Nancy and her orchids

Orchids are a girl’s best friend.Maybe that’s not really how it went but they are special to Lang Lang’s Nancy Brown.
And for that matter Nancy Brown is a special person among Lang Lang people.
She first came to the town to work for the lingerie factory in the old Lang Lang butter factory building at Station Street; where the sausage skin and gut factory operated; where Eric Ward, Ivan Hunt, and Ernie Lloyd had their stock feed and produce store; and where Larmax Hardware has traded for the past two decades.
Larmax now trades as a True Value store.
Nancy Light was born in Melbourne and lived her formative years on the family farm at School Road, Yallock.
She attended the Yallock Primary School and had her Merit Certificate by age 13.
After leaving school she took her first job on the farm, but later moved to work at Lang Lang making underwear for Prestige.
But even in those days manufacturing companies were consolidating and the factory closed putting country people out of work.
Like most young people in the country in those days skills learned on the farm very early in life meant she could go back to farming for a job.
“You never forget what you have learned on the farm and you can go back to it at any time,” Nancy said.
“I even had a turn at hand milking. I worked as a relief milker for people who wanted a holiday sometimes for a couple of weeks at a time on some farms.
“Or just for one milking to give people a night off.
“But I worked mostly on our home farm until I was married in 1955,” she said.
She said she wasn’t all that interested in sport because for one reason it was difficult to juggle it with a dairy farm routine.
Nevertheless her brother Alan and husband-to-be were keen footballers.
“I first met Jim when he called to pick up our calves for the market and he would also bring cattle home from the market for us,” she said.
The story also goes that he became mates with Alan and this meant he would visit to play kick to kick and miss a few because he had his eye on Nancy.
“He played footy for Catani and cricket with Yannathan,” she said.
They had only just celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary when Jim died last year.
They were married in St Paul’s Church, Frankston, and first lived at Bayles between Fechner’s Transport and the garage.
“We lived there for about four years and this was great because Jim worked for Fechners.
“Then we bought two blocks in Lang Lang next to where I used to work in Station Street.
“We built our home on one block and Jim put a shed on the vacant block.”
Nancy became involved in community activities, in particular the CWA, serving as treasurer and she was also for many years secretary of the Lang Lang Cemetery Trust.
“I had to set that aside for a while when I became ill last year and Warren Wealands stood in.
“But I’m okay now and getting back to doing things.
“We have two boys Peter and Colin and four grandchildren Nicole, Michael, Joanne, and Leesa, who attend Kooweerup Secondary College,” she said.
Her real love besides family has been orchids.
Nancy is a member of the West Gippsland Orchid Club based at Warragul.
“I started with a single orchid given by my auntie when she was moving house and took an interest in growing them.
“Then I would always be given an orchid for my birthday.”
Other orchid enthusiasts placed an advertisement in the Pakenham Gazette asking for expressions of interest in forming an orchid club and Nancy responded to end up with a fantastic hobby and another circle of friends.
“I went to the meeting in Warragul during 1986 and became totally involved.
“We meet in the Mawarra Centre, at Percy Street, on the first Thursday of every month.”
The club conducts flowering competitions and provides guest speakers.
It also holds regular visits to orchid gardens.
Nancy said the annual spring orchid show would be held at Drouin during the third weekend in September.
She has served on the committee and is still growing orchids at Lang Lang where she has more than 500 plants.
She is also a member of the Cymbidium Orchid Society that is preparing for a big show at Garden World.
“This year it will be held at the Springers Leisure Centre, Cheltenham Road, Keysborough, from Friday 21 August.
“Warragul club members will take plants and present a club display.
“The next big show after that will be held in the Springvale Hall on Friday 4 September.”
She said after Jim retired he became more and more interested in orchids and it grew in to a joint venture they were able to share.
The Cymbidium Orchid Society meets at the Mount Waverley Community Centre, Miller Crescent, opposite the railway station at 8pm on the second Tuesday of each month.
Tea and coffee is available from 7.30pm and a basket supper is provided after each meeting.
Nancy is involved in the Lang Lang Anglican Church Guild and can be seen from time to time judging at the flower shows.
She is also a member of the Lang Lang Senior Citizens’ Club.
“Lang Lang is a friendly town and developing quite quickly.
“One time I would know everyone when I went down the street but we are now seeing more and more people.
“That’s a good thing.
“Ours was the first house in Station Street, but the street is now filled with homes.
“Jim worked for a time on the milk tanker and made lots of friends around the farms.
“We would often be invited to the farmers’ annual dinners and it was great to know this wider circle of people,” she said.
Nancy said Lang Lang was growing like most towns and was a good place to call home.