DescriptionThis interview consists of two audio recordings and transcripts. Beverley Donald was interviewed on 29 November 2006 at the Whitlam Library, Cabramatta by Shirley Kingsford McLeod. Interview SummaryBeverley Sandra Donald (nee Miller) was born in Cootamundra and lived in the Cabramatta area for most of her life and is well known for being the author of various publications concerning Fairfield City.
Beverley’s father was Phillip Cecil Miller who was born at Deepwater and her mother was Betty Lorraine Margher who was born in Stanmore. Because of her father’s work they moved to various places including Maryborough in Victoria and when her mother became ill they moved to Sydney and eventually to her grandmother’s home at Hurstville in 1949.
Beverley was educated at a few different schools. At Maryborough she did her primary schooling and then on moving to Sydney she went to Randwick Primary, Cronulla Primary and finally to Hurstville Primary. Her secondary schooling was at St George Girls’ High.
In 1960 she married Geoff Donald who was a school teacher. They had met at a fellowship group called Christian Endeavour and then married and adopted four children. The stories of the adoptions are heart-warming, though there was sadness too especially when they lost one of their children. At the time of this interview their eldest Steven was a Professor of Economics at the University of Texas in USA.
Beverley and Geoff moved to Fairfield West shortly before Steven was born. She describes the process that one had to go through at that time in 1964 to purchase a home and the adjustments needed for her and Geoff. Later on the death of Geoff’s mother they moved to their present home at Cabramatta West.
After Beverley left school she worked in a book store and her love of books inspired her to study and become a librarian. Her first position was at Sutherland Library then Rockdale Library. She also worked at the Atomic Energy Commission in their special library until their first baby came into the family. Beverley also worked at Meriden Girls School in Strathfield and studied for her degree from Wolseley Hall in London and also at Macquarie University in Sydney. Later she applied as a temporary librarian at Liverpool Library and ended up staying there for ten years. She retired from there.
Beverley has always been religious and in later years wrote a book titled ‘Foundations of Faith: Christian churches in the Fairfield area’. Her church in Fairfield was St Barnabas Anglican Church but she has always been very involved in all churches and their activities. At one time she also had a teaching position at Our Lady of the Rosary school. She has a very strong knowledge of the many churches in Fairfield City, including those established by the many migrant communities.
Beverley has also written a book on Fairfield Council titled ‘Shaping Fairfield’ which is the story of the Aldermen of the councils from 1889 to 1948. She was also involved in the book on the history of St John’s Park and another on the history of Hargrave Park. She has also produced some smaller guides.
It can be seen from this interview that Beverley and her family are most definitely animal lovers and dogs especially have always played an important role in her family, not only as companions but often as a means of guarding their property. She also appears from our interview to have little or no fear of snakes which are fairly common on her property which has a creek nearby. She is also very competent in quilting, scrap booking and other handcrafts.
Oral History ProjectThe Way We Were - People of FairfieldAll Oral Histories
Beverley Donald Oral History. Fairfield City Heritage Collection, accessed 21/03/2026, https://heritagecollection.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1594
