Dorothy was another of my Golden age participants as part of the Dobell festival with Lake Mac Arts
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Dorothy (nee Kelly) Wilkinson was born in Bendigo, Victoria, in 1931. Her father, Joseph Kelly, was a police officer, and during her childhood the family moved first to Melbourne and later to the Port Macquarie district of New South Wales. Her father eventually worked in the timber industry around Wauchope, where in his late 40s was sadly killed by a truck unloading timber.
Dorothy spent much of her early life in the rural communities of Rollands Plains and Upper Rollands Plains. She left school at the age of 14 years and 9 months, having attended Huntingdon Secondary School. Growing up in the country taught her the value of hard work from an early age. As a young girl, after her father was killed, to get by she and her mother Gwendaline helped farmers in the community milk cows and clean homes. Dorothy later lived with and cared for an elderly farming couple, the Lindsays, where she’d travel five miles to school each day. Before setting off, she often milked cows, sometimes making the journey on horseback, or foot.
Her first job was in a grocery store at Telegraph Point. Dorothy grew up with two brothers and one sister. Her oldest brother is Brian Kelly, who became very well known as a country music singer.
As a teenager, Dorothy moved to Port Macquarie, where she boarded with a New Zealand couple. Through connections with another young boarder from Armidale, she moved and found work in Armidale at the age of fifteen. While living and working there, she met the man who would become her husband, George. At eighteen she became engaged, and they married in Armidale.
Dorothy and George raised five children together. With a strong entrepreneurial spirit, they purchased a general store in Ebor while their family was still very young, with two children under the age of five. The store supplied local residents as well as nearby mining operations. After several successful years, they took the opportunity to purchase the local hotel. Eventually they sold both businesses when a new opportunity arose.
The family then moved to Tamworth, where Dorothy and her husband became involved in the wholesale trade business. Operating as Wilkinson Wholesale Traders, they distributed products including White Wings goods and supplied caterers, homes, and chefs. As the business expanded, they relocated to Newcastle and established a warehouse in Wallsend. The company became well known in the region, and Dorothy spent around a decade helping build the enterprise before it was eventually sold.
Later in life, Dorothy and her husband spent time in Nelson Bay, fulfilling a long-held wish connected to her husband's wartime experiences and love of the sea. Her husband had served during the Second World War, and places such as Tea Gardens and the naval heritage of the region held special meaning for him.
In her later years Dorothy settled in Wangi Wangi in a home of her own. Family remained at the centre of her identity, and she maintained strong social connections through Alkira House and community activities.
At 94-and-a-half she still attends physiotherapy classes, enjoys the peaceful surroundings of Wangi Bay, and particularly loves watching the boats on the water.
