair herself. She took an interest in our trousseaus and knitted me a blue bed jacket.  She was always very erect, and practical, and resourceful.  She advised me to always take off my engagement ring when washing the dishes and even hammered a nail on the wall above the sink for its safe keeping. The last time I remember seeing her was when she came to Auckland for Sylvia’s wedding 26 Jan 1937.

She must have had a hard time in her early married life, as she had to go to the milking shed even though she had young children.  I remember being told how one day she had tied both Uncle Alex and my father to the table legs while she was away at the shed.  When she came back, she found they had got into the 50lb bag of flour and strewn it all over the floor.  There was no boat arriving with fresh supplies for some time either.

Owner of originalTribute by Bessie Clist neé Scarlett
DateTranscribed Nov 2021
Linked toMary Mulvay; Bessie Eunice Scarlett

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