Proof of a

Kath Short is a Pakenham girl through and through.
Kath came to Pakenham a tad off 50 years ago.
She came from a good grounding both in family and work and became a muchloved and respected Pakenham resident.
Those who know her or have known her through her employment and her work with St Vincent de Paul know Kath as a reliable and caring person.
She was born at Kew, Kathleen Gibbs, to Alec and Una Gibbs and lived her early life there.
She began her schooling at the beautiful old Sacred Heart Primary School in Kew and later won a scholarship to attend the Melbourne Technical College.
“My father worked for the Jellise Bakery,” Kath said.
“He was transferred to manage his firm’s bakery at Tongala so off we went and then soon after the Tongala move he was transferred to Nhill.
“Tongala was a small town, but Nhill was much bigger.
“I enjoyed our times up there, particularly at Nhill.
“However, war broke out and my dad joined the Army, but because of his age he missed being shipped overseas.”
Kath was about 10 years old at the time of their return to Melbourne.
This brought her back to Kew and Sacred Heart, a place she speaks of fondly.
She grew up with two sisters, Pat, who has died, and Olive who lives nearby at Wantirna.
Kath is one of that generation who can remember the terrible days of World War II, but also the great celebrations that spontaneously erupted in Melbourne and throughout the country at war’s end.
“I was a teenager at work and can remember the victory in Europe, victory in the Pacific and the celebrations when we knew it was all over.
“Melbourne went wild and we were so glad it was over.
“I knew people who had lost sons and the end was a big relief for everyone, although many of the men didn’t come home for quite a while.”
Kath said the war ended abruptly when the atom bomb was dropped and everyone thought it was a wonderful weapon.
“We saw it had brought the war to an end, but we didn’t know then about the terrible downside that would be caused by atomic radiation.
“People still suffer from it,” she said.
Kath took advantage of the scholarship to the Melbourne Technical College and spent 18 months learning shorthand and typing.
“I then went to work for an insurance office in Collins Street at about age 15.
“After Dad left the Army he went to work at Moe.
“We still lived at Kew and he would be home at weekends, but he died suddenly at age 55.
“Then we lost Mum not long after when she was 54.”
Kath kept on with her insurance work until she met and married Jim Short.
“I was in hospital after an appendicitis operation and his mother was in the bed next to me.
“I had given my address to his mother who lived in Warragul and he wrote to me.
“Jim had also been in the Army and at the time was doing a rehabilitation course to learn building.
“I still lived at Kew and he would visit at weekends, but he soon found a job in town.
“We were married in 1949 and bought land at East Ringwood.”
They had their first child, Frank, in 1950, but that wasn’t the end of it.
“We had six boys and two girls.”
Brendan is manager of the Pakenham Race Course, and Cathy, my youngest daughter, lives in Toomuc Valley Road.
“Kerry teaches at Wanganui Park Secondary College near Shepparton and my elder daughter, Jenny, lives at Mt Martha.
“Phillip and Frank are in Queensland, Michael is in Bendigo, and Greg in Melbourne.
“I have a great bunch of kids,” she said.
That great bunch, with grand children and one great grand child, all turned up for Kath’s 75th birthday party.
“It is difficult to get them all together, but they were all there on that day and that was wonderful for me.
“Also, all my sister’s children were there.
“We had the party at a park in The Basin and the weather was wonderful.
“It was a wonderful day in January this year.”
After the family moved to Pakenham Kath began working in the office at Pakenham Concrete.
“Brendan was four and they allowed me to have him at work with me, which was very helpful.
“I then ran the Pakenham High School canteen for five years and also helped with the books at a car repair shop.”
Kath was also heavily involved with the school mother’s club, but the repair shop took up more of her time.
“That was my trade so I gave up the canteen job.
Kath also worked for the Brian Wood Toyota dealership at Berwick and later for Mulgrave Mazda in Springvale, but she heard that the Pakenham Gazette wanted someone for the office.
She became the Gazette office manager and also helped out with proof reading until retirement at age 65.
Kath Short at 65, it seems wasn’t ready to give it away so it wasn’t long before she was back at the Gazette on the proof readers’ desk.
Why settle for that?
Kath also joined St Vincent de Paul and worked for the Pakenham branch as president for 10 years.
That is one place where she began to realise the enormous growth in the region.
“More and more people are coming to live in this area and we are finding many more people needing assistance.”
Besides her work for the Pakenham branch, Kath would go off to Melbourne to help load St Vincent de Paul vans that took food out to needy people.
“Many of those people were also homeless.
“We wonder how this happens and how difficult it is for people who have to ask for food.
“Things just happen, a car breaks down, children become ill, and there is a crisis,” she said.
Nevertheless Kath and her friends will keep on keeping on to support organisations such as St Vincent DePaul as long as there is need.