Peach Kathleen May
| Type of person | Individual |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1934 |
| Date of death | 2-10-2020 |
Kath Peach was born in 1934 at Burton-on-Trent England, to Daisy and John Peach. In 1955 she emigrated to Australia to live with Gwyne & Lloyd Lavis in Blanch Street, Gawler East.
Kath’s journey to Australia was on the SS Arcadia, she was sea sick most of the journey, on disembarking at Outer Harbour she wondered what she had let herself into. The Main North Road was a single lane, the journey was hot dusty. Coming into the Gawler over the Mill Bridge she saw the Southern Hotel with its hitching posts and wondered what is this ?- it looked like an old cowboy movie scene.
As a young woman Kath had joined the St. John Ambulance Cadets in England and when she settled in Gawler joined the Adelaide nursing division of St. John’s as a volunteer. Kath’s service with St. John Ambulance was rewarded in 1993 when she was made a Commander of St. John (one of the highest honours given by St. John Ambulance). In 2001 she was awarded the Centenary of Federation Award.
In 2004 Kath was presented with the 4th Gilt Bar to the Service Medal of the Order (for 47 years of efficient service) by the then Governor of South Australia, Marjorie Nelson Jackson.
Weapons Research Establishment was Kath’s place of employment from 1955 – 1990 when she retired.
Kath joined the Red Cross in 1990 and is currently Vice President of Gawler Red Cross.
Sadly, we have learnt that Kath passed away on Friday 2nd October 2020.
Tribute to Kath Peach from Brenda Peach.
I'm trying to gather inspiration to write something about my cousin Kath Peach who passed away a few days ago.
What I’d like to say is that Kath was a very big help to me and my family when we arrived in Elizabeth after emigrating from England in 1969.
Kath’s dad and my dad were cousins and also Kath’s dad and my step-dad were brothers. So there's a big family connection there. When my husband and I and two children arrived in South Australia we became very poor because Ian had contracted hepatitis on the ship coming over and was very ill for months and couldn't work. At the same time I discovered I was pregnant with our third child and gave birth to Dion in February 1970 in Elizabeth. I came home one day to discover our kitchen table absolutely covered in food items that we needed such as sugar butter eggs flour and all the essentials, plus things for the baby. I was absolutely amazed by this act of kindness, which had come through Kath of course. When we got back on our feet we moved to Canberra and as soon as possible went back to Gawler to visit Kath and her family there plus my uncle Bernard who lived in another part of Adelaide.
When I knew Kath in the UK she lived around the corner from us and I remember her going to the St John Ambulance place not far away. I was surprised to find out that her dad had been a male nurse before he got married and so his caring nature had been passed down through the family to Kath. It was a big adventure for her to emigrate to Australia on her own and the only problem is in doing that is your loved ones are very far away.
However, the good thing is Kath went to live with the Lavis family and obviously has been a part of their family ever since. She loved to tell me about what was happening in her life and when I first went to see Mr and Mrs Lavis’ house thought it looked like paradise, having come from a little industrial town in the Midlands. Kath couldn’t have gone to a better family. And now we come to 2020 and it's time to say goodbye to Kath and so I do say “thank you dear Kath for all your kindness to us over the years - and God bless you and keep you in his care”.
Brenda and the Dickinsons.
Please <click here> to read a tribute to Kath Peach from the Venerable Order of St John.
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