A Trunk Full of Memories
Travelling From Bombay to Holbrook
Fashionable in its day, this travelling trunk certainly saw a lot of the world during its lifetime. Its journey began when it was purchased in Bombay, India, by Beatrix ‘Trixie’ Straw (1906-1985) and her husband, Arthur ‘Jack’ Straw (1893-1983), for their honeymoon in Paris and Venice.
Trixie and Jack were married at the British Embassy in Port Said, Egypt in 1931. At this time, both Jack and Trixie were working in Bombay; as an oil technologist for The Standard Oil Company of New York and at EMI Transmission Limited, respectively.
By May 1934, the couple had two sons, Peter and Christopher. However, Trixie and Jack were living separately. Equipped with her travelling trunk, Trixie took the boys thousands of kilometres away to live with one of her sisters in Scotland. Jack remained in Bombay and after a separation of nearly four years, the husband and wife were officially divorced in 1938.
After living in London during WWII, Trixie migrated to Australia in 1950 with her sons – once again with her honeymoon trunk in tow. The Straws immediately moved to a large property named Clear Springs, near Holbrook, which was owned by Eric and Ida Roberts. Trixie worked as a housekeeper and her sons as station hands.
After years of travel, Trixie eventually moved into Holbrook proper, making a home there. After journeying across oceans, seeing beautiful sights across Southern Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, Trixie passed away. Leaving behind her trunk full of memories.
