Community & Business
24 September, 2024
Community stalwart turns 100
Long time Oakey resident Kathleen (Kath) O’Brien turned 100 last week with a quiet celebration at home.
Kathleen Mary O’Brien was born in Warwick on 10th September 1924 to Patrick and Maria Bonner.
She grew up in Oakey and was educated at St. Monica’s, where she later did a Commercial Course.
Her first job was washing dishes in the kitchen of a Greek café in Campbell Street.
When offered a full time job, “I said thanks, but no thanks”, she said.
“I then did some relief work in a solicitor’s office before joining the office staff at the Oakey Butter Factory.”
Kath’s ambition was to take up nursing.
In 1944, she commenced her General Training at Royal Brisbane Hospital.
It was an interesting time period and old nursing sisters had been brought out of retirement because of the war.
A popular pastime for students was to go out dancing venues such as Cloudland, the Trades Hall, and the Trocadero.
Kath remembers hearing a story about one of her fellow students who was caught out past curfew returning to her quarters.
As an old sister advanced towards the nursing student, her date, an American serviceman grabbed hold of the sister yelling, “You run, honey, I’ve got her!
Kathleen graduated with qualifications in Child Welfare, and gained a Midwifery qualification at Toowoomba Mothers Hospital.
After a period of working as a private nurse in Brisbane, Kathleen moved to Thursday Island Hospital, traveling with a medical team through the islands and down to Cape York.
In 1958, she returned to Oakey to care for her mother and joined the staff in Oakey Hospital.
Kathleen worked at the Hospital until her retirement in 1989, serving as the Director of Nursing for the last eleven years.
She has been a stalwart member and volunteer in many community groups including, but not limited to, Oakey’s QCWA branch and Senior Citizens Association.
When asked how Oakey has changed, she reflected:
“In the early days, the main street (Campbell Street) was unsealed.
“There were very few cars years ago, but horse-drawn sulkies and carts were used by many people.
“After rain, the main street would have deep furrows, making it very rough when it dried out.
“I can remember electricity being connected.
“There were five hotels plus full bar and refreshment rooms at the Railway station run by two Miss Doyles.
“Where the (ANZAC) monument and civic centre are now were the local cattle sale yards.
“Later, a garage and residence was built on the site.
“At the site of the Oakey Service Centre and library were private residences.
“There were four banks in the main street and two hospitals - the Indurra Hospital and the CWA Hospital.
“I worked at the CWA Hospital for a few months.”
Kath has many other stories which she has asked remain off the record!
