MAY 2019| The Australian Women’s Weekly 105
PHOTOGRAPHY BY EDMOND TERAKOPIAN. NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA. NEWSPIX.
Mother’s Day
M
issJuneDally-Watkins’
smileneverfalters.
Ever.Neitherdoesher
posturenorherpoise.
Thereis noslumpingin
MissDally'sworld;novulgarcleavage
or,gasp,tattoos.Insteadthereare
pearls,alwayspearls,andimmaculate
make-upin theafternoonasshetakes
yourarmtowalkdownthestreet.
Youfeelyourbackgettingstraighteras
youlistentoherperfectlyenunciated
vowels;yourmannersbeingminded.
Youwonderif youcouldeverhavethe
disciplinetobesoendlesslygracious.
Ata graduationceremonyforher
personaldevelopmentstudentsin
Brisbane,sheis regal;thequeenofthe
correctwaytodothings;a tinylove
bombofformidablefemininity.
“Thegreatestgiftofallis love.
Wehavetoloveourselvestolove
others,toshowkindness,”shetells
thegraduates.“Anddon’tlookfalse.”
Astheyhaveformorethansix
decades,hernewlydemuregirlswill
sallyforthwiththeirheadsupand
shouldersback,knowingtheirtable
manners,howtocarrythemselves,
howtobeconfident,hownottobe
“common”.“How,”shesays,“tobe
thebestthattheycanbe.”
MissDallywasonceAustralia’smost
photographedmodelandwhenshe
launchedherSchoolofDeportment,
in 1950,shebecamethefirstAustralian
womantoopena corporatebusiness
and,controversiallyforthattime,a
motheroffourwhokeptworking.
Forbeinga careerwomanand
workingmother,shereceivedabuse
andcriticism,hatemailcallingher
a badmother,phonecallssayingher
childrenwouldendupdelinquent.
“Iwasmadetofeela failureasa wife
andmother,”shewritesin hermemoir,
StillSmiling, “butI resolvedtonever
giveuptherighttolivemyownlife.”
Whenshewasa child,LisaClifford,
MissDally’syoungest,“didn’treally
knoworcare”thatherfamous,
glamorousmotherhadoncegoneout
withthemoviestarGregoryPeck.
“Theonlywaythatit affectedmewas
ontherareoccasionsshecametoa
schoolplay– allthegirlswouldstrike
poses in the hope that she wouldchoosethemtobea model.”Butshe
says,“shewasbattlinga wholelotof
differentstigmas.Peopledidn’tknow
whatmodelswereoragencieswere;
theyviewedthemwithsuspicion;
somethingakintoloosewomen.”
Lisabelievesthatwhathasdriven
hermotheralltheseyears,whatthat
smilehasbeenhiding,thereasonfor
herdeterminedself-reliance,is the
struggleofherchildhood.Farfromthe
worldofhighsocietythatshewould
cometoepitomise,MissDallygrew
upan“illegitimate”childona remote
sheepfarmat Watson’sCreek,NSW,
at a timewhensinglemotherswere
socialandmoraloutcasts.“SoI
maskedmyshameandburiedmy
self-consciousnesswitha smile,”she
writesin hermemoir.“Something
I havedoneallmylife.”
“Shehasanextraordinaryironwill,”
LisatellsTheWeekly.“Herlifehas
beena battleforlegitimacy.Thatis
thecorereasonforthismoltensteel
determination.Shehada tough,tough
childhoodandit wasalways a battle.
Thestigmaaround
illegitimacy– I never
appreciated,asher
daughter,theinner
conflictthatgave
her.Sheis notat all
bulletproof.Shehas
genuinefearsthat
driveher.Butif you
lookat it forwhatit
is,it is anillegitimate
childfromWatson’s
Creek,whohasno
claimtobethedoyen,
yetshehasforgedthis
crownforherself.She
hasmadethatfrom
nothing,
andthatis extraordinary.”
MissDally’smother’s
owndreamsoftravel
andbecoming
somebodyhadbeen
thwartedbyherunwed
pregnancy,buttogethertheywould
walkthetwokilometrestothepost
officetopickupmagazines,including
TheWeekly, anddreamofbeinglike
thewomenin thoseglossypages.
Carrying her mother’s dreams,Clockwise:Miss
DallyonThe
Weekly’s cover;
asbusiness-
woman;with
threeofher
fourchildren,
including Lisa.MissDallywouldgoonto bea frequent
Women’sWeeklycovergirl.
“Igrewupona sheepfarmwithmy
grandparents,buteventhoughI was
outtherechasingsheepandshooting
rabbits,mymotheralwaysinsisted
thatI hadgoodpostureandgood
manners.Andshealwaysinsistedthat
I spokewell.Shewouldsay,‘Oneday
youmighttraveltheworld.’I wasthe
samewithmychildrenbecauseI wanted
themtodowellin life.”
Andat 92– shewillonlyadmitto
25 – MissDallyis stilltravellingthe
world,runningherschoolandcharity
in China,stillcharmingeveryoneshe
meets– indefatigable.
It hasn’talwaysbeeneasy.Miss
Dallyadmitsshecouldn’talways
bethereforherchildren.“Iwasoften
working.I ranclassesin the evening
and school holidays.”→