A Profoundly Sad Story

(this story was sent to me by Mary Grace - it was as a direct result of this that she met her future husband, which will be described in a later blog)
Thank you Mary

MY STORY 1970 (by Mary Grace)

My family packed up our belongings to move from Gympie where Michael, Mary, Peter, Bernard, Catherine and baby Gerard were growing up. We were excited and nervous about moving. We were looking forward to seeing our dad again after a long separation while he was having treatment in Brisbane for kidney problems but on the other hand we were extremely anxious about leaving our friends and starting new schools in Brisbane. Our eldest brother Michael was already working in Brisbane.

The news of our dad’s death came unexpected on the night of September 23^rd 1970 when we were staying the night with our Nana (Dad’s Mother).  This changed all the plans, as we were to travel to Brisbane to start our new life but had to deal with the grief of losing dad so the journey down was sad.

We moved in to a temporary house at Cleveland after my dad’s funeral. I recall what a horrible house this was, but we were to live there until our new house was built at Manly West.

My big brother Michael who was 18 yrs old at the time moved to be with us to help my mother out. I hated the new school at Cleveland State High School because we previously went to a Catholic School in Gympie.

The morning of Tuesday the 9^th February 1971 at 8.03am changed my life and everyone that knew us forever.

It was raining constantly that morning and my brother Michael was driving the family Holden station wagon (1964 model) with me, my brothers and little sister from our house in Cleveland to our new schools at Wynnum. Michael had transferred to a job at the bank in Wynnum. I had started school at Mt Carmel College at Wynnum in grade 9, my sister Catherine at Guardian Angels Primary school across the road from my school and Peter and Bernard at Iona College at Lindum. I don’t recall what grades they were in.

As we were driving along Sturgeon Street at Ormiston the rain was extremely heavy and vision through the windscreen was foggy, so Michael asked me to open the corner glass in the window to de fog the windscreen as I was sitting in the front passenger seat. I remember so vividly that day even now. It was driving rain so bad we couldn’t see in front of the windscreen. Sturgeon Street was a long straight stretch of road. The next thing I knew was that the car hit something extremely hard and we were all in the car sinking in the water of Hillards Creek.

I was lucky to find an opening (which later I discovered was where the windscreen had broken) and somehow I was free to swim to the top of the raging flooded creek. I could almost touch the underneath of the bridge but couldn’t reach so I had to gain my strength to swim across the current to the side of the creek (I remembered from swimming training to swim across current).  As I crawled up the bank of the creek I could see that the car had slammed into the bridge. I walked around in a daze. It was still raining. There were a few people around but they hadn’t realized that I had been in the accident. I couldn’t believe what I saw and what had happened.

A school teacher on her way to work noticed I had a bleeding knee and saw that I was stricken with grief, so she drove me to her home which was at the other end of Sturgeon Street.

 As the hours passed during the day the chance of the others being alive was hopeless. When the car was lifted from the creek my 2 brothers and sister in the back seat were washed down stream. My eldest brother Michael was the only one found. Later Peter and Bernard were found drowned in the creek but my young sister Catherine had washed further down the creek and her body was not recovered until the next day.

The injury I had was very small and only needed stiches which healed quickly, but the memory of this day never fades away.

The kids are buried together at Hemmant Cemetery – Lawn 3 – Grave 681

v     

In Loving Memory of

REGINALD JOSEPH LESLIE HORE

Born 13.1.1924 - Died 23.9.70

______________________________________

MICHAEL REGINALD JOHN HORE

Born10.12.1952

PETER GERARD HORE

Born16.2.1957

BERNARD JOSEPH HORE

Born 22.8.1958

CATHERINE TERESA NAN HORE

Born 8.8.1962

Accidentally killed 9.2.1971

Kayleen and Brent - A Very Public Proposal

It was Valentine’s Day 2009. Brent suggested that they go to the movies to see “He’s Just Not That Into You.” They arrived early and settled in to watch the movie. But first the adverts !

They sat through a few ads taking little notice and then one seemed to attract Kayleen’s attention. Several segments  were shown in different languages and seemed to involve words of love being spoken between couples. Kayleen thought that was nice to have on Valentine’s Day. Suddenly her eyes were riveted to the screen as some English words appeared “Kayleen will you marry me?” A myriad of emotions flooded through her. She turned to her boyfriend Brent, who at this stage was on his knee. People throughout the cinema strained to catch a glimpse of this very public proposal.

Kayleen and Brent never really knew what happened in the movie they were so excited. They were pleased when it ended so that they could share the happy news with family and friends. Exactly one year later at Banora Point, just over the Queensland border in New South Wales, I had the pleasure of pronouncing them husband and wife after which the music of Taylor Swift’s “Two Became One” reverberated across the waters as they signed their certificates – the first task in beginning their married life together.