Skewes Suzanne (Suzy) Kaye
| Type of person | Individual |
|---|
SUZANNE KAYE SKEWES (nee FIELD) 1959 –
Suzanne Kaye Skewes (Suzy) was born the fourth child to Helen Marjorie (nee Brooks) and John Norman Field on the 18th April 1959 at The Margaret Cole’s Hospital in Prahran, Melbourne, Victoria. John had taken leave and the family were staying at John’s parent’s home in Moorabbin. The hospital was where Helen, who came from South Australia, had undertaken her training as a Mothercraft Nurse. John and Helen met on a blind date to a Scouting Ball and were married at St Barnabas Anglican Church, Croydon, in S.A. in September 1952.
Suzanne is the fourth child of six. Jennifer was born in July 1953, David in December 1954, Christopher in October 1956, Suzanne in 1959 and twins Andrew and Philip in August 1961.
At the time of Suzanne’s birth, John was the Commonwealth Railways Station Master at Pimba, 6 miles from Woomera. Suzanne recalls her mother saying, “John was a little boy who loved trains and grew up to play trains!”
Suzanne was baptised at the Woomera Anglican Church in July of 1959. Her godparents reflected her strong family involvement in the Anglican Church, as the minister and his wife of the time are two of her Godparents. Her other godmother wrote in pencil on the rear of a christening photo, “Suzanne my dear, with your questioning eyes, how dare you look so sweet and wise. With your christening gown all trimmed with lace, you steal my heart with your lovely face. May all your days be as fair and fine as this July day of fifty nine.”
Suzanne’s parents spent the first 16 years of their married life moving around the SA Outback, along the old Ghan line and the Tarcoola east -west line. From Pimba, she moved to Oodnadatta, living in the old stone railway house, which is now a museum. Both maternal grandparents were teachers and Suzanne’s grandfather, who lectured at Wattle Park Teachers College, made a trip to teach on the Gibber plain grounds at the school. The trip, along with her older siblings, feature in the book about the school, ‘From white to black’. (John had rescued the historical records of the school, after a zealous teacher tried throwing it all out when tidying, allowing this history to be recorded.)
Suzanne has a lasting physical memory of Oodnadatta as she was 2 and a half when she crushed her thumb whilst playing with her siblings in gaol cells at the rear of the police station, the day they were leaving Oodnadatta for Leigh Creek. The Flying Doctor was luckily in town.
Leigh Creek Area School is where Suzanne began school at the age of six, receiving many merit and credit cards for weekly tests. Some of Suzanne’s recollections of Leigh Creek are the family cocker spaniel ‘Bimbo’ often suddenly appearing in the church under pews during services, snakes in the back yard chicken pen, catching sleepy lizards, trapping rabbits, finding a garden snail on the outskirts of the town, which surprised the adults and the day they were swimming in the pool when a snake swam across her mother’s path. Both Helen and John, who were very community minded, were involved in the community and instrumental in setting up the Scouts and Guides for local youth in the outback.
From Leigh Creek, she moved to Marree, living immediately behind the railway station. Suzanne recalls going across the dirt road, knocking on the back door of the station to get her father for tea, jumping from the platform to the trees along the track and ‘Father Christmas’ arriving on the Ghan to hand out presents, while she looked out of the window at him -as she was quarantined with chicken pox!
With her sister Jenny boarding with their grandparents in Adelaide for high school and David about to start, her family moved to Port Augusta for access to secondary education.
Suzanne came from an extremely strong sporting background. Her grandfather’s interest in physical education started the curriculum in SA primary schools. Her grandfather, mother and five uncles held records in varying athletic areas, with representations in Sheffield Shield cricket, Claxton Shield baseball, athletics and the like.
Her father,John’s mother had been approached by an Olympic swimming coach to train him, but was told he had to go to work.
So naturally, Suzanne and her siblings were encouraged to participate in whatever sporting pursuits they wished, fully supported by her parents. Suzanne has many ‘Best & Fairest’ trophies and awards from her involvement in swimming, netball, hockey, softball, athletics and horse riding. Both her parents were involved within the Pt. Augusta volunteer community and had many awards and recognitions bestowed on them.
Suzanne’s schooling was completed at Port Augusta High School and her work experiences were many. After leaving school, Suzanne worked on a sheep station, service station, second hand store, grain store, Australia Post, as a nanny and vet nurse, before leaving the town she’d always disliked, to begin her training as a Registered Nurse at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woodville at the age of 20.
After achieving registration, Suzanne was asked to remain on staff, which she did for a year, before leaving to take up agency nursing to obtain more experience and variety in 1983. The first few months were spent in the RAH burns unit, gaining much experience looking after the Ash Wednesday bush fire victims.
Suzanne married only child, Ian Douglas Skewes, from Adelaide, at St Augustine’s Anglican Church in Port Augusta, on completion of her registered nurse training, on the 13th February 1982.
In February 1985, Suzanne and Ian moved to Perth, Western Australia, for Suzanne to undertake a 12 month Paediatric nursing course at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. Following the end of her course and registration as a paediatric nurse, she was asked to work in the neonatal intensive care unit and then as a Clinical nurse in the paediatric recovery unit.
Brooke Adele Adriana was born on 20th June 1988 and Anthony David Jonathan on 27th December 1990. She lived at Sorrento, intending to stay for 2 years, however they didn’t return to South Australia until 1991 following Ian’s aging parent’s request.
On returning to Adelaide, they decided to move out of the city to Gawler, to live in the country and access Trinity College, buying the first block they saw in Willaston and building a house, moving into it in May 1993. On 17th November 1994, Alexander Jordan Leigh was born at the new Gawler Health Service, two weeks after it had opened.
Coming from a community minded family, Suzanne’s recognised volunteering started as a Red Shield appeal volunteer at age 10, door knocking with her brother to collect funds, and selling Girl Guide biscuits as well as various sporting, church and club volunteering.
After moving into the Willaston home, Suzanne quickly became involved in the Gawler community, originally volunteering at the Zion preschool and then in her children’s classes at the Prep school at Trinity, followed by Elsie Ey Kindergarten Chairperson, where she was involved in the relocation to Hewett, ‘Bridging the Gap’ high school Literacy program as a tutor, Giants softball club committee, as a player, scorer, umpire and junior coach, Gawler & Districts Softball Association Secretary, Trinity Hockey Club player and secretary , Gawler Scouts committee, also Willaston Neighbourhood Watch and Gawler Blue Light involvement followed when they were both restarted in the area . Suzanne has also been the Blue Light (SA) Inc. state secretary and a manager on state youth softball trips and a committee member of the Salisbury Amateur Athletic Club, which has a training base at Trinity College.
Suzanne currently works as a Registered Paediatric Nurse at the Women’s & Children’s Hospital and her long term involvement within the Gawler Community, from arriving in 1993, now is with the youth program, Gawler Blue Light, as the Treasurer and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Coordinator, taking youth on leadership & personal development and Adventurous Journey camps, Gawler Rangers Baseball Club as the Secretary, Giants Softball Club as a scorer and any other community help as needed.
In 2009, Suzy was awarded Life Membership of Blue Light [SA] Inc.
Suzanne was a part of the ‘Community Group of the Year ‘ award presented to Gawler Blue Light in 2009 and was awarded the 2011 Australia Day, Town of Gawler, ‘Citizen of the Year’ , along with her husband Ian.
In September 2011,Suzanne was selected for inclusion as a member of the "South Australian Women's Honour Roll - acknowledging outstanding South Australian Women" for her services to the Community.
Memories of Skewes Suzanne (Suzy) Kaye
Do you remember Skewes Suzanne (Suzy) Kaye ? Then Join up and add your memory here.
Support our sponsors!
