Quilt No.862AG - Annette Gero

"Gil was the second eldest son of a family of four sons from Gloucestershire. He always had a hankering to see more of the World. Read about the 'Dreadnought Scheme' and applied for assisted passage. When first arriving in Australia in 1925, Gil, like every 'boy' who came out from England with the 'Dreadnought Scheme' was sent to Scheyville Farm up the north coast and trained in farming.
After three months at Scheyville, Gil was sent to Nowra, to Murphy's farm, at Lower Nimba. This is where he made the 'Wagga' quilt. He certainly didn't have many possessions at this stage. 'Murphys' was a happy place, a big family of three boys and three girls.
After three years in Nowra, wishing to better himself, he moved to Sydney. He had a rough time getting permanent work, tried all sorts, when things got really tough with the depression, he 'humped his bluey' and took to the road.
During his stay in Sydney he stayed in many cheap boarding houses. He met his first wife during this time. The woollen fabric may have been her shirt and there is also a small child's dress covering the original hessian bags. The wagga must have been special to him as he kept it till his death in 1995." [Annette Gero]