Margaret Hassett and Patricia Musarra are sisters with strong roots in Werribee.
They talked to Adem Saban about their life here.
Tell me about your connection to Werribee South?
M: Our grandfather was Joseph ‘Big Joe’ O’Connor, as in O’Connors Road in Werribee South.
He was one of the first people, if not the first, to live by the road.
That was at 100 O’Connors Road, where he had a dairy farm.
I was born there in 1935, but when the Depression came our parents had to get off the farm and shifted to Werribee.
So your family were dairy farmers?
M: Yes. Our dad Michael O’Connor and mum Dorothy were on the dairy farm.
I remember them getting up in the morning, milking 170 cows by hand – there were no milking machines back then – and then milking another 170 at night.
Dad would also grow and sell potatoes.
P: He was also one of the original founders of the old Werribee milk factory, which is where Southern Rural Water is now on the Princes Highway.
What memories do you have of the dairy farm?
P: The family had left the farm by the time I was born in 1951.
M: The best days were Werribee South. Oh, the fresh air, we’d play out in the paddocks all the time.
I remember when the cows were being milked, I’d open my mouth and have the milk squirted straight into it.
P: I still drive past the farm.
I actually went past the other day, got out of the car and knocked on the door.
I told the owners, “This is where my grandparents lived … in this very house.”
Visiting Werribee South now, has much changed?
M: There are no more dairy farms!
Dad would not be happy and a lot of the older Werribee South people wouldn’t.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely to see the market gardens.
We often bring people down to the market gardens and they can’t believe it’s still like this … that it hasn’t been taken over.
You’ve both always lived in Werribee, Werribee South or Hoppers Crossing – why?
P: Because we were born and bred here, and we’re staying. I’ll never leave Werribee.
It’s part of my heritage, my family history. I’m proud to say I’m from Werribee.
M: I can’t picture living anywhere else. This is home.
I’ve already got my block of land down at the cemetery next to mum and dad.
What’s life like today?
M: I’ve been married to my husband Cyril for 62 years.
We have three children, one has passed away. We also have seven grandchildren.
P: Sam and I have been married since 1971. We have three children and seven grandchildren.
