Stonyfell House

John has been doing a lot of research into his memories of his family home, Stonyfell House and this is a photo of a painting done by his Aunt Pat.
It shows the lilacs all out in flower so was Spring time. We dont own this photo a cousin does but it is one of my favorites and a great memory of a house I didnt know very well but enough to be very impressed by it. Now out of the family sadly, we have never gone back and after an article in a local mag dont want to.
I first went there aged about 16, and the aunts were really very old and most intimidating. Aunt Pat lived to see our oldest and adopted son before she died.
There were 3 maiden aunts, Aunt Lou (Lucy), Aunt Het (Harriet) and Aunt Pat (Martha) and a maiden uncle who got lumped in with the aunts, Uncle Tom. The oldest born in 1868 and died around the 1956 with the others going up until 1970 ish.
Aunt Pat was well known in the art cirles of the late 1800 and early 1900 but I never saw her paint, but we have many of her paintings here. Something to look up to.
John is the only son of the youngest son of 12 and his father was in his mid fifties when he was born so a huge generation gap. After John's mother died when he was 11 he was sent to boarding school in Adelaide and spent many happy week ends at Stonyfell getting to know it and his aunts as perhaps none of the rest of his generation could.