Tributes flow for Greenmount Homestead’s former caretaker Gloria Arrow
The beloved Greenmount Homestead former caretaker Gloria Arrow is being remembered for everything she embodied – a warm, kind heart, love of her home and that funny anecdote.
Mackay
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Gloria Arrow had a particular way about her that could capture both the history of Greenmount Homestead and entwine it with the charm and character of those who lived there.
The historic site’s beloved caretaker came to be known for her warm, kind-hearted manner and knowledge of the place she called home since 1958.
It was then, as a 17 year old, that Ms Arrow took up a position as a maid for Greenmount Homestead owners Tom and Dorothy Cook – two people she said were akin to parents.
Her role would later evolve into cooking for the family, and later as caretaker for more than 60 years.
Ms Arrow passed away on May 9, aged 80; just two years after moving from the historic site she had called home for most of her life.
But her life at the homestead was one of such diligence and respect it was turned into an exhibition in 2019, a series of works called Conversations with Gloria on the Verandah that took in the history of the place she called home.
Artists Janet Ambrose and photographer Kealie Frerichs compiled the works artfully exploring Mrs Arrow’s view of her piece of the world.
That unique perspective, and the insight she could afford of the daily life at the plantation near Walkerston, and her rapport with visitors – local, national and international – has endeared her in Mackay’s modern history.
Greenmount Homestead on Thursday shared a touching tribute to the woman whose contributions to “local heritage over the course of her lifetime have been nothing short of remarkable”.
“Arriving at the homestead in 1958 aged 17, Gloria’s longstanding association with Greenmount and her warm, kind-hearted manner made her an esteemed figure in the local community,” the tribute read.
“She graciously welcomed generations of our region’s schoolchildren to the homestead, and her funny anecdotes of life at Greenmount charmed visitors from our local community, from across Australia, and from all around the world.
“We here at Greenmount Homestead have been so fortunate to have known her, and we as a community are no fortunate that she shared her life and her stories with us.”
Ms Arrow passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 9. Her funeral was on Monday, May 17, with those paying their respects in bright clothes to celebrate her vibrant life.
Originally published as Tributes flow for Greenmount Homestead’s former caretaker Gloria Arrow
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