Margaret Kerin, former Yeoval resident, now retired in Dubbo

You grew up during the World War II years – tell us about how you and your family lived during those difficult times.

As a child I lived at Coomobella. My father died in 1939 when I was eight years old, the year that the war broke out, so my mother and I moved to Sydney to live. Everything was rationed: tea, butter, sugar, flour. And I have never smoked in my life, but you couldn’t buy cigarettes back then either. Most of the boys I grew up with didn’t have shoes, but some of the girls did. I remember that, if a shoe got a hole in it, then mothers would put a piece of cardboard into it to try and make them last longer.

What are some of the things that you value in your life?

My grandchildren are very important to me. I love my time here at Ingenia Gardens. The friendship and the staff are very obliging. I only have to say what I want and they are onto it straight away. I recently stepped down from the position of Secretary at the social club and I was President of the Yeoval Bowling Club for four terms.

What are some of the differences that you have noticed during your lifetime, from yesteryear to today?

When I first got married, we milked the cows and killed our own lambs. I had to buy our groceries in Yeoval. My husband told me to buy them at Black Bros. one month and Ellis’s the next month. We used to share our support around the smaller local businesses. The younger generation are not as community-minded as we were.

So you do you regret moving into Dubbo?

No, especially with all of the medical facilities here in Dubbo. Moving into town has been a great advantage because I never had the movies and the theatre in the bush. I’m very interested in fashion and I am always keen to dress up for race days. My grandson and his wife are living in the house at Yeoval now, so I don’t think they’ll want me there.

Do you have any experiences from your teenage years that you would like to share?

Well, quite a few boys knocked on the door and Mum told them to go away, which was a bit disappointing. Whilst at the beach, I met a young man – I looked like Esther Williams in an aqua swimming costume – and he asked me if I was going into the water yet. I told him, “No, not yet,” and he said, “Well will you hold these,” and he gave me his false teeth to hold. That romance stopped straight away, never got off the ground. That is a true story.

– Interview by Darcee Nixon