Happy 100th birthday, Mrs Pope!
The life story of Mrs Doreen Pope
Mrs Doreen Pope of Oakbank, who celebrates her 100th birthday on 12 May, certainly inherited the tough, pioneering spirit of her ancestors.
Descended from two of the first pioneer families of South Australia, the Dawkins of Gawler, and the Maidments of Strathalbyn, Mrs Pope credits her great age to ‘good genes, and hard work’.
Born in Prospect with one sister and one brother, Mrs Pope’s family moved to a 1,700 acre farm on the River Murray when she was four years old. ‘I remember sitting in a buggy, with the road going straight and white into the distance, as far as the eye could see,’ she recalls.
‘Our property had a nice house and a lovely garden. We mostly farmed dairy cows.’
That all changed when the depression hit, with Mrs Pope remembering how they ‘were only getting 7 pence for a pound of butter, 4p for a dozen eggs – wool was 9 pence a pound.’
‘Prices were shocking. Fruit – you mostly gave it away. It crippled us.’
‘I remember a 12-day heatwave, where it reached 117 degrees Fahrenheit. All that country turned to sand, and every farm went bankrupt.’
‘We more or less walked off the farm, and the house stayed empty for 70 years.’
‘It’s mended now – someone has restored it. But all the other houses in the area are ruins.’
‘We moved to Mount Barker and bought a little dairy farm, where we milked about ten cows, and tried to live on it.’
‘That was damn hard work. We had to cart water by hand from the well. But we managed.’
‘War broke out in 1939, and I married my husband, Mervon, in 1942. He worked as a farmhand on his family farm, which was unpaid. When he was called up to war, he finally got a pay cheque, so we could marry.’
‘It was tough times. One Christmas, we didn’t hear from him for three weeks. That was just the way we lived.’
In 1944, Mervon returned from the war, and the couple settled down on the farm, where they went on to have four children. They bought another farm in Bordertown, where they ran beef cattle, but remained living at the family farm in Mount Barker.
Sadly, in 1978, Mervon died aged just 64. Mrs Pope says, ‘I thought, “What in the world am I going to do now?” So I started buying shares to look after myself.’
‘Well!’ she says with a laugh, ‘I found that a bit of paper is worth more than milk and cows!’
Her eldest son eventually took over the family farm, and Mrs Pope stayed living there until 1995, until she decided to sell the farm. ‘Mount Barker was growing, and the land had become very valuable,’ says Mrs Pope, ‘So I was able to invest in more shares for my old age, and help the kids as well.’
‘The land was divided up, and is now the “Martindale” estate, covered in houses. They ripped me off really, thinking of how much money they must have made when they had the zoning changed!’
‘I bought this block of land at Oakbank, and my daughter [Margaret] bought a block across the road, and we built these houses, which we still live in.’
‘Mum did all the garden herself,’ says Margaret. ‘Up until two years ago, she would garden every day. Then she had a bad fall, which set her mobility back considerably.’
Mrs Pope is able to remain living independently in her own home with support from Resthaven Murray Bridge, Hills & Fleurieu Community Services.
‘We got on to Resthaven through mum’s doctor,’ says Margaret.
‘They come twice a day and do mum’s personal care, and her breakfast on weekends.’
‘They go above and beyond, they’re very good. We couldn’t be happier.’
‘If we ever have any troubles, Resthaven are always happy to help.’
Mrs Pope is also well supported by her family, with Margaret a daily visitor. ‘My family have been wonderful,’ says Mrs Pope.
‘My children and grandchildren have never let me down, they always look after me. I’m very grateful to them.’
The family is very excited about Mrs Pope’s upcoming milestone, and have organised a huge party for 130 guests. One of Mrs Pope’s friends will make 100 cream puffs to mark the occasion.
When asked if she has a secret to longevity, Mrs Pope only laughs and says, ‘Hard work, and choice of ancestors!’
Longevity certainly runs in the family, with Mrs Pope’s mum living to 95 and her dad to 99. Her younger brother, Lescil, is still thriving at 98, and their older sister Daicie, and several cousins, lived to beyond 100.
She says, ‘My great-grandfather died in his late 90s, not of old age, but from falling off a horse!’
She also adds that she ‘never smoked or drank – we couldn’t afford it!’
Many happy returns, Mrs Pope.