Old Film:: Nanna, Parley, Bruce & Nig (1943)
My paternal grandmother, Elvie Ruth Bonner (1901-1986), shot medium format film for over 50 years. She’s the lady walking my auntie Parley (her real name was Aileen); Parley is also the girl holding the hand of my father Lionel Bruce and his younger brother Nig (Arthur Kevin) in the second photograph. I only remember meeting Parley once in my adult life. Her husband Swanny had long died and she lived in a small unit across the river from where I lived at the time. She was extremely old. Fragile. My father had died and there were items that I had to pass along. That was in 2000; she passed away in 2006. I’m not sure why I never visited her again after that day. Anyhow, I’m not sure who made these photographs, although the second one may well have been made by my grandmother. Elvie (Cissy) had a thing for making pictures of the family.
