Robertson Cousins

In an event which had not occurred for decades, the five first cousins who are the only direct descendants of James Need Robertson and Christina Bennett of our generation got together on 1 October 2010: Rod Reudavey, Garry Gillard, Graeme Robertson, Thia Wright (Cynthia REUDAVEY), Phillis Dolling (REUDAVEY).

(The reason I'm the only one looking at 'the' camera is because two were being used at the same time, and I'm looking at the one that belonged to me.)

Click on the pic for the larger version. Partners are vertically paired; l-r:
Garry, Don, Graeme, John, Rod
Thia, Heide, Phillis, Judith.

We had lunch at the Peninsula Hotel, which is now a Dôme coffee shop (and their head office in WA).
This was significant because it's just three doors from 98 Eighth Avenue Maylands. That's where I lived for my first twenty years. Phillis and Thia both lived there while attending high school. Graeme lived over the road until he was 11. And Judith lived in Ninth Avenue. There was a saying in our family that we'd bought many a brick in that pub (because the men drank there).
I was in the same class as Don Wright and Judith Coultas all through (Maylands) primary school (1949-1955). Don and Thia started 'dating' no later than 1955, so they'd been an item for 60 years, tho they didn't actually get married until 1965, so they'd been married for 'only' 50 years.

Updates. Two of us are dead. To my surprise, Don Wright was first, who I would have thought might be the last to go. He died of motor neurone disease. John Dolling was next, dying of old age (dementia). Each of the other men - the three male cousins - have been treated for various kinds of cancer. Heide has had a major stroke. In 2021, Thia is the youngest, at 76. Not long to go for any of us...
Rod died 3 November 2021 of oesophageal cancer. Five to go.

Garry Gillard | New: 21 October, 2010 | Now: 4 November, 2021