ELSHAUG, Margaret Honora

Margaret Honora Thomas was born at the Creswick Hospital 27th September 1917 and lived at Ascot where her father, William Herbert Thomas was a farmer.  In the later part of his life, her father suffered from Parkinson's disease for 25 years and the family relocated to Ballarat just before Margaret announced her engagement.  

She attended the Ascot State School which had a total of twenty or so students at the time.  It was a real rural school and Margaret walked across the paddock to get there.  Upon completion of her education at Ascot she attended Clarendon College in Ballarat for twelve months.  Through her brother, she attended the Ballarat Show and there she was to meet 'reader,' George Elshaug at the pig pens at the showgrounds.  They later attended a concert at Clunes and ultimately married, on the 24th of February 1940 and resided in Sturt Street with her parents.

After their marriage, Margaret and George bought a house at 840 Howitt Street and her parents moved in with them.  Margaret also cared for her grandmother who lived with them for four months, before she died in September 941.  At weekends, they often took her ailing father for a drive in the car.  Margaret nursed her father until he passed away in February 1945. Her mother then took ill, so Margaret cared for her for the next 8 years until she died in October 1953.

The family was living on Howitt Street when George decided to sell his cartage business and build a mixed business adjoining their house near the Showgrounds.  Margaret used to rise at two or three a.m. on weekend mornings to make cakes and sponges for the business.  After 18 months they sold the mixed business, which was after the death of Margaret's mother in 1953.

Sunday was the day to regularly visit the relatives at the farm.  Margaret during her life cared for and nursed her father, mother, and her grandmother, and worked in the family business but never held a job where she drew wages.  In her younger days, Margaret played tennis with the Albert Street church and in the afternoon, competed with the Burnbank Street Church Ladies.  She also played a little badminton.  As a hobby, she enjoyed knitting, tapestry, and crocheting.  They owned an auction business which they eventually had to sell due to George's failing health.  Margaret nursed him for nine years before he was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Centre.  He died on the 4th of April 1982.  He and Margaret shared forty-three years of happy married life together.  They had four children, Russell, Janice, Robert, and Pamela.  

Margaret died on the 16th of October 2013 and was cremated.  Margaret's ashes are buried with her parents and her husband George at the Ballarat New Cemetery, Private F Section 11 Row 2 Grave 34.