It never fails to amaze me the amount of people in our midst that have achieved so much in their lives and still keep on giving. One such person is featured in this week's members profile: Sue Wilkes. Sue, who is also one of the Young Croquet Club members on the Young Witness business house team, shares her story. Born in Sydney, educated at Granville and Parramatta. Worked for Rural Bank in many branches within the Sydney and Metropolitan region where I met Neil. We married in 1973 and had five children. We moved to Maimuru in 1986. Such a great move for us, away from the stresses of life in the bigger towns. Our children attended Maimuru Public School and then St Mary's Catholic High School. I was secretary of Maimuru Public School P and C for about eight years. Many fundraising events over those years and a great community spirit existed. I can recall wonderful end of school year concerts, respectful ANZAC commemorations, barbecue events, sporting events. Parental involvement was a vital ingredient for the school's success. I also helped in the classroom, listening to the children stumble over their words whilst learning to read. We also had pottery lessons for the children, such fun helping them with the craft and admiring their whacky creations. When my youngest child started school, I undertook and administration course through TAFE on a full-time basis. I had no idea on how to start up a computer, and felt quite embarrassed about this. Some of the students in my class were friends of my eldest daughter! I don't know who was more embarrassed, me or my daughter. The following year, after completing my certificate course, I obtained a full-time position at The Pipeline Authority - a government body responsible for the transportation of natural gas through 34" underground steel pipe from Moomba (the source of gas in South Australia) to Wilton on the outskirts of Sydney, a distance of 1300 kilometers. The Pipeline Authority was privatised in 1994 and has had many owners, and names since then. It is a national company, currently known as APA Group, with pipelines throughout Australia - where I worked for the next 20 years. During that time I also worked part-time for the TAFE, teaching introduction to computing. I could really relate to the students who were of a mature age. After all, it was only the previous year when I didn't know how to turn on a computer. I have been retired now for 11 years. My mother lived with us for a few years, but when she sadly had to move into Mt St Joseph's I was involved in her care there for four years. It was such an experience to be part of that community. Many of the residents were interesting, the staff caring, although they never seemed to have enough time for all the work they had to do. When COVID hit, I volunteered at Mt St Josephs on a Sunday to screen visitors to the home, ensuring that they were well and they adhered to the health regulations imposed on the home. I met some wonderful people during that time, visitors, staff and the residents. After Mum died, I found it difficult to go to the home. So, my volunteering efforts now include Meals on Wheels. That is a very rewarding activity. The people whom you deliver meals to are so appreciative of what you are doing. Sometimes, you might be the only person they see all day. I undertook an online course on Understanding Dementia through the University of Tasmania. It was such an eye opener. The course gave me a very real appreciation of what Dementia is. It raised an awareness of dementia in its many forms, and how debilitating it is, for the person involved, their families and the community. I would love to do more study in this area. I have become a member of the Young and District Family History Group, where I have been inputting data into the computer system, just a small step in digitising the historical records for future generations. It is such fun, listening to the stories of the past. There are some great photos. I have a special interest in the Young history. My father was born here, lived in Kingsvale and went to high school in Young. His family moved to Sydney in the 1930s. Mum's family also travelled through Young in the 1860s on their way to Parkes, where they eventually settled. Neil and I joined the Young Croquet Club early in 2024. I find the game most enjoyable, but challenging. It isn't just a case of hitting the ball through the hoop. There is so much strategy involved and thinking. The members of the club are friendly and encouraging, always ready to help with advice and suggestions for improvement. Our children have their own families now and three of them have moved away to Western Australia, South Australia and Newcastle. We have 14 grandchildren, ranging in age from 22 down to 7 years of age, all so very different but such wonderful company. We try to schedule regular trips to their places, but life does get quite busy sometimes. We are still living in Maimuru, but the property has been reduced to 46 acres. This keeps Neil very busy with lawn mowing, and the gardening. We have been in this house of 38 years and I don't think I would like to live anywhere else. Thank you Sue, for your great input into the page for Croquet Matters. I feel sure it will give encouragement to many people as just what can be achieved. Last week at the Club's Autumn Carnival, Sue was there every morning for four full days at 7.30am, all day as official time keeper.
