Kathleen Veronica Conway
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May 27, 1919 to January 15, 2015
WHENEVER asked about being Kathleen Veronica Lucke-Maher-Conway, she would always say she'd been "just an ordinary" person, nothing special in her life.
However, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Kathleen's journey took her from Melbourne, to Wagga's Exchange Hotel, the North Wagga brickworks and as a driver for Fearnes Buses.
As the oldest daughter of Alf Lucke, Kathleen could often be found in the shed, repairing boots, or shaving, sanding and shaping wood for Mr Lucke's canoes.
At age 15, Kathleen built her own bike, riding it into town to work in administration.
In response to a competition to design and build a new musical instrument, Kathleen's attention to detail and patience to persist paid off.
The instrument, a long lute-like instrument, hand-crafted with a brass inlay was a winner.
At the end of World War II, Kathleen married Stan Maher.
They eventually had eight children, however, their sixth child and fourth son died on day he was born.
Balancing the family budget and domestic chores were made more complicated with a growing family.
The family moved to country Victoria, running the pub at Nyora before making the big move to Wagga.
Kathleen became the licensee of the Exchange Hotel and the rambling old country pub quickly became a thriving business.
It boasted one of the first beer gardens in the state and was the place to be in 1954 when Queen Elizabeth visited the city. Unfortunately, the lease was not renewed and the Mahers moved to North Wagga in 1956, moving into the drying sheds at the brickworks.
Two months later, one of the worst-ever floods on record hit the city, making the Mahers refugees at the Wagga Showground.
"The strength and resilience shown then is beyond words," Kathleen's eldest daughter Emma Maher-Brooks said.
"She was quite remarkable in so many ways - warm-hearted, brave, loyal, practical, clever, inventive, calm, resilient, sometimes feisty, always hated fuss."
Brick by brick, the family built a new home in San Isidore - among the first families in the village.
After Stan left Kathleen, she moved to Norman Street. With her children either working or studying, she decided to get her bus licence and convinced Fearnes Buses to let her drive.
It was the 1960s and Kathleen was Wagga's first female bus driver, becoming known as Mrs Maher or "Mother Maher" to a generation of students.
In the 1970s, she married Arthur Conway, moving again to North Wagga.
She became one of the strongest supporters of the North Wagga Football Club.
"It was Kath's keenest pride that she could make up the most complex pattern and knit a long sleeve sweater without a single seam," Mrs Maher-Brooks said.
In North Wagga, Kathleen and Arthur survived several more floods, travelled around the country and visited Ireland before moving to Ashmont.
In 2007 Kathleen moved to The Haven.