My Family Tree

Occupation: Shop assistant on marriage certificate.
Age: 28 Sep 1939 - 15 years old (marriage).
Home: 28 Sep 1939 - Kia Ora Avenue, Upwey, Victoria, Australia (marriage).
5 Feb 1975 - Range Road, Olinda, Victoria, Australia (Robert Wilfred death).

From Wendy May Faull notes in preparation of Doreen's funeral:

During her childhood, Doreen had many changes of address, all in the vicinity of Ferntree Gully, Belgrave, Cockatoo, Gembrook & South Belgrave.

She told the story of starting work at 10 years old, boarding with a couple who ran a general store near Berwick. Her day consisted of scrubbing, washing & the cooking. She occasionally got to go back and visit with Mother Elsa, Step Father Alexander and sister Ruby.

She also spoke of going to Brenock Park, Ferntree Gully, where she would help her Step Father by carrying water for him, so he could sell cups of tea during the stock car racing.

When Bob died at 58, widowed at 51 Doreen was lost. She decided to sell everything and move off the mount. She built a house in Kilsyth and also decided to travel. She went overseas many times and loved cruising as well.

When home, she got involved with badminton again and went dancing where she met Bob Connelly. They married. They decided to sell Kilsyth, and then followed numerous changes of abode, including Rosebud, Tootgarook, Barooga, Cobram, Euroa, Cobram, then Olinda, where she had a lovely unit at Rhodoglade and then a lovely room at the Rhodoglade Lodge, where staff were marvellous to her and in particular cared so tenderly for her in the later weeks of her life. Bob Connelly had passed away while they were in Euroa, so Dorren lived out her life as a single.

She was a very house proud person. She loved knitting so all the family, young and old, benefited by being gifted with baby clothes, lovely warm jumpers, cardigans and vests. Her cooking was her speciality. Sunday roast lunches, with apple and blackberry pie and also Christmas lunch are much remembered. Her cakes, slices and cookies are hard to replicate. She won many awards at the annual cake & knitting shows. Doreen would tell the story of learning to knit. As a child she was sitting at the front fence of her parent’s home, with two sticks and a piece of string, trying to knit. A little old lady walking past asked her what she was doing. She said she was trying to knit. The lady walked on, but soon returned with knitting needles and wool and taught Dorren to cast on and knit.

Doreen would tell of the ‘ Dunny Can’ man at a house they lived in as a young girl in Cockatoo. One day they were standing at the lounge window watching as the Dunny Can man, walking down the steep path towards his truck, with the can balanced on his head, when all of a sudden, the bottom of the can gave way and the contents spilt all over him. Doreen said they were all so embarrassed that they hid behind the curtains.

School lunches: Doreen's daughter Wendy would go home and Doreen would have a paper parcel of salted hot potato cakes ready, so Wendy would walk back to school munching on them. Wendy would tease her school mates with the aroma.

Bush fires: Doreen had always wanted a hills hoist clothes line and much to her delight Bob bought her one and installed it. One year a bush fire was threatening to come up the valley at the back of the house. Doreen told Bob to drop an old dry cypress tree that was very close to the house. Bob obliged and chopped it down – yes you guessed, it fell on the hills hoist. The wind changed and the path of the fire changed, so it missed the house. A few weeks later Bob tried his best to straighten the clothes line, but it was always wonky.

Another bushfire: Bob had 100 ‘s of seed potato wooden crates stacked at the back of the house. Again the fire threatened so Doreen and Wendy picked them up, 6 stacked on top of each other and ran and tipped them down the embankment. Thankfully the fire turned away again. Yes, it took days to bring the crates back and restack them. Bob wasn’t impressed.

What a wonderful fulfilling life …….. raising 3 children, then followed 12 Grandchildren, 33 Great grandchildren, and 3 Great Great Grandchildren.