MARCIA CHAYTER married Jack Harrison
Marcia Chayter was born on 18th January 1934 in Brisbane to 26 year old chemist Henry William “Rollo” Chayter and 24 year old Norma Helena Emily (nee Henley) and lived at 36 Hamilton Street, Corinda, Brisbane.
CHAYTER On Jan 18th to Mr and Mrs H.W. Chayter Mackie St Moorooka – a daughter (Marcia).
The Courier-Mail Brisbane 20 Jan 1934 pg 12.
Marcia was baptised on 28th October 1934 at St Aiden’s Church, Clifton Hill, Brisbane, Queensland. Her Godparents were Doris Alice Guy, Marie Chayter (Rollo’s sister), Clifford Henley (Norma’s brother).
In 1937 aged three, Marcia’s life changed forever. With jobs scarce due to the Depression, her father, a fully qualified chemist, accepted the prize offer of managership of the Felton, Grimwade and Bickford chemical factory. In March 1937, their Brisbane belongings, Beale upright piano and all, were duly secured with them on a ship called the “Duntroon”. Their passage to Perth was so rough that their cases slipped from under one bed to another like greasy snaggers in a frypan. The accompanying sea sickness knew no bounds. Norma and the three year old Marcia were so ill, they disembarked in Adelaide and completed the voyage by train.
In 1939 Marcia attended “Braemar” Kindergarten and subprimary in St Giles Hall at 65 Lawley Crescent,
In 1940, Marcia started primary school at Lawley Ladies College, a small private school at the end of Longroyd Street, travelling towards Walcott St, Mt Lawley.
On May 17th 1941 Norma and Rollo had another daughter, Nerida.
Marcia was eight in 1942 when Lawley Ladies College was evacuated to the country and the only alternative was Inglewood State School with Mr. Chandler as headmaster. Marcia was put up from grade 2 to grade 3. There was a “rough” element at Inglewood school and Norma continued to dress Marcia in her Lawley Ladies’ College uniform for which Marcia was bullied and had stones thrown at her being called a “College Snob”. She often used to run home as she was so frightened.
In 1943 Marcia was accepted into the Perth College intermediate school aged 9.
Marcia left Perth College at the age of 14 gaining her Junior Certificate for which she sat in November 1948. The Perth College nuns were not keen to give an end of year dance, so the PC girls arranged one for themselves. The parents of one of Marcia’s class, Adrienne Silbert, owned a reception Centre in Mount Lawley called “Tannerville” and so a dance was organised there. There, Marcia met the band’s clarinettist Jack Harrison.
The University of Western Australia Public Examinations Board awarded the Junior Certificates which Marcia Chayter received in February 1949 passing English, French, Physics, Arithmetic and Algebra, Geography and Latin. Rollo had hoped Marcia might have excelled at chemistry, but she did not!
Marcia studied ballet up until the age of 16.
In early 1949 Marcia was employed at the accounting firm of Weir and Broderick in St George’s Terrace. Marcia was the office girl in charge of the mail, tea making, message delivering and other dull jobs. They were very kind, allowing her to do her shorthand homework and typing practice once all her work had been completed. Mr Broderick was a generous boss and at Christmas he gave her a lovely dress length of material as well as toiletries.
She often met up with her mates in the city in her lunch break.
At this stage Marcia still only had two dresses. One was plain blue and Norma had embroidered Marcia’s name on it. The other was made of tablecloth seersucker material that Norma had found. Any money Marcia had over after bus fares and paying Norma board she saved towards improving her meagre wardrobe. Balls and dances were frequent and Marcia for which Marcia would creatively try and embellish her few outfits with fresh flowers of a new sash.
In 1949 Marcia also started a Junior Secretarial Course studying shorthand and typing at night school twice a week. Getting to Perth from Mt Lawley by public transport would have involved catching buses and trams.
The Mount Lawley Tennis Club dances held every second Friday was the place to go and Marcia’s Mt Lawley “gang” including the Nevards, Coombs, Berwyn Allen and Marcia would walk to those dances and met Jack Harrison and his twin sister Jill and brother Ray who supplied the music. Everyone knew everyone else everyone danced every dance. There was no alcohol and the man at the door made sure everyone was safe.
Kings Park Tennis Club held a similar type dance every alternate Saturday with the same band and the same people. Berwyn and Marcia caught a tram and a trolley bus to attend. Bob Pope who lived a few streets away often came as well this time.
From the diary Marcia Chayter started on Thursday 22 December 1949, it is clear that she is following Jack’s dance gigs around.
The mention of “the chev” and Jack’s pictures with Marcia (matching her dresses) imply they were going out prior to Marcia’s 1949 diary.
Most Sundays Marcia Chayter’s “gang” would meet at North Cottesloe Beach. After Jack and Marcia had started to date, Jack would not join them until the afternoon as he had to practise in the morning and eat a roast dinner for lunch prior to meeting up with his friends!
Jack’s car (“the chev”) allowed him the freedom to visit Marcia in Mt Lawley and also provide opportunities for fun excursions and day trips.
In August 1950, Jack was invited to join the South Australian Symphony Orchestra as second clarinet by conductor Henry Krips. He accepted the position starting in November.
In October 1950 Marcia was employed in the typing pool at the ABC in the Schools’ Broadcast Department working at Broadcast House.
Prior to leaving for Adelaide, Jack had many commitments including a 10 day country tour in late October with the Adult Education Board. It must have been heart breaking for both he and Marcia who had been seriously dating for over a year.
Marcia stared dating Max Reilly, thinking Jack had left for good.
After only three months in the South Australian Symphony Orchestr
a, Jack returned to Perth on 8th February 1951 to fill the second clarinet position with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.
Marcia continued working at the A.B.C. making lifelong friends, including Judy Mitchell, who later would become her daughter Jody’s Godmother.
Jack announced his engagement to Marcia on 12th August 1952 – his 21st birthday – and they were married on 14th December 1953.
Jack and Marcia commissioned Iwan Iwanoff to design their family home at 11 Dodonia Gardens City Beach where they lived until 1993.
In between bringing up three children and Jack, Marcia managed to take singing lessons with Sylvia Biddle and was a member of the chorus of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
Marcia furthered her education. Obtaining her TAE and then completing a Bachelor of Applied Science with a double major in History and Librarian Studies at Curtin University (then W.A.I.T.). She was employed as librarian at St Columba Theological Library until she retired in 1993.
In 1999 Marcia began writing the history of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra Celebrating 75 Years which was published in 2003.
In 2003, Jack and Marcia celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
They had three children:
Jay Raymond (born 17.3.1959)
Kimberley Scott (born 23.1.1959)
Jody April (born 23.9.1963)
Marcia Chayter was married to Jack for 51 years.
In November 2004 Jay was married.
Marcia died unexpectedly of a massive stroke on 9th April 2005 aged 71.