Barry and Jenny Lacey
You are both incredible gardeners. How did that journey begin?
“We moved here from Melbourne in 2001. There was no garden here, only grass and a concrete pathway, we started our first garden beds in December of that year and by 2008 we had our first open garden. We have 90 bearded Iris and more than 150 bonsai trees, we have roses and cacti and succulents and even a Chinese tea tree,” the pair laugh. “It’s very rare and doesn’t need a lot of water” (the tree is actually an arrangement of cups and mugs that Jenny designed as a garden ornament).
Tell me a little about your life together.
“We’ve been married for 52 years. We first met in 1966 when I got an after-school job at a butcher’s shop when I was 15,” said Jenny.
“And I was 16 and doing my butchers apprenticeship,” said Barry. “I asked her if she wanted a chewy and a few weeks later I gave her a friendship ring. We got married five years later.”
“We have a son Matthew and a daughter Tanya and three grandchildren,” said Jenny.
“We taught karate for 20 years in Melbourne and then for 10 years when we moved here. We had a fabulous time.”
Any other interests?
“We both enjoy swimming and I scrapbook and make cards, as well as volunteering at the Rural Transaction Centre,” said Jenny.
“And I’ve started doing Tai Chi,” said Barry. “I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2009. It was either Parkinson’s, a tumor, or a cyst on the brain, so I reckon I was pretty lucky. They call me the $6 million man. I have two artificial hips, I’ve lost a kidney, and have an artificial metal aorta.
“One day soon after my Parkinson’s diagnosis, I was sitting with my next-door neighbor John Rowlands, who had been diagnosed with cancer. We were sitting on the couch with a beer, consoling each other and we came up with the idea for the Newstead Men’s Shed. That was in 2011 and we’ve just received a grant to extend the shed and now have over 30 members.”
Do you have a philosophy you live life by?
“Treat people as you’d like to be treated,” said Jenny. “A bit of compassion and empathy goes a long way.”
“One day you’re gonna die, don’t worry about it,” said Barry. “There’s no good sitting there doing nothing. Keep moving and going.”
Three dream dinner guests?
Jenny said, “Mum and the late Queen Elizabeth. I’ll have to think about the third.”
Barry said, “Adam Lambert from Queen, the Dalai Lama, and Dimash Kudaibergen a Kazakh singer. He’s considered the best male singer in the world.”
What are your pet peeves?
Barry, “Governments promising things in 10 years time, when they might only be in power for four years. How can you promise something if you don’t know if you’ll be in power?”
Jenny, “People who litter.”
What’s your musical genre of choice?
“I’m not sure what musical genre Dimash Kudaibergen is, but he is amazing. He can sing high and so low,” said Barry.
“The 60s. When we grew up,” said Jenny.
What are you reading at the moment?
“Since the Parkinson’s my eyes go out of focus and I can’t read,” said Barry. “I used to read a lot of science fiction and westerns.”
“I’m reading a Friend Like Henry by Nuala Gardner,” said Jenny. “It’s a true story about an autistic boy. I cried my eyes out.”
What do you enjoy most about the place you call home?
Jenny, “The peace and quiet, fresh air and the community, the people.”
Barry, “No rush. And I couldn’t have a bonsai garden outside like that in Melbourne. They’d get pinched. And being able to have a big garden.”
