Joan Jablonski

I was born in Kent, England in 1950. I finished by schooling at Upbury Manor in Gillingham. I obtained GCE 'O' levels, RSA and CSE certificates.

Emigrating to Australia with my parents in 1966 I found, at first, a very lonely place with a dislike of "Poms" (English People), but soon gained a few friends of other nationalities who were in the same situation.

Times have changed in Australia since then and bigotry is no longer tolerated. I have a range of friends of various cultures and really enjoy the diversity it offers.

My employment involved many positions as Secretary (or Girl Friday as they used to be known) for various companies including Manufacturers, Real Estate Agents, Air Freight Company, Employer Organisations and eventually Vogue Promotions.

In my younger days I was a model (strictly part time), which to be honest I did not enjoy. Although the work was interesting and very flattering, the behavior of various employers left a lot to be desired and a young girl had to be very careful.

I literally ran away with the circus when my parents divorced after 25 years of marriage. This was my "cop out" time. During this time I became engaged and my Mother (then back in England), returned to Oz, only to find I had broken off the engagement.

I lived with my Mother for a few years and finally met a young man who was a waiter with P&O, on the Orcades. My mother was travelling back to Oz on the Orcades when rough seas made her fall and break her arm. A friendly waiter looked after her and when Mum arrived in Oz, she invited him to come and visit her when he was next in port. This he did and he met me.

At first I thought he was an arrogant ,spoilt Pom and he thought I was stuck up. After Mum's intervention we went on a date together (had nothing better to do) and found that we actually enjoyed each other's company and had a lot in common. The main thing being our sense of humor. After some time writing to each other and seeing each other when he was in Port, he proposed to me and the rest is history.

Married 38 years,with two fantastic boys (now men of course) and 7 grand children. I am a partner, with my husband, in The Keystone Organisation, which incorporates Keystone Internet Services (K-I-S) and Keystone Bookkeeping Services.

We provide SEO (search engine optimization) for local businesses. We also design and produce professional, user friendly websites.

I am constantly