SOUL MATES: Nancy Smith and husband Nels as they were known to family, friends and colleagues always together.Nancy Margaret Smith
Born: 3 April, 1925.
Died: 8 July, 2005.
NANCY Smith was both a gentlewoman, in the old fashioned sense of the word, and a modernday superwoman – a working wife and mother who was loved, respected and admired equally in business, family and community.
An extraordinary businesswoman, Nance as she was affectionately known took over the reins of McKenzie’s Tourist Services Pty Ltd from her father in 1981. Widely respected in the maledominated transport industry, she is listed in the 20042005 Australian Edition of Empires Who’s Who of the nation’s top businesses and business people.
As a daughter, wife, mother and grandmother, she was the lynchpin of a close and loving family. Family was unswervingly her priority.
Most far reaching of her contributions to the Healesville and Yarra Glen communities was her role, for the best part of 30 years, of dance teacher and mentor to generations of young debutantes and their partners.
More than 300 people gathered on Saturday, 16 July, to farewell Nancy. Tributes told of a remarkable woman who had lived a remarkable life. “There is nothing I would change, nothing I would do any differently,” she said shortly before her death on 8 July.
Nancy Margaret McKenzie was born on 3 April, 1925, in Healesville, the only child of Lorenza Reilly McKenzie (Mac) and Mary May Bath.
Nance was two when the family moved from Yarra Glen to Caulfield. Although not wealthy her parents wanted a good education for their only daughter and Nance was educated at Caulfield Grammar, Shelford Grammar and, later, Methodist Ladies College.
It was during this time that Mac was starting out with his fleet of Hudson motor cars, the forerunner to McKenzie’s Tourist Services.
Nance’s strong family values and work ethic were fostered from an early age. Many of the drivers boarded with the family making it a busy household with meals to be cooked and washing to be done for the men.
Each day there were eight white dust coats, the company uniform, to be washed and starched and Nancy was always there to help her mother with the tasks.
She dearly loved her father and was extremely close to her mother with whom she spent time horse riding and playing tennis.
As a young girl she spent most weekends with her grandparents, Charlie and Martha Bath at Yarra Glen where she pitched in on the farm, milking and making cream and accompanied her grandfather on the mailrun in a Cobb and Co coach.
He was a fine horseman and Nance’s love of and natural affinity with horses, grew during her time on her grandparents’ farm and remained a passion throughout her life.
Nance managed to embody the best of two worlds a sophisticated, clever city girl from Kew who was dux of MLC Junior School, was good at art and excelled at English and maths and a courageous, funloving, giveanythingago country lass who never shied away from a challenge.
After the war Mac bought the property at the corner of Green Street and Maroondah Highway, and the family moved to Healesville. As the business flourished they bought another property in Kew.
Weekends were filled with horses and dancing. She met the love of her life, her soulmate, a strapping young timber worker named Nelson (Nels) Smith at the Yarra Glen Dance. Their courtship was filled with fun and happy times and they were married on 5 October, 1946 at Yarra Glen.
The couple’s three daughters, Kay, MaryAnn and Mandy were born between 1946 and 1959 and life continued with the girls accompanying their parents to horse shows and the Saturday night dances.
A highlight of each year was staying at the Melbourne Show. The feed box was transformed into a home away from home and between 1946 and 1998 Nance and Nels missed just one show, the year Mandy was born.
During this time Nancy was on the Yarra Glen Dance Committee, had 15 years on the Pony Stud Book Society Committee and for 30 years transformed awkward girls and boys into sophisticated, accomplished young people first with her friend Margaret Blease and later with the help of Kay and MaryAnn. Handing over the family business to his daughter, Mac told her to “Just trust your instinct.”
Together Nance and Nels worked tirelessly to have achieved by 1999 a fleet of 34 Mercedes coaches catering for charter, school runs and MET routes. Today there is a staff of 53 and a fleet of around 50 coaches.
Her business success was measured not only by the bottom line, but more by the many close friendships she made. Their manager, Brian Luscombe, has worked for the company for 40 years and many of the drivers have been with the company for 10 and 20 years and more.
Nance’s funeral service was held on a Saturday to enable them and their families to pay their respects.
Nance and Nels held with the traditions of a close and loving family things like Sunday lunch on the farm where it was not unusual for 18 people to be seated around the dinner table laughing and swapping stories. MaryAnn said their mother encouraged them to be close and loved spending time together.
Nance was a proud “Gran” who was generous with her time. Mandy said she never missed a chance to give encouragement and praise.”
In her personal life, business and community, Nance Smith has led by example a beautiful, honest woman with courage, values, unbounded energy and a generous capacity to love. She has left a lasting legacy.
Nancy Smith is survived by her partner in love and life, Nels, daughters Kay, MaryAnn and Mandy and their partners, six grandchildren and one greatgrandchild.
