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Family
Marriage: Children:
  1. Dorothy Edna Earle: Birth: 11 JAN 1922. Death: 3 MAY 1949

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Notes
a. Note:   EXTRACT FROM MOONEE VALLEY COMMUNITY NEWS TUESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2000
  (Group photo caption)
 The joy of it all…. Ida Earle laps up the attention during her 100th birthday celebrations with four generations of her family Picture Len Williams..
  From left-standing.
 Lynda Convey (Byllye’s daughter), Michelle Convey (Lynda’s daughter), Isabella (Friend of Ian’s) Tilley Rose held up by Elrae Adams (Daughter of Ida), Ian Adams (Son of Elrae & John), Jordie Johnston (Joanne’s Son by first marriage), Sam Rose (Held), Jeff Rose (Partially hidden) Joanne Rose (Daughter of Elrae & John), Joshua Johnstone (Joanne’s son by first marriage), Joan Miller (Friend of family- mostly hidden), John Adams, Beryl Rohde (Daughter of Ida).
 From left-seated.
 Christine Jennings (Daughter of Elrae & John), holding Chelsea Jennings, Ida Earle, Ellie Rose.
  NO doubt the piano got a work-out when long-time Essendon resident Ida Earle celebrated her 100th birthday last week. (26/11/00)
 A life-long music lover, Ida still plays the piano on special occasions at Cyril Jewell House, the East Keilor nursing home where she has lived for the past seven years.
 She received an Australia Day Citizen award for volunteer work in 1991, in recognition of her efforts in playing the piano for 25 years at community singing sessions at the Greenvale Centre, a nursing home, and for generations of music students at Greenvale primary school.
 A mother of four and grandmother of eight, Ida was surrounded by family when Moonee Valley mayor Trevor Sinclair presented her with flowers, a cake and a letter of congratulations last Friday.
  1/9 Fischer Street Torquay 3228
 26 February 2001
  The Staff and Volunteers
 Cyril Jewell House.
  On behalf of my sisters, I would like to extend to you our grateful thanks for the care and attention you all gave to our mother, Mrs Ida Earle, during her stay at your nursing home, especially during the last month or so when she needed extra help and care.
 She always told me that she felt “spoilt” by your kindness to her.
  We will always have her wonderful 100th birthday party clearly in our minds when we think of her.
  Yours Sincerely
  Elrae Adams
  Media Release
 22 November, 2000
  Melbourne Extended Care & Rehabilitation
 PO Box 7000 Carlton South Vic 3053
 Poplar Road Parkville Vic 3052
 Telephone 9387 5048
 Website www.nwhcn.org.au
  IDA'S CENTURY
 Former Australia Day Citizen Award recipient Ida Earle is celebrating her 100th birthday on 26 November.
 Moonee Valley City Mayor Councillor Trevor Sinclair will be on hand at Cyril Jewell House, Ida's home for the past seven years, to present flowers, a cake and a letter of congratulations on Friday 24 November.
 Born in Long Gully, near Bendigo, Ida moved with her family to Carlton during the Great War and lived for most of her adult life in Essendon.
 For some years Ida demonstrated icing techniques for Myers. She was responsible for the cakes for all four of her daughters' weddings and passed on her skills. Ida's daughter, the imaginatively named Elrae, will be decorating a cake for the 100th birthday celebration.
 A lifelong music lover, Ida played piano for generations of music students at Greenvale Primary School and for 25 years played for weekly community singing at Greenvale Centre.
 Ida still plays regularly and still appreciates special events.
 Family, friends and Cyril Jewell House staff will help to celebrate this milestone in the life of a fun loving lady with an ever-ready smile.
  -ends- Please note that Mrs Earle WILL NOT be available for interviews. However, Beryl Rohde (one of Mrs Earle's daughters) will be happy to answer questions.
  BEST TIME FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC OPPORTUNITIES: The Mayor will be on-hand at 2pm, Friday 24 November.
  For further information:
 Jacqui McGrory, Public Relations,
 MECRS, Phone: 9389 7172 or AH 03 9510 2739, or
  Gina Androcciola and Dianne Holt, Activities Co-Ordinators,
 Cyril Jewell House, 9331 6581
 68 Hassett Street, Keilor East, 3033 (Mel ref: Map 15 D11).
  Mrs Earle’s 100 th Birthday Celebration 24/11/00 for 26/11/00
  A DESCRIPTION
 We all had an excellent day today. A lot of work for Elrae. The staff had the dining room configured with two long tables on two of the four sides with plenty of room for those to sit in wheel chairs.
 They have two "Recreation" people who organised everybody and did a good job. Nanna sat at one of the tables and we all stood or sat behind and around her whilst they took photos. Ian had his video whirring a lot of the time. There were letters from Beazley, Howard, Victorian Premier Bracks, Victorian Governor Gobbo and the Queen. We all thought that the Queen would sign her letter but her name was only printed as if thousands are churned out, and they probably are. All the other letters were personally signed, or looked like they were personally signed.
 We think that the people taking the photo's were from the Community Services who control all the Government Nursing Homes and we are getting copies sent to us, some via the computer.
 They had a pianist who played softly on the piano most of the time and set the atmosphere. I watched Nanna's hands and they were strumming on the table. For more photos they asked her to sit at the piano with us all standing around and to all our amazement she started playing the old songs and kept on, then she swung into "Happy Birthday" so she played for her own birthday whist we all sang.
 Then back to the table and the Mayor of Essendon, came in and gave her a large bunch of flowers and wished her well followed by the local Council member who was running late. Elrae helped her cut the cake and the kids blew out the candle, they had taken care to switch off the sprinkler system, not taking any chances, we only had two candles but the matches gave off a bit of smoke, just as well they had turned the system off. The family flowers sent by Merriel were left in a flat basket on a table behind her and everyone admired them.
 There were about 30 of the residents in the room plus the family Elrae and I, Beryl, Ian and his new girl friend Isabella, Joanne and Jeff with Joshua, Jordie, Ellie, Tilley and Sam, Christine with Chelsea, Byllyes daughter Lynda and her daughter Michelle and an old friend of ours, Joan Miller.
 The dining room was festooned with balloons and big banners saying "Happy Birthday Mrs Earle" A special card made by Merriel was much admired and is now in with the all the letters.
 Afterwards Elrae put the flowers in a large container and stood them on a table in the passageway where everyone walks past.. She tied a large golden sash around the container.
  A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE LONG LIFE AND TIMES
 OF IDA MURIEL EARLE. Our mother - Nana - Earlo - and Old Nana, Ida Muriel Earle was first-born child to Martha Ellen May and William Edward Steen, then living in Long Gully, Bendigo arriving on 26th November 1900.
 Later she had a sister, Edna May and brother William Bertram both now deceased.
  She started school at the Old German School in Bendigo and moved soon after to the Violet Street Primary School, the Centenary of which she attended in 1992.
  Her father was a Blacksmith at the gold mine near where they lived, next door to the engineer’s home in Victoria Street. He would come home from work and poke his blackened face in the window to frighten the children in fun.
  When Ida finished school she worked with her father in a fruit shop in View Street opposite the Picture Theatre in Bendigo. Her Mother ran the shop next door and her two aunties ran the cake shop nearby. She told of lugging bushel boxes of veggies covered in frost and how they worked hard and did good trade in the interval on Friday evenings with the patrons from the Picture Theatre.
  She would have been about thirteen when the family moved to 791 Nicholson Street, North Carlton where they operated a fruit shop again.
  Ida attended a friend’s 21st Birthday and there from across the table a streamer was thrown to her from a William Earle of Elsternwick, a cousin of Horrie Bodley whose 21st party it was. The rest is history, marriage to her sweetheart and soulmate Will as she called him and Earlo as he called her.
  They moved to Essendon and had four daughters Dorothy , Beryl , Byllye and Elrae , and in time there followed grandchildren and great grandchildren.
 They suffered the sad loss of their eldest daughter, Dorothy.
 As the grand-babies arrived she would study the new arrival and announce that he or she was “an Earle baby” a stamp of approval suggesting the baby was indeed a perfect cherub with invisible wings.
 Ida adored babies and little children and her mother would ask “where’s Ida? If there’s a baby around, there she’ll be!”
 We have a video of her saying “there’s nothing like the love of a little child-you can’t buy that” when she was awarded Granny of the Year in 1982 and a Television Special , hosted by John Jost was made.
 Ida was also awarded Senior Citizen of the year from the Bulla Shire in the Australia Day Awards in 1991.
 After fifty years of marriage Will died from a stroke and Ida in her words “not wanting to be a burden to anyone” accepted an invitation to live at Greenvale where she became the personality of the place and everyone came to see “her room” which she said was “her home” filled with love and memorabilia of her life before and at Greenvale. It was a wonder to behold. The staff were her extended family, sharing their lives and celebrations with her.
  She played the piano, which she took to Greenvale herself, for every Community Singing day, Concert, Play, Fashion Parade and Function for 25 years.
 She played at the Greenvale Primary School throughout her stay at Greenvale every Wednesday teaching the children music and songs.
  Ida was a member of the Anglican Mother’s Union and a regular communicant at St. Andrew’s Aberfeldie, attending the Mother’s Union Birthday there every year until she left Greenvale for Cyril Jewell House.
  Ida came from a long line of good cooks and excelled in baking and decorating cakes. She learnt her skills at the Housewives Association and later at the Emily MacPherson College.
 She made more cakes than you could imagine and still people are reminding us that “Mrs Earle made my wedding, birthday, engagement, christening or ‘whatever’ cake.
 She also held classes in cake decorating and demonstrated her technique of moulding in Myers every Christmas for the Orchard Manufacturing Company in the 50’s
  Ida and Will loved to sing together and in her words often “kept a party going with music and singing.” There were many musical evenings with friends and relatives to celebrate New Year and birthdays.
  SOME RECOLLECTIONS
 Ida had a passion for clean washing and Will made her a Hydraulic clothes line which would rise the full height again of the “at-rest” line.
 Her house was described by one of her neighbours as “the place with all the bloomers on the line.” She was even known to iron nappies.
  Jo’s recollection was that “Nana’s bath was the deepest in the world!
  When Will founded the Trail Blazer Western Group she would be there providing supper and driving, loaded with equipment, to remote country destination concerts.
  Nana’s perfume- Yardley’s Lavender. Nanas Roasts. Ida would always place your dinner piping hot on the table and there was always room for one more at her table!
 IDA’S FAVOURITE THINGS Flowers about the house.
 Cadbury Milk chocolate and Minties.
 Crayfish Suppers and Pimms No.1 Cup
 Beads, brooches and earrings.
 Fish and Chips in the car with Salt in the Glove Box,
 and feeding the Swans in Queen’s Park the left-overs.
 A night at the Theatre or Opera.
 Weekly picture show at the Regal sitting in front of the crying room.
 A drive in the Dandenongs.
 Having her hair “done.”
  While we still had the image of Ida happily playing the piano at her
 100th Birthday Celebration clearly in our minds, she left us.
 Her advice was always to “make the most of it dear”
 and she was the perfect example in her own life, of that.
  In summary, she was a wonderfully loving supportive wife,
 a caring nurturing Mother and Nana.
 She suffered without complaint always saying God was good to her
 and the Staff at the home spoilt her with their kindness.
 She finished the race! Vale Ida! Farewell.
 She will be sadly missed.
  ****** B. 26th November 1900 D. 17th February 2001
  Privately Cremated at the Crick Chapel, Fawkner Memorial Park, Melbourne
 Wednesday 21st February 2001 2PM


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