“One cold day we were sitting looking out the window and John at 63 said…Let’s retire to Australia. It was 1988 and here in Australia at the time interest rates were 17%. We had enough money to buy a house and invest some so for 3 years I couldn’t buy shoes or go shopping. John had pensions with all the companies he’d worked for. We decided to do trips around Australia while we were still both here.
We were living in Lismore and one day there was a Koala in the back yard. Janet was coming from England to marry an Australian in our lounge-room. There was a shop in town called The Big Scrub so I went asked what trees I needed to plant. There was a meeting that week with National Parks and a lady from the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie. Off we went and by the end of the night we were collared by National Parks because we were retired. I met Ruth Barrett and her family and National Parks asked if they could train us to care for Koalas. My husband ended up as the Treasurer, a carer, the works manager and a leaf collector. John and I were the Rescuers.
Professor Peter Baverstock at Southern Cross Uni at the time got involved. We could plant trees on his property near Tucki Tucki. He also instigated the Uni giving us land. John and I had planned another trip but by this stage we had Koalas everywhere, babies in the laundry, one in the back bedroom, in the trees around the pool and so on. I became the fundraiser. Everyone we asked helped to build the Friends of the Koala building and hospital. Hurfords donated the roof, the Uni and Council gave us the land. We had a visit from an MP called George Souris who came to see what we were doing. He came home for a coffee. At that time we had a very small number of volunteers, no money for medicines so we had to earn that and pay for own petrol. We raised half the amount needed for the building. When Souris left he called me to say we had the other half so the building commenced.
Bert Berryman an old local farmer was our President so he knew Hurfords and others willing to help. My son-in-law did all the plumbing for free. In between we were travelling the coast to seminars, learning the whole time. John Williamson came to see it and he was performing in Lismore that night. He said we could have buckets at the venue door and we raised $8,000. At the time Northern Star was vibrant and they helped out with media releases. The plaque on the wall was done by one of our members wives who does headstones for the cemetery. Everything was given. Lorraine Vass and Rick came to town and she was the perfect person to take over. I said to Ruth, this is the perfect time for us to step back. We had Geoff Tomkins as President which gave it kudos. His reputation is so good. Lorraine agreed to be President as we were pretty worn out by this time and my daughter Mary had a scuba diving accident. Mary had 35 operations throughout those years. She’s up doing Tai Chi today. There is no-one stronger than this girl.
Due to the bushfires the World Wildlife Fund funded a Vet and a Vet Nurse now plus 3 vehicles. Now they are employing someone to make a film about how we started They interviewed Ruth and I and there was Geoff who’d moved out of town. He’s such a cuddly, loveable man. He and John used to do everything together. John would take the Koalas and he’d get John in the theatre to help him the operation. One day Rolf Harris came to do a doco and John was with him the whole time but then Rolf was done for Pedophilia and it was devastating that this charming man could interfere with a child. He had a family of his own. What makes these people do such things?
I played Golf and then I started Tai Chi here in Goonellabah which I’ve been doing for 10 years now. I was diagnosed a year ago with lung cancer. My GP sent me to a lung specialist in Lismore. He had me have a breath test. He told me to throw my puffers away. Tai Chi teaches us to breathe properly too. That specialist sent me to Dr James Bull the Oncologist here. I said I’m 88 and I don’t want chemo. I’ve had a great life so I’m happy to go. He told me about Immunology which has worked for so many people. I started the treatment at St Vincents for half an hour with an infusion which get’s your immune system pumping. By the second treatment my limbs were hurting. I was struggling toget up so I pulled the plug on it. They gave me the scan with the dye and that treatment had reduced my tumour from a golf ball to a thumb nail. My friend only got tired with the same treatment so it affects people differently.
My brother, Ashley Grainger was the reason we came to Lismore with the swimming. I started to swim and I was fitter than people my age. It was a challenge. I was 60 when I started again and I was still competing till last year. Covid stopped us from crossing the border to Southport for the National Championships. I’m still a Champion at 88. This year has been tough because I’ve been unwell and because of Covid. I have lot’s of trophies (laughs).
I think I’ve stayed fit and happy because I don’t have anyone horrible in my life. Starting with nothing, you appreciate all that you have. Don’t spend time bitching about something you can’t fix and I feel that I have succeeded in passing that on to my children. My son was a Policeman in England and married a Policewoman. They followed us back to Australia too and I have the perfect relationship with her. We are very close. I have 8 Grandchildren and 6 Great Grandchildren and one baby about to arrive.
I went back for a checkup last week and my tumour has shrunk further without treatment so my plan now is for 2 years instead of 6 months. I’m not afraid of death and I think that’s because I’m living the life I’m living. You see people like Dylan Alcott who just won Australian of the Year and he’s in a wheelchair. You see what people make of their lives if they’re dealt a hard blow and those that don’t. Look how happy he is. You’ve got to go out there and get it. My Mum died at 63 from Bowel cancer. I lost a brother to Bowel cancer and when I came home here, we both got tested and I had polyps so I was lucky I did that test.
John was 92 when he died. That was 3 years ago. When he died I wanted to get rid of all his things as I just wanted memories. I had all these gorgeous boys in the family so I got them all here one day before his funeral. I always dressed John nicely as he didn’t shop for himself. All the boys took something, a shirt, some shoes, they all took something and they all wore those things to his funeral. That’s what you want, not sadness but a celebration that you had the privilege of him being your Grandad or father in law. We were married for 63 years and we were still in love. When Mary had the brain tumour and John was in Bangkok, I couldn’t talk to him as there were no phones and I was so worried how I was going to tell him in the morning when he got off the plane. It occurred to me that day that I was more worried about his reaction than the fact I had to give him that news, that I was trying to protect him. I think that’s what we both had, a love for the other greater than yourself.”