PHOTO: June Bergan with her 90th birthday cake made by niece Gloria Fernando.
Coonamble’s oldest Aboriginal community member, Aunty June Bergan (nee Fernando) turned 90 on Sunday 9 June.
Her special day was celebrated at a large party at the Bowling Club with around 150 family and friends from across New South Wales, parts of Queensland and Victoria.
“It has become a family tradition to go home each year on the June Long weekend to celebrate June’s birthday,” her granddaughter Brooke Ferguson said.
Aunty June grew up in a family of 15 as the seventh out of 13 children of Martin Fernando and Daisy Dixon. She had eight sisters and four brothers.
Her brothers did bush work, such as fencing and ring barking trees.
Aunty June is the last living sibling from the large family.
She was born when the family was living in Collarenebri.
When she was six, they moved to Walgett and Orange for a short while before settling in Coonamble in 1941 where her father found work fencing.
At the age of 21, Aunty June had her first birthday party.
She didn’t have another one for almost 50 years, when her family threw her a surprise birthday party for her 70th.
In 1960, Aunty June got married to Fredrick Bergan.
Aunty June has two children, 71-year-old Freddie and 61-year-old Tracy Ferguson, as well as three grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
“I’ve been very happy. I’ve had a good marriage,” the 90-year-old said.
“I’ve had a lovely family.”
Her husband, Fredrick, worked building fences, cotton chipping and in abattoirs. He died in 1991 at the age of 59.
She eventually settled in a house on King Street which tragically burned down in 1970.
Afterward she lived in Namoi Street where she lived until 2017.
Since her health started to decline, she has been living with Tracey and her husband.
Every day Aunty June walks ten times up and down the carport to keep herself active.
She also enjoys going to parties, playing card, completing crosswords and regularly calling her family to check up on them.
June loves going to Dubbo to spend time with family while she is holidaying or attending appointments. She loves staying with her granddaughter’s family and enjoys going on outings to catch up with her nieces and nephews.
June was delighted to receive a special birthday message from Member for Barwon Roy Butler.