Dorothy Packer moved to Ryde at the age of 2, and has lived in the Ryde area ever since. She describes her childhood in Ryde in the 1920s and her teenage years in West Ryde in the 1930s. Details of home, school and leisure activities and the impact of the Depression on her family are detailed. The impact of World War II and her career in the armed services, working in a hotel in Sydney for men on leave is described. Her family's strong Labor sympathies, the dynamics of a large family, discussion of various social attitudes including childbirth, sex and death and the role of Methodism in life provides interesting insights into life at that time. The interview also includes lists of names of shop owners in Ryde, and teachers at the Ryde Public school.
Interviewer: Pauline Curby Date of the interview: 12 September 1997 Transcription: Gabrielle Godard
Audio extracts (.wav format):
Transcript(PDF, 188KB) - 47 pages