Edna Joan Sykes, youngest child of EJ and Selina, was born in 1914 (see the Sykes tree for her descendants).

In 1916 EJ and Selina bought a (red) T-model Ford with carbide acetylene lamps and brass fittings, a red body with running boards. Ever since cars were invented, the Mildura Hospital used to raffle a car, and they still do, in aid of the hospital. A man won it, and sold it to dad (Des's father, EJ Sykes) for £340. It was one of the first cars in Wentworth.
In that car, shortly after he bought it, we went to Sydney. Well about halfway to Sydney, near Junee we got a flat tyre. And nobody knew how to change the tyre until, luck was on his side, after about an hour, along came a man in T-model Ford, and showed dad how to do it.

EJ Sykes was mayor of Wentworth on three occasions (1917-1919, 1932 and 1936-1937).

EJ and Selina, in 1921, bought Freemount (a sheep property north of Balranald. 150 kilometers from Wentworth - see map), having got a few bob together. Mother saved it up. She really signed up for Freemount and told dad about it afterwards because he was always worried that they couldn’t pay for what they had.

Selina's brothers had just purchased properties in that area. William Wilkes purchased Darragh1920, and Bernard Wilkes purchased Oak Dene in 1921.

Des – university & work
In the final year at St. Josephs in 1921, I got a university exhibition (scholarship) and decided to follow a law course, and so early 1922 mother came over to Sydney with me and I entered St. Johns and enrolled for the law course at university. I shared a room with Roderick Mulhoon, who was doing Vet. Science.
Sydney was a marvellous place always to me. It had everything that any young man could offer, particularly free parties, invitations out, coming home with the milkman.
I sat at the feet of a solicitor called (Mr.) Thomas who was the man who defended Hancock and his fellow Australians who were executed. Major J.F. Thomas is the hero of the 1980 film ‘Breaker Morant’ in which he attempted to defend Peter Hancock and Harry Morant against charges of murder.
I graduated in 1929. I was admitted in New South Wales, after being articled to Mr. Glasgow, in 1932. That’s when the depression really hit Sydney and the legal profession. Soon after I got back to Wentworth I was admitted in Victoria as a barrister and solicitor. My admission was moved by Eugene Gorman, an old St Josephs boy, and Doctor Koppel. Both of them QCs. That was a happy day.

I went to Mildura and opened on my own - had a great friend in Dudley Kirwan, of the water commission. I went into partnership with John Duck, a knight of the Southern Cross, We had some marvellous offices, one near the steam laundry, in Deakin avenue, just around the corner from Eighth street.

Death of Selina Sykes 1925 (third generation)
In the first week of 1925, Des went back to Sydney to continue his law degree. In that year, the Commercial had been rebuilt (see photos), the lock on the Murray river was built at Wentworth, and St. Francis Xavier's Catholic school was built next to the church.

Selina Wilkes, mother of Des and Joan, got appendicitis, and died on January 12th (at the age of 43) as a result of a bungled operation. Selina had been running the Commercial, with EJ spending several weeks at a time at Freemount. Having done one year arts and three years law, my law exams were at the end of February 1925.
Des, at the age of 21, was called back to Wentworth, just before his final law exams in Sydney, not knowing his mother had passed away.
Dad was in a mess, and I stayed in Wentworth for three years and literally ran the pub. Dad had Freemount, 142 miles out from Balranald, and the pub in 1925 was being rebuilt.

Following Selina’s death, Gran (Christina Minogue) Wilkes, Des’s grandmother, aged around 80, and Joan, aged eight, moved from Tara to the Commercial.

Gran Wilkes died in 1927.