Project Description

Elsie May PALMER (nee Carter) was born at home, Lennox House, Marybrook on the 27th May, 1917 the youngest of the six children of Percy and Emily Carter. Her grandfather arrived in Australia with his wife and seven children in September 1887.

In 1888 they sailed from Fremantle to Busselton and from Busselton they sailed to Quindalup jetty in Bob Smith’s boat. They lived in Mrs Bridge’s house in Dunsborough until 1891 when they moved to their farm at Marybrook. Later her grandparents and Auntie Laura moved to Busselton and her father Percy farmed at Lennox. Two of his brothers, Harold and Sidney, had farms nearby.

Percy grew potatoes, milked cows, raised pigs and fattened sheep. As well, he also had a large orchard and vegetable garden. Emily also worked very hard as she had six children as well as boarding the local school teacher.

Mrs Palmer tells of a very happy family life and the social events of the local community. She married Donald Irwin Palmer in 1939 and went to live on a farm at Bridgetown and later they moved onto an orchard closer to Bridgetown.

Elsie and Donald Mrs Palmer had two children, named Alison and Robin. On the death of her husband she moved into Bridgetown and a few years later to Dunsborough where she became involved in community activities and enjoyed the contact of members of her family.