We’ve all rolled out of bed some mornings, feeling exhausted and flat and on many of those occasions may have muttered to ourselves that we “feel a hundred years old.” Hardly one to have the right to comment on what it feels like to be 100 years of age (I’m a ‘mere’ 67 years short of that), today I meet with a lady who has just notched up a century, and let me tell you that she does not portray someone who struggles to get out of bed or is lacking in sleep!
Phyllis Luck is a bubbly lady who lives a very simple but private life, happy to pop out for coffee with friends or to potter in her neat as a pin home in beautiful Cohuna. Her close friend, Betty Thompson is never far away (she literally lives just doors away), and is pleased to sit with us this morning as I delve into the life of Phyllis over a cuppa.
Phyllis Shilcock was born in Camberwell on the 22nd of February 1920. The eldest of 3 children, she had two sisters Lorna and Doris.
“Lorna was 8 years younger than me, so we probably weren’t as close as Doris and I. We most likely thought Lorna was a bit of a nuisance as far as little sisters go,” she laughs. “I remember going camping with Mum and Dad with us three girls squashed into the back of the old Morris car. We’d be poking each other in the ribs and annoying one another! Doris passed away at the end of the war. She got very sick but by the time my mother got her to the hospital she died. It was very hard, traumatic, but the family just had to get on with things. You grieved in private.”
I ask Phyllis to describe her parent’s personalities to me, and in doing so she smiles.
“Dad’s name was William George and he was a very quiet man, but sure of himself. He was gentle I suppose. He was a builder. He came out to Australia from England to start a new life and brought my Mum over with him. They married here and that’s how our family began. Mum’s name was Grace Caroline and she was much like my father, very kind and gentle.”
Phyllis attended South Camberwell State School and while she says she was “an average student,” the only things she enjoyed about school were sports and making friends.
“We played footy and cricket with the boys next door who also went to our school. Everyone played together and got along well. I made some very good friends. I then attended the East Camberwell Girl’s School for two years before going on to Bradshaws Business College to learn dress making. I caught the tram every day. I’d always liked making doll’s clothes when I was a little girl and as I got older I used to make my own clothes. So it was a wonderful opportunity to go to college to learn properly. I got a job doing private dressmaking, mostly street dresses and ball gowns. Dad was in the RSL and they used to have dances of a Saturday night which we would attend as a family. We all made our own dresses and would often use the same dress if you were going to a different function. There was none of this having to have a new dress for every occasion. We used to go to the dance classes so everyone knew how the different styles went.”
During the second world war, Phyllis began corresponding with a soldier named Bill who she says was a “friend of a friend.” Getting to know each other well through their regular letter writing, when he returned from service the two met in person and went out a few times before Bill asked Phyllis’ father’s permission to marry his daughter.
“We married at the Camberwell Presbyterian Church in 1950 and I made my own wedding gown.”
Together with Bill, they had 4 children – Max, Brenda, Graeme and Leonard.
“I was very excited to become a Mum. It was all very new and I had no experience with children but if I needed any advice I’d just ask my Mum. We lived not too far away from her so that was very helpful. I loved being a mother.”
After some time, the marriage sadly broke down and Phyllis continued to raise her children as a solo parent in Melbourne. Determined to provide them with a good life meant that Phyllis worked hard to ensure they were well fed and sheltered; she took on as much dress making work as she could manage which would also help her gain valuable experience in the industry.
Asked to make a deb frock for a friend’s daughter, she was invited to attend the ball which she did, and it seemed she had been set up on a blind date!
“I wasn’t keen to be going to the ball on my own and had mentioned that to my friend. I arrived at the ball and in walked this gentleman. His name was Martin and he was lovely. He was a true gentleman and treated me like a real lady. We hit it off straight away. We married and lived in Ringwood for awhile. That’s when I applied for and got a job at the ABC making costumes. It was very busy, and I learned all facets of pattern and costume designing. Everything was handled with meticulous attention and put in ap- propriate sections. We all knew the jobs we had to do and made sure we got it done. There was a time limit and you had to meet that. They were very particular about being neat and tidy and straight; especially the news readers. After the costumes had been used they were washed and hung on racks and put into storage. They were used again.”
I take a moment to look at Phyllis’ hands and I comment to her on their softness and how they don’t resemble the hands of a 100 year old dress makers. No signs of wear and tear, she sits with her petite hands folded before her just within reach of her cup of tea.
“After 10 years working with the ABC, I decided to retire and we relocated to Mount Dandenong, near Olinda. It was beautiful. That’s when I took up golf. I wasn’t great at it but it was a good opportunity to make friends and I really enjoyed the social side of it. Martin and I used to go away a bit for holidays. We went on a cruise to Canada, and to America. We also used to just get in the MG and head off somewhere in the car. We decided we’d had enough of the hills and traffic and got in the MG this day to go exploring. We drove to Echuca but decided it was too big for us. Then we went to Kerang and Swan Hill and no, that wasn’t for us, so on our way back home we ended up in Cohuna and stopped for lunch. It was a beautiful day and we were sitting at the window in The Bower. We agreed that it was lovely, and so we went to see the estate agent to find out what they had to offer. There was one house we liked but it had no garage and Martin needed a garage to put the MG in, so that was no good, then we found this. We talked about it for ages and then decided to move to Cohuna.”
Betty looks over at Phyllis and smiles. Clearly, it was soon after arriving in Cohuna that their friendship began because it looks as though Betty is familiar with where the story goes from here.
“I started with the CWA and made sure I met people. Then came the U3A, Tai Chi which I loved, then golf and bowls. Martin played bowls as well. He was a really sociable per- son and loved to talk!” She laughs.
“We were very happy to be in Co- huna. We ended up selling the MG to Max and Andi Bowland. All of my children were adults and doing their own thing, and we were just enjoying life. Martin would always be out in the shed tinkering. He made steam engine model trains. He’d been an engineer in the British Army. He was a very clever man.
He was part of the team who built the first Australian made Kenworth Truck which now sits in the truck museum in Alice Springs. Then on March 19 last year Martin passed away.”
Losing Martin was devastating for Phyllis and she is extremely grateful for the assistance of her wonderful friends and family for getting her though the difficult times and ensuring she got back on her feet. It seems that’s all part of the package when you live in a community such as Cohuna.
“The people, the marvellous community, joining the clubs – it is wonderful living in Cohuna. I have all I need here. When I was able, I used to enjoy getting out in the garden but I’m fortunate with the services available that I can still get things done that I can’t do myself.”
I ask Phyllis to reflect on her life for a moment before she answers my last few questions. She does this with a contented smile on her face before answering the following –
What has been the best thing about having your children and what message would you like to give them?
“Well I’d say the best thing about having children is to see them so happy and healthy. They’re very kind and thoughtful people and seeing them grow and become their own people is just lovely. Then they get married and produce grandchildren. By the way I have 8 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren! To my family I’d like to say that its overwhelming to have you all. Oh, and I love you all. I’m really proud of you all and with all you’ve done. You’ve all done very well.”
What is your advice for a long and blissful life?
“Make sure you care for people. Be considerate towards others. Accept them as they are and always try to have a smile on your face even if you don’t feel like it. Work hard and be honest.”
What defines your happiness these days?
“Just seeing people. Either at home here or out and about. I like being around people. I mostly enjoy sitting with friends and family enjoying a cuppa.”
Thank you to Betty Thompson for her support and assistance during this interview with the delightful Phyllis Luck. I feel extremely grateful for the opportunity to sit down with you both today.
Thanks for the chat.
Phyllis celebrated her birthday with her family in Surrey Hills, Melbourne, many who flew in from overseas, Another celebration was held at the Bower Tavern with all of her local friends hosted by the Cohuna U3A, There was lots of pageantry displaying her active life and presentation of all the special birthday cards from the Queen etc, Gavin Chatelier provided music for the day and many guests bopped away to his music into the afternoon including Phyllis. They were both very special events for her.