I was fortunate to capture this beautiful duo as part of my Golden age project. Husband & wife Walter & Lorraine Smith. After a disastrous wedding day almost 60 years ago, I really wanted them to capture some new memories together. Lorraine wasn't sure about wearing one of my dresses, but she looked amazing in the pink gown.
Walter Raymond Smith – 11th December 1942 A born innovator.
Born at Royal Hospital for Women at Paddington NSW and grew up in Guildford. He went to Old Guildford Public School and Fairfield Boys High School. His father was a Plumber, and mother was an invisible mender for David Jones until she married and had to retire to raise a family. He has one sister (Barbara) who is 2 years younger.
In 1959, at age 17, he joined the 1st/15th NSW Lancers at Parramatta. He completed all the courses and resigned in 1975 as a Sargent. During this time he specialized in Intelligence. He also broke his ankle in a tank when the turret was traversed whilst his foot was in the turret well. He still has the screws in his ankle. He just missed out by 1 ballot in going to Vietnam.
From the age of 16-23yrs old, he worked at the Masters Office of Protective Jurisdiction at North Sydney. The equivalent of this is now the Trustee and Guardianship. Whilst working here he studied with the Barristers Admission Board (back then a way to become a Barrister without being a Lawyer first) until he met Lorraine and started selling land part time for extra money.
He sold the first land subdivision in Lemon Tree Passage, the company he worked for would fly people up to Lemon Tree Passage in a seaplane from Sydney. He also purchased a block of land (John Parade) a street back from the water and together with his father built an “A” frame house which is still there today. The queen's birthday long weekend in 1968 Walter and Phis father had just got the A Frames up for the frame of the house when a rain/windstorm came through and started to knock them down, so that they were leaning over. So they went out in the storm and climbed 20 feet off the deck, which was already approximately 8 feet from the ground, so nearly 30ft in the air to secure the 2 frames together to stop them from falling.
In January 1966, Lorraine & Walter married in a heatwave at St Johns Church of England Church, North Parramatta. Lorraine's mother had been in hospital for 3 weeks prior and was allowed out for the day. During the service, a groomsman (Lorraine's brother) feinted, Lorraine's father had a heart attack and her sister collapsed. The heater was accidentally put on in the church instead of fans and people were suffering from heat stroke. The police were called to escort the fallen to hospital. To add to this prior to the wedding their booked wedding reception venue burnt down. They are now coming up 60 years married after a disastrous wedding day.
During 1967/68 He designed and manufactured the first cartridge pen for marking. (Similar to a sharpie). Unfortunately, this great idea was not viable due to the cost of trademarks and copywrites. We grew up with boxes upon boxes of red, green, yellow, purple, orange and black markers.
He started air-conditioning around 1968, and airconditioned the first ABC outdoor broadcast van around 1974.
He's had several businesses over the time.
His most successful was building Garden Sheds. He was the first one in Sydney to supply sheds manufactured and delivered as completed sides rather than flat packs. The business was thriving and he sought advice from a government small business organisation. They put him onto an advertising company and accountant. The advertising agency stated in writing that they would double the business, and promptly changed the way of advertising, wouldn’t listen to Lorraine & Walter and sales declined dramatically. They went back to their original way of advertising weekly in the local papers and sales increased. In the meantime, the Government appointed Accountant decided he was going back to New Zealand and sold his company to a big organisation in Melbourne. They deemed Lorraine & Walter were only a little business and not worth their trouble, so they liquidated the business. They had no say or input into the matter. Leaving Lorraine & Walter with a lot of debt that they worked hard to pay off by selling assets. Prior to seeking advice purely because they were making so much money, they didn’t know what to do. They were literally rolling in cash on the bed!!! Walter said he felt like Scrooge McDuck because he was diving into a pool of money. Lorraine used to wear wads of cash around her legs in her boots. Sadly, it all came to an end due to inexperience and extremely bad supposed expert advice.
He and a couple of mates (Garret Barry & Bob Rielly) started the Historical Society Museum in Riverstone in the early 1980’s. Their aim was to achieve a museum in 1988 to store their goodies and preserve the history of Riverstone and NSW. They instigated the O’Connell County Fair with Irene Reilly to raise funds for the future museum. This involved the whole town in re-enactments, period balls and parades. They used to travel the countryside buying items for the museum with many stories around that. They raised enough money to qualify from NSW Government Bicentennial Grant which they won. Blacktown Council then, purchased the old original Riverstone School House in Garfield Road East, Riverstone from the Masonic Lodge and rented it to the Historical Society for $1 per year for 99 years. The Museum opened in 1988.
There were many adventures to purchase and obtain relics for the Museum. One such adventure - Garret (History master at Riverstone High School) received news of a farm sale past Gundagai, he seconded Walter to drive his delivery truck down with Lorraine and Garret on a very wet Saturday for the Auction. There were no bidding cards, you only registered your name. Garret was happily bidding with gay abandon on items in the pouring rain not keeping a record of his purchases. Trucks and Vans were not permitted to remove the items on the Saturday and had to come back on the Sunday due to the boggy conditions. Lorraine & Walter had booked with his sister Barbara and her husband Robert, a cruise on the Hawesbury River that night thinking they would be back in time (they had clothes with them), that wasn’t going to happen. They had to find accommodation locally. They got to the motel, Lorraine had to help Garret string a clothes lineup in his hotel room to dry his underwear and clothes. They got back to the site on the Sunday morning, Walter and Garret were loading the truck with what they thought they had purchased. They loaded the truck with a Sulky. It was piled up on the very top of an overloaded truck Then a lady turned up and said they had loaded her Sulky. So they had to unload the sulky from the top of the truck. There are a few other stories about this adventure.
He was a long time member of the Riverstone Chamber of Commerce for approximately 10 years. He has been on the Sister City committee for Blacktown Council since its inception 40 years ago. He was on the selection committee at times for the Blacktown Youth Ambassadors.
In 2013 he was elected as a councillor on Blacktown Council when he was 71, he even parasailed off the side of the council building for Domestic Violence awareness. During his time on council, he helped many Riverstone locals with council issues and was highly regarded. He was still helping people once he left council using his contacts.
Around 1986, he became a member of Riverstone & Districts Lions Club Inc. His life's mission has been helping others. He’s held various positions – President 3 times, Treasurer for approximately 20 years at times. He is now a director of the club. There has been many thousands of sausages grilled, BBQ’s set up, Blacktown Festivals. For 8 years Lorraine & Walter were responsible for the Blacktown City Australia Day BBQ at Featherdale Wildlife Park where they served breakfast to 2000 people at a time. It was their responsibility to organise the local Lions Clubs to help serve, organise the shopping, set up/pack down. It was a huge job. The whole family was involved in Lions Club activities as they grew up and then Emmy the grand daughter and daghter Natalie with the Australia Day BBQ’s.
Walter finally retired from work in 2016. He’s still involved in the Lions Club and attends some functions with Blacktown Council. He loves doing jigsaw puzzles and playing on his excavator.
There are many many stories to tell…… property purchases. The land they used to own at Kempsey is now the Slim Dusty Museum.
They bought a property in Wyee in 2015 moved in 2019.
Lorraine Florence Smith – 7th September, 1944
Born in Lurnea Private Hospital, Leichhardt, her father was a fitter and turner, and her mother was a home maker, and a foster mum to 3 other children.
She grew up in Five Dock until she was 11 and then the family moved to Lavinnia Street Granville (Merrylands). She is one of 7 children (Ellen, Peter, Margaret, Ronnie, Lorraine, Robert and Albert). Her mother worked as a cleaner for approximately 30 years at the Convent at Concord and the Brothers at Burwood. Her father, was the first person in Australia to have the valves and arteries replaced in his heart with pig valves and arteries at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with Mr Harry Windsor when Lorraine was 17 or 18.
She went to school at St Mary’s Concord. She told her first class teacher when she was asked where her shoes were “that if God had meant her to have shoes, she would have been bored(sic)(born) with them on her feet!” That Nun told stories to Lorraine's Mother at the Nun’s 50th anniversary about her antics.
Her first job was at Walton’s in the City at 14 and 10 months when she was allowed to leave school. She got the job before telling her parents that she wasn’t going to school the following Monday.
Her next job was working for a Jeweller in the Strand Arcade deliverying Diamonds and Gems all around Sydney. Next was with a Japanese Import/Export Agent delivering Wool Cheques around Sydney and working the switchboard. She then worked for the public service in Vocational Guidance as a typist until she left work to have Natalie in 1969.
She met Walter in 1962 on a street corner outside the Sydney Blood Bank in York Street. Her friend organised for them to be picked up for the trip home from work and it was Walter who picked them up on the corner. She went home and told her Mother that she thought she had met the man she was going to marry because she’d met a man with really clean shoes. Little did she know his mother cleaned his shoes for him!!
They got married in 1966.
She has had 3 girls – Natalie in January 1969, Adrienne in September (on her birthday) 1973 and Meaghan in 1975. They were all born at Royal Paddington Women’s Hospital.
She's worked with Walter the whole duration of their marriage. Lorraine had 2 nervous breakdowns, due to stress from Walter's business. During one of them the local Dr told her to go and sit at the Riverstone Taxi Rank and talk to anyone who sat there. He reasoned that, they would go home and not give her another thought, yet she would get everything off her mind and be able to continue. Lorraine did this and said it helped no end. At one point when business was a struggle, Walter's mum used to sell Avon to keep the family fed and clothed.
Lorraine was the first woman in Riverstone Lions Club to become a Lion when Lions allowed Women to join, until this time she was classed as a “Lions Lady”. She's held all sorts of positions within lions including Zone Chairman 5 or 6 times. Secretary and President, too many times to count. Lorraine & Walter were on the Committee for the Lions Children's Cancer Research Institute where they helped to raise Millions of Dollars. They started the Ride to Riverstone Bike Ride with the reformatting of the Lions Children’s Cancer Foundation. The ride ran for 5 years and offered rides of 100km, 50km and 20km followed by a lunch and raffles at the end of each ride. Over the time they raised over $100K . It would take a full 12 months to organise each ride. It went through 4 LGA police regions. The majority of the work for the ride was down to Walter, Lorraine and Natalie. The ride only ceased operations after someone was killed on another charity’s bike ride and the Police clamped down and restrictions became just about impossible to continue the rides
Just prior to retirement she worked for Kincare as customer relations officer and receptionist. She was there for 5 years and retired on her 70th Birthday.
Since retirement they have done a few trips to New Zealand, a trip to Japan for Walter, They have been to America, Korea, United Kingdom, Ireland and last year China and Korea with Blacktown Council. Where Lorraine got to experience VIP treatment in a Chinese Hospital.
Lorraine lives for her 4 Grand children Em, Flynn, Cooper and Morgan, her 2 Great Grand children Phelan and Darcy and her cat Gus. She likes reading, gardening, and attending her regular craft days. She loves going to Musicals and life in general. She’s always up for a party and to socialise. The glass is always half full never half empty.
Behind all Walter's achievements, the ups and some very low downs, Lorraine has been the one to hold it all together, plus raise 3 girls. Behind every successful Man is a great woman