Eleanor Vivian Cogger - Grandmother

"Grandma Nell" was my father's mother. She was tall, slender, and pretty aloof. I can't remember ever being hugged by her, but used to enjoy going to visit her house because there was a copy of Enid Blyton's The Magic Far Away Tree there. It had belonged to her youngest daughter, Mary.

Grandma Nell loved her garden at Templestowe, and we would walk around it, before the adults would chat about whatever it was they chatted about, and I would read. A walk in the garden was more interaction than we had with our grandfather though. He was even more distant.

The other thing I like about her is that she had my favourite woman's name.

Nell was a beautiful knitter and sewer. She made beautiful clothes for Mary, and such was her knitting prowess that she knitted for Patons pattern books. My mum was a great knitter too, and Nell introduced Mum to knitting for Patons as well. They had many of their creations featured, probably including some front covers.

Eleanor Vivian Cogger was born 17 June 1905 in Macedon, Victoria, the daughter Of Violet nee Morris and Charles Cogger. She died 23 June 1964. She was only 59. I remember visiting her in hospital when she was very ill. Not only did she have diabetes, I think she died of ovarian cancer.

On 8 February 1926 she married Ernest Langham Edsall ('Ern'). She had five children: Elizabeth (1926), Ted - our dad (1928), twins Gwen and Wilfred [Bill] (1931) and Mary - actually Eleanor Mary (1944).

Nell in her garden at Templestowe

31 Dec 1955 - Mum and dad's wedding. Dad was about 5ft 6 ins tall, so his mother, Nell, was quite tall for a woman. This was common in the Cogger clan. Her twin brothers Maurice and Eric were around 6 foot.