Beth: 100 Years of Service, Family and Hard Work

Beth was born on 23 January 1924 in Ingham, North Queensland with the given name Ethel but known affectionately as Beth. She was the second child of Bill and Zenobia and grew up in Macknade, where her father managed a farm while her mother cared for the children. 

Today, Beth lives at Ingham Lodge, remaining closely connected to the community where her story began. 

Beth attended school in Macknade and Halifax until grade 7. She enjoyed sport and was good at it! Life was simple – she remembers making her own fun, riding a kerosene tin in floodwater and travelling to the pictures in a dinghy. She also remembers watching silent films while her mother read the dialogue aloud for her father. 

Beth’s mother passed away when she was young. At 16 she went to work for the Benton family, helping with the house and caring for their three children, Ann, Henry and Margaret. She recalls Henry jumping out the window to avoid a bath and having to sit on him to trim his fingernails. 

At age 18, Beth joined the Australian Army, where she served for 2 ½ years as an ACAC. Beth said she was a Gunner in the Artillery with the 3.7 guns. The men fired them and the ladies took care of the equipment; she was in charge of the fuse and worked on the predictor system for firing. 

She is proud of her service and says ANZAC Day is important to her. Her father served in the First World War and both she and her husband served in the Second World War.

She says she would have stayed longer if she had not married. 

Beth married Benjamen (Benny) at the Methodist Church in Ingham. They had known each other since childhood. She says there was no formal proposal and that it was more of an agreement.

After the wedding they travelled to Tully for their honeymoon before settling in Macknade. They raised four daughters Vicky, Wilma, Kay and Gail.

Beth remembers her neighbour Lenny helping by pushing Kay and Gail in the pram when she needed a break.

Benny has since passed away but Beth has seen her daughters grow, her grandchildren grow and now her great grandchildren. She is proud of her family. 

Fishing has always been important to Beth. She had her own punt with a 6hp motor and spent many hours on Gentle Annie Creek with her dog Honey and two friends. The family also had a hut on the creek where she spent much of her time. 

Beth describes herself as a larrikin who enjoys a joke and a good laugh. She says she is a down to earth Australian woman who has worked hard. She values family and enjoys a chat. 

Her advice for a long life is simple. “Be nice, have a nip of brandy and exercise.”