Beverly Nutley

“I guess I started being busy right back in primary school. My father was a building contractor and when he was working close to school I would walk to the site he was working at after school finished, and nail the floorboards and clean the building site when the job was completed. When I was 15 years old I left school – I wanted to be anursebutasIhadtobe17yearsoldtostart that career it just didn’t happen. I was enjoying working in the building industry so I stayed working with my father and became a hands-on builder for nine years.

I then came to Maryborough and married my first husband David. I had my daughter Tammy in November 1965 and within a few months, I built a house for my brother-in-law. I was very proud of that, as it was my first venture into the building industry on my own. When Tammy was 6 months old we bought the Seaview Theatre in Pialba and that was when running a house, raising children and managing a business really set in. But looking back now, it all sounds so easy.

During these few years, we built a house for ourselves and bought a business, Hervey Bay Taxis. Work seemed to be no e ort. We had a son, Christopher, in 1970 and when I came home from the hospital it was to find both David and his father, who was our other Taxi driver, down with the Hong Kong Flu. The only person with a taxi licence was me, so I was back to work driving, breastfeeding and running the Theatre, as well as running the house and caring for a 4-year-old – but it all seemed to happen; I did have help from my mother-in-law.

We then decided to build Drive-in Theatres in Hervey Bay, Warwick, Oakey and Biloela. David managed the financial side and I managed and worked on the physical side. We were very lucky as we had a lot of help on the home front as my in-laws managed the Theatre and Taxis for us.

When Tammy was 7 years old she started Brownies; this was when my volunteer work started. I became a unit helper and over the next twelve years progressed to District Commissioner while at the same time holding the position of executive of the Local Association for Guides.

David died in 1974, ve days before our third child, Davina, was born, so my life took on another big change. We had already sold the Taxi Business just prior to David dying and I then only had to sell the Drive-in Theatre as it was all too much now having three children, including a brand new baby. As there was a licenced restaurant attached to the Drive-in, I stayed on and managed it for some time.

After this I seemed to have a lot of time on my hands and needed to be kept busy, over the next twelve months I was on nine committees; some in executive positions. We even held some of the meetings at my home, in the evenings, to make it easier for me to be involved, as well as allowing my children to go to bed.

I met Keith and we were married in 1976. He just didn’t know what he was getting into – three children and nine committees. That same year we bought Prestige Motors. We had the RACQ Depot, as well as the Mercedes-Benz franchise, so it was back to full-time work, managing children and the house. Life became hectic with the children all involved with Kindy, Pre-school and schools as well as sports and music lessons, Guides and Scouts, but it all seemed to come together. Keith was Group Leader for Scouts and I was Guide Leader. The busier we were, the happier we seemed to be.

While the children needed us we were involved in their activities. When Davina finished with Girl Guides, I decided to do something for me. I joined the Yeppoon Lioness Club and, as usual, I was working full time at the Capricorn International Resort as a Chef. Keith had major skin cancer and couldn’t work for over twelve months and we made the decision to move to Brisbane to help Davina through Business College. After Keith’s second operation and recovery, we both started work in Ipswich. I was Canteen Manager at the Ipswich Girls Grammar School as well as being very involved with the P & F Committee.

On retiring in 1996 we moved to Glenwood and again built our house ourselves. We were a bit slower this time, it took nearly two years. We seemed to slow down a bit in our late fifties.

In 1997 a group of residents formed a Lions Club in Glenwood. Since its inauguration, I have been an executive member as Treasurer and President. As well as Lions I have been Secretary and Vice- President of the Glenwood Progress Association, an active member of the Glenwood Rural Fire Brigade and the SES. I really enjoy being involved in the community I live in.

Over the last ten years, I have looked after my grandchildren when needed and I am now helping with my great-granddaughter. I must say that none of these things could have been achieved without the love and support of my husband Keith. How do I do all this? Well, I get up in the morning and sort out what has to be done and get on with the job. My motto is: “Have a positive attitude – if you want to do something, you can do it.”