Ann's Story

Born in the family home in Parramatta, Ann was a keen swimmer taking to the lanes with the likes of Dawn Fraser, and used to rock and roll dance with Paul Hogan and his mates. ‘’It was a great childhood and early adolescence. My family were always renters, and we had lovely homes.”

Unhappily married for 19 years, Ann divorced after raising three beautiful children. She remarried and started her own very successful businesses and she and Tom bought their own first home together.

“I had the licence to make the souvenirs for the Wallabies, Ansett and the Opera House. I sold to all the souvenir and duty free shops around Sydney, and would fly to Kong Hong several times a year.” Ann used to get the rivets that were replaced on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and have them etched, but as the years went by, the licence became too expensive to keep.

Ann then turned to watchmaking and used to split opals to make beautiful, original pieces. “The tourists couldn’t get enough of them, but when there was a major volcanic eruption in Japan, the tourists suddenly stopped coming, and I had to go and work for someone else. We could no longer afford the mortgage on the house and went back to renting.”

“If you wanted anything decent, the rents were pretty high. I heard about some units on Market Street being rented as affordable. We didn’t really know what it was all about but applied, and was lucky enough to get the most beautiful little unit in the centre of Wollongong. I know many others are not so lucky and are stuck paying ridiculous rents in retirement. I love this place and they will be taking me out of here in a pine box.”