Today's Golden Age portrait is a story I could hardly believe as I was hearing it even though I have known this family for many years..
Christine is pictured in some of the images with her Great granddaughter Aurora. I included Aurora in these important images as she has had an intense battle with childhood cancer. It is so amazing to see her looking so well again after the harrowing journey she has been through from such a young age.
Christine (Chrissy) Donahue, born in November 1949 in Coonamble NSW to a single mother. Christine's Mother essentially left town to avoid him being disowned by his family.
They moved to lithgow Nsw until chrissy was 10 years old, during that time her mother married Kevin Taylor and her younger sister (Patty) was born.
In June 1959 the family moved to Narrabri NSW.
Christine's stepfather worked on the railway and was a decorated serviceman having been one of rats of Tobruk in the second world war. Chrissy does not have fond memories of her stepfather.
Chrissy learned that her biological father was of Lebanese descent and a well-known doctor. He had gone on to marry and had 4 children, Sadly, none of whom were interested in meeting Christine.
*In 2020 Chrissy finally got her chance to meet her father when she went to the nursing home he had been put in at age 92. She sat with him for 2 hours. It was the only opportunity she ever got.
Chrissy met her future sister in-law (Pam Donahue) at Narrabri high in first form. she has fond memories growing up with Pam’s brothers & sister spending most of their time on the river banks of the Namoi River under the willow. Going to the pictures and rolling Jaffas down the aisle was quite the treat.
Pam’s brother Peter, and Chrissy became boyfriend and girlfriend when she was 14 and he was 15. Chrissy left high school in 3rd form and Peter was rarely at school learning, his love of horses meant he spent most of his time training to be an apprentice Jockey. He was a great Horseman who broke in many horses in the region.
Chrissy's first job after leaving school was looking after a families children out in the bush near Bingara. Christine and Peter had their first child not long after.
Due to Christine only being 16 when she fell pregnant, she was sent away Royal women’s Hospital Paddington
Unfortunately, due to the times they lived in their baby boy Gary was taken and adopted out without her even meeting him.
*25 years later he came back into their life with a child of his own. Gary passed away 12 months after meeting them.
Peter and Chrissy’s love continued to grow despite the heartbreak of their first child being taken from them. Their daughter Cindy was born in 1966 then they got married in 1967
Chrissy was still underage so had to get her grandfather to give permission for them to marry.
Christine and Peter went back to Narrabri and Peter worked as a timber cutter in the days before chainsaws. He used horses and an axe. Their second son Matthew arrived in 1968
Christine and Peter & their two very young children then moved to Plagens forest and lived in a tiny wood caravan and tent deep in the bush with no running water or power, just a creek.
Peter worked and Chrissy stayed alone with the children. She faced many hardships in this harsh environment but lived the quiet serenity of isolation.
They moved to Maules creek 40 miles out of Narrabri, where Christine became pregnant with her 4th child Kellie. During the pregnancy her son Mathew was 2 years old and drank nicotine-based insecticide and Chrissy had to run 2 miles neighbours house to get medical assistance with Mathew hanging over her back and Cindy following with the poison bottle.
Not long after this incident was the 1971 Narrabri flood which left the family stranded with no food or contact with the outside world.
Peter left his family to swim in the raging flood waters 40 miles to get help. Amazingly he survived and managed to get his family and others emergency help. Christine's 4th child Kellie was born and the family moved to back to Narrabri to get work and Peter went to Sydney, and then moved the family, where he worked many different fields.
Christine found living in the city confronting with 3 small children. So, Peter found work in the timber mill in Oberon NSW and moved his family.
Matthew tragically passed away in a car accident at 16yrs old in Oberon.
Her Husband Peter passed in 2019 of metastatic bone cancer at 70 years after 52 years of marriage.
In 2020 Cindy sadly passed away from cancer in 2020 at 53 years of age leaving behind a husband and, 3 kids and 5 grandchildren.
Chrissy still lives in the family home today with her great grandson Sam. Her time over the years in Oberon has been spent raising her children, two foster children Donna and Jason. She worked in home care and child minding and still babysits her great grandchildren, something she enjoys immensely.
The family home is 100 years old and large. She loves to fill it with people.
Christine & her youngest daughter Kellie are very close and enjoy each other's company often. Kellie has 3 children and 9 grandchildren. Today Christine enjoys gardening but fibromyalgia makes this difficult. Her chickens, 2 French bulldogs & her family are most important to her in life.
Her faith as one of Jehovah witnesses have helped carry her through the many trials of her life. Now her joy comes mostly from her 7 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and many very supportive friends.
