My Married Life

Bill and I are not pretentious people. We both have a high work ethic and we both have a strict moral code. Our likes and dislikes are worlds apart and led us, at times, to have a certain independence within our marriage.

Again I feel telling about different incidents in our lives will be easier than dragging out our life year by year.

• Our honeymoon tells what type of future we were about to embark on. Bill owned a Ford Station wagon so I made curtains around the windows and placed a mattress in the back. With a few clothes and some personals we went on a wonderful outback journey to broken Hill, the Barossa Valley and Iron Knob. Our return home was via Victoria where we were halted by the worst ever floods. A wonderful time of growing together.

• We started renting in Trafalgar St, Annandale, and after 14 months moved to a newly built home at 14 Ridgeway Crescent, Quakers Hill.

• Everyone in our street was young with no or very small children. We met all the neighbours and began life long friendships. Most of us have grown old together and 4 of the 7 close neighbours are still here.

• Christmas Days were great when we all had young children. We all had a BBQ breakfast on the road in our cul-de-sac before we went off to church or visiting relatives. The kids showed their toys and rode new bikes or roller blades around the street.

• Friday nights was darts night for the boys in the garage. Bruce, 

• I had the opportunity to start a small Athletics Club.

• I taught at a number of schools around Blacktown and my love of children and love of teaching pulled me in many different directions over the years.

  • My first school here was Doonside Primary. My love of sport immediately became apparent and I spent my time coaching PSSA school and district teams, organising district swimming carnivals and doing a little teaching .

  • After 12 wonderful years it suddenly became stale.I was moved to Kings Langley Public, a new demountable school which was quickly growing. Here I continued on my organising sport at a school and district level including cross country, finals night and combined Seven Hill Blacktown District Night Swimming Finals. My love of teaching here for the first time moved me towards gifted and talented students and I developed programs for senior primary students. I was at Kings Langley when I got a call at recess to say they had a child for us to adopt. By lunch they had bought me gift and signed cards and had a big farewell lunch for me. I never taught there again.

  • I returned to teaching fulltime after three years at Marayong Public, after doing some casual work. I loved Marayong and the children. Here,my principal, Mr Feneley, said it was time to put the skills I had gained in organising sport towards organising a school. I had lost my comfortable life. I became an executive and introduced a New English curriculum to staff. I ran and organised scripture and it wasn't long before I was applying for further promotion.

  • I became Assistant Principal at Parklea Public which was growing quickly in a new suburb. I was the first executive to arrive after the Principal. I set up structure and wrote programs all while teaching wonderful classes. This is where I retired.

• In all of this, Sharna Yvette Morris came along, but hers is another story.

• Another great thing that happened was when I was selected as a Torch Bearer for the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000.

• When Bill got sick, we decided that I would take 12months long service leave and we would go round Australia in a Caravan. Sharna had flown the nest and nothing was holding us back.