Vera
On October 10th, 1948; A baby was born to Thomas and Agnes Bennett. They named the child Vera Marie. She was born with red gold hair and blue eyes. When she was two months old, her eyes changed to green. Agnes went into a deep depression. She wouldn't nurse the baby, so Tom had to buy bottles and get a formula from the doctor. His mother, Alice come to live with them. Agnes was soon diagnosed with Manic Depression. When Vera was eight months old, she started crawling, at nine months old, she started walking. When she turned one year old, she could say Mummy, Daddy, Gran, biscuit, doggy.
When she was eighteen months, she was toddling in the kitchen and the sitting room. Mummy was cooking spaghetti, which Vera adored. She crossed the room with a pot of boiling water to pour into the sink. She almost ran into Vera.
"Vera! You bad girl! Get out of Mummy's way!"
Poor Vera started crying, Gran came to her rescue.
"Oh Agnes, she's just a baby."
Agnes got worse, Tom took her to the doctor, he put her in the mental hospital in London.
Agnes stayed in the hospital for four years. Vera in the meantime was happy with Daddy and Gran taking care of her, along with the German Shepherd dog named Bear they had since she was a baby. When Mummy returned, she was some better, but not fully, she would sit in a rocking chair sometimes and sob and whisper things.
"Please don't cry Mummy!"
Vera begged her. When she was six, Vera began school. She made friends with her school mates and was invited to afternoon tea.
When Vera was seven years old, she was in the garden playing with Willie, her next door neighbor, he was two weeks older than she. Daddy came home and went to the bedroom, he called out for Agnes, but when she came to the bedroom to check on him, he was already gone, Agnes screamed ""Thomas!" Vera ran inside to see Mummy and Gran both sobbing and daddy lying on the floor. They buried him three days later. To Vera's horror, Gran soon followed.
When Vera was eight years old, she was in school, she was painting in her class, her teacher looked at her painting, a field and trees and the blue sky,
"Why Vera, that's gorgeous."
She sent a note home with her. Dear Mrs. Bennett; I would like you to let Vera join the art class. She is very talented and it would bring out her shyness. It doesn't cost anything, the paints and colored pencils are furnished here. Thank You Mrs. Harper. Vera skipped home, showing Mummy the note. Since she had inherited her artistic talent from her Grandma Alice, Agnes agreed.
Things between Vera and Agnes were wonderful until Vera turned eleven years old, Then Agnes began having manic problems again. She began screaming and yelling at Vera for no reason at all. When she was ten, Bear died of old age. Vera was heartbroken. She was walking home from school one afternoon, when she saw a dirty shivering Cocker Spaniel.
"Oh you poor little thing"
Vera snuck the dog in the house. Agnes had to work so she wasn't home. Vera fed the dog, bathed her, and dried her;
"I'm going to keep you pretty girl, and I shall name you Lady."
For an entire month, Vera managed to keep Lady away from Agnes, she would take her for walks and feed her when Agnes was working. One afternoon, she came home from school, Lady wasn't in Vera's room.
"Looking for something pet?"
Agnes asked Vera with a menacing voice
"The dog is gone, I rang the RSPCA and they took her away."
Vera burst into tears.
"Mum! Why did you do that? I loved her."
Agnes burst out laughing,
"You look so funny when you cry. You sound like a sick elephant!"
When Vera was fourteen, she joined the glee club at school. Agnes didn't attend one of her concerts, she sang like a bird. In her art class, she won a blue ribbon drawing a dog she titled My Dog Lady. She brought it home, Agnes looked at it and tossed it in the garbage. Vera got it back out. When she was sixteen, her teacher Mister Quinn gave her a note to take home,
"Am I in trouble Sir?"
He replied to the nervous child,
"Oh no Miss Bennett, I want your Mum to reply to this, I would like to see you go to a private school. You're a very bright girl Vera."
Vera ran all the way home. She ran in the kitchen where Agnes, who was now working mornings was cooking tea.
"Look Mum! Mister Quinn sent you this note."
Agnes read it.
"Does that man think we're millionaires?"
Vera replied, "No Mum I can get in on a scholarship, I want to Mum, please!"
Agnes refused, Vera started sobbing. Agnes slapped her
"I said to shut UP!"
Vera stopped crying altogether.
When Vera graduated secondary school, she graduated with honors. She went to college, when she graduated, she went to warder training to become an officer in the prison system. The place she wanted to go was Australia, her fathers birthplace. She got the opportunity to live in Melbourne. She and Mum arrived in the summer of 1969, she was 21. She began her first day at Wentworth Detention Centre. She met Mr. Judson Harper, the governor. She also met Meg Jackson, three years her senior. Meg was married to the prison psychiatrist Bill Jackson, they had a six-year old son named Marty.
As Meg was taking her around the prison, a woman with blond hair came up to them.
"What's your name?" Vera nervously told her "Miss Bennett, Vera Bennett."
The woman replied
"Well I'm Marie Winter, the Top Dog here, what I say goes, don't forget it."
She was also introduced to two other prisoners Jean Brooks, or Mum to all the women, and Lizzie Birdsworth. Lizzie took an instant liking to Vera. Mum was in for life after killing her husband, but she did it because he begged her to, he was dying from cancer, Lizzie was in for 15 years for poisoning a dozen shearers.
They took her three children away from her, Marcia, Arthur, and David. As time went on, two more woman came inside, Bea Smith, a redhead with green eyes, she strangled her co worker after she found out about her affair with her husband. Bea had an 8-year old named Debbie. And sixteen-year old Doreen Anderson. Doreen spent her first days in tears after being introduced to Marie. Bea took her under her wing. Time passed and more woman came inside, and more officers too.
One officer was Colleen Powell, Vera's age, she had two children Jennifer and baby Robert. And Joyce Barry five years older, she and her husband Norm had a son named Thomas. One day, after Doreen was released, she returned soon after and with her was a woman that was dressed like a boy, her name was Frieda Doyle, or Frankie. She was a lesbian. Vera had never saw or met a lesbian, Doreen took up with Frankie, and together, they robbed a liquor store. Doreen had recently given birth to a baby girl and had given her up for adoption. It was Frankie that gave Vera a name that would haunt her for years. One afternoon, Frankie had been put into solitary confinement after destroying the recreation room. She had been moved from Doreen's cell. When Vera went to the solitary cell, she opened the spy hole. Frankie looked at her with her piercing green eyes.
"Hey Vera, Guess what Bea just told me earlier, we've got a new name for you, Vinegar Tits!" she laughed maniacally, grabbing her breasts and saying "Vinegar Tits!" Vera slammed the spy hole.
They had a bad day that morning. Two prisoners were brought in. Karen Travers, a twenty five year old who just stabbed her husband after she caught him with another woman, and Lynnette Warner, Lynn, as she wanted to be called tearfully announced "I'm innocent, I didn't do anything!" She was only 19 years old and she had been convicted of trying to bury a toddler she had been caring for. That afternoon, Bea Smith burned her hand on the steam press. "Baby Snatcher!" she was called.
Also that terrible day, a young girl, Sally Lee hanged herself after being refused drugs. Bea was being released the next day, Anne Yates, another officer let her out of her cell, she went into Lynn's cell and told the sobbing girl to tell everyone she didn't do anything to her. Lynn lied and told Missus Davidson, the new governor the story Bea told her. Bea's daughter Debbie, who was only sixteen died from an overdose of heroin. She wasn't allowed to go to the funeral. She blamed Vera.
Bea was brought back two days later for shooting her husband John. More tragedy happened. Bill Jackson was stabbed by a young woman named Chrissie Latham, he had rejected her propositions she later told his grieving widow, Meg "I meant to kill you!" Chrissie was transferred to Barn Hurst prison. Anne Yates was fired after they found out she was supplying drugs to the woman, it was her fault Sally Lee hanged herself.
A few days later, Agnes began having problems with her blood pressure. Vera got the prisoner doctor, Greg Miller to prescribe Agnes some pills. Agnes continued giving Vera trouble. It was always bad things said " Vera stand up straight, for God's sake you're going to be a cripple" "Vera you look like a dried up old maid" She was only 29 years old. Vera came in one afternoon to Mum complaining about her chest hurting. Vera called Greg.
He examined her and told her, Missus Bennett, you need to take your blood pressure pills." After he left, Agnes screamed at Vera. "You're just trying to get rid of me I won't go anywhere! VERA!" and then a thump. Vera ran into the room "MUM!" Vera shouted, but it was too late, Agnes died. A week later, Vera was lonely, she called Greg on the phone and asked him if he could come for a meal. He refused. Vera started drinking. She heard the voice of Agnes echoing in her head, she angrily threw a glass at the picture of her Mum. It broke.
The next day, after leaving work, Vera went to a pub, she kept drinking and drinking, the next thing she remembered was being taken home by a policeman. His name was Graham Lange. He sat her down on the sofa and for the first time in twenty-two years, Vera began sobbing. She lay on the sofa, crying and pouring out her heart to a compete stranger, He listened to her, she fell asleep softly saying, "Why does everyone hate me?"
The prison got a new officer, a man named Jim Fletcher, Vera was the Deputy governor. When Jim came in the next day, a handsome man with brown hair, blue eyes and a mustache. He introduced himself to everyone. He was a veteran and a husband of Leila, and two young sons, Andrew, eight and Matthew, five. Missus Davidson appointed him the new Deputy governor to the disappointment of Vera.
Time went on and Mum Brooks was released from prison, so was Lynn Warner, she was innocent of her crime, the toddler's Mum buried the child after she found out her husband raped Lynn and was cheating on her with other women. Karen Travers was released after the jury said she killed her husband by reason of temporary insanity. He forced her to get an abortion and beat her all the time.
Frankie Doyle left the hard way, she escaped with Doreen and Lizzie, Lizzie's heart was hurting so she went back and Frankie and Doreen went to different places. They were about to rob a hardware store when the police saw them, they started running and one of the police shot and killed Frankie. Doreen returned to the prison, bitter and mean. later on Doreen changed back to her old self and Karen Travers married Doctor Miller. Anne Yates, the screw that smuggled drugs into the prison and was responsible for the death of Sally Lee introduced Vera to a man named George Lucas.
They fell in love and he stayed with Vera a few nights. Meanwhile, Anne was arrested for drugs and sent to Wentworth. All the women gave her hell and after getting into a knife fight with Bea Smith, who was the new top dog after Marie Winter left, was missing and found a few days later in one of the laundry dryers by Lizzie. Vera remembered they were trying to find Anne and she shut the dryer door. George set up Vera and tried to give her money for drugs, when she refused, he tied her up and left her in her flat, Missus Davidson found her.
One afternoon, through a hole in the prison garden, a King Charles Cavalier dog came inside, Doreen took her into the corner of the garden and along with Lizzie and Judy Bryant, bathed the dog. That night, they sneaked the dog into Lizzie's cell. The next morning, Vera came inside the cell to see why Lizzie was lying in her bed, saying she was crook. Vera stepped in a puddle the dog whimpered. Vera said "Lizzie, you know dogs aren't allowed here." Later on , Vera was going to take the lovely dog to the RSCPA. As she picked up the little dog to take her there, she heard shouting, Doreen screaming "DOG KILLER!"
Vera's heart was breaking, she couldn't take this pedigreed dog to the pound. She went to the pet store and bought a collar, leash, some dog food a bowl and a bed. Later on she told Meg she was keeping the dog. Lizzie overheard and went into her cell. She came out with a sweater she quickly knitted for Vera to take home. "Miss Bennett, I knitted a sweater for Chips." Vera told Lizzie, "I was thinking about calling her Lady" Lizzie interrupted "But Miss Bennett, she's so pretty and her colors look like chips to me."
The next few days were happy for her, she took the dog for walks, and the dog was housetrained to her delight. She could beg, shake hands and speak too. The next week, she was walking the dog when a man ran to them, "Strudel! Strudel my baby!" The dog ran as fast as she could to the man licking his face. He told Vera, "Thank you Miss, my wife and daughters were heartbroken when Strudel jumped out of the car, we thought we'd never get her back." Vera gave him his dog. She went home and cried.
They got a new prisoner, her name was Kerry Vincent, she was in for murder, but she got special privileges she was a painter, one afternoon, when Vera entered her cell, Kerry had painted a beautiful picture, it was of a countryside, with fruit trees and a mountain in the background. Vera looked at it. Kerry smiled and said, "You really like that painting, right Miss Bennett?" Vera said, "Yes, it's very beautiful." Kerry gave her the picture and told her "You keep it then." As Vera left the cell with the painting, she was almost in tears.
When she went home that evening, she hanged the painting on her wall and thought about the reason she loved the painting so much. Vera was only six-years-old, Mummy was sick again and Daddy was walking with Vera . He took her to a place he loved, "Look at this lovely place pet." smiling down at his daughter. "Do you know what I would love to do?" Vera shook her head and said "No Daddy, what?" He replied, "I would love to take you and build a house here, just for you and I, Mummy isn't getting any better, so I think I'll ask someone about a payment for this land, You could look out the window and see the beautiful mountain and all the lovely fruit trees." Vera replied, "And I can learn to cook when I'm a bigger girl Daddy, I can make applesauce just for you and I"
But the dream was crushed after he died. Vera used to walk to the place and sob and think about Daddy. She would fantasize about coming home from school, There would be a sweet dog and cat meowing and barking happily at her. "Hello Tabby! Hello William!" as they licked and twirled around her legs. Then after daddy came home from work, she would sit tea on the table and they would eat, then Daddy would read to Vera with a nice cozy fire in the fireplace. Then he would sing to her, then tuck her into bed "Goodnight Pet, daddy loves you so much!" Then Vera would reply "I love you Daddy!" Vera walked there for the rest of the time they lived in England.
Vera stared drinking more and more. One evening, after drinking a lot, Colleen Powell called her back to work after one of the other screws called in sick. Vera was drunk, the women knew it, they stole her keys. Vera ran all over the prison trying to find them. Bea, Lizzie, and Chrissie Latham, who was returned to the prison went into Missus Davidson's office and got some Scotch, pouring it down her throat. She passed out. The next day, she tearfully told Missus Davidson she would resign.
She gave Vera another chance. While at the liquor store a few days later, she met a homeless woman, she took her home. The woman waited until Vera fell asleep and stole her watch and some money. Vera poured all her alcohol down the sink and never touched another drop. Meanwhile, Chrissie had returned to Wentworth to Meg's horror, she was pregnant and was very bitter toward Meg. Meg was making it hard for her. Chrissie told her how she was a victim of incest. Meg changed her mind and felt sorry for Chrissie.
After being in the middle of a fight, Chrissie was knocked to the floor and went into early labor, she gave birth to a baby girl she named Elizabeth. Jim suffered a horrible tragedy also. His wife and two sons were killed in an explosion by a crazy man that was one of Jim's mates in Vietnam. He was shot by the police a few weeks later.
A new man came to Wentworth, his name was Terry Harrison. One afternoon, Lizzie, who had just turned 72 was in the recreation room. Vera smelled a bad smell, Lizzie told her "Smells like a dead rat Miss Bennett" then she turned white faced, and fell to the floor. Doreen, Bea and Judy Bryant saw this. "Oh God Miss Bennett, she's dead!" screamed Doreen. Vera immediately gave Lizzie mouth to mouth and CPR. Lizzie lay there Vera thought "Oh please God! Let her live." Lizzie opened her eyes. She was taken to the hospital. She was very depressed when she returned.
One day, the television was messed up. Colleen's neighbor, an elderly gentleman named Sid Humphries came to the prison to fix it. He and Lizzie met, they fell in love. Later on, Lizzie was going to be released after being innocent of her crime. Sid had a stroke and Lizzie went to stay with him to care for him. Terry and Vera stared seeing each other, he later moved in. One afternoon, a woman came to the prison, her name was Cathy. Terry told Vera he was her divorced husband. Terry had neglected to tell Vera he was in the mob. After being released, Cathy was ran down and killed.
Terry and Vera were going to get married, but Vera broke off the engagement after finding out about the mob. One afternoon, a prison magazine said they were looking for a new governor for Barn Hurst. Vera was interviewed and accepted. A few days before she was to leave Sid Humphries passed away, On her way to the bus stop, Terry came to her and tried to talk to her. Suddenly, a shot rang out, Terry fell to the ground, he was shot dead.
A stunned Vera went back inside the prison, she sat a while and Inspector Grace asked her what happened, she calmly told him what happened. After leaving, she went to Meg's house. She had remarried a man named Bob Morris, Meg asked her what was wrong. The shock wore off, she saw the shooting again, burst into tears and sobbed into Meg's shoulders for an hour.
The next day was her last day at Wentworth. The women were delighted to see her leave, with the exception of Lizzie and another prisoner, a young woman named Heather Trapp, called Mouse by the others. She overheard the other screws talking about her, she didn't go to her farewell party.
The next day, she packed up and moved two hours away. When she was getting settled down to her new position, Vera stared becoming sick. She found out she was pregnant. It was Terry's child. Seven months later, she went into labor and had a seven pound- seven pound baby boy, with her red golden hair and blue eyes. The nurse asked her what she was naming the baby. "I'm naming him Joseph Thomas Bennett." The nurse smiled "?"
Vera was so happy with her sweet baby boy. At first, she was terrified, she had never held a newborn or fed or changed a nappy, but in time, she could do all that, plus bathe a squirming baby almost blindfolded. Joseph started crawling at six months, at eight months, he was walking. When he was a year old, she laughed with delight as he put his tiny hand into his first birthday cake. Right after she went back to work after having Joseph, she got a surprise. Bea Smith had been transferred to her prison. Joan Ferguson, a screw in Wentworth arranged to put her there. As she always did when they got a new prisoner, she talked to Bea. "Miss Bennett, Wentworth has the meanest, most bent screw ever, Joan Ferguson is very mean"
Joan Ferguson conducted body searches, she was what Bea called a "Mean Bull Dyke" Meg Morris wrote to her often. Dear Vera, we have a new governor, Missus Ann Reynolds. We had a new officer here for a while too, Steve Falkner. We also had a fire that killed little Mouse Trapp. Judy Bryant was released but she's back again, she gave Hazel Kent a lethal dose of pain killer. We have a very high spirited young woman here as a prisoner, her name is Pixie Mason, she is here for bigamy. She's really harmless, she just loves getting married. We also have a young girl here named Bobbie Mitchell.
I also have some very sad news to tell you. Colleen Powell's entire family was killed last week, a bomb in a car exploded killing them all. Colleen is shocked and grief stricken.
As time went on, Joseph was talking a mile a minute. When he was four, he was sitting with Vera one evening almost asleep, "Mummy, where's my Daddy?" Vera told her "He's in heaven darling." The two of them went to church every Sunday and Wednesday. When Joseph had nightmares, Vera would go to his bed, brush his hair with her hand and sing Jesus Loves Me to her. One afternoon, Joseph was playing outside after a rain, she heard him laughing, she looked out the window and saw the child splashing in a mud puddle, she was laughing too. After about fifteen minutes, she brought Joseph in and gave him a shampoo and bath. That night, Vera had a horrible nightmare, she was very small, jumping and playing in a mud puddle her Mum's voice screamed "Vera! You bad girl, get inside this minute. Agnes stripped the five-year-old and whipped her with a strap.
Vera woke up sobbing, she heard footsteps coming into her bedroom. "What the matter Mummy?" Joseph wanted to know. "Mummy had a bad dream, my Mummy wasn't very nice to me and I dreamed about her." The next thing she knew, Joseph crawled into her bed, brushed her hair with his tiny hand and he started singing "Jesus Loves Me this I know" That was the sweetest thing that had ever happened.
At church one Sunday, Joseph's teacher Mister Harris asked Vera if the child could join the children's choir, "Yes he can, I used to sing as a little girl too." When it was time for the sermon to begin, the minister got up at the pulpit, welcomed the members and the guests. Then after the congregation sang a song, and the prayers were said, the children's choir got up. They started singing, Vera thought it was the sweetest thing she heard. One day as Vera was cleaning the house, it was her day off, Joseph was in his room, "Mummy, Mummy come here!" Vera went into her bedroom he was sitting at his little table he had gotten for Christmas the year before.
Joseph said "Look Mummy; I drew a bird, and a pussycat." Vera looked at the drawing. "Oh darling, it's lovely." It was. Joseph had her talent too. Both singing and drawing. When Joseph turned five -years-old, he began kindergarten. His very first day; he came home telling Vera all about his first day. "Mummy, I loved school, My teacher is Miss Powell, there's a girl in my class that was scared, she was crying."
The next day, Vera took him to school. They got out of the car. Joseph grabbed her arm and pulled her quickly toward the door, "Look Mummy, there's Susie Burns, she's the girl that cried yesterday, her Mummy's here too." They went to the little girl who had blond hair in a ponytail. Vera was surprised to see someone she hadn't saw in over six years. "Doreen? Is that you, It was Doreen. "Hello Miss Bennett, I'm Mrs. Burns now, remember Kevin? The man from my workplace, I married him, we separated a while, but got back together. This is my daughter Susan, we call her Susie. Vera smiled and shook the child's hand
One afternoon, Doreen told Vera something. "Guess what Vera, I saw Mr. Fletcher, he's here in town." Vera asked her where to find him. She gave her Jim's number. That night she called him. He was surprised to hear from her. He told her how he moved to New South Wales to be the headmaster of a boys school, but couldn't stay. He was reminded of his sons Andrew and Matthew. They met to have lunch together.
They talked about old times, Vera told him all about Joseph. Together, they picked him up from school. They began seeing each other and Jim started going to church with them. Joseph loved Jim, he started calling him Uncle Jim, he loved Joseph. After dating each other, he asked Vera to marry him. They invited everyone from Wentworth that could come. Doreen and Kevin came, along with Susie, Missus Davidson came, and so did Missus Reynolds, along with her fiancée Dan Moulton. Meg came also. Vera was very surprised when Colleen Powell showed up, she had left Wentworth three years earlier.
To Vera's surprise, and delight, Lizzie shown up with her son Arthur, they reunited before she left the prison for good. Also Joyce Barry came, but she was now Joyce Pringle. She had married Mervin Pringle, a man that Ann hired to cook at the prison. Kevin was Jim's best man, Susie was flower girl, Joseph was her ring bearer, Doreen was her matron of honor.
The newly married couple went to New Zealand for their honeymoon, The Burns family watched Joseph. He cried the first couple of nights, he had never been away from Mummy. Doreen cradled him in her arms and whispered in his ear, "Don't worry love, Mummy will be home soon, and Daddy too." When they got back home. Vera announced she was quitting work at Barn Hurst. Jim had taken another teaching position, Vera went back to school to become a teacher also. Two years after they married, Vera gave birth to another son, Logan James Fletcher. He had his Fathers blue eyes and brown hair. He had adopted Joseph earlier.