She's like a diamond in a jewellery chest, a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, a fire cracker - only small but exploding with energy.
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This woman is Pat Molyneux, one of the warmest, sharpest and friendliest women in Scone.
Although she’s been through her fair share of challenging times, Pat is only too happy to help others and put herself out there as she believes “you only live once so you may as well make the most of it”.
Some readers would know Pat as Mrs Molyneux the school teacher, others would know her as the enthusiastic theatrical performer she is and many would know her as a continuing volunteer in the local community.
Always pristinely dressed with a smile on her face, Pat is rarely at home and when she looks at her calendar there is never more than a day free, but the mother of two daughters and grandmother of four wouldn’t change a thing.
Throughout her colourful life, Pat has experienced a lot and despite originally being a city girl, after moving to Scone 31 years ago and becoming a local, she wouldn’t consider moving away from her home town.
Being born in Sydney, Pat was educated at Balgowlah Heights Public School and Cremorne High before training to become a primary teacher at Sydney Teachers College, studying five days a week from 9am to 5pm for two years which is very different to today’s tertiary education.
As was customary in those days, Pat didn’t leave her parent’s home until she finished her teaching studies at 19-years-old and was posted to Wentworth Central School as an infant’s teacher of 45 children.
After fulfilling her teaching requirements at Wentworth, Pat was transferred to Broken Hill where she taught for about 18 months and had the honour of performing in the beautiful Repertory Society theatre there.
Pat’s passion in life has always been theatre and drama and she have been involved in it wherever she has lived since teachers college.
“That’s my thing,” she says of drama, which she feels really lucky to have been involved in throughout the years.
“It first started when I was living at Wentworth and we performed in an eisteddfod at a theatre in Melbourne and we won.
“Since then I’ve always joined the theatre group wherever I lived and have been really happy to do what I love doing and teach at the same time,” she said.
After teaching in the country, Pat decided she didn’t want to go back to the city so took a position at Manilla which is where she met her husband Roy, also a teacher in deputy and principal positions.
Over the next era, the couple married, moved to Condobolin and Nyngan, started a family and then moved to Scone in 1983 when Mr Molyneux was appointed to the role of principal of Scone Public School.
Since moving to Scone, Pat has mainly taught casual at schools across the Upper Hunter region including Muswellbrook, Denman, Murrurundi, Scone and her all time favourite Belltrees Public where she taught as a relief teacher for 12 years and still attends major functions, including their annual sports carnivals.
Pat did a lot of relief from face-to-face teaching at Scone Public School and is pleased to be still connected to the school as she judges their poetry competition and attends presentations, as well as helping with drama at several schools.
Pat herself has been clapped at presentations being recognised for her service to public education.
At one point, Pat was working as a teacher by day and driving taxis in Muswellbrook at night and on the weekends, which was a job she really enjoyed as she got to know a lot of different people.
Although Pat and Roy had separated, when he was tragically taken in a fire, Pat says she really found out how great Scone and the people in it are.
The usually outgoing, bubbly person was lost, but she said she had the best support in Scone with people coming from everywhere to support her and her girls.
“I would never leave, this is where life is,” Pat said.
“My girls have been my rocks, but I’ve become quite independent here and now I’m retired, I am blessed that I have a lot of time to do what I want.
“I have the most magical group of friends, that just keeps growing,” she said.
And it’s no wonder as Pat is involved in many a community group and event.
She is the current vice president and historian of the Inner Wheel of Scone Club, which she said is just the loveliest circle of people that is a service club but also a friendship group.
She has been a member of the Ladies Probus Club for the past few years and is on the committee of the Scone Films group, which gathered last Friday evening for a film night.
When she can, Pat volunteers her skills to TransCare driving other community members to medical appointments, which she said she really enjoys as it takes her back to her taxi driving days.
Obviously Pat is a keen member of the Scone Amateur Dramatics Society (SCADS) and has been ever since she moved here.
She still remembers her first days at SCADS when she played a main part in ‘The Pleasure of His Company’ alongside the likes of Toby Barton and Barry Rose.
Being a committee member since the mid 1980s and actively involved in the acting, Pat has also been strongly involved in the Schools Drama Festival, which she found very rewarding.
She said SCADS has always been lots of fun and she has met a lot of people through it.
“I’ve just loved my involvement and I have passed my passion on as one of my daughters is now involved in theatre in Port Macquarie,” she said.
Being a very graceful woman, it’s no surprise Pat has enjoyed hobbies such as ballet, ballroom dancing, piano, tennis and reading, but her all time favourite is meeting new people and she believes as you never know what is around the corner, you need to love and live life.