Robyn and the Genies : Claire Juanita Cornish 1938 to 2023 OAM Wendy and her important performance- Mrs Raffles.

The story below is from my memories of my second cousin Wendy. Any mistakes are mine as there are gaps in time due to breaks in contact with one another. I’m like Wendy- don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story!

Wendy was born Claire Juanita Gadsby on 13 March 1938. Her father was William (Bill) Gadsby of London, and her mother was Edith Rita Fell of Stroud. They had married in Melbourne in 1936. She was nicknamed Wendy by her father, my Great Uncle Bill for Wendy from Peter Pan at a very early age. How apt that name was.

About 12 years ago, my Auntie Airdrie had some papers witnessed by Wendy. She pulled me aside and said “Did you know her name is Claire Juanita?” So, her 86 year old cousin only just found out that her official name was Claire Juanita. I thought that Wendy came from a shortening of Juanita, but her son Stephen claimed that his Grandfather who was an “out- of -the- books eccentric” nicknamed her from the Wendy character of Peter Pan story.

The photo says it's to be a very important performance

Uncle Bill and baby Wendy

Little Wendy became motherless when her mother was institutionalised due to mental illness when she was very young. Believing her mother to be dead, she spent time in Melbourne while Bill was working there, but whenever she lived in Sydney, she was mothered by her father’s sisters, Grace, Lena, Kitty, Edie, Maudie Rose and Julia and spoilt by brothers, Jack and Harry.

Wendy

She fitted in well with the small families or childless aunts, and occasionally with big families like those of Great Uncle Harold and Great Auntie Kath who helped to also house their own daughters, sons and grandchildren in those post war years of housing shortages. Wendy remembered fondly sitting with her cousin Dorothy each Friday night carefully preparing Dorothy’s glory box items of towels and linen.

She had lived with almost everyone because of her father’s long work hours in the hospitality industry. As she spent a lot of her childhood around adults in our extended family Wendy picked up all the family stories and perhaps a few secrets. For example, Aunty Kit’s business tips for running a Reception Hall. A number of 21^st, engagements and weddings were held there and it was all hands on deck for the catering and serving.

I’ve known Wendy all my life so I picked her brains when I began doing Family History because she knew the extended family better than anyone. She regaled me with lots of fancy stories, some of which I was unsure whether to believe or not. I am pretty sure I don’t believe the one about my Great Grandmother Selina being a mistress of Edward VII even though she points out the family resemblances.

Being my mother‘s cousin and of a similar age, Wendy knew Mum (Marlene) and my Grandmother Julia well, and all the ins and outs of the married life of the Kelfs. She had lots of stories about Julia, her working life at Grace Brothers with Auntie Maudie Rose, her romance with the fancy Frank Kelf. and her religious beliefs.

Wendy, Marlene, Auntie Julia and Douglas

When Wendy finished school, she went to work in an advertising agency, a job I believe she enjoyed immensely. This was in the 1950s. She would call around after work and help my dad babysit us while my mother raced off to complete her university degree at night.

In 1958, Wendy married Dean Bruce Reid Cornish. Electoral Rolls tell us she lived in Wells St West Pennant Hills not far from our place at Carlingford. No doubt Mum and Wendy had the odd coffee or two when my brother Paul and sister Helen were little. They would be playmates with Steven born in 1962 and Danny born in 1964.

Unfortunately, her marriage was short lived and had ended by the time Danny was born. I remember when Danny was born, I was taken back that Wendy had been sitting in her hospital bed, sketching her tiny son, and sending out cards, announcing his birth to her cousins. Others have told me that it was because she was stuck in a corner because there were no rooms at the hospital and she was poked in a corner-probably no one to talk to.

Wendy was a resilient woman and carried on. As a mature age single mother student, she obtained her primary teaching qualifications passing the course with fantastic grades. By this time she had moved to the southern side of Sydney living close to Aunty Grace and Bet and close to her Cousin Betty Shortell, husband Ray and her two boys Ian and Jeffrey. From what I can remember it was just a hop skip and a jump between the Oatley houses. Her best friend, Aunty Pat Hepworth was always around. She was like a second mother to the boys and was always welcomed by the extended Gadsby clan at family weddings etc.

After completing her studies, Wendy was eventually appointed to Mortdale PS after Chester Hill, then spent time at Oatley in the 1970s. She retired at age 55 from her position as Principal of Hurstville Grove PS. From what I’ve been told she was a well-loved if not chaotic teacher around the Mortdale, Oatley and Hurstville area. I can remember her dark horn-rimmed glasses and imagined she was not one to toe the line when a person, teaching method or curriculum did not earn her respect.

Wendy's class at Oatley 1976

She was so proud of her boys Steven and Dan and their partners, Karen and Fran. Over the years two grandsons Jesse and Alexander came along. They in recent years have grown up (literally) and graduated from school and Uni beginning their own careers.

Wendy with sons Dan and Steve, Daughters-in- law Fran and Karen and Grandsons Alex and Jesse

She was well remembered by her past students and I met some of them in March when they came together for an event Wendy organised. At the last event we were at she kept referring to people in the room as her grandchildren. Knowing that her two grandsons weren’t at the event I shook my head. Someone explained she was referring to her “adopted” grandkids who were supporting her cause at that time which was the Rotary Thankyou Day. That’s the sort of person she was.

Page 2 of the jigsaw letter

Wendy was quirky, regaling us with memories and stories, and always talking at a million miles an hour, putting a spin on everyone’s thoughts and actions. One of the first bits of family history she sent me was a letter written on a blank jigsaw template. I had to put the puzzle together from the envelop. She had written on both sides -even harder! Perhaps it was a metaphor- Family History is a puzzle to resolve.

Betty Shortell, Harold Gadsby and Wendy visit me to tell me the family story 2011

She was always keen to read the stories I had uncovered. The Gadsbys and the Smith/ Greedus /Baker side never ceased to amaze us once it was unpicked. If only Selina was here to tell us her side of the story.

As the last “with it” family matriarch she was very knowledgeable about the crazy goings on in our family history and more was remembered over the years. Along with cousin Betty Shortell they took turns in gathering the clans together for Christmas or birthday events. At one of these events, my mother filmed the colonial dress up day Wendy hosted around the Bicentennial and collected up notes for the beginning of my Family Tree. It was good to see all their cousins laughing and talking together at her Oatley bush block. Uncle Bill was interviewed and told of the day the bailiffs turned up during his childhood and tried to seize the furniture and the piano.

Wendy, Marlene, Airdrie and Betty at Doug and Jill's 1982

To everyone’s surprise her mother Rita was released from care after the Richmond Scheme Report recommended release of patients back into the community. This was somewhere in the eighties. If we didn’t know Wendy’s name was Claire we certainly didn’t know about Rita. Wendy was at first shocked to know her mother was even alive, but she was able to have a relationship with her from then until her eventual death in November 2002 when she was 89.

Rita Gadsby- Wendy's long lost Mum

When I inherited Family History duties I called on Wendy to help me. She and Betty hopped in a train to Wollongong for the day to fill me in. As soon as I discovered it was 100 years since Gadsbys and the Kelfs arrived in Australia, it was decided to have a Centenary celebration with the wider family in late 2012. She told the stories and Leane Lawrence and I organised the troops. What a great day that was.

Her best friend, Aunty Pat Hepworth was always around. She was like a second mother to the boys and was always welcomed by the extended Gadsby clan at family weddings etc.

In retirement Wendy travelled around to various parts of the world with Patty, Grace and the two Bettys covering China, Alaska, Africa, Egypt, USA, New Zealand, and the UK. I was most intrigued by the dogsledding in Alaska.

Betty Whitcombe, Pat Hepworth, Betty Shortell, Wendy

Over the years, she inspired students and colleagues with her methods, dedication and fun and passion. When she retired her urge to help others, spilled over to fundraising for many causes. Committees and organisations around the local area where enthusiastically supported by Wendy. Some of these included Bezzina House Lions, Rotary, C.W.A. (the cranky women) Catherine Hamlyn Foundation, Amnesty International, Grace’s Place, St George Hospital, Jeans for Jeans and Probus etc.

Apparently, Wendy liked to “don a hat” to gain attention on a street corner in Mortdale and many were given as mementoes at her funeral. You did not dare ignore the lady in the beanie or sparkling hat, holding a book of raffle tickets in the local shopping centre daring you to buy a ticket or toss a coin in a bucket. Many spoke very highly of her and her antics during her numerous eulogies which continued during her wake. I think all her functions and events kept the Mortdale RSL afloat. Locally, she was known as Mrs Raffles or the Raffle Queen. Can you believe she had “RAFFLES” number plates?

Imagine Rita’s joy to see her talented daughter be honoured in the Queen’s Birthday list. The office of the Governor General announced on Monday, 10 June 2002 that Wendy was to be included in the Queen’s Birthday honours for an Order of Australia Medal (OAM). This was for service to the community as a fundraiser, particularly for the Cancer Care Lodge and Lamrock Community at the St George Hospital.

Dan with Steve wearing Wendy's OAM

She kept the award quiet and until recently I didn’t even know of her extensive reputation. Stephen wore her award at her funeral after a search for it. Wendy wasn’t in it for the accolades. She made me dizzy, with all the events and causes she was associated with. One morning I was lying in bed listening to the local Wollongong events and happenings when up popped an advertisement for a Probus meeting at the Wollongong Master Builders Club. Mrs Wendy Gadsby was talking on a topic like “How to be a Clown” or “How to tell a joke”. I gather she was a regular guest speaker. In addition to the fundraising she made time to driving friends to doctors’ appointments.

I will always remember Wendy’s 80th birthday party. This party was an enormous spread of her friends from all the above community groups, acquaintances, people she could cajole into singing, dancing, play music, etc for an entertaining afternoon. It was nice. It was at small gathering of our relatives. A couple of years later when I met up with more relatives at her cousin Harold ‘s funeral they all greeted Wendy as a long lost “sister”.

Wendy left with a selection of her cousin's children at her cousin Harold's funeral

Wendy was a great support to me when Auntie Airdrie, her cousin came under my care in the nursing home. We watched her only daughter Julie die of the same cancer as Wendy. After Julie had passed away. Wendy was a constant visitor and mentor until Covid hit. During lockdown she wrote letters and reminded Airdrie of the family stories. We didn’t trust the Nursing Home and we had a scheme in which we visited the nursing home on different days at different times so that we could get a feel for what was going on or not.

I think Wendy suffered withdrawals during the time of the pandemic from the isolation and lack of contact with her friends, children and Grandchildren. She used the time to dig in burgeoning coffee grinds from the local coffee shop into her garden and grass verge. During the pandemic, you could still do small trips and talk to passers-by, and being good at talking, it filled in her day as well as helping the environment in the last years of her life.

Recently I met some of her friends, particularly Rozie, Carole and Rozie‘s daughter, Ceilidh and we vowed to keep an eye out for Wendy. Wendy and I had our Rotary Clubs in common and the last time I saw her was the day she organised to thank people at a local clubs event. I was to sell raffles but by the time I got there some others were organised into it! Everyone won a prize at this particular one. The day was a brilliant concept of getting like-minded people together, sharing our causes and thanking each other for what we did.

Wendy and I March 2023

Only a few days later, Patty died from complications of Covid. After that news, Wendy did admit she was down. I was worried she was so thin but I hadn’t seen her through Covid. ln another one of my phone calls in July when I was checking on her she told me she had news about a cancer diagnosis that was going to be the end of her. She was determined to be in the group that got an extended time but it was not to be. She died of pancreatic cancer on 13 October at the age of 85.

In the end she had helped raise more than $1 million for charities. For her fundraising achievements she also won a Paul Harris Medal from Rotary. She was also nominated for the Rotary Inspirational Woman of the Year.

Wendy received a Paul Harris Fellow

Typical of Wendy and her concern for the Environment she wished to be composted but it is not currently allowed. Steve invited her friends in the days before her funeral to decorate her cardboard coffin. It arrived at her service all green and adorned with paintings, poems, stories, stickers and bling, A real environmental statement.