Probably the most beautiful in the series. Love, ambition, family and health. Here's to you!
socialenterprise
At times it was a circus
Just love these stories of life growing up in Bicton - giggles every time it's replayed!
And that is how the Mucky Duck Bush Band came about
This spirited talent started off our programme in Fremantle. What a legend. Please note, there are references to deceased indigenous people in this sound bite.
Mum set the office alight
Love this; discussions about the home grown local business, plus hysterics, equals an hour well spent.
I used to photograph the dead bodies
Crazily good; what a life he's led! It was a great way to kick off our third day of sessions in Fremantle.
He wasn't good looking by any means
We had the most lovely time with this lady during the Fremantle sessions. So honest and so kind. A really refreshing hour!
I met my husband at a wonderful badminton club at the church hall.
Do you know what it’s like when there’s eyes following you around? This went on for several weeks.
Me and a friend of mine were both Sunday school teachers. So we’d often go over to the cupboard to get things ready for that week’s lesson. He came around to the cupboard one time and said ‘Can I do something’. I thought ‘Oh what’s going on here!’. He was a very shy boy. And then the next week he asked me to go out with him.
He wasn’t good looking by any means, but I also had been told for many, many years that you don’t marry a good looking man.
On our first date we drove to one of the beaches and just talked. We quickly realised we could talk to each other. My mother had always said that you have to marry someone you can talk to. I realised that night that I really liked him.
He started buying me a present every week. When he was in Fremantle on a Saturday morning with his mates, he would go into one shop or another and buy something for me. The first time was a lipstick holder, then a powder compact, a lovely butterfly broach, I think there was a scarf. I’ve still got them. And then I just made a comment, I didn’t really mean anything by it, but we had started talking about our future and I must have said ‘oh you’ll do me’ – so he said ‘Really? Really?’ - and the engagement ring was the next present I got. I was thrilled.
It would have been my wedding anniversary yesterday. I say that because it would have been, we would have still been together. It wasn’t to be; he died 18 years ago. The big C. We battled for 14 years. I was carer for a long, long time. I did have help. My husband was in and out of hospital, back and forth all the time. It was a long, hard battle. At the end he refused treatment, said I can’t take any more. I’ll never forget that day. We had an appointment actually to reassess the whole situation. I dressed him, he was ready to go. Waiting for the taxi. And he said to me ‘I’m not going. I’ve thought it all through.’ I said ‘OK just sit there for a few minutes until you really, really know for sure.’ So he did that and he said ‘No I can’t take it anymore, I’m not going.’
When he actually died it was a very big break. We had had our wedding anniversary – 45 years – in the September then he died the following May. The strange thing about it, the day he died, we had no warning that it was going to happen. It was his heart that gave out. They left us in the room for about an hour and it was a mixture of feelings; a lot of regret, a lot of peace, a lot of thanks, relief.
But then you just have to get on with your life. Even our parish priest – in his little talk - he said ‘You never heard of either one of [them] by themselves, they were always together.’