Jim Graham Tour of Domo

Uncle Jim Graham walks through the Boys’ dormitory with Lesley Williams, showing the various rooms, all now empty.

Jimmy Graham Interview

Jim Graham: that door wasn’t there.  There was another door there, and another half veranda out there.  You can’t get out through there.

Lesley Williams: go on, have a look

JG: Dining room here ay.  Kitchen was out here. …

JG: That was the dining room, this wall wasn’t here.   Oh gee whiz, I dunno, they changed it, this change

LW: How big was the dining room?

JG: Pretty big.  And out there was a long veranda, with one stairs going down next to the tanks stand, and landing going out there to the kitchen.  Covered in veranda out there hey?

They never had that in there, fireplace.

Out here was the worst room in the mission.  Laughs  Because it was a tin room in wintertime, they used to make us have a cold shower.

LW: How many tables were in the dining room?

JG: Coupla big long ones, another one out on the veranda there

LW: were they similar to that table there?

JG: (walking to table on veranda) Big long wooden – yeah, like that!  …. Was heavier than that cos I know one of them dropped on my toe one day.  And it split me – heavy timber split my toe, I still got that mark on my toenail

LW: and where did you all sleep?

JG:  There was this room, and that room and that room that had some beds in it.  Like I was saying earlier, us weak-bladdered fellows used to camp out on the veranda.  Or out on that veranda or that one.  We used to piddle on one another!

LW (LS on camera): just getting back to the sleeping area, where were the beds, how were they assembled?

JG: (MLS) They were all lined up here, only so far apart I think, so the kids could walk in between them

LW: so what type of beds were they?

JG: Just  normal old army cots you know, ex-army cots, with the legs you fold under.

LW: what sort of base was it?

JG: wire.  Mattress with a rough old mattress with a bloody, what do they call that stuff

LW: coconut

JG: Yeah that stuff packed into it.  Rough.  Noisy.  (laughs)

LW: and what type of bedding did you have?

JG: well we used to have the whatshername, bit of bag and calico sheet sewn together you know,

LW: what was your daily routine?

JG: we used to get up early.  Yeah all woke up, jumped up

LW: was there a bell?

JG: oh I forget now.  Coulda been a bell.  I tell you what we used to go through that cold shower!  And if you wouldn’t go through it there would be someone there with a big yard broom to push you in.  and if you went straight through, they’d hook you back under it.  I remember that!  (Laughs)  Wintertime…. Summertime you couldn’t keep us out that room cos it’s nice and cool and wet.  Tin, made out of tin, the whole room .

JG: he was my best – Kevin Hart.  Duck Hart   …. Fellow, you know.

LW: they were your best friends?

JG: yeah.  HH.  Henry Hart.  Cunna Willis. ??? Alfie Ryan. ???  I could cry when I think of some of them fellas.  Jacky Moffatt, Uncle Jacky he’s my eldest… he was a cousin.  And then Gabe, older brother.  And Sam, Mum reared him.

LW: Sam?

JG: Murray.  Yeah Mum reared him up you know, but he still kept that name. Sam Murray.