Kathleen Theresa Bridget Tarleton (also known in Ireland to her family as Dolly) who is 89.
She was taken from her school in the war when she was 5yrs old (had only just turned 5 when it happened) and put on a bus and taken to the country to live with strangers. She didn't see her parents again for many years. They got re-connected again when she was 11yrs old and returned to England.
She met her Husband, Edgar Tarleton, who was an orphan, when she was 16, they met a community centre where young adults could go after school and do activities. They got engaged 6 months later and Edgar wanted to join the Australian Army as they were advertising, they needed people. Edgar got accepted and gave Kathleen the money to hop on the boat and meet him in Australia. She was a 10 pound pom and got on the boat at 16 to come over and meet him, just hoping he would be waiting for her at the other end. Thankfully he was and he had to find her a sponsor, a family to temporarily be responsible for her as she was under age.
They got married and had 3 children, All of her family was in England and Ireland so she had to make it on her own here. She mostly had to raise the children alone as Edgar was serving in the army and served in the Korean and Vietnam wars as well as a few others. She raised the children without much money, she would make the children's underwear out of Pop's old singlets, she made all their clothes, they just had to make do with what they had.
Edgar died when Kathleen was only 60, so she has had to surround herself with family and friends for the past 29 years without him. She is truly incredible, always the life of the party, always positive and outgoing and always there for her family, she especially loves cheering her great grandchildren on at their sporting events.
Kathy still plays tennis twice a week at 89 and cards with her friends every week. She has 8 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
