I believe after Opi finished his stint in the Snowy Mountains Scheme post-war (he was an electrical engineer), and perhaps a little after that, they relocated from the Snowy's to Cobram. At least I think that was what happened. Ma or V or Peter will confirm. Either way, pretty much my whole life, and certainly from HK onwards, that's where they lived. And following them, or perhaps preceding them, I'm not sure, were Heidi and Carlo, and Brig and Greg. So when we came home from first HK and then Sing when I was a kid, Cobram was always on the stop list. I loved it.
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Haha, that night still resounds with me to a degree. If it was 1980 I was about 8, and my cousin Mark 11. I don't remember a whole lot, but it was held in some kind of school gym hall. The floor was those kinds of polished / lacquered wood floorboards that used to adorn school basketball court floors. I remember that fact because Mark and I danced the night away! Well, I stood there and kind of stepped backwards rhythmically, one foot at a time. For an 8yo, that was quite a feat, and it certainly seemed to resound with many of the ladies that were there. Obviously in adult hindsight it was just "cute", but hey at the time I was Lionel Richie!
Apart from that one event, for our visits and when we lived in Cobram (for me from 1988 to 1989) there were two staples that stick in the memory. One was going to Omi and Opi's (or just Omi's by that time as dear old Opi had passed on when we were living in Sing) for morning tea on a Sunday. The other was the Christmas Eve party there each year. But let's start with the morning tea.
Omi was a superb cook, and some of her staples were and are still, legendary. What springs to mind for me is her berlinas (not sure of correct spelling, but they are small, deep-fried, sugar-coated, jam-fillet donuts). OMG they were to die for. Another was her bienenstich cake, as well as her chocolate oats sponge cake. Wow, just superb, and to be gotten nowhere else. Mind you, Auntie Brig is producing a pretty fine facsimile of the choc oats one these days. She also always had sliced hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, a nice tuna mix, crackers, and various other nibblies, available at any time. Sunday morning was always the busiest, but we would visit at other times too, and Omi would immediately shuffle off to the kitchen area in her little flat to make coffee and ensure there was a plate of food in front of whoever was there. Omi was quietly spoken, and would often sit in her chair and just enjoy the company and chatter, as the various families in the wider Brown / Hundt / Allemand / Schneider families caught up at Omi's more often than anywhere else. I also remember Omi's poodles, that she had later in life. First Benji and then Charlie. Charlie particularly, was a nervy fellow, and you could hear him howling as soon as we entered the gate at Brig's and were making our way to the backyard and Omi's flat. Omi was constantly shushing him, and once we were all settled he would stand on the arm of her chair at attention for a few minutes, until he begrudgingly settled, always with one eye on the intruders.
The other memorable event that occurred each and every Christmas Eve was the family BBQ, held in Brig's backyard to both serve as a wider family get-together, but also celebrate Omi's birthday. I used to have a couple of photos of it, but none I can lay my hands on right now. I will update this post if I ever come across them again. One of these days I might need to raid Mum's photos. I did that years ago, hence my folder of family photos, but I am older and have a broader scope of family meaningfulness now (whatever that means), so I may covet others that bring back some good old memories too.
Anyway, so this event was like a 5pm - 9pm affair. Only once did I stay later, and that was when I was visiting back from the west not long after uni I think. But when I was a kid was when these events were in their heyday. The crowd would often number close to 50, uncles, aunts, cousins, family friends, many of whom I only ever saw on Christmas Eve. Even Gunter and Robyn would attend and be cordial, as much as they seemed to make themselves the odd ones out. In the late 80's and early 90's, these events went smoothly, and while not everyone was close, all were well-behaved for Omi's sake, and I for one really enjoyed them. I liked my cousins on Brig's side, and hardly ever saw them outside of this environment. I ended up working for Craig a few times in uni breaks and even played cricket with him for a couple of summers. But I digress. Apart from the BBW and socialising, we, for a number of years, had a secret santa kind of deal, where everyone would buy for one other person. Carlo would be Santa, and this ensured everyone received a gift on the night. It was a great idea in principle, although I am not sure how many of the gifts were that well-received! One exception was that of Buffy (Anita - she hates the name Buffy, but that is what we called her in those days). One year she got a big box, all wrapped up. In it, to her surprise, was a large brick. But under that brick was an envelope with a plane ticket for her to go visit her family in QLD. She was rapt.
Omi loved these evenings. They were really just a big extension of the weekly visits to her little flat, but with everyone there all at once. Omi would sit quietly and chat to whoever came over to sit with her. She loved watching the kids play and run around, and always met your glance with a beautiful grandmother's smile. She truly had a heart of gold and was a gentle, happy woman. As was the case for much of my youth (and frankly my adulthood as well), I was never good with smalltalk, and really could have made a lot more of my relationship with her. With her being so quiet, well our conversations were always quite simple, but yet I did enjoy her company, and in hindsight I am happy to think of how much she loved her visitors, family in general, and the effort people made to see her.
Omi entered a home about 5-6 years before her passing in 2009. The annual BBQ's had stopped a few years before that I believe, as her health made it harder for her to participate. She was really the glue that held the larger family together, and with her not being so much in the picture, well I guess we had less reason to see the wider Allemand family, the Hundt's family friends, the neighbours, etc. It's kind of sad really, as while all have their issues, well nobody is perfect, and I have no qualms in spending a few hours with any of them. It is a pity that those days are gone.
The photo below is of Omi and I when I visited her at the home in Yarrawonga (I think that's where it was). At that stage, while struggling with basics like bathroom activities, cooking and the like, she was still quite alert and had her memories and thoughts intact, and it was a pleasure to see her. I was living in West Wyalong at the time, so not that far away, after about 12 years in the west and up north.
I was lucky enough to be able to help her with her lunch, and sit with her for a while, telling her what I had been up to. I visited her in the home another time with Mum, Heidi and Rita, but by then she was slowly slipping away, mentally as well as physically. It was sad to see her deteriorate - it's debatable which is worse, losing someone as a sudden shock, or seeing them slowly go over many years. At least Mum and her sisters got to spend a lot of time with Omi, and I know Vicki spent a lot of time caring for her too.
Omi went to be with Opi in late 2009, not long before she would have turned 100. At 99, she was the longest-living person in our family by a long, long way. She is greatly missed, fondly remembered, and her recipes will remain legendary in our family for all long as those of us who tasted them remain. I will never forget how she never lost her thick German accent. "Help yourself" she used to say, while shooing Charlie for barking, and then pouring coffee. Rest peacefully dear Omi.
I can't sign off without a small footnote to Opi. I didn't get to spend much time with him, but I do remember him being a typical grandpa, teasing, always making a little joke, and always in a jovial mood, even when he was old and frail. I remember him having this stand where he kept all his pipes, and I always loved the smell of his tobacco. I don't remember myself, but Mum spoke about how he would goad Dad in jest, about religion and politics and the like, and how Dad would always bite. I can just picture Opi doing that, even though I never witnessed it myself.
I never met my other grandparents - Nanny and Grand-dad Bob, on Dad's side, both of whom passed before I was born - me being the accident that I was. I can refer you to my cousin Phil's book on HK for a better description of them and their lives than I can muster. May they all rest in peace.
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