Palmwoods
District News

September
1998

Page 6

VALE: Hazel Gerrard

EUDLO and Palmwoods lost a piece of living history and a community stalwart recently with the death of Hazel Gerrard.

She was born Edith Hazel McGilchrist, on July 21, 1909 at the family home "Glenarchy" in Tania Avenue, near Eudlo, the first of five children of Edith and Alexander McGilchrist.

Her schooling began at the age of five, at Eudlo, when most children walked to school, although often a horse was available for transport.

In 1921, Hazel left Eudlo School to attend Nambour Rural School where she learnt domestic science and farm craft It has been said this was where she learned to use a soldering iron.

After leaving school, Hazel stayed at the family property helping her parents and became very adept at doing the chores usually reserved for the man on the land. Her brothers and younger sister all served in the Second World War.

On July 19, 1952, Hazel married Charlie Gerrard in the Presbyterian Church at Palmwoods. For their honeymoon, they journeyed up the coast by car travelling as far as Gladstone. It was a long way by road in those days. Hazel has stated that this was her one and only holiday during her life.

She only ever stayed away from home one night and that was about three years ago.

Hazel and Charlie returned to the dairy farm where they milked about 10 cows, first by hand and later by machine. They were always to the fore in community affairs and found time to help other farmers with problems of many kinds.

Often under arduous conditions, they delivered mail, groceries, and meal along Highland Road for 17 years.

The Gerrards were always ready to help raise a dollar for the Memorial Hall, sportsground, church and the RSL auxiliary of which Hazel was a member for 50 years.

Since her husband’s death 10 years ago, Hazel has carried on these activities on her own and was still playing the church organ only a week before her death.

Truly a wonderful lady who always thought of others before her self, Hazel will be sadly missed by many.

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