Todays Golden age portrait is extra special because Peggy doesn't allow anyone to take her photo. She was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy at 4 years old . She told me, "I was at Newcastle beach and came out of the water with my face all dropped". At 5 years old she would go by bus to her appointments.. walk from her home to hunter street , go on the bus to the clinic new pacific street & then make the return trip by herself. Just unbelievable to imagine at that age.
She has struggled to see herself as beautiful due to the condition, so it's an honour she entrusted me with not only that, but to also tell her story.
Name – Peggy Mae Hall
Year – 03/07/1934
Place of born- Nabiac
I am a proud Biripi/ Minimbah Bundagry elder , representing our aboriginal community.
We spoke of her Aboriginal ancestry, & Peggy said growing up it was never spoken of or acknowledged. She said she has never felt prouder. & more accepted, than one of her recent gatherings when she was asked to stand up as an elder & represent her people by cutting the commemorative cake for the occasion.
Peggy has 2 Sisters, 1 brother. she was the eldest, I remember we all had nicknames (Aka pegleg) , Maurice (aka Monny) , Carol ( Always wanted to be named Caroline , when she had her daughter named -Caroline ) , Jocelyn AKA Jo.
Parents- Born to Lorna May Higgs and Leonard Pearson Higgs. When the war was on mum worked as tailoress, clothing factory sewing, during the war mum was a bus conductress collecting the fares . Father passed away at 36 years, due to a rare heart condition that could have been fixed with today’s treatment.
Important memories to me were being on the family farm. The things that we would need to do Maurice (10) and I (11) , we would plough the cultivation for vegetables for the animals , and do the milking. We would then go off to school, I remember getting the cane for being late .
One day Ma sent us around to the Kennedy’s farm , there was a peach tree in the bottom of the hills we went with a bucket , We couldn’t find it so sent one of the younger kids to ask where the peach tree was ,they told us where to locate the tree.
First job (So many jobs). My first job was Making baby slippers in Hamilton, followed by multiple jobs (then I went to a mixed business shop (grocery store at Stockton) Then after that my real work started. I went to a restaurant on the corner of Beaumont and Tudor street Hamilton, then the pallet in Newcastle worked for Mooks the Chinese restaurant opposite the pallet . the Victoria theatre.
Married Roy Peake at 17 and had 3 sons. We parted ways when I was 28 years old. I met Charlie Hall (42) when I was 30 years old, having 2 kids Kim and Garry . Sadly, Charlie passed away at 75 years old. I was a market gardener at Weston. then I worked at the kowah café in Maitland, the Ausie café in Maitland, Chinese restaurant in Lakemba, home help service Newcastle , manager with Sarah Coventry jewelry ) ,
I became a Chef- at Lingard hospital( 7 years ) , Wallsend RSL kitchen hand, professional dressmaker and designer , Retired from the workforce 58 years . 6 years later at the age of 63 when my husband Charlie passed away I went back to school and got my diploma for remedial massage therapist working in remedial massage for 10 years , with a practice at Wallsend , fortnightly at Denman , Tenambit remedial massage practice.
Peggy has 5 children, Raymond, Terry, Wayne, Kim , Garry .
When I started having kids and would be home, I was dressmaking , Lanes at Maitland first shop where you could order curtains made and I did the sewing
She now has 9 Grandkids -Simone, Ben , Sarah , Anthony, Carl, Angie, Rick ,Jake , Tayla
Great grandkids- Elwood, Flynn, Mikayla, Stella ,Evie, Larni, Maea , and grandbaby 8 due September 2023 (8 Great grandchildren)
Her hobbies are Driving, fishing and gardening. Cruises / travelling .
Have travelled many places including Singapore, Hong Kong , England , new guinea , Tonga ,Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji , Noumea pacific islands , France, Papua new guinea, Tasmania , I only need to go from Darwin to Perth than I have travelled all of Australia.
Over her life she has lived in 34 places
