Subiaco Stories...Jean Downe And Her Pets (1936).
This is one of a number of stories about ordinary women and young girls from Subiaco.
Jean Downe was the 15-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Downe, the Mayor and Mayoress of Subiaco. During the week Jean boarded at a local private school and came home on the weekend. This story is about the pets Jean kept that included domestic animals such as a dog, cats, canaries, finches and goldfish.
"A dish of water is placed on the lawn every day, and kept constantly full, and the birds take their daily bath of their own accord. They have a great time splashing about in the water. In the summertime, however, Gully prefers a shower-bath under the sprinkler. The kookaburras are locked up at night in a cage at the back of the lawn, and about bedtime they will trot off to this cage and wait patiently to be fed and put to bed."
The article and photograph is from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended.
Daily News, 2 July 1936.
Subiaco Girl's Miniature Zoo: Quaint Pets And Their Habits
Three kookaburras, a sea gull, two Persian cats, a pomeranian dog, about 40 canaries and finches, and two goldfish are the pets of Miss Jean Downe, the 15-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Downe, Mayor and Mayoress of Subiaco. She had two white mice, but they died!
Each pet has a name. The dog, Timmy, is 11 years old, and by reason of his superior age, is the spoilt member of the family. About a year ago he unfortunately found himself outside the gate, and at the mercy of a dog at whom he was very fond of barking, when be hind the shelter of the fence.
Timmy came off worst in the encounter, but he learned his lesson. He is quite content to stay inside these days. The cats, Bill and Spitty, are beautiful animals. Spitty is a real aristocrat, in spite of his name, and never runs when he is called. He also begs for his food like a dog, and will sit up in the kitchen for a quarter of an hour, patiently waiting for any tit-bits.
The other cat, Bill, prefers to stretch out in front of the fire, and allow Spitty to clean him thoroughly. Jealous Seagull Gully, the seagull, is very jealous. Any interlopers have a hard time with Gully around. He is also very wily, as he will wait underneath the rail where the kookaburras ; perch when being fed, to pounce on any stray bits which may fall. The three kookaburras — Jack, Jill and Bobby— attract many of their wild friends, who perch on the neighboring wireless masts and chimney pots.
There is no excuse for late rising in the Downe household, as the kookaburras start laughing in the very early morning. Jack is distinctive because he has a crooked beak. He insists on treating each piece of meat as a worm, and banging it on the rail to 'kill' it. This has probably made his beak the shape it is. This little habit has cost Jack many a morsel, as while he is busy banging it, one of his mates will frequently reach over and take it from him. The kookaburras are also very fond| of celery and stumps of cauliflower.
Birds' Daily Bath'
A dish of water is placed on the lawn every day, and kept constantly full, and the birds take their daily bath of their own accord. They have a great time splashing about in the water. In the summertime, however, Gully prefers a shower-bath under the sprinkler. The kookaburras are locked up at night in a cage at the back of the lawn, and about bedtime they will trot off to this cage and wait patiently to be fed and put to bed.
Miss Downe is a boarder at St. Hilda's College during the week, and comes home for the week-end. Her first thought on reaching home is to dash outside to see how her pets have been getting on in her absence. 'We have kookaburras at the school which start laughing in the early morning, and one or two cats, so this makes it more like home,' she explained.
