These are some notes written by Ellen Murphy (nee Gaynor), Marrar NSW Australia.  Ellen (Nell) was sixteen when World War II broke out.  Here she describes live in a rural community during the war.  She wrote this in 1974 to help her son Gregory write A History of Marrar. Some explanatory comments have been added in italics.

I'm not sure if I really know how the war affected our lives - or I should say my life, because, I was still at school when the war broke out.  And being the second eldest of a family of eight children we were not given any luxuries but had ample of the necessities of life to keep body and soul together.  Up until the time we left school, our only outings were to Mass on Sundays and the annual school picnic and sports.  So if the war did cut out some of the outings and pleasures of a young persons life it didn't worry us because we were not accustomed to them.

After I left school my brother Frank and I were allowed to go to an occasional dance, which was usually a send-off to a young man or a number of young men going overseas to fight for their country.  We always enjoyed these dances until the final dance when the band would play "now is the hour" and it was time to say farewell to the soldier.  These farewells were usually very sad and often very tearful.

The war was responsible for a lot of heartbreak in some families, and was also the cause of a lot of broken marriages.  In some cases a young couple would marry on the eve of the soldiers embarking for overseas.  After two or three years overseas service the soldier would return to Australia and his home, on leave, only to find that his bride had grown tired of living on her own and had been unfaithful to him and was no longer interested in her young soldier husband.

In some families the children grew up without knowing their father who was overseas.  I know of a grandfather who did his best to take the place of a young child's father, while the father was at war.  When the soldier returned from war, his son didn't know him and what's more the son was not interested in him - he only wanted grandfather.  You could well imagine how this would hurt the soldier - and lots of other fathers who found themselves in the same position.

One of the greatest difficulties we experienced and perhaps most families also, was the shortage of petrol.  Some people tried to overcome the shortage by using power kerosene in their cars but this was not always successful.  One experience I remember very well - which was due to the petrol shortage.

We had a fortnight's mission to attend in Coolamon - not just once a day - but twice each day, 7.00am and 7.30pm.  Dad  and Frank (brother) decided that the only way to handle the situation was to put a tarpaulin cover on a Chev truck which we owned, and after making some adjustments to the engine were able to get it to run satisfactorily on kerosene.  Thus the Gaynors set off each morning and each evening at attend the mission - picking up each catholic family between Marrar Vale and Coolamon.

Thinking back now, I often wonder - did we gain what he wished us to gain or did we enjoy ourselves too much?  We were not allowed to sing on the way in, but we were allowed sing as loud and hard as we liked on the homeward journey.  (This was Mum's rule.)  Clothing was very scarce for some time, also bed linen, towels tea towels etc.  Each person was allowed so many coupons and these items were purchased with the required number of coupons.  A number of food items were also rationed, namely butter, sugar and tea.  Lots of other items were very scarce but were not rationed.  Tobacco and cigarettes were very scarce but not rationed.

The atmosphere of the town - well some people were always very sad.  Families who has someone overseas always hated picking up their mail in case they received an official looking letter which could contain bad news for them.  Wives and families of farmers who went to war found it most difficult to manage because there was just no manpower about to help on the land.

As far as I can remember there was no great celebration when peace was declared - but you could well imagine that everyone was extremely happy.  As each soldier arrived home from overseas he was given a great welcome home.  Usually it took the form of a dance in the local hall - and people would come from miles around.  They were always very happy occasions.  But then of course you had the sad ones who had lost someone overseas - or the family who had not heard from their boy for some time and didn't know whether he was dead or alive.

Thinking back now - I sincerely hope we do not have to experience another such war.  At the time I didn't appreciate the seriousness of the war, I was rather young and always seemed to manage to enjoy myself.