Joyce Toone
What do you see yourself doing at 92 years old?
Still living independently, overseeing the running of your sheep farm and growing 200 Como Polly Dahlias each year for the sheer joy of it? That’s what Joyce Toone is doing, and she has no plans to stop anytime soon. This month, Gavin and Bec were delighted to sit with Joyce in her cosy kitchen, warmed by her 60-year-old wood stove and hear her story over a cuppa and some double coated Tim Tams.
Joyce has lived in Kendenup for most of her life, she moved from Kalgoorlie when she was young to live on her grandfather’s farm – the best house and farm in the region! Joyce lived there until she met Clary, a champion apple picker and tennis player at 17. The young couple spent their first year of married life living in a very cold shed, while Clary built their house - the house that Joyce still lives in today, some 70 years later. Not only was their house hand-built, but they also had to wire the house themselves. They started out with 12v power, which was just enough to run the lights! As can be imagined, Joyce has seen a lot of change over her lifetime. For her, the most useful change was the connection of 240v power to her farm. This brought with it a lot of convenience, not least the ability for Clary to make and store his home-made ice cream.
Clary and Joyce started out with 160 acres, which they hand cleared and co-owned for a time with Clary’s mother and brother. They eventually purchased another 700 acres, which they also hand cleared. Originally, they had some cows they milked everyday by hand with the truck coming to pick up the milk from the farm gate each day. After a while, they decided to move onto sheep farming. Although, they always kept a cow for their own dairy supply. When they started sheep farming, Clary also started shearing around the region, a pursuit he continued until he was nearly 80! With so much experience around sheep and shearers, Joyce knows how to spot a good shearer and, apparently, Gavin would make the cut – good to know for if he ever decides to make a career change!
Joyce herself only stopped working on the farm a few years ago, she continued to help well into her 80’s. Although she doesn’t do any of the physical work these days, she still coordinates the running of her 2,000 head flock of sheep and imparts the wisdom she has accumulated over her many years of experience onto those she employs. Joyce loves living on the farm and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, she cringes at the thought of having neighbours!
Alongside farming, Joyce has a passion for growing dahlias, her favourites being Como Pollys. Clary and Joyce used to enter their dahlias into the competitions at the agricultural shows around the area and they were often award-winning growers. Although no longer growing for competitions, Joyce still maintains a patch of 200 dahlias per year. You can see just how much happiness this brings to Joyce when she is talking about it.
Like anybody, Joyce has faced challenges in her life, especially people’s perceptions of her abilities as she has got older. The thing is though, talking to Joyce you can clearly see that she takes life’s challenges in her stride – nothing seems insurmountable to her.
So, what is Joyce’s advice for longevity and success? Save for what you want - Joyce is notably proud that she and Clary never borrowed a cent and saved for everything they ever purchased. Also, make sure your diet includes plenty of cream and milk to keep your bones strong, and don’t suffer fools!