Doreen Elsie Pogson ⁹²²

  General Notes:

DOREEN ELSIE NEWTON Eulogy

Born 1st June 1919, Mum grew up on her family’s property at “Strathmore” in West Pennant Hills. She was the second eldest of four children. She is survived by 2 daughters , 5 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. Mum was very proud of her family and loved to hear all the news and keep up to date with all that was happening.

She attended West Pennant Hills Primary School and Carlingford High School. Mum left home at 15 and boarded with an aunt and uncle(Stanley Hessell POGSON and Mabel nee FOSTER) at Bondi while undertaking a 4 year dressmaking, design and millinery teaching course at East Sydney Technical College. In those days it was too great a distance to commute each day, but she came home at weekends. Her passion for all facets of needlework had begun and her first posting so fortunately was to Newcastle.

Mum was always very close to her sister Marie and husband Jack. Mum valued very much the friendship that they had.

Her lace wedding veil was magnificent and it was worn by my sister and myself and two of our daughters and stood the test of time amazingly. All our childhood she produced our pretty dresses, overcoats and even our underwear. Being the little sister I had lots of wonderful hand me downs , same design but a different color! On our annual Barrington House holidays Wendy and I used to have a new dress every day. She made Wendy’s wedding dress, the bridesmaids€™ dresses and her trousseau. She made beautiful ball gowns for me and once when I was away teaching and coming home for a friend’s wedding I asked Mum to make me an outfit and there it was, a perfect fit when I arrived home. She sewed for her mother and friends and neighbours. It all just happened and was never a problem and was always perfection and faultless.

She has been a member of the Newcastle Embroiders Guild for 33 years and it was a wonderful part of her life. Her patience and skill were reflected in all that she produced and she used to really enjoy sharing her experience with others. I remember how proud we were of her at her Retrospective Exhibition. Recently she contributed a piece for the “Wollombi Quilt”. The reaction from the ladies at Stitch and Bitch was amazing. Full of admiration for her work and so surprised at her age.

Mum and Dad met in West Pennant Hills as his Grandmother lived a little further down Gumnut Road from where Mum lived at the time. They were married in 1941 and lived for about 20 years in Adamstown where Wendy and I grew up. Dad knew that Mum would enjoy the challenge of a new home and she was continually kept busy with designs and inclusions as they built homes at Merewether Heights, Merewether, The Junction as well as holiday homes at Tanilba, Lemon Tree Passage, Nelson Bay and Corlette. Their last project was Lookout Road.

Mum and Dad had a wonderful group of friends and we had many many enjoyable picnics, camping holidays, and holidays at Barrington Guest House, Surfers Paradise and Canberra. Our Saturday home movie nights and their 500 card nights became an institution.

Mum and Dad loved to travel and saw a lot of Australia. They travelled to the Centre in the 1960’s when it was still very much an unknown quantity. When Wendy and I and our families moved overseas it started their overseas travel adventures. She had a fantastic memory and remembered the finest details of everywhere she visited.

Mum loved to cook and there were always cakes, biscuits and slices and she used to love to cook Grandmas special Christmas pudding for the family. Even recently there was always a slice to have with a cup of tea.

She always enjoyed reading and in recent years loved to read her Herald every day.

She was a passionate Novocastrian and would delight in talking about someone who had done well and say “They’re from Newcastle you know”.

I am so happy that Mum had such a wonderful fulfilled life. Mum was always bright and happy and a very good listener. Never critical or judgemental.
So many people Wendy and I have met in the last few weeks have described Mum to a “T” and have said the same thing that describes Mum perfectly “What a wonderful lady your mother is”.


Poems of Childhood by Eugene Field

I found recently that Mum had marked this poem

Grandma’s Prayer

I pray that, risen from the dead,
I may in glory stand
A crown, perhaps, upon my head,
But a needle in my hand.

I’ve never learned to sing or play,
So let no harp be mine,
From birth unto my dying day,
Plain sewing 's been my line.

Therefore, accustomed to the end,
To plying useful stitches,
I’ll be content if asked to mend
The little angel’s britches.

Helen Margaret GOODWIN (nee NEWTON)

Doreen married Oscar Harold Newton on 5 Apr 1941 in West Pennant Hills, NSW, Australia. (Oscar Harold Newton was born on 9 Nov 1917 in New Lambton, NSW, Australia, died on 16 Nov 2000 in New Lambton, NSW, Australia and was buried in Gazebo Rock Garden 1 2 2 1, Newcastle Crematorium & Memorial Gardens, Beresfield, NSW, Australia.)