Our Centre at Billabong |
Billabong was a small settlement established beside the irrigation pumps built at King's Billabong to supple water to the surronding area.
Avis Hakewill was born 5 Oct 1913 at Billabong, close to Mildura. Her parents migrated in 1911 from Market Harborough, Leicester, where Frank Hakewill's father James was the Rector of All Saints, Braybrooke for 46 years.
Rev Howard Russell met the family following the death of their eldest child, Margaret in May 1921, and arranged to hold the 1922 Easter celebration at the Hakewill home. This began the 30 year story of Anglican services being held in the Billabong community. Father Colin Grant, the Curate at St Margaret's, and Revd. Salisbury took services on Sunday afternoons. Sunday School was started at Mrs Creaton's home, by her helper, Floss Sharman, who asked Mrs Marguerite Hakewill to host the Sunday School classes when she left to get married.
The Hakewill home was very small, and Avis remembers when Bishop Winter visited her home for a service. Her bed, situated in the living room, had been turned into a settee, where the Bishop sat, and she jokes about it being blessed by the Bishop.
At the same time, the Anglican community at Irymple was meeting in the Irymple Community hall. Canon Horner saw the need for churches at the two centres, and built All Saints' at Billabong, and St Luke's at Irymple. Sunday School classes at Billabong expanded when they moved to the new church, with the younger ones going to Mrs Hakewill's new home next door, and the older students meeting in the church.
Meanwhile Avis was educated at Mildura High School, where she matriculated in 1931, then worked as a helper for Canon Horner's daughter Shirley, and then Mrs Blackwood's children at the Presbyterian church, before doing formal teacher training at Ouyen 1938-9.
Avis responded to the need for Australian Board of Mission workers, and in 1940 went for a year at the ABM training centre House of Epiphany in Sydney, where her companions in training were Mavis Parkinson, later matyred in New Guinea, and Alice Hann who served at Forrest River, in West Australia.
In January 1941 Avis was sent as the Diocesan Missionary to Yarrabah Mission, across Trinity Bay from Cairns. She expected to teach, but found herself doing varied tasks including nursing, as the demands the War created had caused the Mission to reduce staff from 20 to 5.
Bishop James, in his monthly letter dated 22 Jan 1941, spoke of the commissioning of Miss Avis Hakewill for service at the Aboriginal Mission at Yarrabah. She was a member of a keen and interested church family at Billabong in the parish of Mildura. In the following month Aboriginal Sunday was observed throughout the Diocese, when the needs of the indigenous people of this country were brought to the people's notice.
Bishop James also printed Avis's letters about her work and the response of the Aboriginal people.
Avis's brother, James Austin Hakewill, was killed in action, Dec 1944, and she continued to serve at Yarrabah till the war ended, then she returned to Billabong to support her parents and teach locally.
All Saint's Billabong found their congregation shrank till there was only a small Sunday School in 1950, so they responded to the needs of Meringur, and agreed to have their building relocated there. In 1999, it services Werrimul and Meringur, St Nicholas' Werrimul having been demolished by a particularly selective Mallee storm.
Avis married George Massie 1 June 1957, and he died 1 May 1976. They have two foster children, Rose (Feb 51) and Ken Relf (Sept 52) who were brought out to Australia by the Lady Northcote scheme. Avis and George later worshipped at St Luke's Irymple, where the congregation had found they needed to expand their accommodation by moving an army surplus hut to a block opposite their church, in 1951.
Avis stresses that these comments are her memories.
Many people are remembered with joy, as their toils for Christ and His Kingdom are recalled in this journey through Memory's links.
|
|
