26/08/2026
‘Today, I lost my best mate.’
Mum as per her wishes was buried privately but I thought it is only fitting to share some of her life with an industry and community she was such a big part of.
On the 16th of August, 2026, I lost my mum and my best mate Barbara.
Mum was born on the 26th of June 1940 and grew up in Devonshire Street, Maitland. Mum would tell me of how tough her childhood was. She was a proud St Ethels girl and latter on finished her schooling at Maitland Girls High. She lacked confidence in the classroom but was drawn to sport. She loved running and vigoro but it was netball she excelled at, so good was mum that she would often be chosen to represent the school at sports carnivals but always had to withdraw because her family didn’t have the money to buy her the uniform or pay the fee that was needed. Mum was also a handy boxer and would often don the gloves and take the boys on, just like Rocky, she too was also a famous south paw.
Much of her childhood was spent working. Particularly in winter, walking the railway tracks looking for coal to burn and asking the train driver to throw her a nice shiny piece. In the flood of 1955, mum was 15 and found herself stranded on the old railway overpass for 3 days on her own. I can’t imagine how scared and anxious she must have been, not only because she was alone but not knowing if her family were alive.
She met Norman Kirkwood through a mutual friend at Maitland Town Hall dances. Laramie as Norman was known (because of his cowboy antics) would marry Barbara on the 29th of August 1959 and he would turn out to be her life partner.
Susan was born in the may of 1960 then me in the January of 1967. After a short stay on Belmore Road they would settle at Northcott Avenue, East Maitland. Dad began to find running Kirkwood’s and training horses was becoming increasingly difficult. One afternoon after work he told mum this to which she replied “so teach me to help you”. Mum took to the horses like a duck to water. She strapped for dad, did fast work, got her trainers license but most of all told dad what he was doing wrong.
They moved to Oakhampton in the early 80s and it was here they lived their best lives. Mum loved the property. She loved the horses but it was her volunteer work at the Maitland Hospital that saw mum be rewarded with 25 years of service and a nomination for citizen and Australian of the year.
A recent photo was posted of dad driving ‘Maitland’s Elect’, a pretty handy horse at the time with the old cane whip drawn ready to hit him. I was reminded that after each race mum would run her hand over their rump and if there were any welts dad would get the biggest serve. Whilst dad was the main stay with the horses, mum had more empathy. She named them all and treated every one of them by the way in which she found their personality to be. She had a life lone running battle with Charlie (Norman’s father) over many things horse related but they always seemed to have common respect for each other and found away to co-exist.
To finish this small tribute to mum a little story that reflects the love and kindness she had for everyone and everything. THE DOG. Never having a pet in East Maitland until one day this stray ginger colored corgi kelpy cross dog walked into our back yard. After much begging and pleading “can we keep him” mum gave in and said yes, and with that he was so cleverly and originally named, GINGER! After only a few moths with us Ginger developed a condition called distemper. A disease that attacks the nervous system and respiratory functions, that in most cases cannot be treated. After a consultation with the vet it was advised that it would probably be best to put ginger down as survival rates were thin and in some cases the dog became so violent and aggressive that they had to be euthanized. Anyway, well mum was having none of that and so the treatment began. Countless trips to the vet gaining him the nickname of the ‘six-million-dollar dog’ by the colorful characters in the trotting fraternity, namely a one Kerry Hedges. Ginger was wrapped in a blanket and nursed for 3 months. Mum would carry him in her arms, he would ride in the front seat of the car, he went everywhere. Ginger began to show signs of improvement and latter on become the most loyal guardian to mum. Something that saw him endure countless stitches and broken bones from doing what he could to protect her from the horses, a trait that would eventually cost him his life.
Mum, thank you for all the love, the beltings, the support, my work ethic, Saturday afternoon dump runs, for keeping a look out when I was syphoning dad’s Ute for petrol to put in my motorbike, for the endless hours throwing the cricket ball, for taking me to footy training, for never missing a game, for telling me I played like s**t, for turning my electric blanket on so the bed would be warm when I got home from a night out, for giving me $5 a day for lunch when dad had made me pay $25 a week for bord, but above all thank you for always being my best mate!
