After meeting with my (90 year old) Aunty Jean Tillett yesterday I only now discovered that Jean (bottom left of picture)/my other Aunty Iris Hinchcliffe (top right hand corner) both played football in Kalgoorlie 1944. I had absolutely nooo idea that these refined women I knew all my life would even play football. Not once was it mentioned. It has taken me aback to take a closer look at their lives and how they have impacted in my own life and why I keep on keeping in with my Gynaecological Health campaign.
Sadly Mum is slowly fading away with dementia and Jean still has a sharp mind however I feel Jean is missing the life they used to have. Mum was a great pianist and Jean and their other sister Billy were singers and would always be entertaining at concerts with the war songs and song learnt from their father who was a violinist. So music was always part of their lives. Jean lives on her on and soo misses the life she once had. Determined to stay in her house by herself she is lonely, going blind and deaf. One wonders how one would cope with these things at that age. I rang to try to get some help for anyone to go and even sing a song and a cup of tea. I feel it would be great to hear a 90 yo woman speak of her time back then playing football given that women’s football is now getting some wonderful attention.
Mum raised us 5 girls on her own after Dad came back from the war with mental issues. When I look back I wonder how on earth Mum survived.
Now I begin to understand where my determination, persistence, perseverance and spirit has come from.