Kay Peacock was born at The Entrance, NSW to Rita and Jim Nicol, proprietors of Lakeside Guest House, a 1920s style building with wide verandas that was directly across the road from Tuggerah Lake.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
She was the middle child with a brother Nick, five years older and a brother Paul (deceased) five years younger.
December 27 was not the best date for a birthday, Kay always joked that she got one thong for Christmas and one thong for her birthday.
Her primary school education was with the nuns at The Entrance and then high school, boarding at Wyong.
She left school to become an apprentice hairdresser at Gosford and it was about this time that she took up golf seriously as a junior at Tuggerah Lakes Golf Club (now Shelley Beach Golf Club) where her father Jim was the president.
After qualifying, Kay answered an ad in the Herald for a job in Bathurst and in 1967 she left the coast to work at the Modern Beauty Salon on Howick Street.
The beautiful country town of Bathurst was where she would spend the rest of her life.
It was on the golf course she met Ewen "Bill" Peacock and within six months they were married in 1971.
They lived in Macquarie Street and had Megan, and then they bought a property "Kawana" at Perthville.
Thomas and Samantha arrived soon after.
Kay did many things while she ran the household - a market garden, home brew, canteen duty as well as continuing to do hair for the locals at home.
She did all of this between continuing to play golf and Wednesday morning tennis.
As the children grew older, Kay went into partnership in Bathurst Barbers on Keppel Street in October, 1991. She later bought the business, which is now owned by her daughter Sam.
Kay quickly became a familiar friendly face on Keppel Street for most of the next 30 years.
Tragedy struck soon after when Bill died suddenly in February 1992 after 20 years of marriage leaving Kay a single parent with three young children to raise and a business to run so they sold the farm and moved back into town.
Megan, Thomas and Samantha all have children of their own making Kay a very proud, loving and happy grandmother of Grace and Alice, Ewen, Nitika, Edan and Macen, Stella and Louis.
Kay never did things by halves. She loved a laugh, sport and partying. She was a good swimmer and body surfer from her childhood at The Entrance.
But golf was where she really excelled, dominating the Bathurst women's golfing scene for 20 years winning a total of 24 championships.
Kay's name appeared on the Bathurst Golf Club honour board more than any other golfer and she held the ladies course record at Bathurst for many years.
After golf she took up bushwalking with Central West Bushwalking Club, taking many intrepid hiking trips, locally and afar.
She trekked in Nepal, Spain, Madagascar, South Africa and New Zealand to name a few.
She then got serious about bike riding. She toured around both Tasmania and New Zealand, she rode from Albury to Bathurst, Broken Hill to Darwin and Broome to Kununurra to mention just a few of her adventures.
Kay was never afraid of adventure. She was even planning her second skydive later in the year with her grandchildren Grace and Alice.
If she wasn't on her bike, or in the pool she was often seen walking and frequenting Bathurst's coffee shops with her dogs Jimmy and Lucy in tow.
Kay was out on one of her usual bike rides on the morning of April 1 when tragedy struck again.
She was hit by a SUV on a roundabout in Bathurst and died from her injuries later that evening after being air lifted to Westmead Hospital.
With the death of Kay Peacock, Bathurst has lost one of its free spirits.
She is survived by her brother Nick and children Megan, Thomas and Samantha and eight grandchildren.
- Nick Nicol, Megan Peacock, Samantha Peacock.
