Margaret Joan Crompton (née Allan)

Joan, 97 of Newington Ballarat, died peacefully in her sleep at the Kirralee Aged Care Home on 15 October 2018.

Dearly loved wife of Charles (dec.), much loved mother and mother-in-law of Heather and Monte (dec.), Allan and Nina and Ken and Beth.

Cherished Grandmother of eight and Great Grandmother of five.

Lovingly cared for by the Kirralee staff for the past two years.

The family have prepared the following obituary.

(Margaret) Joan Crompton, 97, died on Monday, 15 October, 2018 at the Kirralee Aged Care Home in Ballarat.

She leaves a daughter, Heather Steinmetz, son Allan and his wife Nina, and her youngest son, Ken and his wife Beth.

Joan had eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

Her husband Charles Frederic, sister Patricia Clarkson, son in law Monte Steinmetz, grandson, Christopher Crompton, and granddaughter, Honi Joy Steinmetz, predeceased her.

Joan was born in Ballarat on 21 June 1921, the daughter of James William (Wally) Allan, a former Editor of The Courier, and Doris Allan nee Besemeres.

Both her parents were from pioneering families who arrived in Ballarat in the early 1850s.

Joan attended the Church of England Girls Grammar School where she participated in many sports, including hockey, tennis and swimming. In later life, her passion was croquet and she was a life member and office holder of the Ballarat City Croquet Club.

Following her schooling, Joan worked as a florist at a number of Ballarat florists. She was also active in the Ballarat National Theatre in acting and producer roles.

She taught religious instruction in primary schools and was an active member of the Laurel Club and Legacy and enjoyed her activities at Vision Australia. A member of the Country Women’s Association in Queensland and Victoria, Joan was also part of the Meals on Wheels team delivering meals to residents in Ballarat

She was a member of the Assemblies of God Church for many years and later joined the Pleasant Street Baptist Church before she took up residence at Kirralee.

With a love of community singing, Joan enjoyed joining in when her cousin’s husband, Mr Bobby Franklin, played the piano for Kirralee residents.

Joan met her husband after he joined the RAAF in Mackay, Queensland at the outbreak of the Second World War and was sent to Ballarat to train as a wireless operator air gunner.

After service in the Middle East, Rhodesia, Darwin (where he joined the famed 452 Spitfire squadron) and Morotai in Indonesia, Charles was reunited with Joan.

They travelled from Ballarat to Mackay with their baby daughter Heather in a caravan Charles built to take up cane farming at Cameron’s Pocket, north of Mackay.

Joan and her family returned to live in Ballarat in 1957.

In her 70s, Joan enjoyed two trips to Britain, France and the Netherlands. In London, where her son, Ken, was Agent-General for Victoria, she delighted in her visit to the Hurlingham Club, the spiritual home of croquet.

In Scotland, she relished her visits to Balmoral Castle and to the home of golf, St. Andrews, to watch the British Open. She also attended a Royal garden party at Buckingham Palace.

Joan was a delightful raconteur and hostess at family and other functions. She will be missed by many.

Joan Crompton 1921 – 2018