ELEANOR Frahm, affectionately known as Nell, was born in Toowoomba in 1929 (the start of the Great Depression) and spent her early years about 20 minutes outside the city.
As one of six children, Nell was the middle child, with two elder brothers, a sister, and two younger brothers.
Sadly at 95 years, Nell is the only surviving sibling of her family.
Later, the family settled in Drayton, Nell's father's birthplace, which had once been the region's main town and is now a suburb of Toowoomba.
Her father had various jobs over the years, he served in the Air Force for four years, worked as a share farmer, joined the Toowoomba City Council, and later did light duties at a service station.
Nell's mother managed the household and raised six children while running a small dairy operation with two or three cows.
From the age of 10, Nell helped milk the cows, walked them a mile and a half to and from the paddock, and helped make butter and cream, some of which her mother sold to Air Force personnel.
The family also raised chickens.
Life was challenging but fulfilling.
Nell vividly remembers her mother's monthly trips into town with a horse and sulky, returning with a small packet of lollies to be shared among all six children.
The packet had to last a month. "It was a happy childhood" Nell recalls.
"There wasn't much money, and not much conversation, but we knew we were loved. It was a different time - no wireless, no TV, just each other.
Dad played the Button Accordion, and we'd sit and listen to him.
Those were great memories.”
Nell was 10 years old when World War II broke out.
She left school after grade ten and began her working life with Queensland Trustees.
When that job ended Nell moved on to a tent factory.
Sewing the tents was physically demanding, so when her father informed her of a job opening at a local service station, she eagerly took it and remained there until she married.
At 19, Nell met Wallace, fondly called Bill, at a dance in Drayton.
A few months later, they married.
Bill was initially a wheat hauler and log cutter and provided firewood for stoves.
The couple first lived with Bill's sister, but over the years, they moved frequently, including a stint in Drayton while he worked at a bacon factory and later in Roma, where they lived in a caravan with their five children for eight years.
Bill had always dreamed of becoming a carpenter.
Determined to turn that dream into reality, he started working at a sawmill, where he met a carpenter who became his mentor, he soaked up every bit of knowledge and skill he could.
It was no surprise that the couple started working in the house building industry.
In the 1960s, Bill and Nell worked on housing commission homes and spec homes.
Nell supported Bill by priming timber, painting, and even did some hammering.
Their work took them to Gladstone, where they spent 22 years building homes before eventually shifting to plant hire.
Bill sustained a foot injury in 1982, which led to his retirement, and the couple moved to Hervey Bay where Nell worked for about three years in the kitchen at the old Sporties Club in Hervey Bay.
She warmly reflects on her nearly 69 years of marriage to Bill, who passed away seven and a half years ago after battling Parkinson's disease.
"We had our arguments, but any couple who says they don't isn't being honest.
"Marriage is about balance," she says. "If both partners give 80% and take 20%, it works.
A strong believer in giving back, Nell has volunteered with the RSL Women's Auxiliary for many years, and crochets items for their tombola fundraisers.
With grandchildren scattered across the country, Nell cherishes each moment when sees them.
