Bridget Collins 13 November 1923 - 9 December 2006
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My name is Bridget Collins. Some people call me Biddy, or Sue. I was born in 1923 in Colac. My parents, Bridget and William Lennon, migrated from Ireland and settled in Coragulac. I was the second of four girls born into the Lennon Family. We owned a potato farm and I loved to help my dad milk the cow, gather the potatoes and take them to town on the horse and gig. The family shifted to Clifton Hill in
Melbourne in the 1930s. I went to
secondary school at Santa Maria College in Northcote. My favourite subject was English
Expression and Writing. I started
work in the Education Department as a typist. I also worked for an Insurance Company, JH Cooke and AMP. And I worked part-time for SP
bookmakers. |
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During World War 2, I met Con while he was on
leave. We started to write to each other and the letters became increasingly
more romantic. He proposed to me in
the Silver Grill, Hotel Australia, in 1946.
We married in St. John the Baptist Church in Clifton Hill in 1948. We settled in West Brunswick and had
five wonderful children – Barbara, Graham, Judith, Mary and Cathy. I experienced great satisfaction and joy
by immersing myself in my family. I became involved in the children’s
schooling and sporting activities, focusing on each child’s individual
interests and talents. During my life, Con and I traveled
with the family to many places around Australia, from Tasmania to Darwin and
many places in between. |
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Our family home was always full of
friends, children and laughter. I loved my garden, my sewing and craft room
(which was really the billiard room) and enjoying a cuppa with visitors. I
lived in this home for over 50 years. (Bridget moved to Gregory Lodge Nursing Home as the cruel disease of dementia ravaged her brain and body. She was cared for by staff for four years and was visited almost daily by Con, Judi and Renato. Other family members and friends also visited when they could. This constant family contact meant that Bridget's life was full of love and dignity. She passed away on 9 December 2006.) Bio written by Judi, Barb and Con. Last updated by Barbara 4 September 2007.
The
Con Collins family made the decision to donate Bridget's brain to the
Victorian Brain Bank Network to assist in their research. They provided us
with a report on the autopsy of Bridget's brain.
Go to Collins Page |
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