Bachelor of Applied Science ( Parks Recreation and Heritage ) to her Higher School Certificate .
For the past 15 years , she has worked parttime providing support services to students with disabilities at the University of Western Sydney ( Hawkesbury ).
You could be led to believe , that all that learning , teaching and being a devoted mother and grandmother to sons , Daniel , 46 and Steven , 41 , as well as four grandchildren , wouldn ’ t leave much spare time for Virginia to pursue other interests . Wrong , no cigar ! She has been a keen bushwalker for many years as a member of the Springwood Bushwalking Club – a mob which loves stepping out on trails , canyoning and abseiling .
This inspirational woman has long had the wanderlust , and just like Lucky Starr sang in his hit 1962 record , “ I ’ ve Been Everywhere ”, Virginia too , has travelled far and wide to enjoy what this astonishing planet has to offer .
She ’ s been as far south as the Antarctic , north to Alaska ( hmmm , could be a song in that !), and has put those bushwalking skills to use in trekking the Indian Himalayas and the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu , Kakadu National Park , the Pilbara and the New Zealand Highlands .
Virginia has set foot in many countries including Iceland , Norway , Patagonia , Cambodia Japan , Falkland Islands , Canada , the United States .
“ I ’ ve have received so much joy in meeting the locals and witnessing the beauty and splendour we have in this wonderful world of
ours ,” Virginia said .
Her next foray away from our shores will be a pilgrimage to Borneo ’ s Tarakan Island later this year .
“ My father was a signals man in Australia ’ s 26th Brigade which stormed ashore on May 1 , the first stage of the Borneo campaign of 1945 ,” Virginia explained .
The 26th Brigade suffered high casualties during the battle , the brigade ’ s tenure on Tarakan ending on December 27 , 1945 .
Morris Wheatley survived the war , returned home , married his sweetheart , Ruth , and eventually settled in the Hawkesbury where he became farm manager on Sir Elton Griffins ’ Tennyson Park , an experimental stock and produce farm .
Morris and Ruth became proud parents of five daughters – Brenda , Rosalie , twins Virginia and Jennifer and their late sister , Robyn .
Now , let ’ s backtrack to Steptoe and Son , and Virginia ’ s intearest in , as Albert would say , ‘ any old unwanted stuff ’.
“ My interest in art really began in 2000 when a hearing disability forced me to retire after teaching Humanities , Environmental Studies and Anthropology for 16 years at Mount Druitt TAFE .
“ I am what you would call a self-realised artist – creating whatever artwork come out of my mind ,” Virginia explained .
And what comes out of that amazing artistic mind includes painting abstracts , portraits and landscapes , printmaking , solar etching , paper collages , air brushing and constructing amazing glass mosaics .
Before parting ways with Virginia , she took
Virginia Wheatley is one person who doesn ’ t take umbrage when told to “ take a hike ”. The keen bushwalker loves to traverse the Blue Mountains , bushwalking , canyoning and abseiling .
me on a tour of her studio where the mind boggled at the array of art on display .
You can also be boggled , by visiting the Village Kitchen on April 15-16 !
Chinese Restaurant
GREAT HOME-STYLE ASIAN CUISINE
Lunch Special from $ 12.50
Lunch 11:30am to 2:30pm Dinner from 5pm till late Closed on Monday
AUTHENTIC CHINESE CUISINE
CATERING ALL FUNCTIONS
TAKEAWAY & DINNER
LICENSED & BYO
( BOTTLE WINE ONLY )
YOUR HOST & HOSTESS : MICHAEL AND SUSIE
22 Fitzgerald Street WINDSOR • 4577 2003 www . Orchid22 . com . au
729 George Street SOUTH WINDSOR
WIDE RANGE OF LANDSCAPE SUPPLIES , TOOLS & HARDWARE !
• Garden Soils
• Topdressing Soils
• Turf Underlay
• Sand
• Fertilisers
• Manure
• Decorative Pebbles
• Decorative Mulches
• Cement Products
• Building Supplies
• Bricks , Blocks & Pavers
• Firewood
Phone 4572 7549 www . parkleasandsoil . com . au
THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 155 // APRIL 2023 9