Yesterday I captured the lovely Heather. She wasn't too fussed on dressing up, but when I put my custom skirt on her & a crown, I told her she looked like the queen of the fairies. She said she loved that as she had always loved fairies, & collected some fairy statues over the years.I also turned one of my pics into an artwork of her as a fairy.
Heather mason born in Hanbury street Mayfield 10/05/1939 in a nursing home (Nurse Whitemans it was called back then) it was a 2 story house across from Mayfield RSL.
She had 1 younger brother Ted he was 10 years younger. Her mother ‘Vera’ worked at a sewing factory in Newcastle then became a homemaker when Heather was born, her father Charles was a delivery driver delivering food products for the farmers for the animals. Once Heather was born he became a bus driver in the Second World War, then became a bus driver from nelson bay to Newcastle and vice versa. Eventually he got a job at the BHP before he retired.
Heather had a happy childhood spending a lot of time at the beach in Nelson bay and Newcastle.
She was pretty happy as a child unless she had done something wrong and her father punished her. She remembers once doing something wrong and her mother shielded Heather by locking the kids in the toilet and sitting on the floor with her feet against the door stopping him from getting in and flogging her.
Mayfield east primary, secondary hunter home science high. Commercial course in cooking and sewing.
She remembers spending time at Bobs farm with friends milking cows and sitting on the bull because he was to fat and lazy to get up and walk (he was a kind bull), she also remembers her uncle used to milk the cow and spray fresh milk into ours mouths. They spent Friday nights at bobs farm social hall at the dance, dancing the night away, which was lots of fun. Her father would pick them up in the bus and drive them home.
When Heather was old enough she got a job at Hamilton Electric Lamp Works stamping light bulbs and stamping brand names on them. She was promoted as a clerk in the promontory department testing Fluro lights and sending the results to Holland.
She met her future husband whilst playing tennis. Ivan was her friends brother. He was just there on the sidelines and eventually romance blossomed, when he proposed at Speers point park Heather was taken aback and said “are you for real”
She was 25 when she got married on the 8th February 1964 at Hamilton Wesley Church. Heather had 4 children, Tony, Julie, Lesley & Neil came 9 yrs after Lesley was born, after she had Neil she worked part time in a sandwich shop in Darby street Newcastle.
She sadly lost Ivan in 1985 of a heart condition. She was 42 years old when she was widowed.Heather got some social security to help raise the children but couldn't get a widows pension,Her youngest at the time was 5.
While living at Shortland the RTA bought back the land for it to become part of the new road infrastructure so she had to move to a new area. She chose Clifteigh.
She has 14 grandchildren & 18 great grandchildren.
Heather loved travelling the world and also within Australia.
She was a very crafty person, she used to bake all cakes like wedding, birthday, christening cakes, she would bake home made bread and rolls. Heather would also sew all clothes, wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, christening dresses, baby clothes (everything really), She’d crochet booties for her children, then their children and also her great grandchildren as well. Every year she’d embroider bath towels with their names on them and sometimes she would add a little decal as well. She also loved to do oil paintings and water paintings.
Heather loved to go to archery on the weekends and was in 3rd grade, and became the Ladies champion!
One of Heathers favourite memories was of a dog that would come into their yard at Shortland and poop under the clothesline so she got a bb gun and shot him in the toosh. Then after that the dog would walk up as far as the neighbours house then cross the road to dodge their house and continue on its way.
She is still living at home in Cliftleigh where she has been for 36 years.
Most of her friends have passed on, and she doesn’t like going out much.
