Talbots mark 66 years together
DON and Pat Talbot celebrated 66 years of marriage on October 1, 2021.
In that time, Don who is now a retired journalist, has written more than 40 books.
They range from an autobiography of philanthropist Clive Berghofer to former coach tycoon Jack McCafferty as well as other notable people.
He has also completed histories of schools, hospitals, retirement homes and local businesses.
His wife, Patricia ‘Pat’, has been making toys for children since the couple moved from Canberra to Toowoomba in 1970.
Pat (nee Wieland) was brought up on an orchard on a property at Heathmont, near Ringwood, Victoria.
She met Englishman, Don Talbot shortly after he arrived in Melbourne in 1954 and started working for the ABC.
They married at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Ringwood, on October 1, 1955.
Don was 21, his bride 20 and many of their wedding photographs were dominated by Don’s mother-in-law, wearing a large red hat.
Pat, a young, accomplished dressmaker made her own wedding dress.
The Age newspaper included this description of the wedding:
‘The bride was charmingly attired in a classic-styled gown of cream brocaded satin completed with a short train.
‘Her finger-tip length veil was held in place by a Juliet cap trimmed with orange blossom. She carried a bouquet of cream water lilies.’
When they moved from Victoria to Canberra she continued her trade and concentrated on making outfits for wives of diplomats who were heading overseas.
Life changed when the couple moved to Toowoomba and Pat got away from dressmaking and began making toy animals for different charities.
She and Don opened Australia’s first Teddy Bear Museum in the Bell Street Mall.
Pat’s workers made what was then Australia’s largest teddy bear – 10 feet 11 inches tall.
Large pandas were also produced for charity auctions and then followed requests from schools and universities for signature bears, including ones dressed with gown and mortarboard for students graduating.
Orders for toys came from unusual sources – tourist operators on Victoria’s Phillip Island asked for toy penguins; the monks at the New Norcia Monastery in Western Australia requested toy monks; camel-racing enthusiasts in Western Queensland needed toy camels; a tourist outlet at Thallon asked for toy wombats; the outlet at Bollon sought kangaroos; the Fire Brigade asked Pat to make rescue dummies modelled on real people including children; and she also made puppets including a special head-size koala bear called Blaze to be worn when fire officers visited schools.
In recent years, the demand has turned to Australian toy animals made using indigenous-print fabric.
The little kangaroos, koalas and wombats are now popular, particularly at visitor information centres.
One of Pat’s most recent orders was to make 300 tiny dresses for teddy bears to be given to students at a Toowoomba girls’ college.
Today, Don and Pat usually rise early.
She heads to the industrial sewing machine in her work room and Don takes his coffee into his adjoining office to record more local history.
After the success of his most recent books dealing with local witches and haunted places, he is now concentrating on Volume 8 of his series of books titled: ‘Toowoomba Strange and Unusual Tales’.
The series began in collaboration with fellow writer John Larkin in 2003, and Don has asked the printer to reserve his press to get his new work out in time for Christmas.
Don and Pat have three adult children, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren – they all have collections of Pat’s toys.