Thirty Years in Australia by Ada Cambridge

The eighth home was quite an imposing house -- for us -- too much so for my taste and the resources of the moment, insomuch that I had to leave the furnishing of the drawing-room to a future day; but what an interesting time I had, with my paper-hangers and people! In a few days I had the walls -- raw plaster and grubby at that -- decorated and dry, and the floor-staining done, and the elementary necessaries of family life collected; so that when I, and the little daughter who had been with me, met our male belongings at Spencer Street Station on the 30th of October, we went home together for good and all.

G. took over his parish on the 1st of November, and we were then settled down, although the delights of "fixing up" went on for weeks -- I may say for years -- if it has not continued even to this day. A week or two after the induction ceremonies the parish made a splendid evening party for us in the largest public room of the town. A great horse-shoe of flowers with "WELCOME" on it -- the iron frame is still preserved in the gas cupboard -- was presented with charming compliments: members of Parliament and mayors and other distinguished persons flattered us in cordial speeches from the platform; professional singers -- Ada Crossley amongst them -- rendered a choice programme. It was a proud occasion, a happy beginning of the new life -- the first rush of the champagne out of the freshly-opened bottle -- sweet to remember, but sad also, because, like all such sanguine moments, it both gave and asked too much.