Sarah Konoski

Yeah, Audrey was a beautiful, sensitive soul who developed schizophrenia, which, you know, was really tough, I think, particularly in the 50s, any time, right?

It's going to be tough, but in the 50s, you know, with...

so much stigma around mental health and just pushed that under the carpet.

She was institutionalised.

My grandfather, John, put her in an asylum.

And, you know, as a single father, you're not meant in that era, not supposed to have kids by yourself.

It was just unheard of.

So he also put the kids in an orphanage.

Yeah, my mum and her brother, Jono.

And Jane, my auntie, I think she was just old enough to go with the grandparents.

But the other two, you know, the idea was just for...

for my mum, Pip, and John not to be a burden on anything, just put them in the orphanage.

It was a tough, tough time, but it was short-lived.

They ran away from that orphanage.

They ran away, you know, from somewhere around Cottesloe, but they made it almost all the way to Fremantle.

And there's a few different stories on this, but I think they slept on the beach.

But yeah, they were found shortly after.

And thankfully, my grandfather, he took them back in.

Yeah, to his credit, he became what my Auntie Jane calls a really actually outstanding father and a rare example of a 50s dad who took responsibility for his kids in that way as a solo caregiver.

But yeah, Audrey was in the institution and undergoing electric shock therapy.