When friendship transcends time: Pat Gibson and Jeanette Smith’s 86 years of companionship

In January 1933, Mrs Smith was born at the Una Hospital in Shepparton, and a few months later, in July, Mrs Gibson made her entrance at the Ambermere Hospital.

However, it wasn’t until 1937 that their paths crossed at the Shepparton State School in Fryers St.

Their mothers brought them into the classroom, where their teacher told them to sit together in the front row.

“Our teacher was Miss Don, and she said, ‘Come on girls, sit here Jeanette, sit here Patricia’, and with Miss Don, you just did exactly what she said,” Mrs Gibson said.

“We were in the same class for the next eight years.

“Until we got to high school.”

Mrs Smith said that she and Mrs Gibson practically grew up together and saw one another often.

However, their lives took slightly different paths when Mrs Smith went to boarding school in Melbourne.

Still, the pair said that the thread of their friendship remained unbroken, as they would see each other during the school holidays.

They fondly recall a time during World War II when luxuries such as Violet Crumble bars were scarce.

Mrs Smith was in Shepparton and it happened to be Mrs Gibson’s birthday.

“Mr Smith (Pat’s father) always managed to get some Violet Crumble bars,” Mrs Smith said.

“We used to have a race, and whoever won the race won the Violet Crumble bar.

“It was like gold in those days.”

After leaving high school, Mrs Gibson, who decided not to attend boarding school and stayed at the Shepparton High School, became a junior at Shepparton’s Town Hall.

Eventually, she climbed the ranks and became the first woman town clerk in Victoria, a position equivalent to the chief executive today.

“The day I became town clerk, Jeanette was the first person to come into my office,” Mrs Gibson said.

On the other hand, Mrs Smith initially envisioned a career as a concert pianist but ultimately took over her family’s business, Lunn and Fordyce.

Despite their divergent paths, they emphasised that they never let their busy lives hinder their friendship.

“We didn’t see as much of each other, but we always kept in touch at birthdays and Christmas,” Mrs Smith said.

When asked about the secret of their 86-year-old friendship, Mrs Gibson simply stated: “She’s a nice girl.”

Mrs Smith added that they had always gotten along and never lost contact.

“We’ve been there for each other in the good times and the bad times,” she said.