Life History

Other facts

Notes

• Mum's Eulogy - Written and read by Elaine Coggins
  
  Mum was born on the 7th of September 1919 in Clarence Town, near Maitland, N.S.W. She was the third child of a family of six, three boys and three girls. Baptised Olga Grace Waters, she later became known as Pat.
  
  Growing up in the depression years, she had to help feed the family by milking cows and working part time as a Doctor's assistant. Her father and brothers worked in the local timber mill, and she had vivid memories of her oldest brother arriving at the Doctor's surgery with his left thumb dangling after an accident at the mill.
  
  Pat became tired of the country life, especially the snakes, which she always hated. One time after a bath, she found a snake curled up in her clothing, and ran screaming out the front door - to be met at the gate by her father, who asked where she thought she was going with no clothes on.  So at the age of 15, Mum moved to the bright lights of Sydney, where she worked at a variety of jobs until she met the love of her life, Bill Lampard, at Luna Park. Pat and Bill were married in 1938, and I was born in 1939.
  
  Duty called soon after my birth when Australia declared war, and my father went off to fight in New Guinea. Our little family struggled through the war, as most families did during those terrible years, and Mum didn't see much of her new husband. I remember her making lovely dresses from silk parachute material sent home by Dad from New Guinea. She also made lots of fruit cakes to send over to Dad and his mates.  Mum lost another baby during the war when she heard that Bill was missing in action.
  
  After Dad's return from New Guinea with Malaria, three boys were born in quick succession - Bill, Bob and Malcolm. My father never settled back into civilian life after seeing so many terrible things during the war, and their marriage finally broke up in the early 50s.
  
  
  Mum was left on her own to raise four children - there was not much support available to single mothers in those days. She struggled to keep the family together, and did her best to raise her children alone. There were some good times, and there were some bad times, but Mum made it through somehow.
  
  In the late 60s and early 70s Mum and her family moved to Queensland one by one. Mum lived for many years near St Michael's Church, where she came to know and love everyone there. Later she moved to Beachmere - I settled with my family at Beachmere in 1973, and we have been there ever since.
  
  When Mum began to have difficulty living on her own, she made it very clear that she didn't want to stay with us at Beachmere. Independent as always, she finally settled on hostel accommodation here at the RSL War Vets Home, partly because my Dad was already living here. To the last, she had a soft spot for Bill, and she visited him in the hospital whenever she could.
  
  At first Mum was bit unsure about hostel living, but she ended up loving it, especially when she found that a lot of her friends were already here. Mum turned out to be a real live wire in the hostel - organizing activities and helping people whenever she could. She enjoyed helping with fundraising, and was well known for making cakes for the birthdays of the month. Many residents have spoken to me about how welcome Mum made them feel when they first arrived. She recently told me that the eight years she spent here were some of the best years of her life.
  
  Mum loved her painting and craftwork. She was so proud to win prizes for her paintings at the Caboolture Show, and many residents here have samples of her craftwork. Mum was a foundation member of the Artisans' Guild, and she always worked hard to raise funds for the Guild whenever she could.
  
  I salute you, Mum, for all you have done, and for all your sacrifices for our family.
• Pat Lampard

Sources

• 1. Australian Electoral Rolls, 1903-1954
  • Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.Original data - Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].Original data: Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll]
• 2. Australia Death Index, 1787-1985
  • Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data - Compiled from publicly available sources.Original data: Compiled from publicly available sources.
• 3. Australia Marriage Index, 1788-1949
  • Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data - Compiled from publicly available sources.Original data: Compiled from publicly available sources.