Ivy Arney was a talented artist, writer, poet, historian, and an avid gardener.Ivy Arney
WOULD anyone who knew the amazing Ivy Arney be surprised that she not only organised her own funeral – as many people do these days – but that she wrote what she felt would pass very admirably for a eulogy?
Ivy’s ‘open letter’ to friends was included, as she had wished, in the Order of Service at her funeral on Tuesday, 4 October, but it was not the whole story. And she was not going to be allowed to get away with that!
What it didn’t capture was the love, admiration and respect that others had for her.
“Well, mum, you didn’t want a eulogy, but for once, we’re having our own way,” said her eldest son, Ron. And tributes flowed.
The following are extracts of Ivy’s story.
“I was born in a tiny terrace house in Collingwood. My mother, Caroline, was of Irish descent and my father, Harold Mulder had migrated from South Africa and served with the Australian Army for four years, including at Gallipoli.
The Depression cut my studies short and at 15 I was forced to leave, to my lasting disappointment, to seek work.
After poorly paid and uncongenial jobs I returned to evening classes at the Northcote and later, Zercho’s Business Colleges as well as attending part time classes at CAB and Melbourne Technical College in writing and art.
In 1938 I found employment at Myer as a secretary, and later assistant in the Training Department.
Social life revolved around church, first at the Congregational and later at the Church of Christ, where I met Arthur, who was an apprentice engineer and attending evening classes at Collingwood Tech.
In 1942, after being involved in volunteer war work, I joined the newly formed AWAS as a stenographer.
When we married in 1944 we had to live with my parents. Although I left the army before our first child Ron was born, we had to live with them until well after the war.
We purchased an acre of bushland at Heatherdale, and at weekends we cleared most of it and built a timber garage.
This became our home while we worked on building our house with the help of a ‘do it yourself’ booklet. Peter was born in 1947 – before the house was finished.
In 1950 we bought 40 acres in Steel’s Creek, then a small farming district without electricity, phone or sealed roads, but with a warm caring community and a small country school.
After a year or two Arthur returned to his toolmaking work and, for a while, I taught part-time at Yering School.
Jan was born in 1951. By the time Richard was born in 1961 we had telephone and electricity before Sue was born in 1964.
Having such a ‘spread out’ family we always had their young friends around us, and Father Christmas called on us for 28 years!
Arthur retired at 61, which was fortunate, as we had a few precious years before he died in 1988 at the age of 66.
He was my best friend, and we shared many interests including a love of the outdoors, music, theatre, and of course laughter.
In 1989, I moved to Coldstream, where I renewed old friendships and made new friends.
Over the years Arthur and I had always been involved in the community, parent groups, scouts and guides, Red Cross, church, (an) agricultura1 society, as well as our children’s activities.
I had so much to be thankful for. I had a happy marriage, a good family and loyal friends.
In spite of the sorrows and anxieties that are part of any lifetime, I have had a fortunate life, lived in a wonderful country at peace, have never been hungry, homeless or suffered cold or deprivation. I have received love and affection from those who went before me and those I am leaving. I have been blessed.”
And, from others …
There were common threads in the tributes to Ivy.
She was a talented artist, writer, poet, historian and avid gardener. An environmentalist who embraced recycling long before it was fashionable. Ivy was a natural motivator who never pushed anyone into doing things.
Her generous, ready smile was as genteel as it was bold and though she was a modest, humble lady, she was also courageous, prepared to stand up for what she believed in.
The author of many published works including Twenties Child, Skipping Ropes and Slate Pencils, Musings of a Country Mum, and Steel’s Creek as I Knew It, Ivy’s keen powers of observation played beautifully with her quick sense of humour.
A loving and much-loved wife, mother, grandmother and friend, she will be sadly missed. Ivy died at 84 years of age and is survived by her children, Ron, Peter, Jan, Richard and Sue and their families.
