Hallam’s high hopes

By Lia Bichel and Emma Sun
FOR more than 50 years, Pauline Saunders has called Hallam home. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Mrs Saunders, 80, said she could not understand why Hallam was placed last in a survey about the most liveable suburb which was featured in a special issue of The Age’s Melbourne Magazine last week.
Mrs Saunders moved to Hallam in 1959 with her husband Ken and was one of the first to move into her estate.
Since her arrival in Hallam, she has been very active in the community.
Through all of her involvement, she has met many people and made life-long friends.
“The people here are wonderful,” Mrs Saunders said.
“I can get on my electrical trolley and go to the shops and do my shopping and I always see someone I know.”
Mrs Saunders was involved with the reconstruction of the local primary school and was on the school committee as the secretary for 12 years.
She was also responsible for starting up a preschool committee, which raised enough money to have Hallam Preschool built and worked with close friends to get the Hallam Carnival running for three years.
All three of her children, Kenneth, Debra and Paul, attended schools in the area.
In her working life, Pauline was a post lady and then worked as the crossing lady at Hallam Primary School before retiring at the age of 60.
Pauline’s involvement in the greater community included assisting George Chudleigh in starting the Hallam Senior Citizens Club, volunteering at the Red Cross, running the Blood Bank at General Motors and helping tirelessly during the Ash Wednesday fires making sandwiches for the fire fighters.
She was presented with a Paul Harris Rotary award in 1989 and also received the City of Berwick Australia Day Seniors award.
Mrs Saunders said she thought Hallam still had a number of great amenities including schools, shops, bus services and a train station.
She also said there were numerous things for people, young and old, to do.
“We have an elderly citizens club which is wonderful, a tennis club, parks, a recreation reserve, football and cricket,” she said.
“I can not see any reason why people would say it is the worst place. I love Hallam.”