Bill and Joan Green
|
William Vincent ('Bill') Green (30/9/1915 - 30/1/1982) was
born in Hamilton, Victoria
Son of Michael Green
and Isabella Cahir, his grandparents
were all born in County Clare. Bill was of pure Irish blood,
although he never mentioned his Irish heritage.
He grew up in Geelong, and attended St. Josephs Geelong and
St. Pats Sale as a boarder.
He studied in Geelong as an industrial chemist, and got a
job working at Holeproof Hosiery, in Melbourne.
|
 Edna Joan Sykes
(16/5/1917 - 10/5/99) was born in Wentworth in New South Wales,
daughter of Edwin Joseph Sykes and
Selina Elizabeth Wilkes
She attended the old St. Ignatius primary school (now restored)
in Cadell Street Wentworth. When she was eight years old her
mother died unexpectedly from a bungled appendicitis operation.
aged from a botched appendicitis operation.
 She lived at the Commercial hotel
with her father, and attended Mary's Mount in Sydney (where Maureen,
her sister, had been several years earlier)., and Loreto convent
in Ballarat as a boarder. There she met Joan Coleman (later
Bowden) and Nan Noonan (later Schlink), both of whom remained
her close friends.
In 1936 Joan finished at Mary's Mount and left Wentworth
to live in Melbourne; she had been invited to join the Catholic
paper The Tribune, on the strength of her essay writing
ability while at school; she stayed at St. Mary's Hall, part
of the University, and wrote the children's page and the social
column for The Tribune. She also began studying Arts at
the University.
|
While reporting on the St. Pat's Old Boys Ball, Joan
met Bill Green. They married at St. Pat's Cathedral
in Melbourne on the 6th of April 1942, the same year that Bill
changed jobs to Hilton. They had a brief honeymoon in Lorne, and
moved into a rented weatherboard house in Prendergast street,
Pascoe Vale South. Their first child, Wendy
Anne, was born the following year, just after they moved into
a brick home they had purchased at 14 Louisville street, also
in Pascoe Vale South.
In 1945 they moved to the Commercial Hotel in Wentworth; Peter Vincent was born in Mildura that year.
In 1947 Michael James was born
in Wentworth. In 1949 the family moved to a fruit block at Curlwaa,
between the Lushes and the Macleod's blocks, and the Commercial
was sold. Wendy started school at the Curlwaa State School,
riding a mile or so on her bike when she was in Grade One. In
1950 a bus service to Wentworth began, and Wendy, Peter,
and later Michael, attended the Convent school.
They purchased a piano from the Holdings, which Joan would
play, and sing the hits from Oklahoma. An occasion causing great
excitement was the purchase of a brand new powder blue Ford Prefect
sedan.
They opened a milk bar in Dareton in 1952, next door to Frank
Sheean's clothing shop. In 1953, both E.J. and Ken Ford died
in Sydney, and in 1954 the Green family moved, staying initially
at Isabella Green's (Bill's mother's) house in Geelong,
until they found a house to live in at 25 Doris street, Greensborough,
where Joan's fourth child, Phillip,
was born.
Bill worked as a fruit inspector,
at Spencer Street railyards and the Melbourne Docks. Joan, after
her children left school, worked at the Taxation and Education
Departments.
Bill, aged 67, died of heart problems, and Joan (died May 10th,
1999, aged 82) died of pneumonia within weeks of moving into a
retirement home and attending the marriage of her first granddaughter.
Bill and Joan, along with their son Michael, are buried in the
Templestowe cemetery in Melbourne.