A very up and down week

When I was eleven years old I was a 'junior' bridesmaid to Barbara Smith. At six weeks of age, my mother and father moved from a 'bedsit' to a two room flat in Chapel Street St Kilda. The flat was part of an old mansion that was divided into several flats of varying size...(all minuscule).....Barbara was the nine year old daughter of Elsie and Bob Storer who had moved from Sydney and were living in the flat next door until they could find a suitable home which turned out to be a lovely old home in Mt Eliza. As a nine year old, Barbara thought of me as her 'live' doll and loved to dress me and take me for walks in a stroller. When I was eighteen months old my sister Barbara (named after Barbara Storer) was born and of course the little flat was now way too small for a family of four, so we moved to Linacre Rd Hampton....again to a flat, again an old mansion divided into three living spaces. We had what was a large games room divided into a bedroom, lounge room and hallway. Our kitchen had been converted from what was once the maids bedroom and we had a large unlined detached room that eventually became Barbara's and my bedroom.
Anyway.....(cut it short Shelley.)....Barbara Storer her wonderful mother and abominable father were a large part of our lives as my father by this time worked for Bob on and off till I was about seventeen years old. Wonderful Christmases and weekends were spent at "Harfield" in Mt Eliza. Barbara was somewhat of a role model for us and 'Aunty' Elsie ....we adored her. She oozed kindness, charm, elegance and followed all the beautiful old courtesies that we miss today. Always sent cards of thanks, wrote beautiful lengthy letters...always dressed beautifully. I could go on and on.
Barbara and I thought we were princesses when we took part in Barbara Storer's very upscale wedding to Lew Smith who at that time was an aspiring A grade tennis player and coach...fourteen years Barbara's senior. At age twenty Barbara became mother to the first of three sons. Elsie passed away when Barbara...now Barbara Smith was only 25 years old. My mother then became her surrogate mother. Bob died not long after and wasn't mourned by anyone. Lew died some fifteen years ago and after about two years, Barbara hooked up with Jack, her childhood sweetheart. Jack died February from cancer....after they had spent ten wonderful years together.
Barbara passed away last Friday aged 78 after a four and a half year battle with ovarian cancer. Her family and her second family (us) along with her hundreds of friends celebrated her life at The Briars where Barb had been a volunteer guide for several years. Unfortunately I couldn't make it, but my sister Barbara has just told me all about it. We have been on the phone for about 45 minutes .
Bye for now Barb. I miss you already. Almost 69 years . Love from one of 'your girls' and 'bridesmaid'.