Letters to Ann

Dear Ann,

Of course, I have conveyed to you many times the respect I have for Tupperware & how that simple product provided the answer to many a housewife’s dreams. They produced a product that would seal sufficiently, to keep the air out of the food we needed to keep for our families. It was a product that hit many parts of the world with great force.

In coming up with a party plan, very cleverly thought out to bring it straight to the fore of the household woman. That in itself was also a first.

When I look back into how I became part of this great organisation it brings a smile to my face, as I was quite shy.although some people may not agree! I would rather hide myself in a crowd than become part of it.

So to get out in front of a room full of people to do a demonstration on a household product was something I thought I would never be capable of doing. But do it I did.

Some distant relatives in Queensland wet my appetite on this brand new product. I had heard nothing about it until I visited them when Max had his long service leave from the Pulp & Paper Mills in Burnie.

There must have been some little voice inside me encouraging me to have a go. So I did, especially when my husband also encouraged me saying “You might as well, it will only last six weeks!”

That was when I was only thirty six, back in two thousand & sixty two. What a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. What a change Tupperware made not only in my life, but also that of my family.

It was the hardest decision I ever had to make to leave Tasmania & come to live in New South Wales, but both my family & I, when this has come up in our discussions over the years since, have voiced that it was definitely the right decision.

My husband & I had a fantastic life with the Tupperware organisation. We not only travelled annually to many parts of the world, but also it opened up wide opportunities for our two sons that would not have occurred had we stayed in Tasmania.

Dawn at the 1968 Fiji Distributors’ Conference with their Top 5 Trophy

If I had ever been what you might say, an introvert, I later developed into being quite the opposite & could have taken my place anywhere in the world. In other words, I completely overcome the shyness & lack of confidence I had when younger.

As for the product, well it’s a well known fact that you cannot be successful in selling if you don’t believe you have the best product of its kind in the world. There is no doubt that we all believed. Even if the product was quite well perceived as being ‘expensive’ it had much to back the reason why: a competent product to keep your food fresh with its air tight seal; a sturdy product with a lifetime guarantee; & a product not only pleasant to the eye, but a product to save a lot of space in the pantry & kitchen cupboards.

So here I am again, sitting on my little soap box!

Another thing that was special was that the relationship with International & National Staff with Dealers, Managers & Distributors was one to be envied compared to a lot of other business relationships. If we, the workers in our part of the field, needed advice we could always rely on our peers.

For myself the twenty years I was attached to the Tupperware team opened up horizons which would otherwise have been alien to me.

So when a parcel arrived at my door just prior to Christmas it was not entirely unexpected as, for many years, the executive staff have been sending annually to all past Tupperware distributors a gift of their latest product. This is indeed a fine gesture & keeps us interested in what’s new.

It’s also exciting opening the carton to see what they have come up with. Because of my age & also living alone, I do not have the use for some of the new items, but my Grand Daughters – Charley & Riley – have naturally been brought up to know Tupperware & it’s value in the home.

I often let them draw straws to see who gets what has come to Gran each year! This creates excitement as you can see from Charley’s face in this photo when she drew the right straw a couple of years ago.

Charley with Tupperware’s gift 2016

However, this past Christmas I was absolutely so delighted with the contents, as I loved the material used in the manufacture, the modern colours, the shapes & sizes of what I read were the Freezer Keepers. They were  just what I needed & would use constantly. I was so thrilled I wrote a letter immediately to Tupperware saying:

Dear Daisy & all at Tupperware, What a lovely surprise at my door just prior to Christmas. It was even a grester surprise when I unpacked it & saw the Freezer Keepers. I have loved all the gifts you have sent me over the years, but I must admit to truly loving this one – the new colours the sizes & shapes are supurb & just what I was truly needing as my square rounds have been dwindling over the years. Thank you so very much.

I also must admit that now I am in my 88th year & living on my own I have shared with my Grand Daughters, Charley & Riley, some of the past items you have sent me over the years as, naturally, they have been brought up to be Tupper minded. I have wrapped the items as a Christmas gift where the girls would draw a straw to see who would be the recipient. This has created a lot of excitement & I have enclosed a photo of Charley at age 23 showing her enjoyment on one occasion after selecting the right straw – she was as excited as can be as you can see.

Thanks Daisy & Tupperware for all your gifts for us ‘oldies’ – it has been appreciated more than you would know & my love of Tupperware & for Tupperware will hold on until I leave this planet. It made a difference to my life that you would not believe & I will be forever grateful that i made the choice to leave Tasmania to become a Tupperware Distributor in Newcastle.& also for the great life I had in being part of the team. It was hard work but what great rewards.

My grateful thanks for it all & I wish you a very fruitful year throughout 2017 with the hope that all the Tupperware, Dealers, Managers & Distributors are as thankful for the opportunities you give them as I have been. With my very best wishes to you all, Dawn.

Needless to say, my beautiful Grand Daughters, this year, did not even get the chance to draw a straw!

Happy New Year My Very Dear Friend. Love you. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

There is no doubt that Christmas is a special time of the year where every person has their own thoughts of what Christmas is all about. For myself the foremost thought is the true meaning of Christmas, Christ’s birth, no matter how it has been mixed up over time as to when the advent of Christ came about.

To me it really doesn’t matter very much when it happened, as I think the important thing to accept is that it did happen. Certainly my Gran & my Mum made sure that I understood that Christmas Day is Christ’s birthday & whether that be true or not, that’s what I was taught to believe.

I was also taught that because God gave us His Son we had to be generous to others as a token of appreciation. Then, somehow the advent of Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas & Santa Claus came about who visited every child in the world on Christmas Eve & left a gift or gifts.

Christmas 1958. A young Philip and toddler David at Bay St, Burnie.

Like thousands of others I was a very gullible child, but believe it I did & for many years. It was such an exciting time looking for Santa’s sleigh, no doubt being led by Rudolph, to see if you could catch a glimpse as it flitted across the sky at lightning speed on Christmas Eve. You had to be really alert to see it whiz by.

More than once that sleigh flitted by while my children stood with me looking up at the sky as I exclaimed “There it is” & in the wink of an eye it was gone!

As a child myself I was a great believer in Christmas in every sense of the world & accepted readily that the Christ Child was born & why. I also believed in Santa Claus & even though I would stay awake for hours to see him deliver the goodies to fill my Christmas stocking by my bedside I never actually saw him, but still I believed!

I kept on believing for a long time as Mum said that when I stopped believing in Santa Claus he would stop coming!

One of the things I did pick up as a child was the way my Gran would include a small gift for people who had given her service over the year, which is something I like to do in this day & age even if it is old fashioned. I get a kick out of doing this, as do the recipients in the receiving.

As I was home for Christmas this year I was able to deliver them in the middle of December instead of the middle of November. When I went in to the Medical Centre the staff were all agog & very excited. Some of the doctors whom I had never met came out of their cubby holes to tell me how much they appreciated the thought & I also appreciated that very much.

Some of the medical center staff who got a pudding. With Dawn are Lisa and Gena.

There are twenty one on the staff at the centre & I am certainly appreciative of the service they give me throughout the year. I must say I never have to wait for a medical appointment for any attention I may need.

There was also a great buzz of excitement when I took thirty more little puddings into my pharmacy one Monday morning just prior to Christmas when I thought they would not be too busy. We took some photos, but the pharmacists decided to keep them until they had their Christmas dinner where they distributed them to all their staff, which was a nice idea.

There was a great deal of appreciation shown after they received them. One of their junior staff who works behind the scenes so that she doesn’t see me in the shop, sent me a thank you card with a scratchie in it. Although it wasn’t a winner it’s the thought that counts.

Puddings to the Guardian Pharmacy staff – Melanie, Sandi, Anthony & Kira.

It would not be Christmas if I didn’t make something special for the wonderful staff at Michele’s patisserie. As this  cafe has their own Christmas puddings on sale, I do other things.  Instead of puddings I made my other specialty – Roasted Almond Slices – for all the working girls. I did them up in individual containers wrapped in cellophane with a special Macamadia Nut pudding for Rachele & also for Sue & Richard, her parents, who are often there helping out with the workload.

I do this to thank them, not only for their service, but for the crosswords they keep for me from the daily paper; the comfort in sitting on their soft cushions for hours every week; & for the companionship I enjoy with them all plus other patrons.  Michele’s patisserie plays an important part in my life that I really appreciate.

There were many other smaller organisations whom I give little puddings to, as well such as the local Post Office Staff & at the small staff where I get attention for my ears when I ned it. That was rather funny this year as I remember telling you about Daphne from there who was a bit of a problem getting past the reception area, before I gave them a little pudding each last Christmas.

I hadn’t been over there since February, but in December I needed attention out of the blue & received it too but I had to smile when Daphne casually asked how the puddings were going! So I took three over to the staff & the good Doctor!

The good thing for me is that a great number of recipients order larger puddings from me for family use, so I do benefit a great deal, but my main objective is having an interest & a reason to get up in the morning. It is extremely boring to have all day every day to do nothing in, but read & the puddings are a great hobby. They occupy enough of my time to still allow plenty of leisure hours. And I love the ‘hub’!

Love Always Dear Friend, you are never far from my thoughts. Dawn X O X O

Dear Ann,

It had only been four days after Philip & Greg’s arrival when a special day popped its head up, which happened to be Philip’s 61st birthday. We had all been informed prior to their arrival that they did not want presents because they were travelling very lightly.

I had already bought their Christmas gifts, but thought something very practical, that they could use while here, would be the answer for the birthday gift. I solicited Greg’s help the afternoon before the big event when Philip was busy on his computer.

We took off to visit Dan Murphy’s liquor store, which is huge & has masses & masses of different wines, not only from local wineries but from all over the world. We had great fun with our selection as both of us love spending time leisurely in a wine store!.

It took us awhile to meander around all that was on offer, picking up wines that sounded really good & had the most unusual names such as ‘Arrogant Frog, Devils Creek, Dragons Blood,The Old Dog’ & a few more of that nature. By the time we arrived at the checkout I had a nice little stash & we felt very pleased with ourselves.

Somehow I managed to sneak it into the house without attracting too much attention, which is not as easy as it sounds with bottles that rattle! I then had to get one carton wrapped & the other loose bottles into wine bags, which used up my ample supply of bags. At that point I was all ready for the next morning.

Firstly though I had to go for my usual Thursday hair appointment at 10 a.m. as, being a female, I wanted my hair done before any photos were taken. With things taking longer because of Christmas coming on it took me more than usual & by the time I arrived home the boys were starving, as they were going out to brunch.

However, first things first & we sat Philip down at the table while I surrounded him with half a carton of one of his favourite wines here, “Banrock Station’, plus several bottles of wine all in their little jackets, which made him forget that he was hungry!

Philip’s 61st b’day with his haul of wines!

This all proved to be a great gift, as they could have the pleasure of drinking it before they were due to return home & drink it they did with more needed supplies as time passed by!

I was also going out to lunch with my friends, Cheryl & Sandra who also had another friend, Catherine, with them from Port Macquarie a popular town further up north who was staying with Sandra for the whole of December. We had a delightful lunch at a nursery nearby where I succumbed to purchasing a beautiful blue Hydrangea which was very unusual.

Catherine, Dawn, Cheryl, Sandra singing Happy Birthday

This, along with other things brought the three girls inside with me when Cheryl dropped me off in her car. We had been inside for quite a few minutes when we heard Philip & Greg returning from their brunch so we all hid around the corner from where they were entering.

As they stepped into the kitchen we stepped out & sang “Happy Birthday’ with gusto to Philip, which gave him a great surprise & also gave him enjoyment because it was so unexpected. He usually does the singing & he hadn’t expected four lovely young ladies serenading him!!

Benjamas for dinner with family.

Then in the evening David had arranged for all the family to meet at their favourite Thai restaurant in town, ‘Benjamas’ which holds happy memories for him & Lauren & who have a good reputation of having a great cuisine. This was a fitting finale to a joyful day & I guess this is the time to say ‘Many Happy Returns’, not only to Philip but also to more family birthdays where all the family can be together.

Lots & lots of love. Dawn X O X O