WILLIAMS, Hazel
Hazel Williams was born, married and lived in Ballarat until her death on the 22nd October 1994.
Dorothy ‘Hazel’ Williams (Barnett) 1911 – 1994
Hazel Williams was born, married and lived in Ballarat until her death on the 22nd October 1994. In her lifetime she contributed in many ways to life in Ballarat. In 1956 she was appointed part-time organiser of the Home Help service for the city of Ballarat. This was an excellent service with housekeepers (home helps) assisting new mothers, the elderly, and ill people in the municipality.
The service was run by Hazel from a small office under the stairs at the Town Hall or from home. Phone calls came in during the afternoons and evenings, some of these were connected to the Good Neighbour Council of which she was secretary for many years. Hazel travelled the length and depth of the municipality by tram or on foot visiting new clients in their homes. She also visited medical clinics, infant welfare centres and hospitals taking them information on the service. Home Help Housekeepers worked full or part-time and were often widows with excellent experience in housekeeping, when required she contacted them by phone, telegram or a home visit. She had a warm personality, loved talking and interacting with people and had beautiful sparkling blue eyes.
In addition to the Home Help Service Hazel was also involved in the Good Neighbour Council assisting new settlers in Ballarat. In this she and other volunteers delivered food, blankets and household necessities to new arrivals. History and genealogy were also amongst her interests as she was descended from some early arrivals in Ballarat in the 1850s. During the Eureka battle her grandmother, Mary Abigail Goldsmith was hidden down a shallow mineshaft to keep her safe.
With another volunteer from the Ballarat Genealogical Society, she spent several years transcribing most of the gravestones in the Ballarat Old Cemetery, thus assisting many family history researchers. Throughout her life, Hazel Williams made a considerable contribution to the Ballarat community in the city she loved.
Hazel Williams was cremated at the Ballarat New Cemetery on the 25th of October and has an entry in our Book of Remembrance. Her page is opened each year on the 24th of August for her birthday.
Story contributed by: Di Christensen