Melanie Walker celebrates 50 years in Parkhurst
From identical twins to crocheting nearly 100 blankets for Mandela Day, the local resident reflects on community, family and life beyond the spotlight.
Parkhurst has been a part of Melanie Walker’s life for more than 50 years. She has lived in the same house on and off since 1976. Having attended Parkhurst Primary School and later Greenside High School, Walker has watched the neighbourhood change from a place people were hesitant to admit they were from to the warm community she knows today.
“When I was younger, Parkhurst was definitely not an area that you wanted to be associated with,” she said.
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Today, her connection to the neighbourhood is entirely different; it is now a place she feels proud to call home.
“I know pretty much all the people in my street, having lived there for 50 years. We really do have each other’s backs.”
That sense of community has become something she shares with her children. They are all involved in the ward committee and have crocheted nearly 100 blankets for Mandela Day.
Walker’s time in Parkhurst is only one part of her story. She became a mother at 40, when she gave birth to identical twins — an experience she said brought an entirely new chapter.
“A whole new life started at 40 for me,” she said. “Suddenly to have these little people around that needed me… it was like a complete love affair.”
After struggling with back pain, Walker started Pilates. The discipline helped her so much that she ventured into teaching, which she has done for nearly 13 years.
She still goes geocaching, as her love for the hunt goes back to her Treasure Hunt days, which she remembers dearly.
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“Treasure Hunt was the best job ever,” she said. “Nothing is ever going to match up to that.”
These days, adventure can be as simple as a long walk, a hike or time spent with friends.
“I love long walks, and I like whiskey,” she said. “I hang out at my friend’s house in the pool, and I crochet blankets for people.”
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