100 years of sewing and dancing for Mrs Selina (Sally) Duggan
Celebrating a life of the land and community, Resthaven Mount Gambier resident, Mrs Selina (Sally) Duggan (nee Goodridge) turns 100 on 3 October.
Born in Booborowie in South Australia’s mid-north, Sally was the eldest of 11 children. Her father was a labourer, and her mother worked in the home. Sally attended the local school and excelled at English.
‘I knew that the Dux of the school was given a book,’ Sally says. ‘I thought this would be a very good thing, so I tried hard, and was often at the top of the class.’
Sally left school at 14, at which time she worked as a housemaid at Collinsville Station.
‘With one of my first pay packets I bought a box Brownie camera,’ Sally says. ‘I’ve always loved photography.’
A few years later, Sally met her husband-to-be, Charlie, at a local dance. Sally and Charlie were married on 1 February 1947.
‘All we had to our names was an old Ford ute and 10 shillings,’ Sally says.
The couple went to live at Meadow Downs Station, north of Peterborough, where Charlie was working. For extra income, the pair would trap and sell rabbits.
‘We left Meadow Downs and started doing contract work to dig dams, using two teams of horses,’ Sally says. ‘My brothers Bill and Joe helped us.’
Joe moved in with Sally and Charlie in 1947, and he stayed with them in their various houses until his death in 2019.
As the family’s finances improved, Sally and Charlie purchased a Caterpillar D6 bulldozer. They continued doing contracting jobs, moving to different properties where the work was, and living in two caravans.
In 1948, Sally and Charlie’s first daughter, Roslyn, was born. A second daughter, Janet, was born in 1953, and then a third, Joan, in 1955. At this time, the family was living in Peterborough as Charlie and Joe had won the contract to dig the hole for what became the town’s swimming pool.
Sally spent her time sewing clothes for the family, as well as cooking and looking after the girls.
‘I joined a “Mother’s Club” when the girls went to school,’ Sally says. ‘Then through that I joined the Country Women’s Association (CWA).’
Sally stayed with the CWA for many years, and her contributions to the group were celebrated when she received a Lifetime Membership for her services.
Sally and Charlie continued to go dancing throughout the years, enjoying ballroom dancing with friends.
‘It was a good way for us to meet new people, and to socialise,’ Sally says.
ln 1957, they moved south, over the border to Benayeo, Victoria where, they started a Friesian Dairy stud named Halowie, in continued partnership with Sally’s brother, Joe.
‘I loved feeding the calves,’ Sally says. ‘I did all the paperwork for the dairy stud farm.’
Later, they transferred the dairy farm back to South Australia, to Wrattonbully on the Limestone Coast. Here they stayed until they retired to Naracoorte in 1998.
After their retirement, Sally, Charlie and Joe took several trips around Australia.
‘I took my camera with me, and took plenty of photos,’ Sally says.
Sally has also volunteered at The Wool Museum in Naracoorte, as well at Longridge Aged Care, where she would run craft sessions for the residents. She has made and donated around 900 patchwork and crochet lap quilts for older people.
As well as sewing, Sally loves gardening (especially growing roses – Charlie looked after the vegetable garden), and she and Charlie enjoyed watching DVDs of Strauss waltz performances and Andre Rieu concerts.
Sadly, Charlie died in 2018, the same year they were to celebrate their 71st wedding anniversary.
In 2022, Sally moved into Resthaven Mount Gambier. She is a vibrant part of the site community and enjoys doing word puzzles and reading.
Happy Birthday Sally! We hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy your celebrations.