Memories from my childhood

My kids have been lucky to have spent a lot of time with their grandparents on my side of the family at least. The oldest two probably not as much as Harry who has spent  much more time with my father than probably I did as he was so tied up with running his portion of Brett's. 

I was not as lucky to have anytime with my grandfather, Gerald William Nutting, he died in 1951 years before I was born. The only memories I have of him are reflective from my parents and elder siblings, but from what I can remember he was a wonderful man strong and steadfast in his resolve at all that he did. 
He was in the 4th Light horse brigade and wrote extensively of the battles in Gallipoli 1914 -18 and the Egyptian battles in 1919. He was shot through the neck at some point in the Egyptian campaign and my Aunt Rae had kept the bullet safe in a jar till her death (god knows where it is now?).

G.W Nutting was given an immunization shot in the arm on his way back to Australia after the war and this is where his world changed forever. The needle was dirty and he was to develop gangrene which led to his right arm begin amputated. He later met my Grandmother Eileen a woman made of stuff that would have made Margaret Thatcher look like Princess Grace!! But this is for another installment....

The Light horse brigade into action

My grandfather learnt to to do everything with one arm, the daily tie that all men wore, carrying bags to and from trains, boats and motor vehicles, tie his shoes, even change the grandchildren's nappies with the old-fashioned pins and cloth. My Aunt made comment of how terrified she was of her father changing nappies, putting safety pins through the white fluffy fabric just missing her child's precious skin and then throwing the same child into the air to catch the cooing babe with the one arm available. 

My grandfather GW Nutting in the back right with my
grandmother nursing Uncle Jim in front.

My father learnt to write at the same time as his dad learnt to write - the two of them using their left hands, to this day my father does everything right-handed, that is with the exception of his penmanship which was taught to him by old Gerald William Nutting. My grandfather was etched into portions of the 1st WW but also forged into parts of Queensland's timber history with the development of Brett & Co P/L. My Grandmother was sister to the great J.F Brett the founder and brains behind the start up of not only Brett's Timber and hardware, but also how the timber industry would be shaped in Qld and Australia. My great uncle J.F had always taken care of his family so the business was family owned and run as it still is today. My Grandfather had set up Standply timber Co P/L in 1922 from monies loaned from J.F and from that time on sawdust has been etched into all the children down the line of us Nuttings and Bretts and will carry on for eons to come. 

I still remember to this day of times when my younger sister, brother and I would run through the old mill on Newmarket Road kicking up the sawdust on the cement floors and the heady scent of freshly cut timbers as they lay out to dry. Memories I fear that my children may not get a chance to live...