Veronica (Carlton) Owen

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Descendants

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Biography

Veronica Carlton was born at St George Hospital, Kogarah, in August 1944. She was the fifth child of Jack and Alma Carlton of Sylvania. She enjoyed a childhood on the Georges River at their Harrow Road home. At age 7, she moved to her father's large Victorian childhood home, 'Elleray', in Ashfield. Her parents had to care for Veronica's grandmother, Queen Carlton, and her widowed sisters, Kate Doran and Annie Fitzgerald. Veronica attended St Vincent's Primary and then Bethlehem Ladies College. She had wanted to study pharmacy after school, but left school to become engaged and studied stenography for an office job. She broke off her engagement and soon married work colleague Robin Owen who was in Australia from England on a working holiday. They lived in a Bondi flat before moving to Cooma for a couple of years. Robin worked as a payroll officer on the Snowy Hydro Electric Scheme. Their first child, Skye, was born there. They lived in England for a couple of years, running a squash club in London. Their second child, Luke, was born there. They returned to Sydney, living in Granville and Earlwood before settling in Mona Vale for a few years. Their third child, Tristan, was born there. Robin and Veronica ran a small printing business, and Robin later opened a public relations consultancy. In 1980, the family moved to 'Collinswood', a rural homestead at Candelo, near Veronica's parents in Tathra. The Owens owned the property until 2009. For a time, Veronica lived at Woodford in the Blue Mountains, then Canberra for many years, and later Rozelle, Birchgrove and Balmain in Sydney. Robin and Veronica finally settled in Tathra in 2011. Veronica Owen passed away in 2015 after a long illness with cancer. She is buried at Candelo Cemetery, overlooking the rolling hills that she fell in love with many years before.

Sources

• Personal correspondence