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2002 (c) Peninsula Community Access Newspaper Inc
Dorothy Harvey celebrates a century
Dorothy Harvey, a resident of Woy Woy Community Aged Care Hostel, celebrated her 100th birthday on September 16 with a morning tea for friends and fellow residents.
Welcoming remarks and congratulations were offered by general manager Ms Jennifer Eddy.
Member for Peats, Ms Marie Andrews, offered her good wishes and presented a commemorative certificate and a floral arrangement.
Mrs Harvey's daughter offered her tribute, and Mrs Harvey thanked the management and all those who had helped with the morning tea.
Entertainment was provided by the Bells.
Born in Tamworth, the eldest of 11 children, and having four older half brothers and sisters, Dorothy grew up in Singleton, Tamworth, and Croydon Park.
During these early days at home until she married, she was like a second mother to her brothers and sisters, doing much of the cooking, bathing children, cutting lunches, sewing where needed, keeping the peace and helping with each baby as it came along.
At 16, she trained as a kindergarten teacher and was sent to Casino where she met her future husband, Ernest Harvey, a teacher of agricultural science.
After her marriage in 1929, she left teaching to bring up her three children, Grahame, Ross, and Jeanette, moving from Carlingford, to Nowra, to Bathurst and then to Taree, where she resumed teaching on a casual basis.
In Taree, she helped found a school for sub-normal children, serving as its first teacher.
Finally, she and her husband settled in Ettalong, where she lived for 40 years.
At age 98, she moved into the hostel at Woy Woy Community Aged Care.
She suffered the loss of her husband in 1968, and in the last 11 years has lost her two sons and one grandson, David Harvey.
Her remaining grandchildren, Peter Harvey, Warren Harvey and Sue Leek live in Wollongong and Sydney.
She has two great-grandchildren, Ashley and Scott Leek.
She said she valued the love and support of her two daughters-in-law, Margaret Harvey and Noelene Harvey.
An excellent pianist, Dorothy Harvey contributed much to musical life wherever she has lived, accompanying singers and instrumentalists in Taree and Woy Woy, and serving as church organist in Croydon Park, Taree, Woy Woy and Ettalong.
For 20 years until she retired at age 98, she was the accompanist for the Bells, an entertainment group established by Mary Hickson and Marge McKenzie, and currently directed by Joy Coleman.
Since then she has continued to accompany community singing at the hostel, and to accompany such singers as Bob Warwick, Rod Radford, George Griffiths, Rosemary Munro and Des Taylor, and instrumentalist Ron Metcalfe, who have all entertained residents at the hostel.
Besides her musical contributions, Dorothy has appeared in stage productions (usually in comic roles), and for many years was a supporter of the Taree branch of the Arts Council.
She was a foundation member of the Woy Woy branch of the Save The Children Fund.
She was also a keen croquet player and, later, a member of the Woy Woy Bowling Club.
Throughout her life she has practised many crafts, including oil painting, cake decorating, copper work pottery and tapestry, and still does occasional knitting and crochet work.
For her contributions to the community, she has received a senior citizen's award, and was honoured in 1998, to receive a community service award from the Umina Rotary Club.
Her contributions were further recognised in 2000, when she received a Premier's Community Service Award.
During her long life, Dorothy has valued the friendships of many local residents, and of others now scattered worldwide.
At Ettalong, she often enjoyed visits from her mother who, when well over 100, could be seen fishing from the wharf at Ettalong
Her mother lived until she was almost 107 years old.
She still enjoys seeing her three sisters and brother, now in their 80s and 90s.
Jeanette Reyenga, September 17