Today I captured the beautiful Jean. Who has been having some health struggles. Her family were very glad to find out about my Golden age project & I had a cool enough day to capture the images in the greenhouse.
Her favourite time of year is Christmas, so she is my first participant to be captured amongst my Christmas setup also.
Jean Reilly (née Ballantyne) arrived into the world October 22nd 1937
Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. Her father passed away when she was just five years old, leaving her with only the faintest memories of his brief presence in her life. At the age of eight, Jean’s childhood was profoundly shaped by the outbreak of World War II. While many remember the conflict through books or documentaries, Jean rememberes it through lived experience, the wail of air-raid sirens, the anxious expressions of adults, and the pervasive uncertainty that hung over every household. She grew up during the era of ration books, including those issued by the Salvation Army, learning early that every scrap mattered and every act of kindness counted.
During this same period, Australia was still emerging from the hardship of the Great Depression. Jean’s mother, a widow, was raising five daughters, Rosemary, May, Nancy, Jean, and the youngest, Lily, in low-income tenement housing that was cramped yet full of life. Resources were scarce, dresses were handed down from child to child, and laughter echoed through the thin walls of their home.
Jean’s father had been a factory worker, and her mother supported the family as a cleaner. Their lives were defined by hard work and perseverance. Money was limited, meals were simple, and joy was often found in the smallest of moments. Among Jean’s most treasured possessions was her one cherished doll, lovingly dressed in handmade garments sewn from scraps of fabric. To Jean, this doll symbolized love, hope, and the quiet resilience of her childhood.
Jean assumed responsibilities beyond her years. After school, while other children played, she worked. Her first job was in a shoe shop, where she dusted long rows of boxes stacked from floor to ceiling. Later, she found employment in an embroidery store, carefully applying stencil designs to napkins and tablecloths destined for the American market. Each delicate pattern she traced gave her a sense of purpose, her work was travelling overseas long before she ever would.
An early friendship with Veronica Reilly proved to be life-changing. Through Veronica, Jean came to know her Veronica’s older brother, Joseph Reilly, whom she had first met as a child, and whose teasing she had never forgotten. It was not until 1954 that Jean and Joseph began courting. Their courtship was simple yet full of charm, shaped by Joseph’s humour and the deep affection that grew between them. When Joseph immigrated to Australia with his family, the distance only strengthened their commitment. He worked tirelessly to save for Jean’s passage.
Jean’s mother, having endured many hardships herself, eventually faced the difficult decision of granting permission for her young daughter to travel to the other side of the world to marry the man she loved. Recognising the sincerity and devotion shared between Jean and Joseph, she signed the consent form that would change her daughter’s life forever.
In May 1957, at the age of nineteen, Jean set sail for Australia, completing a six-week journey across the ocean. The day after her arrival, she and Joseph were married at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Newcastle.
Together, Jean and Joseph built a life grounded in resilience, dedication, and family. Between 1958 and 1966, they welcomed five children while moving between Sydney and Newcastle before finally settling when Joseph secured employment with BHP in Newcastle. Once their youngest child began school, Jean returned briefly to the workforce as a domestic cleaner before retiring.
Family gatherings, birthdays, weddings, holidays, and celebrations of every kind became the heartbeat of the Reilly home. From a childhood shaped by war, scarcity, and responsibility, Jean grew into a woman defined by strength, generosity, and unwavering love. Her legacy lives on through her five children, her 13 grandchildren, her 27 great-grandchildren, and her 3 great-great-grandchildren, each one touched by the warmth and devotion she shared with Joseph. Sadly, Joseph passed away unexpectedly in August 2016, but the life they built continues to ripple through every generation.
Jean lived at Hamilton south 23 years & now Edgeworth for 40 plus years still living at home.
