Oh well I don't know. I suppose it's always been home. That's a bit difficult to say that one. It's always been home and I suppose you look upon it as home and that's virtually all I could say to that.
Well as an outsider I could say that it looks to me like it's not a struggle for you growing older here. For some people growing older in their home might mean it's a struggle for whatever reason, you know it might be a big yard or it might be trees or it might be that the place needs painting or the roof needs to be redone or things like that.
It does. Did you look up at it?
I didn't see it. No. So there we are. The house looks so good I couldn't have imagined there was a fault with it.
Oh it's a couple of years since I've had it painted but I'm very fortunate there. I've got somebody who comes in and cuts my lawns for me and is responsible for the garden and then the lass that comes in and does the housework, she pulls a few weeds occasionally. Yes and I've just had to turn my back on weeds and edges that I used to keep cut.
It's a choice. You can do that. For some people that would be enough of a worry for them to want to move to a place with a smaller yard if they couldn't keep on top of it.
Well, I kind of feel that I'd like to be able to do what I used to do but I can't so I just have to turn my back on that and hope that somebody else will come along and do it and I've got somebody else to come along and do it. The two that I've got are very, very helpful and I don't know, it seems as though they've taken it on as their own you know, do it as they wish, they want to do and, so
And you're quite happy about that because you've turned your back on it I suppose.
Well I've had to because I can't. I mean after my husband went I used to spend all my time in the garden, well most of it when I wasn't playing golf, but I can't do it so you can't do it and I just have to go along with that.
Well that's a coping strategy. So you are coping. But the roof is a worry?
Oh, I wouldn't say it's a worry to me but it needs doing but I look at it and think yes but then I turn a blind eye to that and I think, oh well it might last a bit longer.
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Oh no, no I haven't got any leaks, no loose iron or anything like that, the wind found that out the other night. Wasn't it terrible? It went all day.
A big tree fell on a house. It was on the front page of the paper. Did you see that?
Mmm.
So if the roof did leak, would that influence your decision to stay here?
No. I'd have it done.
You'd have it done. And you've got the money in the bank to have that done?
It'd be expensive though.
You wouldn't have to borrow?
No.
You're in a very fortunate position then. If you worked as a relief teacher, did you have superannuation from that?
No.
But you've saved?
Oh as much as you could. You couldn't save much on the wages back then.
Yes you said it was a struggle to establish the home and get the furniture.
But that's over a period of a long time my dear.
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05/05/2003 Interviewee 11
How long have you been living here?
Nearly 14 years?
And, where did you live before you moved here? [Name of suburb deleted]. [Name deleted] Street. And what led to your moving here?
Well my mother left me a house in [name of suburb deleted] and I sold that and moved here.
So you bought this house then? So is that when you moved into home ownership or did you own a home before then? So you sold ...
Oh well, you know we did own a place in [name of suburb deleted]. It was pretty much a run down shack, and then he left and then when Mum died, I got it.
And so your husband left.
Yes, and I'm much better off.
Yes, I think that's the case for a lot of women.
Yes [laughing].
So you own this house outright? But it's not the home ... you had children here?
Well I had seven, but there was only one that ever lived here.
Mmm, and what do you like about living here?
Oh the area, close to shops and most of the things I like to do.
So what sorts of things do you like to do?
Dance, Morris and Scottish Country, badminton, croquet and oh, I work in [name of charity shop deleted] at [name of suburb deleted] a couple of hours a week. Have I left out anything else?
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Yes.
So what don't you like about living here?
Oh the hill perhaps if I want to walk. [Laughing.] Yes.
I suppose it's hard, especially if you're carrying shopping.
Well, I've got a car now but the time will come when I won't.
So you think when there might be a time when you're older maybe, when you wouldn't be able to drive?
Yeah, mmm, and it might be a bit of a chore.
So when you moved in here, it must have been a pretty big thing to buy a solid house like this.
Oh yes, yes definitely.
So you must have had some expectations about what it was going to be like living here when you chose this house?
No, I don't know whether I did. It was something better than what I had.
And that has turned out?
Oh yes, yes. It's pretty easy; there's not a lot of work in it. It's sort of easy maintenance place. The first time I've had anything done to it was the painting last week, around the window ledges. But it's been really good.
It does seem very solid and it's nicely laid out. It'd be easy to move around here.
The thing that has been put on the back is the sunroom there. It's only got two bedrooms but that's really good.
It's got a big living area.
Well they can't land on me and think they're going to stop here [laughing]. With seven children that'd be highly likely.