Independent until the last

Died: June 30, 2024.

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Betty Gemmell was always fiercely independent.

Born on her grandparents’ property near Berrigan, in the Riverina, in 1917, she inherited a knack for numbers from her accountant father. When World War II broke out, she became one of Australia’s first female bank tellers.

Like many young women at the time, Betty considered going into nursing, but the local bank manager in Deniliquin convinced her that the best way she could contribute to the war effort was by using her mathematics skills.

“They said to her, ‘We need you. This would be your war effort because all the men have gone off for war,’” recalls Betty’s niece, Vicki.

“Betty used to carry a pistol when transporting cash from the bank. There was one time in Deniliquin when the bank manager couldn’t get in, so she had to sleep in the bank with a revolver under her pillow.”

In her early 30s, Betty was transferred to Sydney with the ANZ Bank and moved to Mosman.

While she always referred to Deniliquin as “home,” the lower north shore held a large piece of her heart.

Right up until her 107th year, Betty cherished her independence.

She lived on her own to the end, spending her days chatting on the phone, reading the daily news, and knitting.

Until last year, the super centenarian was crafting woollen bears for sick babies at Royal North Shore Hospital.

It was one way, she told me recently, to keep connected with the local community.

Betty Gemmell’s greatest gift in her final years was her razor-sharp mind. She could recall, in vivid detail, moments in time both historic and trivial.

She was handy too, replacing her own kitchen at the ripe old age of 96.

Betty maintained her drivers licence until her 98th birthday (when she reluctantly handed it in) and was still enjoying a semi-regular glass of whisky at 105.

One of seven children, Betty Gemmell lived through two world wars, the Great Depression, a moon landing, and Covid. She saw 27 Australian Prime Ministers come and go, watched the assassination of JFK, and witnessed the arrival of life-changing domestic appliances like the dishwasher, washing machine and microwave. Ask her what she thought of computers and social media, and Betty was quick to opine.

“Computers were a great invention but they have become terrible things,” she would say, “they’ve made people lazy and young people are too reliant on them.”

In our conversations, Betty said the saddest part of getting old was not being able to manage her daily swim at Balmoral when the unwanted arrival of a walking frame proved too tricky to navigate on the sand.

She started each day with tea, a poached egg, and toast. “Eating small meals, not smoking, and keeping active is my secret,” she would often say with a wink.

Last year, more than 100 Mosman Collective readers sent Betty a birthday card ahead of her big day, and the kindness of our residents is something she never forgot.

Betty will be laid to rest in her “home town” of Deniliquin on July 10, with a memorial service in Mosman at a later date.

Rest in peace, dear Betty. What an incredible gift you were to our community. You will be greatly missed.

~ Anna Usher, Mosman Collective