Clarice's Story

Resident of a Licensed Boarding House in the Marrickville Area, Clarice has been living in the same inner west licensed boarding house for the past 22 years. She lives there with her boyfriend David. Clarice took up art and craftwork a few years ago, but now is an enthusiastic and prolific crafts woman, making all sorts of items from wool and material. She also loves to draw.

Born in 1953, Clarice grew up in Bankstown. She has two sisters and a brother. Clarice had polio as a child and also suffers from epileptic fits. Because of this, she attended a special boarding school between the ages of 7 years and 10 years.

Until only eight years ago, Clarice could not read, write or speak. No one had taught her these skills. She was bullied at school and felt alienated there. “The boys used to hit me and call me names and that the children didn’t want to play with me because she wore boots and irons”.

Clarice’s family life was not a happy one. Her father was away working all the time and she did not get along with her mother. At the age of 13 years, doctors and her parents admitted Clarice to Parramatta Psychiatric Hospital. She didn’t realise where she was being taken or that she was to spend many years at the hospital. It was here that Clarice first met her boyfriend David and his brother Normie. David took Clarice under his wing and at thirteen taught her to walk and often read to her.

“I was doing some gardening one day while I was at Parramatta and I fell over. Then David came over and picked me up and taught me how to walk. He said you put this foot like that and your hand like that and showed me how to walk and did talking lessons with me”.

During her years at Parramatta, Clarice occasionally spent weekend at her uncle’s farm. She loved her times there in playing with the animals.

After Clarice, David and Normie were discharged from Parramatta Psychiatric Hospital they stayed in a number of boarding houses, before moving to her current home. While at a boarding house in Marsden, Clarice's grandfather died. She had been close to him and was very upset. Her father took her home to spend some time on the south coast where he lived. Clarice’s parents had separated by this time and her father was to marry another woman the following month. Clarice was fond of her “new mother” and remembers several Christmas’ spent with them and with her children. They swam and rode bikes together.

Clarice knew the moment she walked into her current house that that was where she wanted to stay. Together with her friends from Parramatta Psychiatric Hospital, Liz, David and Normie, she moved into the boarding house in the Marrickville area. Clarice likes having people around her. It gives her a sense of security.

The boarding house runs to a fairly rigid routine. Breakfast is at 7am, lunch is at 11.30am and dinner is at 4pm or 5pm. From that time the kitchen is closed.

When Clarice first moved into the boarding house 22years ago, she was very thin and found it difficult to eat because she was unable to hold anything in her hand.

“The owner of the boarding house gave me egg flips, he had to feed me breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was thin because I didn’t like the food, you see I like healthy, fresh food from the garden…I used to be on very strong tablets too, 22 tablets, heavy tablets…made me feel sick and dopey and sleepy…I couldn’t tell them how it was making me feel because I couldn’t talk then”.

Unlike some other boarding houses, the owner of the boarding house where Clarice lives is also in charge of the day to day running of the house. He and his wife look after around thirty three people, most of them male. They clean and cook for all the residents, some of whom are able to assist with the chores.

There is a night nurse on duty from 5pm through to the morning who attends to the residents if needed throughout the night. The residents eagerly await Christmas and Easter. As well as a roast chicken for lunch, these celebrations offer an opportunity for a bit of fun. At Christmas, for example, Clarice dons a reindeer costume to play ‘Rudolf to David’s ‘Santa’!

One of Clarice’s treasures is her bear collection. She keeps these twenty teddies in her room where she regularly tends them.

“I have had one bear since I was one year old and his name is Blinky Bill…my Nanna gave him to me…whenever he falls apart I stitch him up and if anyone touches that teddy I go mad…I’ve got twenty teddies in my room. I knit jumpers for them…I taught myself to knit and sew from reading library books and my Nanna taught me some things too…I like listening to music in my room too, country music, I made a CD with a group that I am with. We made drums and I sang on it [the CD]”

Over the last eight years, Clarice has made remarkable changes within herself, both physically and mentally. Her hostility and hot temper eased when her medication was altered and reduced eight years ago. After this she began to learn to read, write and talk. Her moods have become less severe and she has achieved a growing independence.

“I love doing things and going out…I go to Newtown Neighbourhood Centre and Tom Foster and I like going to the park in warm weather…I went to Coogee Beach one day to learn the buses and I go shopping to learn the money…I get $20 every week from the manager of the boarding house” Clarice doesn’t have to buy her own clothes. The manager of the boarding house either buys clothes for her or gets them from the Smith Family.

Clarice doesn’t see her family any longer, because they are living too far away, but corresponds with them regularly. She is content living at the boarding house with David, but holds some fears for her future there.

“Sometimes I worry about how things will be…depends how I am…we have to keep everything clean…anyone could come into the house and see us, so I like everything tidy and clean…if it’s not tidy the house could close down because of the license…but I am happy, I like to keep busy, whether its out at the Kites group or just sitting at home in the sun doing my artwork and sewing”.