Musical genes
Olive May Hood was born on November 21 1907, in Perth Western Australia, to Andrew William Percival Hood and Eliza Clace Cummings. 'Ollie' as she was always called, was the youngest child. She had a big brother and sister, Leslie Raymond (born 1902) and Doris Muriel, 'Dorrie' (born 1904.) Olive May Hood with her big sister Doris Muriel Hood ca 1919 By day, their father Percy was the chief accountant for Perth Gas and Electricity, but in every spare moment away from work, he spent time nurturing one of his greatest passions - gardening. He had a huge garden where many fruits and vegetables were grown, but his prized plantings were his dahlias which won him numerous state awards over many years. Eliza Clace was a dressmaker by trade and a great cook - the children would gather the freshly grown vegetables from their garden and their Mum Eliza would cook up a feast. Apart from gardening and cooking, a very important part of the children's lives was music. L-R: Stan...