Maker: Nicola Domney

Panel number: 488

Petition sheet number: Did not sign 1893 petition

Person honouring: Ilene Margaret Gibson

Relationship to maker: Great-grandmother

Ilene Margaret Gibson (born Barnett) was a charming and sociable woman who experienced many challenges in her life.

Born in 1904 and the oldest of seven children, she was nine years old when her mother died. Her father put all the children into an orphanage to keep them together, as he was unable to care for them himself. Her care in the orphanage ceased when she was about 16, and she was ‘booted out’ with only a suitcase – to fend for herself. 

She had a bright and enquiring mind and would have loved to have furthered her education or even gone to university. Unfortunately, this was not an option as she had to work to support herself.

She married Walter James Gibson in 1926 and had four children. With no access to or knowledge of contraceptive options, the only way she knew to avoid having more children was complete abstinence. This led to her husband bringing a mistress into their marital home.

Eventually Ilene and Walter divorced, leaving Irene to bring up her four daughters herself. Irene did secretarial type work to support her family and although they were in very poor circumstances, the family remembers a fun childhood, such as cleaning the floor by making a game of it, skating around with rags on their feet. Irene’s panel is themed around cards, which she always loved to play.

Ilene was 84 when she died in 1988.

Panel materials: All the fabrics were used from my stash. The scrabble panel was purchased overseas by a friend. The back of the cards was from fabric gifted to me by a friend. I purchased the embroidery thread.