DAWN TILL DUSK

By HEATHER BLACKSTOCK

At an early age, George Winkley turned his hand to farming after sampling many tracts of occupation. He toiled through years of the great depression and WW2 through thick and thin years. He felt the pangs of adversity and was able to change direction with difficulty yet accomplished much. He found joy in rearing a large family while his life was

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heather Blackstock
• Release date: Aug 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9780645191653

HEATHER BLACKSTOCK

The author was born and raised at "Hucclecote" on a mixed farming property in Dorrigo N.S.W. It is where Heather Blackstock (nee Winkley) enjoyed a wonderful childhood and, from memory found inspiration to further her artistic talent from memory.

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About the Author

Heather Blackstock is one of five siblings born in Dorrigo N.S.W. and raised on a mixed farming property. She has retained thick and thin memories of a wonderful childhood and gained an appreciation for the environment that helped foster an artistic talent and successful painting career.

She has since acquired an A.D.O.C.A. (Associate Diploma in Creative Arts at The Riverina College of Advanced Education), B.A.C.A.(Bachelor of Arts at Griffith University), Art works are held in City Collections and private collections in Australia and Overseas. Since losing her husband in 1999 has travelled extensively, became an M.C. (Marriage Celebrant) and J.P. (Justice of Peace), F.R.Q.A.S. Gold Coast (November 2016 was awarded a Fellowship with the Royal Queensland Art Society, Gold Coast).

In 1999 she Illustrated The Australian Book of Nursery Rhyme.

Writing short stories and poetry are now her main interest and is included in three self-published books with Eloquence Coterie writing group.

Classified as being Dad’s ‘Right Hand Man’ for the first 15 years of my life gives me privilege to write about his compassion, generosity of spirit and personal courage. I carry with me a vivid image of him etched against a deep blue sky, the same colour as his eyes, under the consuming heat of a Dorrigo summer sun, dressed in a gray flannel shirt and dark trousers, ploughing a paddock to plant or harvest crops. Should the woolen flannel shirt get wet, it still kept him warm. Methodically he walked mostly without shoes, as he would say forth and back, guiding a hand-held plough behind our trusty old draught horse: a placid Clydesdale named Tiger. They left in their wake a transformed landscape, a pattern with hilled near-straight lines of red earth. I remember him as a man of routine and discipline, hardworking… up at the crack of dawn…home at sunset. He taught by example doing what challenged him without complaint, never seeking attention or praise after giving a helping hand.

My Dad’s father George Winkley, third child, born in Hackney, London in 1857, came to Victoria, Australia, aged 24 on the ship SORATA in 1881.

In 1894 he met and married Florence Anderson who was born in Sydney in 1863. My father Samuel, George, Hill, Winkley jnr. was the first born in 1895 of 5 siblings: Francis, Ella, Charles, (twin who died at birth), Walter and Reginald. The family was raised on a farming property at Forrest Hill, Oakhampton, West Maitland, N.S.W.

George jnr., being the eldest child, was forced to grow up fast, given the responsibility of helping his parents with a large portion of the support needed for the family. In 1909 he left home, to work for the Canada Bicycle Company in Brisbane and learnt mechanical engineering. Having a talent for things mechanical he learnt to tune and test cars in the showroom. Also, he took delivery of new cars at Sydney wharf after attaching the wheels, as cars came in crates. The Company he worked for had the agency for all principal makes such as – Talbot, Renault, Daric, Silent Night, Russell, E.M.F. and Flanders. He also gave driving lessons to new car buyers. His first delivery was to Alf Alcorn in 1912, a farmer from the Richmond River district.