Dorothy Hodgson and her first husband Geoffrey Thompson were among the first residents of Lalor. Ms Hodgson still lives in the house they moved into in 1948. She talks to Alexandra Laskie about her love of the suburb and the changes it has undergone.
Why did you and Geoffrey choose Lalor when deciding where to build a home?
We lived with my in-laws when we were first married, in 1943. Then when the Peter Lalor Housing Cooperative started, he [Geoffrey] was one of the men in it. He was still in the army at the time, in the pay office, where the men who started the cooperative were from.
Where was Geoffrey posted to, and did he ever speak of his experiences during the war?
He went to Syria, Egypt and other parts of the Middle East. He was in an accident over there and came home on a hospital ship. He died because of a tumour in his brain. He was 32. They put it down to the accident he was in. He didn’t speak about it. The only thing he ever mentioned was that there was an orange grove, and he started and finished on different sides of the grove. I think those that saw anything didn’t want to talk about it.
How did you meet?
I was in the army too, in signals. I did my training to learn morse code at Ivanhoe Grammar School and later became a driver. I drove an A40, a little Austin. Geoffrey used to check my work tickets to see that I was doing the right thing.
Did you have children?
We had one son. He was six when Geoffrey died. Legacy [a charity that provides services for families who have lost a spouse during their defence force service] was very good, they were always there if I needed them. But I coped.
What are your first memories of Lalor?
It was just paddocks with no roads, fences or footpaths. We walked in the mud. We enjoyed ourselves, we made our own fun. We went to each other’s houses and had singsongs around the piano. We were the 11th family to come; there was this street and just two or three others at the time.
Do you prefer the Lalor of yesteryear, or what the suburb has become?
I prefer it how it is now, with roads, footpaths and shops. It’s very multicultural now, whereas at the beginning they were nearly all returned soldiers.
What are you favourite places in Whittlesea?
I’ve got my church, St Johns in Epping, I go more or less every week. I used to go more but I’ve been in and out of hospital since April. I had a pacemaker and a replacement valve put in just before Christmas. I also like to go up to Epping Plaza and the Epping RSL.
Do you have any hobbies?
I usually do a couple of crosswords a week. I also knit babies clothes and give them away to anyone that’s having a baby. But I don’t knit as much as I used to now, my arms don’t let me.
