A writing case given to a Stockinbingal resident off to assist in the war effort in the 1940s has been recovered and donated to the village to become a treasured display in the newly established Heritage Room.
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Jessie Rose Boyd was born at 'Ladysmith' Stockinbingal on April 6, 1922 to Ivy Ethel (nee Manning) and Tomas (not Thomas) Sloan Boyd. It was a home birth.
Jessie attended Stockinbingal School to sixth class before going on to completing one year at Temora Intermediate High.
She had to leave then to help out at home.
Teachers at the school were Miss Cassidy (who had also taught Jessie’s mum) and Mr Bower.
She left the village in 1942 to work in Wagga and then joined AWAS (Australian Women’s Army Service) in 1943.
She enlisted at Sydney Showground and did her Rookies training at Ingleburn.
Jessie was drafted into the Second Australian Ambulance Car Company, stationed at Kingsford in Sydney.
She drove an ambulance from there for some time, meeting boats to bring ex-prisoners of war home.
She would drive down George Street, Sydney with large POW banners on the vehicle, taking the men to Moorbank Military Hospital near Liverpool.
Jessie married Don and spent most of her married life in Gosford.
She passed away in 2005.
Daughter Ruth Buckley found the writing case while going through her mother’s personal effects recently.
She wanted to give it back to the village who gave her mother the case.
The letter inside the case was signed by A Cassidy, honourable secretary of the Cootamundra and District Civic Patriot and War Fund (Stockinbingal sub-branch).
Ruth reached out on social media to find somewhere she could donate the case.
Stockinbingal has recently established a Heritage Room in the old baby health clinic at the front of Ellwood's Hall.
It is open from 10am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
