Mary McDonald, the maid, was like family. She has been with the Calthorpes for years. The girls were ever so fond of her.

But times change, and the world changes. Soon after moving into their new house the world was caught in the terrible economic depression of the 1930s. The new Capital – so far from the corn fields of America where the Depression began – was not immune. Land prices dropped and there were fewer deals for Harry to get involved in. Hard times mean hard choices, and with heavy hearts, the family had to let Mary go in 1931. Mary got married in 1933 to Jim Sloan who had been the Calthorpes’ Gardener.

She stayed close to the family, particularly the girls, and came to visit regularly. But she never came back to work, even though the room was still thought of as Mary’s Room.

The Second World War changed the world further still. The threat of Japanese attack felt very real for Canberra and so the government distributed gas masks, kept in Mary's room to this day. Harry was the local air-raid warden and even went as far as building an air-raid shelter in the back garden.

The war ended, and Canberra boomed again, but no new maid ever came to live at Calthorpes’ House.

You will see that the walls in Mary's room have not been restored, unlike elsewhere in the house.