scone.com.auVale: Betty Pinkerton
Betty Pinkerton: 26/11/1928 – 02/02/2020
By Coleen Brown
BETTY was the third child born to Stan and Edith Pinkerton of “Zanzibar” Ellerston – the eldest of the four girls. She started school at the age of seven – first on correspondence lessons and then to Ellerston for the rest of her school life except for another stint on correspondence when Ellerston closed for a period.
In 1942 Betty transferred to Maitland Girls High School until passing her Intermediate Certificate in 1944. Betty did not study again until she was accepted as an external mature age student at New England University (Armidale) and after nine years of study graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Archaeology. At the nice age of 70.
During her working life Betty worked as governess throughout Tasmania and NSW. In 1979 Betty returned to Scone as her mother had entered the Scone Nursing Home, at this time she purchased her home in Waverly Street where she passed away on Sunday evening.
On returning to Scone Betty was employed at the Scone Nursing Home as a domestic until her retirement. Betty’s main love was history. She was mad about and well known for her knowledge of family history before genealogy became a trendy word. No internet research for her – it was all done methodically searching birth, deaths, a marriage records, family records, court records, press articles and talking to relatives and visiting properties and graveyards. Betty became a volunteer at the Scone Historical Society in 1988 and remained an active member up until her death. She was currently the President.
Betty’s funeral will be held at 2pm, Monday, February 10, a St Luke’s Church, Crn Liverpool and Guernsey Street, Scone.
Editorial note: Betty was an amazing lady and I will miss her forthright manner and passion for local history. I often joked with her that we needed to somehow download all the knowledge she had, all of the incredible details and memories of the local area and the local families who were part of its fabric. And while I’m sure she would have felt she was just doing what needed to be done, Betty was a very important thread. She will be missed.
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