Marjorie Carter

Story

Born Marjorie Wallace, 22nd March 1943 at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England. Marjorie lived with her mother Martha Wallace (nee Ferguson) and father William Wallace and sister Eleanor Wallace in the upstairs section of their house in St. John St, Heaton, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Her brother William born 22/2/1925 married Lilian Mary Marbardi (Australian) at Heaton, and Marjorie was the flowergirl. Her brother and his wife lived in the downstairs section of the house.Marjorie had another brother, Stanley, born May 1927, but he died of pneumonia in January 1928.

During the Second World War, there was an unexploded bomb lodged in their roof, her father was at at the time an air-raid warden.

Marjorie was educated at Chillingham Road School at Heaton. Meanwhile, brother William served in the British Merchant Navy, and later emigrated to Australia in search of a better life. His wife was from Brisbane. As time passed, Marlorie’s parents decided that they wanted to keep their family together, so they took Marjorie, aged 10 and emigrated to Australia too on board the P&O ship the Orcades and arrived in the first week of March 1953. Both families settled in George Town, Tasmania.

Marjorie’s mother was to develop a brain tumour, and she was flown to Melbourne for an operation, passed away on 27th January, 1959, and her body taken back to George Town. Tragically, Marjorie’s father died of a heart attack shortly after on the 13th August of the same year. Marjorie was then working in the laboratory at what is now called Comalco in Bell Bay, Tasmania, and she went to live with her brother’s family in Reservoir, Victoria. While there she met through friends Raymond Leslie Carter, a fitter and turner from Abbotsford. They married on 10th April, 1965 at Reservoir. He was 23 and she a year younger. Marjorie became very fond of her mother-in-law.

They adopted a son on the 19th September 1973. He was born on 4th July that year, and they named him Steven William Carter. Later he married and divorced – had a partner for a short while. Steven had three daughters Renee Jane, Michelle Lynn and Samantha Kate, as well as a son named Zacarie Raymond William Carter. The William in all the male names has been passed down from the William Wallace clan. Marjorie was very close to her grandchildren.

During September 11979, she and Raymond went to England and Europe for a visit and met relatives and friends as this was the very first time in 26 years Marjorie had been back to her birthplace. Again in 1995 they returned to stay with her mother’s brother Stephen Shilon Ferguson at Howdon in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

Marjorie and Raymond lived at Elwood, Thomastown, Lalor, Healesville, Clonbinaine, Coronet Bay in Victoria and George Town in Tasmania and finally Churchill in Victoria.

While in Churchill, Marjorie suffered a heart attack and was pronounced dead at Latrobe Valley Hospital as a result of complications from diabetes on August 13, 2006. Marjorie’s wish was to be buried at George Town Cemetery as her mother, father and sister are all buried there.

From Raymond Leslie and Steven William Carter.

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