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Mildura Weekly : Friday June 27 Vol 8 No 34
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Mildura Weekly – 27/06/14 9 www.milduraphonebook.com.au IT was a defining moment. Diagnosed with cancer in her late 50s, mother of four Mon- ica Duckering asked the Scot- tish doctor how much time she had left. “Not long” was his blunt reply. “Your condition is sin- ister.” “Will I make my daugh- ter’s wedding in three months?” she asked. “No,” he replied. Monica sought a second opinion from a London spe- cialist, and under- went a series of tests. The specialist confirmed the bad news, but said he could operate, re- moving some of Monica’s glands, thereby prolong- ing her life. “How much longer?” she inquired, somehow knowing exactly what he was going to say. She was right. “Three months,” he said. Monica walked out, and hasn’t been back to a doctor since. She opted for a week of holistic remedies at a retreat in Scotland, made a few changes to her lifestyle, and hasn’t looked back. Life has been one big adventure for London-born Monica. She has travelled widely, overseas as well as in Australia, experienced the best and worst of life in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), survived the World War Two blitz of London, explored the ocean floor by submarine, been hot- air ballooning...and as an 87th birthday present from a friend, is booked for a ride in RamAir Mildura’s famous old Tiger Moth on Monday. “I’m not big on flying...I haven’t flown much, but I’m really looking forward to it,” Monica said. She admits she has crammed a lot into her 87 years, treasures a lifetime of mostly happy memories, starting with life growing up in England, with experiences that included ice-skating on the school oval, watching an eclipse of the sun, and seeing the famous British actor, sing- er-songwriter and comedian George Formby being filmed singing his classic ‘Leaning on a Lamp Post.’ They were tough times in the wake of the Great War. Monica’s dad, one of 12 kids, had been wounded by shrap- nel, Monica herself remem- bers one of the houses in which they were living being badly damaged by German bomb and rockets, and there was food rationing and other hardships during the Depres- sion years. The kids made their own fun, mostly playing in the streets. One of Monica’s play- mates was a kid from across the street, Ronald Duckering, who was eight years her se- nior. Ronald had moved away in his late teens, but the pair met again at an end-of-war celebration dance, fell in love and married when Monica was 20, just before she start- ing teacher training. Ronald was also a teacher, but jobs were less than scarce. They had been married just under a year, with their first child due, when Ronald ac- cepted a teaching job in Rho- desia (now Zimbabwe) where they ended up living for 32 years. Monica has many fond memories of a great life in Rhodesia, although it got off to a rather shaky start. “We were booked to catch the ship the day after I was supposed to have given birth,” she said. “But the baby was a few days late, so Ronald had to go by himself. He was there three months before the baby and I joined him, living firstly in a basic shelter at an ex- RAAF camp, and then moving to the ‘married quarters,’ which weren’t much better - just tin and cardboard.” Monica also managed to get a job, teaching five and six-year-olds at the famous David Livingstone primary school in Harare. Class sizes ranged between 30 and 40 kids, and most were of mixed race. Monica continued teach- ing after the births of her four girls (there are 15 years between them), with the chil- dren being cared for by Afri- can nannies. “It was a lovely way of life,” Monica recalled. “We saved enough to buy a light truck, and often went on sa- fari, into Northern Rhodesia, Nyasaland and Portuguese East Africa, coming across many wild animals, including the black-maned lion.” Over the years Ronald built two houses for the fam- ily, including one on 10 acres of land that was covered in elephant grass. They divided one huge room into three bedrooms, dug a well for wa- ter (found by a water divining stick), and enjoyed the experi- ence, despite having no elec- tricity, and no running water. They planted up five acres to potatoes, maize and sun- flowers, bordered their block with trees, and continued to make improvements. Then, in 1980, the former rebel leader Robert Mugabe was elected the country’s Prime Minister, and condi- tions changed rapidly for the country’s white minority. Ronald and Monica decided to get out while the going was good, and although they managed to sell their lovely home, the proceeds from the sale, all their assets and bank savings, were frozen by the Mugabe regime. They were allowed to leave the country with just 300 pounds in their pocket. They were broke, but at least they were alive, and returned to the United Kingdom, where they lived with Moni- ca’s mother for a year in her London flat before moving to the Scottish highlands, bor- rowing 10,000 pounds from Monica’s brother to buy a house. It was while living in Scot- land that Monica had her cancer scare. It was one of the darker times of her life, and once back on the road to re- covery, Monica kept herself busy herself doing whatever jobs she could...including baby-sitting, and decorating wooden crafts for sale. When Ronald passed away in 1987, Monica moved first to Bristol and later, as the girls grew up, married and moved out of the UK, she de- cided to migrate to Australia, living near Melbourne for seven years before the chil- dren bought her a house at Red Cliffs. “They wanted me to live in the country, somewhere they and their children enjoy coming for holidays,” Monica said. It was a decision neither Monica nor the family regrets, and in between their visits, she keeps herself busy in the garden, tending her fruit trees, cleaning, cooking, reading, adding to her beautiful doll collection, doing a variety of craft work, and in her 88th year...”making sure I stay away from the old people’s home!” Monica Duckering admits she isn’t one to to let the world pass her by. She’s had many exciting experiences, and in her twilight years has no plans to go into a retirement home and mix, in her words.... “with those old people.” After all, Monica is only 87! A great achievement really, considering that 30 years ago in the UK, a cancer specialist told her she had only three months to live! We meet an adventure lady with... By Alan Erskine alan.erskine@milduraweekly.com.au FRIDAY People FRIDAY • YOUNG AT HEART: Monica Duckering has had many adventures in her 87 years, with yet another one coming up on Monday, with a birthday present flight booked in RamAir Mildura’s old Tiger Moth. That’s Monica again, this time in her craft ‘workshop,’ BOTTOM. Lots more left on the ‘Bucket List’ PROMOtion MONDAY 2ND JUNE - FRIDAY 8TH AUGUST DRAWN AT 7:30PM FRIDAY 8TH AUGUST IN THE SPORTS BAR Term and Conditions available at www.milduraworkers.com.au | Vic. permit No. 14/4086 A Harley Davidson OR OR PRESENT YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD FOR ENTRY WITH EVERY $5 SPEND AT THE BAR OR BISTRO
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