DescriptionThis interview consists of one audio recording and transcript. Jane Gray was interviewed on 6 February 2007 at Jane Gray's home in Smithfield by Shirley Kingsford McLeod. Interview SummaryJane Gray was born in a small village in Scotland called Newtyle, which is near Dundee, on 1 December 1901. She came from a family of six children and her father was a boot and shoe maker. She was married in Scotland. Jane can remember the First World War in which she lost a brother who was serving in France. Her mother and sister both died two months later of the Spanish flu.
Jane’s fiancé, Jock Gray, wanted to migrate to Australia so they were married and she left her family to be with him. It was a time of depression when they bought a home in Matraville, an inner suburb of Sydney. They lived in the home for about three years and in 1930 purchased a poultry farm in Bossley Park. The home in Bossley Park was a shack and what they thought was a dirt floor turned out to be concrete. They would clean it until it was liveable again. Her husband and his brother rebuilt the shack.
The farm was about five acres and Jane worked on the farm assisting with all the daily chores, including their only cow. The eggs from the farm were sold to the Egg Board. Cracked eggs were sold locally. As they lived on their own farm during the war, food was readily available. They developed a barter system where they exchanged eggs for meat.
They had a son named Sandy, who had been born while they lived at Matraville, and later a daughter Heather, who was born at Fairview Private Hospital in Smart Street at Fairfield. Heather subsequently married Ken Betts who was a Smithfield boy. The children later travelled to Fairfield Public School by bus. Their high school educations were gained in Parramatta and Homebush.
Jane and her husband loved dancing and regularly attended local dances as her daughters had formed a small band and performed there.
At the time of the interview Jane was 105 years old and although her memory had declined in some ways, she still had some memory of the streets and businesses near Fairfield Railway station. She can remember the Second World War and that many of the local boys joined up to serve. She herself knitted socks for them. She was still knitting teddy bears which she donates to the Children’s Hospital. She was also a bingo fan and regularly attended Smithfield RSL Club.
She was also planning her next birthday. On her 100th birthday she was sent a message from Queen Elizabeth which she shows. She also proudly shows her white budgie which she has taught to speak Scottish.
Jane lived until 7 June 2014, when she passed away in a nursing home, aged 112 years. At
that time was regarded as the oldest living person in Australia.
Oral History ProjectThe Way We Were - People of FairfieldAll Oral Histories
Jane Gray Oral History (1901-2014). Fairfield City Heritage Collection, accessed 10/02/2026, https://heritagecollection.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1591
