Introduction
This is the story of our Mum, Gwendoline Irene O’Brien. Of course, it includes a bunch of other characters. My Dad and we three kids will be obvious inclusions, although the main focus is on Mum.
Gwen O’Brien
When Mum moved from her house in Willoughby into aged care in 2015, we packed up all her photos and memorabilia into 28 sealed plastic boxes and stored them in her shed. The time just wasn’t right for us to go through them.
After she died in 2020 and we sold the Willoughby house, Rob mentioned to Leslie that he needed to move Mum’s boxes out of the shed. There was a look of horror on her face, driven largely by the fact that he still hadn’t reached the end of sorting Dad’s 104 boxes from 30 years ago! So, he wisely decided to put Mum’s boxes into storage and work on them bit by bit.
Well, that process is done now. It was an emotional roller coaster ride. One that we shared.
Kate and Rob in tears going through their Mum’s papers
We’d always thought that our Dad was the designated hoarder for our family, but it turns out that Mum hung onto every card and letter she’d ever received. And please, don’t get us started on Holy Cards. The woman was holier than Mother Theresa.
Mother Theresa
Having gone through everything, culled, scanned, sorted and catalogued, we can now say that we know more about our Mum’s history than ever. We thought we knew it all, but we don’t. And we know there are some things we will never know. To paraphrase the author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “every person has their public life, their private life, and their secret life”.
We’ve probably seen many of the photos and pieces of memorabilia before, spread across many years. But when you gather them together, date them, identify the contents and what was happening at the time, then put them all in order, you get a complete chronological picture of a whole life. That’s something very special. With everyone’s help, it’s what Rob hopes to be able to create for as many of the O’Brien clan as possible. To honour their lives and preserve their memory.
When we did this for Mum, what we came to realise was that Mum’s 92 years on this earth can be broken into seven fairly distinct chapters:
1. The Cooberang years (1928 to 1941)
2. Move to Sydney and the War years (1941 to 1945)
3. First jobs, meeting Alf and religious differences (1945 to 1951)
4. Marriage and children (1951 to 1965)
5. Taking control and drifting apart (1965 to 1991)
6. Life after Dad (1991 to 2011)
7. The Alzheimer years (2011 to 2020)
So, that’s how we’ve written our Mum’s story. As seven chapters. Some people may think this is way too long. Our feeling is that this is probably the only time that Mum will have her story told, so we don’t mind how long it is. In fact when other family members read it, maybe they’ll want to add even more.
It would be great if one or two of Irene and Bill’s grandchildren could do the same for their parents. This will really help to bring them to life for the generations that follow. You don’t have to follow what I’ve done. Just tell the story of your parent in your own way.
To go to the next section of Gwen’s story click here.
To be re-directed to any other part of Gwen’s story, click on the applicable blue text below.
Introduction (this section)
The Cooberang years (1928 to 1941)
Move to Sydney and the War years (1941 to 1945)
First jobs, meeting Alf and religious differences (1945 to 1951)
Marriage and children (1951 to 1965)
Taking control and drifting apart (1965 to 1991)
Life after Dad (1991 to 2011)
The Alzheimer years (2011 to 2020)
Written by Kate Landsberry and Rob Landsberry, last modified 10 October 2025