Olive and Harry-life in Mulwala NSW

Above: Harry Oakley and his new wife Olive Bishop in front of their home in Mulwala, NSW.

A marriage announcement for Harry and Olive appeared in the Argus newspaper on March 19, 1904, and read as follows:

"OAKLEY-BISHOP: On the 24th of February, at St. Johns Toorak, by the Rev.C.E Drought, Harry Meabry, second son of Edwin Thomas Oakley, of Shooters Hill, Salop, England, to Olive Jessie, eldest daughter of Henry Bishop of Melbourne."

Harry was a man who loved the "gentlemanly" pursuits of coursing, hunting and fishing, and in search of this recreation had ventured with friends across the Murray River at Yarrawonga to the small settlement on the NSW side of the river, Mulwala.He fell in love with the town, and it was to Mulwala that he took his bride after their wedding and honeymoon.
Olive was quite old to be starting a family- mid thirties- and it was several years after her marriage that she fell pregnant with her first son, Gordon.He was born in March of 1908 when Olive was in her fortieth year, and second son Norman followed relatively quickly in November of the following year.
When asked by me about his mother, Gordon wrote the following:
" Mother's special talents and interests included music, dress making, embroidery, reading, Church, Red Cross Society, gardening, chip carving and macrame work.
Mother was the most versatile woman I have known. She planned and gave thought to everything she undertook. As a mother she raised Norman and I without much personal help from father, who was away so much.(NOTE: Harry Oakley was a travelling salesman)Her sons had little hope of escaping duties she allotted us. She lived and taught thrift, honesty and consideration and respect to elders and where due.
Her religion was Church of England but she was tolerant of other creeds. She provided music for Church of England and Methodist congregations.
She was an excellent correspondent and wrote long letters all her life to friends and relatives. Henry Bishop was good with the use of tools, and Olive also inherited these gifts.
Education was most important to her. Possessed of a good education herself, she made sacrifices to see that we were well-informed. She hated slang, coarse expressions and ungrammatical speech.
Like her father, she was an ardent reader of 'The Argus' and follower of the Liberal Party. Loving things English, she knew the geography and history of England by heart. Her knowledge of Roman history, Greek mythology and the Scriptures was profound."