The Old Balmain House

by Graham Wilson

  Chapter 8 - 1854 - A new life in Newcastle

  It was in the middle of 1854 when they moved to Newcastle. Archibald founded his engineering works “Iron and Brass Foundry and General Iron Works” at Honeysuckle Point, in lower Church St. They soon settled in and before long the business were booming.

  The family’s life rolled along and over the next five years Archibald and Helen had three more daughters; Helen, Agnes and Anne.

  Archibald life grew increasingly busy. He was active as a business man in the city with many interests. He assisted in the formation of the Newcastle Gas Company, and was a member of its first Board of Directors. He also became an alderman of Newcastle Council and was an elder at Hunter St Presbyterian Church which has family attended each Sunday.

  He and Helen were happy together with all their children. Alison, their oldest daughter, now had four mischievous younger sisters to contend with. All wanted to do things with her and seek her advice on their clothes, finery and the boys they liked. Hannah looked like her mother with straw gold coloured hair and the fair complexion, but her eyes were light blue whereas her mother’s eyes had been dark hazel-green, almost the same colour as Alison’s and those of her dead brother Archibald, as her Da and Mary had told her when she was little.

  Of her three small half-sisters, children of Helen, the oldest, also named Helen, was good with her books and lessons. The other two were not much interested in lessons, but full of mischief and with a love for dolls, play and dressing up in fine clothes. Sometimes all five girls would sit in the drawing room by themselves, laugh and giggle and tell each other funny stories. If someone came to disturb them they would all band together to shoo them away, this was their girl time together. Mostly these were happy times but Alison often felt she was different to the rest of them. It seemed that her childhood with so many memories had been left behind in Balmain.

  The family shared a love of music, coming from Hannah with her singing. Early in their Balmain life Hannah and Arch bought a piano, which the family had sat around while Hannah played and sang. Helen, while not such a singer, was an accomplished pianist and continued this ritual. She had arranged piano lessons for all the children, and music remained at the centre of family times together, sometimes with shared songs, other times with series of impromptu piano recitals, where each child would play a favourite piece, to the applause of others. Arch, not a pianist, was sometimes persuaded to play a piece on the bagpipes passed to him from his uncle in Scotland.

  Sundays, with church attendance, followed by an expansive lunch were at the centre of family life. William, Isabella and their children were almost an invariable part of these. Visitors, guests from around the town and foundry workers also often shared these meals and the good company.

  Alison and her stepmother, Helen, were close friends. But it was like a friendship of sisters rather than that of a mother and daughter, beginning with their first shared confidence; this serious little girl who had grown up too young, with the loss of her own mother. Helen felt a lonely hole inside Alison that she could not fill She knew in a way her Gran Mary had taken this mother role.

  Alison gradually forgot her life in Balmain. For the next six years she visited the McVey’s each summer and in the winter Tom and Mary would come and stay in Newcastle. But gradually these visits fell away and, as she settled into Newcastle life, her memories of Balmain faded. She was busy in the house with five younger brothers and sisters to be cared for. As time went by she also started to do the bookwork in the business.

  She was now a beautiful petite woman, already past 21, with ringlets of long brown hair which flashed with highlights of gold and red. Most school friends were now married with children of their own. But she remained aloof. She seemed to take simple but complete joy teaching her brother and sisters and caring for her Da.

  Men from the foundry often came around, hoping for attention. While she was always polite her lack of interest was soon clear. Her one true love was for small beautiful things, small trinkets, coloured seashells and stones, miniature paintings, oddments of jewellery.

  She collected them from ships that came to port and merchants. As time went by she began to buy and sell these items, only to people she liked, and always at a good profit. But people found that, when they needed something for that special, beautiful gift, then, perhaps Alison could help. It was her way to give and receive joy.

  James was increasingly taking over parts of the business. He had his father’s build and tough stamina, and also a sharp business brain, which people said came as much from Hannah. While Alison and James were not as close as the others, they both had about them some of the same steady reliability. What Alison most liked about James was the way he had taken Helen as his own mother and made her feel a full part of their first family.

  James still found time to sail. When Tom occasionally came to town the two would go off sailing for an afternoon, amongst the islands and around the Hunter mouth.

  Alexander was the image of his father and, if Alison was truthful, she could not help favouring him. He had the ready smile and charm, with his dark brown hair and eyes. And he could make her laugh. He would dress in finery, like a peacock, and mock himself at the same time. Around the dinner table he would regale them with tales of exploits which would have them all doubled up in laughter.

  Yet he had softness too, particularly for Alison. He towered over her, but knew instantly when she was a bit down. Then he would rag her to make her smile. Other times he would turn up with two horses saddled and lead her out on a wild exhilarating ride over the sandy heath covered headlands, rides that left them both laughing and flushed with the untamed joy of life.

  Her Da was still himself; now grey around the temples, but with that mixture of strength and leanness of a man at the height of his powers.

  Just sometimes he would say to her. “Oh Alison, my special child; you grew up too young. You should find yourself a man. God knows, there are plenty who would burst to carry you away. But there you sit, with wide sad eyes, so like those of my first Hannah. Sometimes my heart aches to make you really smile.”

  She would go over to him and put her arms around him. “No Da, I am happy, I just like being here with you, tis all I want and need.”