BRUSH OFF THE DUST

[Neville Briggs]

In the old part of the great Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney there are a number of headstones with names and ages of infants, and alongside some of these headstones can be found a headstone for a young teenage girl with a different family name.
Someone explained to me that in the nineteenth century, young girls were employed as "nannys" to look after the children, when an infant child caught a deadly disease it often carried off the nanny as well, hence the presence of the young girls graves alongside the infants.

I don't know if that is true, it seems a reasonable explanation to me, and a very poignant memorial of the things that affected people in the past. We take a lot of our medical advances for granted.

[worddancer]

hi every one , and Maureen, and again you've brought the feelings of the place into your words. I really like walking among the old graves in country towns. I was visiting Kangaroo Island with a friend (before mobile phones, digital cameras or PCs), The National Heritage Association, ask if I would transcribe the graves if I got a chance. We found the old cemetery, very close to the settlers' first landfall in 1837. The headstone belonged to someone called, Governor George. It could have meant Governor, George but whatever it was, the words showed gratitude. The only date legible on the stone was the year 1837.
The script commenced at the very top of the stone just under his name and told of his help and concern on the voyage out. How many souls arrived and how many were lost. The tribute ended just above the dirt, almost as if the stonemason ran out of room!
History pages in the dirt.

[worddancer]

I meant to say I have posted in my poetry and pictures page, if you'd like to check it out.

cheers
Eliza