“Tom, sit still!” chastised Clara. She’d been tasked with the care of Tom on this trip to Kalgoorlie.
“He’s just excited,” her mother said as she fed baby Ruth.
“I know, but if he just wouldn’t wiggle so.”
“Look, look we’re in the forest,” screamed Tom.
Clara smiled.
Tom turned to Clara, “Tell me about the other trips.”
“Well, when I was your age I got on a big ship in England where there were rolling hills and green grass. The ship sailed across the ocean going up and down with the waves. You could smell the salt in the air.”
“But mummy didn’t like it because she was sick,” said Tom looking at his mum “like she was when I was a baby.” His mum smiled at him.
“Then we arrived in Melbourne and it was so very hot. I was only little but I didn’t remember heat like that in England.”
“I was born there?”
“No, Tom. Don’t you remember I told you about the long and bumpy road we went on in a horse and carriage to Sydney?”
“Oh, yeah. Silly me. Then I got to go on a ship like you.”
“Yes, to Perth. Now this train, The Kalgoorlie Express, is taking us on another adventure.”
“I know! And it goes clickity click, clickity click. It’s so much fun.”
Clara laughter and hugged the excited little boy. “Yes, it is fun.”
Tom turned back to the window, “When will I see the desert?”
“Soon, Tom, soon.”
I wanted to write this story from my great-grandmother Ruth’s point of view, however, she was just a baby at the time. I picked another of her eight siblings who would have been excited by this trip. Ruth Bridges was born in 1899 in Perth and her brother Albert was born in 1900 in Kalgoorlie so the trip had to have occurred when she was quite little. I have no way of knowing how they travelled to Kalgoorlie. I assume, given the distance, they took the train. Add to this that her mother Ellen was probably pregnant, it is feasible they went by train.
Head over to Stories Under the Tree to read more fictional stories of my ancestors.
I love how you wrote this out in the first person. It helps bring the history to life! Family history is important for each generation.
Hi Enid
I agree. It is so important to understand where we came from and to tell the next generation the importance of one’s heritage.
Regards,
Megan
Hands down awesome job on your site. It is easy to navigate. The site looks great. It also works great. I mean I do not feel like spending the money at this time to find out everything about myself lol. Maybe in the near future though. Keep up the good work. It is a great site.
Hello
I’m glad you enjoyed my site. How did you like “The Kalgoorlie Express” – did it inspire you to find out about your family? There are ways to start researching your family that are free, it’s just to get actual copies of documents you will need to pay. However, you can certainly start for free. Until it totally addicts you and you need to look at other avenues to go further. If you decide to go ahead please contact me and I’ll be only too happy to help you.
Regards,
megan
That has to be one of the most original designs for a website of this genre, beautifully done with the mosaic feel. I also love the first person storytelling. It made me feel like I was watching a movie when I was really just reading. I never really leave comments but your site was so interesting both in design and concept.
Now for the good stuff. I just had my last family member of 8 past away in Canada. All my family is in England and Spain but I have never met them. Do you think services like Ancestry dot com could help in finding family overseas?
Hello Jair
Thank you for taking the time to visit my site and read “The Kalgoorlie Express”. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Ancestry can definitely help you with finding family members. In Family History Holiday I talk a bit about the cousins I have found through doing family research. Most of them through Ancestry, some through Facebook. The internet has been a great breakthrough for genealogists as the world is closer. I hope you find the family you seek and if I can be of any assistance send me a message through the contact form in the footer area of my site!
Regards,
Megan
You have such a creative way to bringing your history to life. How clever! Your site continues to grow with rich and engaging information.
With all the information you have gathered, have you ever thought of writing a book? The way you write stories like this one, it makes your characters jump right off the page.
Keep up the great work!
Yvette
Hi Yvette
Thank you for your kind words. This story was written as part of a genealogy course I took and I really enjoyed writing them and bringing my ancestors to life. I have no idea if this is what occurred but based on documents I have it was easy to build a story. I have contemplated writing a novel but it is such a daunting thought.
Regards,
Megan
It seems you really learned a great deal in the classes you took. How fascinating! Even though you had a bit of information, your imagery is wonderful. Yes, I can certainly understand how a project of writing a novel could be so time-consuming. If ever you decide to write one, please let me know and I will be the first in line to purchase!
Regards,
Yvette
Hi Yvette
Thank you for your kind words. I enjoyed the course and learning to write a story with such a small word limit taught me to pick my words carefully and still make it flow – it was hard! When I get around to writing a novel, I will ensure you know!
Regards,
Megan