Women role models

                         Women Role Models

I came from a male dominated family. I have 3 brothers and 2 male cousins . I had no sisters or female cousins. I had 1 aunt and 2 uncles. Even now the next generation is very male dominated. However when I was growing up the gender roles were really defined. I was fortunate to have 2 grandmothers , a maiden aunt and later we had a housekeeper who all contributed to teaching me to cook, sew and knit. I enjoyed these pursuits and thus kept accomplishing more diverse challenges in these fields. I was expected to by the age of 10 to cook the Sunday roast and have it ready for after church.Fortunately I loved to do it and spent many hours in the kitchen cooking for enjoyment as well as for the family as mum was too busy.

Mum, somehow avoided the traditional roles and wasn't the best cook or sewer or knitter. Mum was too intelligent to get lost in domesticity.She was ahead of her time being one of the few female doctors in her era.She was a very independent woman who taught me too,to stand up and pursue my dreams without succumbing to the norms set by a society dominated by men.
I took pride in pursuing these activities, that evolved around cooking and crafts and care giving and later teaching them., and still do. My Grandmothers were of the era whereby everything was made from scratch and even grew their own vegies and had chooks too., neither grandmothers worked, their work was the home.Being the only granddaughter they taught me everything involving cooking and sewing and knitting and I loved it.

When Mum and Dad built the house in Mooroolbark, they employed a lady called Miss Poynter, to help look after us as they both worked at professional jobs and might not be home when we came home from school.Miss P was a darling and became another grandma to us and kept the house in order and meals on the table as well as teaching me to cook and knit. 

Mum was a great role model in the way she cared for people and instilled family pride and love in all of us. Dad was the scholar too and was very busy with his teaching roles and later University career, spending a lot of time travelling to and fro to work but making sure we had an excellent education as he had to fight hard to get his.

Mum

Miss Poynder

                                                                                                              

Grandma Noble and Aunt Lilian

Gran Halse