By Karlene Brummer
Constancy and stability contribute significantly to fostering a cohesive community. Getting to know Business owners, local shopkeepers and staff helps build community ties, which is hard when there’s frequent turnover. Fortunately, our area has a high rate of employees staying long-term in their positions meaning we can get to know many of them by name, thus building firm relationships and friendships.
One such person is the lovely Heather Williams, whom many of you already know. Heather has been working for Woolworths Glenorie since it opened in the mid 2000’s. This is her story.
HEATHER WILLIAMS
I was born in 1948 and grew up in Eastwood. There was a bus run from Eastwood to Glenorie. Mrs Deaman owned the bus company and Roy Bevan was the bus driver. The bus depot was on the site where Woolworths is now. My Aunt and Uncle, Dolly and Ralph Johnston owned a poultry farm and Orchard (35 acres) called Carinyah at Middle Dural where Geranium Cottage was and is now an Indian restaurant.
As they had no children, during the school holidays my cousins and I all came to work on the farm, collecting and packing the eggs in wooden cases and picking the fruit, apples, oranges, mandarins, nectarines and plums. Being the only girl, on Fridays I was kept at the house to help with the weekly baking which started my love of cooking. We earned 10 shillings for our work efforts.
At Easter, as a treat, Aunt Dolly and Uncle Ralph took us to the Easter Show and we would go to David Jones in the city for a meal which was very special. Everything was delivered in those days, the milk in a pail on a hook at the front gate straight from the cow with at least two inches of cream on the top. If something was forgotten in the delivery, I would have to walk from the property to the grocery store at Glenorie which was where Woolworths is now. There also used to be a butcher, Post Office and Stock feed place and then later an Antique store.
During my school time I did classical ballet for 11 years and when I left school I went into hairdressing and did my apprenticeship in the city then had my own business in North Ryde and Castle Hill until I got married and had children. I have a boy and a girl. My daughter now lives in Vancouver, Canada, which is a beautiful country.
Now I have come full circle and work for Woolworths. In September I will have been here for 16 years. Woolworths have been very good to me caring for my welfare during Covid and I enjoy working with a great team of lovely and caring people including my Manager, Sadie and Store Manager, Richard. We have a wonderful customer base, and the locals are lovely friendly people. After being here for so long I know so many on a first name basis and I have met some wonderful and interesting people during this time.
In my spare time I enjoy crocheting and knitting. I may retire one day, but for now I continue to enjoy being at Glenorie.
