Gellibrand client Donna Browney said having young kids was one of the happiest times of her life.
Donna said that she wished she could have her time over with her kids when they were young. She is non-verbal so, with the support of team member Evan Nicefero, Donna explained that having young kids again wouldn’t be so she could do anything differently, just so she could relive the joyful experience.
Donna’s three children – Peter, Chanty and Dylan – are now adults in their 30s, living in various locations around Victoria. She also has six grandchildren and she sees them and her adult children regularly, including on a Sunday night family video call that her father and sister also join.
She raised her kids as best she could, Donna said, and she enjoys being a mum. Evan showed a photo of Donna’s daughter and noted how similar she and Donna looked, which brought a big smile to Donna’s face.
Donna said she gets along well with her adult children and that she wasn’t a strict mother when they were growing up. She was even happy to talk about her experiences of childbirth, saying they were all natural and she wasn’t scared at any time. But three kids, she said, was enough for her.
Donna, who grew up in Melton, likes it when her family comes to see her and she sometimes travels to spend family time in Bendigo where her youngest son Dylan lives. Donna is a big fan of the Geelong Cats football team and she has a picture of their team emblem on her wall. I asked her about it and she said Dylan had painted it for her, so it’s no wonder it has pride of place in her room.
In the week that I met with Donna and Evan, Donna was set to get her hair done, which meant she’d be happy with how she looked in time for Mother’s Day. Though she feels like it’s much like any other day, there’s no doubt she enjoys being made to feel special on the second weekend in May.
Every Mother’s Day her family gets together, whether that’s at Hollybrook, her Gellibrand home, or out at a restaurant. This year the family is going out so Donna will dress up and flash her best smile as she enjoys the annual tribute to her love and work as a mother.
Click on the images below to view our gallery:
