15 Year Old Trenna’s Own Words
1st January – 14th January 1973
A brief intro and rave from Greg, then a transcript of Trenna’s first diary.
Intro
In the Kitchen Tapes Trenna mentions that she kept a diary for the first time in 1973. As it turned out there were many days she didn’t diarise and the 1973 Diary was the last she did regularly until until 2006.
Trenna and I partly transcribed the 1973 Diary when our interest was piqued by the recordings we made in 2018. I am now finishing the job and am delighted to be able to publish this interesting insight into Trenna’s adolescence.
It is a fairly true transcript, but there were a few spelling and punctuation errors I just couldn’t let slide. Trenna got much better at both in later life.
I’ll break the Diary up into digestable chunks and publish them at least weekly. If I think there is something that might baffle or mislead readers, particularly those who are not from Western Australia, I’ll endeavour, if necessarry to add a clarifying note at the end of each post.
For the first time since she was 2 years old she is leaving institutional care.
In reading it I occasionally wondered if this was written by the same woman I loved and admired.
Of course it was. The way adolescents think and act is way different to how they end up as adults. This is no doubt the case with Trenna, with the added issue of her still recovering and coping with what must have been a very traumatic upbringing. In 1973 for the first time since she was 2 years old she was leaving institutional care.
But I am certain there is another issue as well. As a sociologist and a contemporary of Trenna’s it sticks out to me like a sore thumb.
Up until 1973 Perth, and indeed the rest of Australia, were stuck in the 1950s. Our behaviours, our morals, the way we treated others, the way we saw the world, and the way the world saw us, all changed.
The election of Gough Whitlam’s government on December 5, 1972 gave our nation permission to grow up.
Of course it wasn’t just Gough (who both Trenna and I admired) it was also a time of massive change in the world. 1 Trenna was on the cusp of being lifted up by the groundswell of change and starting to surf a wave full of life.
Now, here are Trenna’s words.
The 1973 Diary
My New Year’s Resolution is that
“I’m not going to be so self conscious and try to be a woman who chooses her friends correctly and stands up for herself and speaks up.”
Monday 1 January
The New Year has BEGUN.
The time is 1 second past 12.
My New Year’s Resolution is that I’m not going to be so self conscious and try to be a woman who chooses her friends correctly and stands up for herself and speaks up.
It’s 2am when Uncle Frank got home he played the bagpipes up and down Collier Rd and then we joined a party over the road. They were great fun.
The day has finished now, I’m about to go to bed. It was an uneventful day, I watched TV for most of the time. Aunty Jan went out after lunch and when she came back she was in a bad mood, boy can she nag and be a real bitch, she made me sick.
YUK! He was bad and he kept talking to me and staring at me. I felt sick.
Tuesday 2 January
Today was again very uneventful. I got up at 11:30 and watched TV for most of the afternoon. About 4:30 Sue came home from Bunbury with Marg and Garry. The moment Sue got in, she started feeding her face and she started ordering me around about tea, but I stood up for myself.
Later on Margie cut about 2 inches off my hair, to even it up. Aunty Jan started to make me a tie at the back dress. She also bought me some nice blue and white material.
Well today is at an end now.
Wednesday 3 January
I just finished speaking to Janette on the phone and we arranged to go and see Willard next Wednesday, at least I’ll have a bit of a change.
I was watching TV when a friend came round to see Ian. I answered the door, YUK! He was bad and he kept talking to me and staring at me. I felt sick. I tried on my new dress. I don’t know whether I like it.
Well there goes another eventful day.
Thursday 4 January
This morning I was woken at about 6 o’clock. Sue was using the hairdryer. I felt like bloody killing her. I got up about 10:30 and then did a bit of typing. Then the same guy that called around yesterday rang up and he started saying that I was a good little girl, I felt like slamming the phone down.
Ian Whitfield and Dave came round making a heck of a noise. I went shopping in the afternoon. Jenny Moon, a friend of Sue’s, came over for tea and then us three went to Marg and Garry’s, they didn’t seem to be very hospitable.
My bed is a calling me now, so I’ll go.
Friday 5 January
I woke up about 11:30, and heard Gary being sick, he had a hang over. I was going to go into town to get a pattern but couldn’t be bothered. I rang Janette at 12:30 and we arranged to go to Garden City tomorrow.
Aunty Jan came home feeling sick. At about 7:30 I rang Janette again. David came home to fix his car and Marg came around because Garry had gone out.
So until tomorrow, bye-bye.
Saturday 6 January
Janette came around at 9 and then Uncle Frank drove us up to Garden City.
I bought a pattern and material. Then we came home for lunch. Sue drove us over to Janette’s place and we had a swim in her pool.
I stayed there for tea and after tea Janette and I took her little sister and her friends down to the park. They were playing and Janette and I were sitting on the swings talking when some Italians started yelling and whistling at us so we took off.
We walked past a block of flats quite a few times and there was a really beautiful guy standing out the front of his flat looking at us.
Then we took the kids down to another park and the guy in the flat followed us. When we got to the park he came up to us and wanted to know my name and address I couldn’t believe it!
Sunday 7 January
I got up about 20 to 12 and after lunch went out and laid on the front grass. Then Janine and her friends came over and I mucked around with them for awhile.
Some friends of Uncle Frank’s came around for tea and we had a barbecue, they were really friendly. They were about to leave at 8:30 and Aunty Jan kept them till 9.15. The stupid bag kept gossiping to them but she can’t keep me up all night gossiping to me thank goodness, so I’m getting out of her reach by going to bed.
Monday 8 January
I got up at 11:30, had a shower then had breakfast and lunch combined. I watched TV till 2:30.
Then went down to the shops for Sue and Aunty Jan. When Uncle Frank came home Aunty Jan asked if us three could go to the drive-ins. He said that he would like to, so we went and saw The Fiddler on the Roof. It was pretty good and not exactly what I expected.
Well it’s about midnight now so I’d better get to sleep.
Tuesday 9 January
I got up at about 10, had my breakfast and a shower and I went down to the shops. I bought some toiletries for myself and looked for a bucket and spade for Becky. But couldn’t find one.
Then I went home and watched TV. That night Aunty Marg and her husband came around and I spent the night with them. They were quite boring. I was glad to get to bed.
Wednesday 10 January
I got up just in time for lunch.
Nancy called just for a chat at 12:30. Then I watched TV again. It was a completely unexciting day and I can’t recall anything worth writing about. So I’ll close to go to bed.
P.S. Janette and I didn’t get to see Willard, the bitch, she went away.
Everyone was good mooded for once
Thursday 11 January
I got up about 11:30 only Gary was here. He went down to get his hair cut at about 12:30. When he came back he looked a lot better, that revolting long fringe of his had been cut off.
Watched TV all afternoon and night. I rang Janette, she wasn’t home that was about 7:30. After that Aunty Jan kept pestering me to try various things she was making for me on, and then do a bundle of ironing.
I was fed up to the teeth with her so I’ll get under my sheet and block her out of my sight and my hearing.
Friday 12 January
I got up at about 10.30, had a shower and then went down the shop and bought a razor. When I got home it took me ages trying to figure out how to use the darn thing and in the process, cut myself. I could have thrown the razor a mile, it’s a male razor too.
I rang Janette and she was at last home. We planned to go and see What’s Up Doc?, tomorrow, and look for Key Personnel. I watched TV for most of the afternoon and night.
Now I’m off for a deep slumber dreamy sleep.
Saturday 13 January
I got up at 8:30 and Aunty Jan finished making my blue tie at the back dress so I wore it into town to meet Janette. We saw What’s Up Doc?, it was really fabulous.
After the pictures we went and looked for Key Personnel but couldn’t find it so we went to The Camelot Restaurant for lunch. As we left Janette asked the server if she had a telephone directory so we looked it up and found it.
Got back to the Anderson’s and just watched TV. Uncle Frank played a ridiculous record about the alphabet. Everyone was good mooded for once. Then I went to bed.
Sunday 14 January
I got up at about 11. Had brunch. Uncle Frank was doing something with his speakers.
After lunch I lay on the front lawn, kids from over the road came over and I played around with them for a while. Boy, what a headache I got from that!
Then I looked through some books Aunty Jan had given to me for Business College. Other than that I just watched TV and now I’m off to bed.
Greg’s Notes
- I recently saw on Apple TV+ an interesting and easily digestible TV series on changes in Western societies at this time, “1971: The Year Music Changed Everything”.
- For all the January and February entries Trenna has finished them “Goodnight Diary” and signed the page. This stopped after February.
- During this period Craig House had closed permanently and Trenna is living at the Andersons’ house before moving to GFS. More context for this can be gained by reading the Kitchen Tapes series, I suggest you start here.
- Aunty Jan and Uncle Frank and their children are not relatives of Trenna’s but were a generous family who made big sacrifices to involve Trenna in their life. Despite the way Trenna speaks of Aunty Jan in this diary I know that in later life Trenna was eternally grateful to the whole family, including Aunty Jan for the stability they provided and the kindness they showed.
To go straight to the next installment in The 1973 Diary, click here.