Marriage of EJ Sykes and Selina Wilkes (third generation)

EJ Sykes married Selina (daughter of Christina and Frederick Wilkes) in 1901 in the Wentworth Catholic church. The first photo to the right shows EJ and Selina in the garden at Tara, around the time of their marriage. After a honeymoon (says Des) they visited dad’s old home at Currawong, near Goulburn, and went on to Sydney.

In that same year, EJ was posted to Euston (80 miles/128 km from Wentworth). Euston today is a small town across the river from Robinvale, which flourished into a town along with a fruit growing region to the south with the development of irrigation after the second world war.

EJ stayed at Bumbang station with the Carrington family. There were about 25 to 30 pupils at the school. They came from near and far by pony and buggy. They lived in the schoolteacher’s house at Euston.

My mother (says Des, about Selina) was a very accomplished pianist. She played the piano beautifully, and she taught music to seven or eight of the girls around the Euston area. One of them travelled 14 miles on horseback three or four times a week to have a lesson from her.

Des spoke of E.J.s robustness and enthusiasm for whatever he took on, and Selina's charm and dignity.

Selina and EJ had three children:
William Desmond (Des) born in the Wentworth hospital (4/3/1903),
Maureen Sykes (11/4/1905) born in Euston,
and Edna Joan (16/5/1917) born in Wentworth.
See tree with EJ and Selina's descendants.

Euston was a small village, but there were a lot of station properties around it – Brill Park, Euston station and Bumbang, a sheep station, on the other side of the river, in Victoria, run by people called Carrington.

At the age of two, Maureen caught pneumonia and became dangerously ill. The doctor was called from Swan Hill, but took three days to travel there by horse and buggy. Maureen recovered, thanks largely to the assistance of Mrs. Carrington.

Maureen’s daughter (and Selina Wilkes’ grand-daughter), Selina Quilty (nee Ford), says that Maureen, as a baby, was kept warm 'between two hot bricks'. And that Des learnt to read when he was three by sitting in the classroom and watching the lessons. For more about Des's education, see Early years and education.