Lady of the rings
Mallory Pugin of Southport has swopped one ring for another.
IN a recent photograph of Mallory Pugin of Southport, pictured with her fiance Quintin Strukmeyer of Shelly Beach, she proudly wears a newly acquired ring.
She is also wearing a ring in the very first photograph ever taken of her, shortly after her birth, on Christmas Eve, 27 years ago. Mallory was so small then that her father’s ring fitted her like bracelet.
She was photographed, wearing the ring on her wrist, by the late Syd Black who was the scribe for the Bendigo/Umzumbe area for many years. His photograph of her, along with his interview with her parents, Atholl and Donna Pugin, appeared in the February 6, 1987, edition of the South Coast Herald.
The reason why Mallory made the news at that time was because she was so very tiny. Born 13 weeks premature, she weighed in at only 990 grams at birth. A few days later her weight dropped to a worrying 860 grams. The little girl was a fighter, though, and after three months in Addington Hospital she was eventually pronounced fit to go home. She’d put on weight since birth but was still a featherweight. When she was discharged, she tipped the scales at only 1.3kg.
In spite of her small beginning, Mallory thrived and she continues to enjoy good health. Her new ring was given to her by Quinton after he had proposed to her, at the Makaranga Hotel in Kloof on Christmas Eve, her 27th birthday. Thus Mallory’s 27 years were neatly bracketed by two rings.
Atholl and Donna were thrilled with the announcement of the engagement. They wish Mallory and Quintin much happiness together.
