It had been 15 years or so since I had been to Deni and I never remembered it being such a beautiful place. To be honest I was really dreading the drive down (8 hours), with the majority of it through bumpy road on what is called the Riverine Plain- the longest stretch of flat land on earth! Despite this, the drive was actually pleasant, as I drove with my Aunt and sister blasting the likes of Lil' Jon, Kanye and other such filthy songs. As we drove we joked about passing through Dunt and screamed as I drove over a rat (at first I thought it was a bird :S). Driving into Deni was something else, seeing the old buildings and pubs juxtaposed next to the gigantic Macdonalds was almost hilarious to look at. But once we got into the center of the town and were faced with the gorgeous old Federal Hotel I really felt a sense of home.
It's kind of odd how we connect ourselves to a place we never lived, let alone only set foot in a couple of times in our life. I guess over the years and as I've grown older I've yearned for a sense of family history. Growing up in a multicultural society I suppose I always felt a little detached to my own culture. My first day of high school the first question I got asked by the other students wasn't what my name was but 'what nationality are you?'. Answering 'Australian' wasn't good enough, because everyone had links to some kind of fancy ethnicity. Since then I've always bugged my family for traces of our origin (which I believe date back to the convicts!) and constantly lied to people about being German, or French or Macedonian.
It wasn't surprising then, when at 15 I decided to christen myself with the middle name 'Matilda', because at least that had some connection with my homeland. When I was about 19 I rang my Nan to ask her of a few family names to add to my ever growing title. I soon discovered that my Great Grandmother who I had always known as Sylvie, was in fact Agnes Sylvester White. What a name! So naturally I stole the Sylvester officially becoming Rebecca Matilda-Rose Sylvester Cassel.
It was also at this time that I would go and visit my Nan and get her to tell me stories about growing up, and the places that she lived. So driving into Deniliquin brought all those stories to life for me, as I imagined my Nan walking down the streets getting up to all sorts of trouble. The history of the town is, in itself, interesting but for me it's the heritage that it brings to my family, and the journey they made from a small country town to the big city so many years ago. It's also the mystery of my ancestors, the missing links I've tried so hard to fill with fantasy along the years. Some people will think I'm just being over dramatic or emotional, but for me, Deniliquin definitely feels like home.
Our view from the Motel of the Edward River
Not only did I discover a home I never knew, but I got to learn a lot more about my family.
I've always known the women in my family to be strong willed (and extremely out-spoken), but I found a new inspiration of strength as well. My Great nan Sylvie as I mentioned above, turned 100 on July 4th 2011. Not only did she receive a letter from the Queen, and flowers from the Mayor, but she also spent the day in hospital having surgery for a broken hip.
It was hard to see her poor body in such pain, and on such a milestone. We didn't get to celebrate like we had planned but Sylvie did not let that get to her. She still had a wonderful cake- her favourite food in the whole entire world, and her cup of tea. We went to visit her in the hospital, and whilst she didn't remember us too well, she seemed so happy to see us all. When asked how she was feeling she laughed and replied 'Oh I'm fine just this bung leg, how are your kids?'. She even waved us goodbye promising to see us 'next 100th birthday'.
This woman was 100, not only that but she was probably in huge amount of pain and discomfort and she still managed to have us all laughing and even sung Happy Birthday to herself. She is a woman so tough I doubt many things could bring her down. I hope that I can be half the woman she is, strong and determined. Happy Birthday Great Nan, I hope she has many more happy years filled with cake and tea- the secret to longevity!
My nan, with her mother Sylvie.
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