Spread a little happiness

Beryl Katie Hill
FERNY Creek will this week say goodbye to a community stalwart with stories and raspberry jam.
Beryl Katie Hill died on 3 September aged 96. She had called the small town home for almost 70 years.
Her family and friends will this Sunday, 18 October, celebrate her life with a storytelling day at Ferny Creek’s recreation hall on the corner of Hilton and Clarkmont roads from 2pm.
Her son John said she’d made extra jam last fruit season.
“So it would be lovely if as many as possible who remember Beryl could come along for a scone and a cup of tea and to share some of their stories and memories,” he said.
Mrs Hill was born into a pioneering South Gippsland family in 1913. They relocated to the Goulburn Valley in 1921 because her father said “irrigation is the future of farming”.
In 1940 she married schoolteacher Joe Hill, who boarded on the family farm.
The following year the pair moved to Ferny Creek property Kilawah, built by next door neighbour Charlie Hackett. Mrs Hill called Kilawah home for 68 years.
Timber workers, potato and raspberry growers and carpenters dominated the town’s population at that time, with several guest houses also operating along the ridge.
Mrs Hill recalled milkman Arthur Foxford keeping his cows on One Tree Hill Road, milking them by hand and delivering pints and quarts in his horse and gig.
Mr Hill said his mother was one of few remaining residents who could remember the period when a butcher, several grocers, milk bars and a green grocer calling Ferny Creek home. Mrs Hill tended Kilawah while her husband was stationed at Northern Territory’s Bathurst Island with the Royal Australian Air Force until 1945.
She cleared blackberries, planted vegies and fruit trees, bought goats and began what is a today a much-admired garden.
Mr Hill said his mother took “enormous delight” from her garden, and fretted when bad weather or injuries kept her indoors.
She and her husband were also keen tennis players and helped to establish Ferny Creek Tennis Club.
In the early 1950s she raised cash to buy bats and pads and set up the Ferny Creek Under 16 Cricket Club to give a growing number of restless local boys something to do.
“No doubt remembering the trouble her four brothers had got into,” Mr Hill said.
The team soon amalgamated with Olinda to gain better facilities and is still going strong today.
Mrs Hill was also instrumental in setting up 1st Ferny Creek Scout Group and establishing the group’s Clarkmont Road headquarters.
She was also a much loved fixture at All Saints Anglican Church for more than 35 years after agreeing to “fill in” on the church organ for a week or so.
Her tenure on the instrument continued until the church closed down.
“So it was quite splendid that at the family funeral service at Kilawah her grandson played the same organ,” Mr Hill said. Mrs Hill had two sons, John and Murray, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Call 9755 1063 for more information on Mrs Hill’s storytelling tribute.