Betty was born on the 8th of August 1931 in the miners’ cottage her father, George Junior Trewhella, had built on The Dutchman in Torrington, NSW.
Bush nurse Grannie Finnegan delivered her and was delighted that she was born with a caul covering her, such a rare birth was said to ensure the child would have good luck throughout her life. Betty’s life was full of challenges, yet she believed that Grannie Finnegan’s prophesy proved valid.
Her grandparents had a cottage on the other side of the paddock and grandfather, George Henry Trewhella, ran from his cottage with the scales he had brought from Cornwall and weighed her, as he had done with previous grandchildren. He always fondly referred to her as Betsy.
Betty and her father had a very strong relationship, and she became his ‘shiralee’ as she regularly climbed down the mines from when she was a toddler (George was the mining engineer at the Curnows and also serviced other mines if needed). She loved the mining life and enjoyed the storytelling, friendliness and geniality of the miners. Whilst Linda boarded at St Josephs in Glen Innes, Betty attended the little Torrington school. Her love of the bush and being with her dad was always her preference.
George was very involved in the community as Church Warden, with the school P and C and was committed to sustained charitable work for the people of Torrington. He was a musician and entertainer and was instrumental in the organization of dances and musicals. The Trewhellas had ensured that Cornish values defined much of their lives, being always dedicated to helping others and this has resonated down the generations: Betty continued this belief throughout her life.
Betty grew up enveloped in a strong sense of belonging. This was the place where she could trace her heritage in the area to 1870 with her great-grandparents, George and Eliza Rutherford. Eliza was the bush nurse until her old age and was famously known as Grannie Rutherford. Her dedication to the people of the bush is legendary and she would frequently ride side-saddle through the untamed bush at night to deliver a baby. Her home was a refuge for many women, especially the local indigenous.
Betty’s country life of climbing in the mines, walking miles through the bush cemented a lifetime of fitness.
Sadly for Betty, she was sent to Sydney to find work at 14. She married a young man, Gordon, at a very young age and had one daughter, Shirley. Betty always worked full-time and studied to gain further education and made a life for her family. Her parents and sister decided to come to Sydney to live a few years after Betty.
She was an excellent tennis player, learning on the family court in Torrington which her father had built from ants’ nests. As a lawn bowler she also excelled and was winning awards and trophies until a few months before her death in June 2023.
Every year the Trewhellas would travel back to Torrington, staying with George’s sister Josie Gilbey and her husband George. Time was always dedicated to ‘doing up the graves’, and this included a picnic in the cemetery. Gradually, once her parents passed away, Betty and her sister travelled together and then Shirley and husband, Denis, eventually took them up every year.
Betty was always of an enquiring mind and highly imaginative, and she loved to read and write stories. Betty continued writing throughout her life and 3 books were finally published whilst in her 80s (They Never Looked Back). These encompassed the recollections of the pioneers in the New England areas, incorporating the mining and social history, and the personal family histories. These can be found in the libraries.
When the much-loved Betty passed away her grieving family took her back ‘home’ to be farewelled in the little Torrington church. Her father, George, was instrumental in building the church and it has always been a special place for her past and present family. Her Aunt Josie played the organ here for most of her life.
This year, all of Betty’s Sydney family travelled to Torrington to celebrate Easter. On Easter Sunday they all gathered with relatives from the Curnow and Gilbey families, along with some friends from Torrington to enjoy an Easter Egg hunt in the cemetery. Some would say it is a bit unusual for the children to have the egg hunt in the cemetery but, although it is a place where sadness resonates, the family knows that they were continuing a tradition of picnicking with loved ones. After, everyone celebrated Betty with a wonderful lunch provided by Susie and Stu at the Commercial Hotel in Deepwater.
