SHEILA HUNTER, of Avoca Beach 1924 - 2002Sheila was born in 1924 to Murdoch and Mabel McDonald, Engineer, in Ngakawau in New Zealand. Her parents were Australian originating from Ballarat in Victoria. She was the youngest of the four children who all born in New Zealand. When aged three, her family moved back to Australia, to Canberra, where they lived in Ainsley. Her father worked as a Engineer on road building in the City. Over they years the moved many times following her father's work wherever it went, Perth, Yanchep, and many places in Melbourne. It was when here, when she was 13, that her father moved back to New Zealand to be with his first two children from an earlier marriage. There was of course, no widows pensions or similar like today and so to make ends meet, she and her brothers helped her mother run a service station, which was the dockland area in Melbourne. She attended Strathearn School and later PLC Melbourne, leaving after her intermediate Certificate. She worked through the war and depression at the service Station, carting coal bags and doing heavy the labour of a man! She learnt a lot about cars and during this time, became the first woman in the Melbourne Light Car Club, a thing previously unheard of! She was navigator for rally cross drivers and her team won their share of races. When in 1947 her mother moved to NSW and in 1948, Sheila, at 23, was now able to fulfil her dream by training to be a nurse. Her family had always treated her as dumb, as school work had definitely not been her forté. I was not expected that her dream of being a nurse was going to be able to be achieved, but she excelled. She trained at the Alfred Hospital and then went on to work at the "Queen Vic", she graduated and gained certificates. In about 1951 she moved to NSW and worked in The Royal Hospital for Women (known as "the Royal"), then to the Tresillian at Vaucluse (her 3rd Certificate) and then late 1953 and she moved in with her mother again next door to her sister, Judy Tudor, in Avoca Beach and she worked at "Roma Hospital" in East Gosford. At this time she had heard about Norman Hunter but had only seen him a few times from a distance. In 1955 Norman (now 51) and Sheila (now 31) Hunter were married at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney. Sheila's life has turned around. No more nursing, but motherhood and local village care as resident district nurse, although this was unofficial, she was called out on many occasions until 1966 when Avoca had its own Doctor in the "New Shops" as they were called. After marrying Norman, Sheila took on many complimentary positions in the community, i.e Secretary of the Liberal Party Branch, Secretary of the inaugural Red Cross Club. Convener of the inaugural 4H Club (like Junior farmers) and Local Girl Guide Commissioner for 4 years from 1967 and with Mr Peter Patton, was responsible for getting the local Scout/Guide Club built, Inaugural Vice President of the Bowling Club in Avoca. Sheila also followed Norman in to functions at their local Anglican Church. She became the President of the Women's Guild for over 20 years, and when this was abolished in the '80's she then became inaugural President of the Church Fellowship, which she has again been voted into. She in also involved in many of the Church Groups including a Carer's group, which is helping elderly and shut-in's and their carer's (including herself!), Norman at 94 needed full time care and she faithfully took on this role while her strength and breath lasted, he died just weeks short of his 96th birthday. She was passionate about history and their family history, and occasionally combining the two and putting pen to paper writing novels loosely based around one or other lines of the family stories. Sheila died aged 2 days short of 78. Up until 74 years of age, she was still heavily involved with the Community and also family life, she was still a well known and very well loved figure in the Village. She was also involved in assisting the setting up of the Rumbalara Environmental Centre in Gosford, hand drawing insects and their life cycles for posters for children to study. She found life a challenge and gave her entire life to the help and care of others, not holding back for herself but giving and giving. In 2000 she was one of the 20 NSW Australian recipients for the Year of the Senior Citizen Award for services to the Community. Sheila left me her mostly finished manuscripts 2 years before she died and it has been a labor of love to finish them and have them published. She wrote 3 period novels - set in the Early Australian colony of 1840 to 1860's. She also wrote a children's novel and mostly finished her biography, which I hope to also publish when completed. Sheila's Facebook page can be found at:- https://www.facebook.com/Sheila-Hunter-841584135879644/timeline/Read more about this authorRead less about this author