General News
20 October, 2023
From Sydney riverside to Shank Street: 100 years
Family and friends of Muriel (Phyllis) Ferguson recently travelled from as far afield as Adelaide and Sydney, and gathered at Warracknabeal Community Centre in celebration of her 100th birthday. The daughter of William and Jessie Smith, Mrs Ferguson...
Family and friends of Muriel (Phyllis) Ferguson recently travelled from as far afield as Adelaide and Sydney, and gathered at Warracknabeal Community Centre in celebration of her 100th birthday.
The daughter of William and Jessie Smith, Mrs Ferguson was born in Paddington, Sydney, on October 2 1923, and was to become the eldest of four siblings.
The family experienced tough times during the Great Depression and World War II, and lived in a tent near the river while William worked to support his family.
Mrs Ferguson remembers attending the opening of the Sydney Harbor Bridge on March 19 1932 when she was 11 years old, and meeting Lord Baden Powell while a part of the Girl Guides.
She worked as a dressmaker in a factory called Snowball Bros, and was friendly with many of her colleagues.
Muriel met Eric Ferguson when she was 20 years old, and he was 22.
Mr Ferguson was from Batchica, near Warracknabeal, and on leave from World War II service where he spent four years fighting on the Kokoda Trail.
The couple fell in love and were married on September 2 1944, relocating to Warracknabeal a few years later.
In 1948, the couple purchased a block in Shank Street, Warracknabeal, for 350 pounds.
With the assistance of Mr Ferguson’s brother, they built the home which Mrs Ferguson continues to live in today.
The couple welcomed two daughters, Susan and Carol, and spent many happy years together before Mr Ferguson sadly passed away in 2001.
After her husband passed, Mrs Ferguson decided it was time to travel.
She enjoyed going on bus trips and meeting new people, with a special highlight being the trip she took to China with her daughters.
Mrs Ferguson also enjoyed knitting, and she would often send toys and hats overseas for underprivileged children.
Mrs Ferguson is now a grandmother of four, great-grandmother of 10, and great-great-grandmother of six.
Although her mobility has declined, she still enjoys her daily walks to Scott Street to see Home Hardware’s resident cat, Moses, when she is not sitting by her fishpond with a cup of tea, catching up with her family.