With family roots woven deep into Brisbane’s history, Dorothy Gaskell, at 97 years young, has witnessed almost a century of challenges and change, yet her warmth, creativity and enthusiasm for life remain as strong as ever.
Dorothy’s great-grandfathers were Joshua Jeays, Brisbane’s fourth mayor and builder of Government House, and George Phillips, the politician who donated the land for Sandgate Baptist Church. She is also one of the two surviving daughters of Charles Jeays who founded Jeays Bros. Hardware in 1922.
“We had a wonderful childhood,” Dorothy said. “Dad took us up to his shop in the city on Saturdays on an old couch in the back of his truck. He took us to see the monkeys in cages in the Botanical Gardens, and then he bought us ice creams.”
During World War II, her father’s hardware business was used for the Allied War effort and was forced out of its Margaret Street premises in Brisbane’s CBD. Charles had to hurriedly move all of the stock to the backyard of their family home in Brighton and run the business from there.
Growing up, Dorothy remembers a childhood filled with adventure and a devoted father.
“Dad built a cottage at Mount Tamborine where we would go some weekends,” she said. “He drove us there with our mother at the beginning of the school holidays, then drove back to Sandgate to work, and returned to us on the weekend.”
With a cow for milking in their yard, and the only house on their street with a telephone, life was very different for Dorothy back then.
“Dad had a phone at the house for the business,” she said. “We used to have to deliver messages to our neighbours.”
Creativity and Resilience Through the Years
Today, Dorothy is not your average 97-year-old. Decades ago, Dorothy and her sister owned a custom hat shop in Nundah and her creativity continues today. Now living in residential care at Taigum, Dorothy is continuing to dream up custom creations of her own.
After recently recovering from a serious illness, she completed a patchwork quilt large enough to cover her entire bed. Not content to stop there, she has since focused her efforts on creating a handcrafted bikini for a staff member at her residence.
Dorothy’s energy, creativity and stories from her past continue to inspire those around her, and at her age, she can clearly say she’s led a life well lived.
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