Dorothy Ashton

Jack was a Trumpet player in the Ashton circus band.
During the Depression in the 1930s, things were so hard that Jack used to supplement his meagre circus bandsman's wage by making tin dishes, pots and pans to sell to farmers. Their only taste of meat was the occasional rabbit he caught. With no money but plenty of "stock" (in the form of eight children), the Hays decided to leave the Ashton circus and develop their own acrobatic act. At Lithgow, they lived in a tent while Jack made a few shillings from busking in the streets and chopping wood. Having moved around so much, Dossie had never heard of child endowment, but when she did, collected £60 accumulated in her favour. The family's improved financial position enabled them to move down to Sydney where they took a little house in Newtown. In the backyard, the children practiced spinning brooms with their Feet and balancing an old armchair. Soon they progressed to a stage performance where one artist, after a series of somersaults in mid-air, landed on the upturned Feet of another. Although their family name was "Hay", they used their mother's famous name of Ashton for professional purposes.
Seven of the eight children became the Seven Ashtons.