Shirley Hermine Threadgold
Born:27 December 1928
Died: 29 January 2012
SHIRLEY Threadgold lived life to the full and was known for her kindness, willingness to help, and cooking skills.
Born at the Berwick Bush Nursing Hospital, she was one of eight children to Frieda and Herman Wanke, who lived on a Harkaway farm. Ernst Wanke Road was named after her great grandfather.
From the age of 12, Shirley and her sister Gwen cooked for the family, workers on the farm, and any passers-by that strolled in.
They’d serve up meals for more than 18 people at night and up to 40 people for Sunday afternoon tea – diners came from everywhere after hearing about her cooking skills.
As Shirley matured into a young woman, there was one special person she cooked for. Over the fence lived Norm – a farm worker who had caught her eye.
Knowing the way to a man’s heart, she would clamber over the fence each day and take him afternoon tea. It wasn’t long before they were dating, and married in 1950.
Their first daughter, Jenny, was born fifteen months after they married, and they later had three more children – Lyn, Robert and Kate.
Norm and Shirley were well known in Nar Nar Goon, where they bought a block of land and settled with their family.
Everyone appreciated Shirley’s skills in the kitchen, behind the sewing machine, and with a set of knitting needles. She would sew for weeks and bake for days to contribute to school and church fetes.
Church was also a big part of her life. As part of the church group she would cater for many local weddings, while Norm washed the dishes.
If all of that didn’t keep her busy enough, Shirley also volunteered for tuck-shop duty at her children’s school canteens.
It was her cheery manner no matter what she was doing and her readiness to help that saw her so well-respected and loved in the community.
Shirley had been ill for some time, and set several milestones as her life drew to a close – Jenny’s 60th birthday, a Geelong premiership in 2011, Christmas with the family, and her daughter Kate’s 50th. She achieved all of them with dignity and grace.
Shirley passed away at Casey Hospital and a service to celebrate her life was held at the Pakenham Uniting Church on 2 February.
