And nothing makes her more happy than being busy in Scone doing the things she loves and playing a role in the community she considers like “one big family”. 

Mrs Waters is a successful businesswoman, a mother, grandmother, vital educational support aid, community volunteer, good friend and despite life’s curveballs is still full of passion and energy.

Since her family moved to Scone when she was just two, Mrs Waters has met all walks of life and really enjoyed growing as part of the local community. 

For the eldest child of a Brazilian father and Italian mother, growth and change started not long after moving to Scone when Jan started school and learnt to speak English. 

Being born in Griffith into a community dominated by Italian migrant families, Mrs Waters only spoke Italian until she started primary school at St Mary’s Primary and the nuns taught her English. 

After moving to the Upper Hunter, Mrs Waters’ sister Elsa and brother Ken were born and she has been fortunate to be surrounded by her family throughout her life. 

Mrs Waters said she still remembers the nuns taking her under their wing and teaching her to speak English, and they did a good job as she went on to excel in English and still loves grammar and English today.

Secondary school was at St Mary’s High School in Muswellbrook, before graduating and starting work at AV Gostelow & Co – an accountant firm in Scone ran by Don Scott.

Mrs Waters and Kath Farrell were the only two to work in the office at the time and she stayed for seven years before marrying Ian in 1964.

Her next job came when she received a phone call to fill a three week relief position at the post office, however this turned into a two year stay.

In between starting to have their four children – three sons and a daughter – Mr and Mrs  Waters started their own business enterprises. 

Mrs Waters had noticed a need for a women’s hairdressers in town as ladies were travelling to Muswellbrook or Tamworth to have their hair done, so she opened the very first modern day hairdressing salon in Scone.

Vanity Fair was a salon that carried through the next 40 years and was the workplace of the likes of Dianne Mitchell who was the initial senior hairdresser and Jane Carter who completed her apprenticeship at the salon.

Mrs Waters and her sister, Elsa Burrage, also completed their apprenticeships during that time, and Mrs Waters worked for about 12 years before selling the salon to Mrs Carter.

For a short time, Mrs Waters did the stay at home mum gig and handled the bookwork for her husband’s sawmill business ‘Waters and Fraser Pty Ltd’ before starting to work in the office at St Mary’s where she stayed for 12 years, not realising at the time that she would be back in the future. 

In 1989, Mrs Waters and Mrs Burrage ventured into business, purchasing Town & Country Footwear from Mary Cooper where they worked together for the following 12 years unleashing their love for shoes and fashion. 

The dimensions changed a little in 2000 when the two sisters with Robyn Alexander and Helen Sharpe opened Mousetrap – a ladies fashion shop.

Mrs Waters continued working in fashion after the store closed and has only recently finished up at Define Style as her job at St Mary’s and babysitting her nine grandchildren keeps her busy. 

After completing studies, in 2011 Mrs Waters returned to St Mary’s as a pastoral care worker where she visits the school four days a week to be a support person for students, staff and parents in times of grief, loss and anxiety.

Mrs Waters said she loves working with children and enjoys her role of being a listener and supporter. 

“I’ve always loved working with children, ever since my children were little,” she said. 

Mrs Waters is a true example of a resident who puts it all in, as she was one of the first committee members of the Scone Chamber of Commerce and Industry with Rod Lawrence and Warwick Norman. 

She has been the secretary of Upper Hunter Community  Transport, a member and secretary of the St Mary’s Parish Council and involved in the school P&C Associations. 

In 2007, Mrs Waters volunteered her time and skills to Family Insight and she was also a member of the St Vincent de Paul ladies committee when it existed in Scone. 

While her children were at school and throughout the years afterwards, Mrs Waters volunteered with school reading at Scone Public School and St Mary’s, as well as being involved in the PAL program at St Joseph’s Aberdeen.

Not afraid to give, the strong woman has been involved in Australian and New Zealand Breast Cancer clinical trials for the past 20 years.

Education and development has also been an important part of Mrs Waters’ life, and while she and Ian balanced their work and dedication with exciting overseas travel, she still continued her commitment to studies. 

Throughout the years she completed an Adult and Children’s Literacy Course through the University of Newcastle in 2003, and the Open Foundation course to allow her to start an arts degree specialising in Social Welfare and Child Psychology at Charles Sturt University Wagga Wagga. 

Completing an adjudicator’s course in 1996 equipped Mrs Waters with the authority to adjudicate at many school debates in the area. 

She also recently completed a Certificate IV in Pastoral Care. 

Although she sadly and unexpectedly lost her husband last year, Mrs Waters has continued travelling and last month visited Italy with her brother and cousin to retrace their heritage. 

Mrs Waters said it was an amazing experience as they met relatives they didn’t even know they had and were also guests at the Festival of the Family where they weren’t allowed to pay for a thing and were treated like celebrities.

“We couldn’t believe it, it was really lovely,” she said. 

But she will always come home to Scone as Mrs Waters loves living in Scone and wouldn’t move for anything or retire anywhere else as it is where she knows everyone.

“The support I received living in a small country town when I lost my husband was just so overwhelming,” she said. 

“I can’t speak highly enough of growing up in a small country town.

“Everyone knows everyone and you become like one big family,” she said.