Family
Jean MARKHAM
Birth:
14 April 1926 -
Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia
Marriage:
31 January 1972 -
to
Colin Charles
IRONMONGER
Albany, Western Australia, Australia
Death:
21 June 2019 -
Basksia Park Nursing Home, Mandurah, Western Australia, Australia
Notes
Jean Markham (ironmonger) 2004
Her parents, Annie and Jack MARKHAM migrated to Australia from Manchester England in 1925.
Her father, a "jack of all trades" with wife Annie first settled in the South West and farmed in the Rosa Glenn area before relocating to the city.
Jeans education was completed at various metropolitan schools. At age 14, she left school and got a job in a shoe factory in the city.
During the war years she volunteered her services to the Women's Auxillary who assisted service personnel on leave.
She was an excellent dancer and singer and would regularly attend dances, often with her mother.
In addition to her volunteer work, she also worked in a factory pressing and packaging uniform shirts for the armed services.
During this period, her parents moved back to farm in Augusta.
On a visit there, she met a young Richard WALL. They later married and had four children. Terrene, Graeme, Dianne and Lynda. The family lived and farmed a beautiful dairy farm on the Blackwood River.
Those days were not always easy however and a regular source of food on the table was fish from the river, rabbits and vegetables grown on the farm.
The rabbits and fish were sourced by Graeme who was a good shot and a keen fisherman.
Dick worked in a timber mill to supplement the family income and Jean milked the cows and sold the milk. She was an excellent dressmaker and made all the kids clothes as well as clothing for other people in the community.
Dick built their home on the banks of the Blackwood. It was made of weather boards with white washed hessian interior walls. The remains of this house are still there and are often visited by her four children.
Tough times continued and in later years, the farm was leased out and the family moved to Narrikup where Dick was employed as the manager of a timber mill.
Whilst living in Narrikup, Jean was severely burnt when standing in front of the kitchen wood stove. Her clothing caught alight and she received severe burns to 60% of the body. She spent the next nine months in the burns unit at Royal Perth Hospital. Evan after her release she had to return daily to have dressings changed. The fact that she survived such severe injuries in those days is testament to her inner strength.
During this time, the family moved back to Perth to be closer to the hospital.
Amidst this tragedy, the marriage broke down and Jean later married Colin.
At this time, Colin had a trucking business in Mount Barker and Jean with her youngest daughter Lynda moved to that town.
Colin and Jean eventually moved to Geraldton, Western Australia
Whilst in Geraldton, Jean had started playing lawn bowls and became a champion on the green winning many pennant trophies in both team and singles events. She maintained the friendship with her old bowling team members Ellen and Molly up until her death. She was also a member of the CWA and maintained an active role within this organization for most of her adult life.
On their retirement in 1985, Colin and Jean bought a home in Busselton and remained there until moving into a retirement village in Mandurah in 2001.
In December 2018, Jean moved into Basksia Park Nursing Home until her passing on the 21st June aged 93.
Scrapbook
Colin Ironmonger and Jean Markham - Circa 2015
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