CHISHOLM, Eleanor (Pollard)

Eleanor Margaret Pollard was born on 25th December 1919 in Ballarat, she attended Pleasant Street Primary School and then Clarendon College. Whilst shopping for her mother at Patterson, Powell & Sandford, in the present Myer building, she was offered a job by old Mr Powell and left school overnight to begin work.  Eleanor began as a milliner and later moved to a boutique in Sturt Street which catered for weddings with gowns, hats and accessories, catering for mothers and bridesmaids as well as the bride.

In 1942 with WW2 underway, Eleanor enlisted and worked as a nurse at Watsonia and Heidelberg. She finished her nursing back in Ballarat working as the night nurse at the Army General Hospital in Victoria Park. After the war Eleanor and her husband Jack, sought to return to normal life and in 1957 Jack became the Mayor of Ballarat and would serve three further terms.

Eleanor thoroughly enjoyed being the Mayoress and in one term she attended 356 functions in 365 days. Eleanor also got to meet the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, a number of Prime Ministers and several State Governors. Eleanor also had many non-political interests including being a Cub Scout Leader and being a District Commissioner for the Girl Guides.

Eleanor was also a Life Member and former President of the Ladies Art Association, a long serving member of the Board of the Ballarat Orphanage and a founding and Life Member of the Cornish Association. Eleanor is a former President and long serving member of the Art Gallery Women’s Association and was involved with Lisa Lodge, Red Cross and The Begonia Festival.  Also Eleanor voluntarily participated on the Interiors Committee at Sovereign Hill finding authentic items for the shops and cottages.

Eleanor passed away in 2014 and is buried in Ballarat New Cemetery, Tandara Lawn, Grave 201.