Melbourne Herald, 4 October 1941
NON-STOP PHONE RING AT CURTIN HOME

PERTH – The telephone bell has been ringing so persistently in the
Curtin home, with congratulations that the domestic time-table was
upset.

"They would keep ringing when I was trying to get the dinner on," Mrs
Curtin said today.

Mrs Curtin’s pretty 23-year-old daughter Elsie, helped today in
answering the telephone, in preparing for an informal family
celebration tonight, and in caring for Mrs Curtin’s 83-year-old mother.

Mrs Curtin has solved the Australian domestic service problem – she
does the work herself!

Musical, good looking, and with a lifelong association with politics,
Mrs Curtin was brought up in an atmosphere of art, literature and music
in Tasmania and South Africa.

She joined the Labour movement at the age of 16 in South Africa. She
was born in Ballarat, and met John Curtin in Hobart in 1912. They came
to Perth later to marry.

They will celebrate their silver wedding next year.

Mrs Curtin is a keen member of the Labor women’s organisation, and was
president of the Fremantle branch.

JCPML. Melbourne Herald, 4 October 1941 From Curtin family scrapbook of press clippings JCPML00297/1.

Sunday Sun, 5 October 1941
“I’M TRYING TO GET DINNER”: MRS CURTIN.

PERTH, Saturday.

Mrs John Curtin, wife of the Prime Minister-designate of Australia,
celebrated her 51st birthday today, spending most of the time at the
telephone replying to congratulatory messages.

“THEY began yesterday afternoon, went right through late, and have been
going continuously all today,” said Mrs Curtin, “and I am trying to get
the dinner on.”

Her next call came from her husband in Canberra, with birthday
congratulations. He rang yesterday afternoon to tell her there would be
no election.

“I was very please of course, because of the war. We are having exactly
the same thing again as we had six years ago when he was made leader of
the Opposition,” Mrs Curtin remarked.

Informal Reception

Mrs Curtin and her pretty 23-year-old daughter, Elsie, shared telephone
and doorbell calls. They also shared preparations for the informal
family celebration tonight, and care of Mrs Curtin’s 83-year-old mother
throughout the day. Mrs Curtin's solution of the domestic problem is to
do her own housework in their tastefully-furnished home.

Their 20-year-old son, John who is in the R.A.A.F. in Geraldton,
telephoned congratulations to both parents. There are no other
children.

Musical, good-looking, and with a lifelong association with politics,
Mrs Curtin was brought up in an atmosphere of art, literature and music
in Tasmania and South Africa.

She joined the Labor movement at the age of 16 in South Africa. She was
born in Ballarat, met Mr Curtin in Hobart in 1912, and came to Perth
later to marry. They will celebrate their silver wedding next year.

Mrs Curtin is a keen member of the Labor Women’s Organisation, and
former president of the Fremantle branch.

JCPML. Sunday Sun, 5 October 1941 From Curtin family scrapbook of press clippings JCPML00297/1