Cathy Zoch (nee Collins) 26 September 1964

			My name is Cathy Zoch (nee Collins) and the fifth born child to Con and Bridget. I arrived into the world at Sacred Heart Hospital (now John Fawkner Hospital [2005]) on 26/9/1964. I went to St Joseph’s Primary School. I can clearly remember sports and athletic days – entering every race and winning lots of blue ribbons. In grade 6, I was the fastest student in the school. Dad always called me Bugs Bunny. I also loved netball. I started playing when I was 10 years old as GA and GS. Then over the years I played at the other end of the court as GD and GK. My last game was on 22/3/05. I snapped my achillis heel and went down like a bag of spuds. After excruciating pain and having to have an operation, I decided it was time to retire.
			My childhood years were fantastic. I will cherish them forever. I’ll always remember the great times in Whitby and Dalgety Streets playing Rounders, Roller-skating, Bike riding, Skateboarding and best of all was FIRECRACKER night. It was a very friendly neighbourhood and I had heaps of kids to play with. My two furry friends also gave me lots of enjoyment. They were Mr Dog and Sooty. To this day, I can remember the school holidays when my sister, Mary, and I coaxed them into our front yard with milk and bikkies because they were lost and scared. With a little “come on dad” Mum and Dad were kind enough to let us keep both dogs. Mum and Dad took us on lots of holidays – Tassie, Queensland, Adelaide, Sydney, Bright, Lorne ad Torquay. We always had good fun and heaps of good times on our holidays.
	I went to Santa Maria College, Northcote, in 1977 and made lots of new friends. My favourite memories of high school were the sports days. In year 9, I started competing for Preston/Reservoir Women’s Athletics. I competed at Aberfeldie for several years in the Summer Competition and still played Netball in the Winter. Mum and Dad were very supportive, and through my years of growing up, Dad would often be the team’s taxi driver and Mum was the orange girl and scorer.
	I finished high school in the early 80s and entered the DISCO ERA. My life after school was disco, disco and more disco! I even went in a dance disco competition with a friend and we won it. They were really fun years. My first job was at the Land tax Office, and then I worked for a Customs Broker at the World Trade Centre.
			At the age of 19 I met John Zoch and we were married on 27/2/1988. We bought a house in Brunswick and had a Blue Heeler called Fred. We were blessed with two beautiful girls. Our first daughter, Jessica, was born on 2/11/1989 and Elise was born 27/3/1991. They give John and I so much enjoyment and laughter. I could not imagine life without them. Our house in Brunswick wasn’t big enough so we moved to a bigger house in Oak Park where we still live today. Our dog Fred went to Doggie Heaven in 2000 and later that year, we brought Bob, a Kelpie Cross and we all love him to bits.
		We mainly go camping for our holidays. The kids have a ball wherever we go. We’ve been to Corowa, Echuca, Bright (several times as this is our favourite spot), Tocumwal and Eden. Last Christmas (2004), was a big four week trip to Queensland and back along the coast. This was a fantastic trip and a great experience for our kids. I currently work three days a week for a Customs Broker in Tullamarine. I used to play netball on Tuesday mornings but will have to find a gentler exercise to do instead now. On weekends, I like going to watch my two girls play netball, catching up with friends at a BBQ, going to the movies, walking Bob, going on outings with John and the kids. I also enjoy the middle of the year watching Jessica perform in her school productions. When John and I retire, we would like to travel around Australia. I’d also like to travel overseas one day.

Last updated by Cathy on 25 March 2005.

Go to
Top
Collins Page
Who's Who
Collins Family Photo Album