Don Roulston Buzzard

A Summary of Don’s Life

Don Roulston Dymock was born into a not so wealthy family in Croydon, Sydney, New South Wales (N.S.W.) in 1921. Her father wanted a boy but Don was born and so he and his wife Millicent decided to still register her name as Don. Her middle name was the family name of her great grandmother.

Very little is known about Don’s early years. Around 1917, her father secured some land under the Soldier Settlement scheme for returned soldiers from World War 1. The property was near the town of Griffiths, N.S.W. The family returned to Sydney after the death of her father in Griffiths in 1924.

Don was educated at Homebush Intermediate High School and went on to the “Model Business College” to train as a typist. Her first employment was with the Commonwealth Catering Co. Pty. Ltd and when Japan entered World War 2, she applied to join the Women’s Auxillary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) in 1941.

Don met my father, Brian Sheridan Buzzard, whilst they were both serving in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in World War 2. My father started out as a wireless air-gunner on RAAF Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats and Don as a teleprinter operator.

RAAF Consolidated PBY Catalina Flying Boat

They were married in February 1944 and she was discharged from the service in March 1944. My father was discharged from the RAAF in December 1945 as the Second World War in the Pacific formally ceased on 2nd September 1945.

After her discharge, Don waited for Brian at Yarrawonga in Victoria (Vic.). Their first child David was born in Yarrawonga in 1945. The family moved to Western Australia (W.A.), where Brian Sheridan re-joined his former employer in the country town of Dowerin in 1946. From Dowerin they moved to Northam and then to Toodyay where they bought their own business.

In Toodyay they had a further 4 children, Brian Jnr., Teresa, Patrick and Philip (myself). Soon after my birth, Don had what Dad thought was a nervous breakdown but was probably severe post-natal depression and other mental health issues.

On the advice of doctors, Dad sought the best specialist care for Mum but that required the family to move from country W.A. to the capital city Perth in 1955. He still maintained an interest in the family business in Toodyay after the family moved to the suburb of South Perth. We lived in South Perth until 1963 and then moved to Applecross. In the meantime, Mum was in and out of hospitals getting treatment for her illness and left Dad on several occasions to go back to Sydney, her birthplace.

Don permanently moved back to Perth, working at various jobs. However, eventually her health deteriorated to such an extent that she had to be cared for in nursing homes. She passed away in 1986.