ZETA Newbound, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday, lives independently, drives her manual car, attends events and participates in discussions regarding current topics.
The president of Flinders Probus Club, Rose White, said the club had organised a surprise This is your Life Power Point presentation and a birthday lunch for Newbound following a monthly meeting at Flinders Yacht Club.
“Eighty-five of us kept the secret and Zeta was amazed,” White said.
The presentation traced Newbound’s life from her 7 October birth 1923 in Lewisham, England, where Australian parents were working. Her mother Meta was a professional violinist and her father, Arthur, was a dental technician.
One year later the family moved to Canada, living in Toronto for 10 years.
As an 11-year-old Newbound was brought to Australia and her first view of the sea at Bondi, where a neighbour taught her to surf.
This was followed by two years at St Kilda, attending Elwood Central School before going on to MacRobertson Girls High School.
After gaining her primary teaching qualification at Melbourne Teachers’ College, Newbound’s first position was at Toorak Central School where she taught all subjects (including Latin) at all levels. She later attended Melbourne University and gained a diploma in physical education.
Under the heading adventures, Newbound was shown to be independent and adventurous, teaching physical education in Japan in 1950 to children of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces.
During holidays she travelled around Japan with author Hal Porter, reassuring her family that she was safe as he was gay.
ON returning to Australia she obtained a Japanese Language degree from RMIT.
She first met her husband to be, Max Newbound, at a workshop during her teacher training. She was 17.
He served in the Royal Australian Navy during World War II while Zeta trained as a warden and continued teaching.
They again met at a conference and, following a whirlwind courtship, married in 1952 at St Kilda Methodist Church.
Her Uncle was the minister, and the ceremony was held without photos or reception, but a honeymoon at the Flinders Hotel.
They lived in Hampton and their family soon included daughter, Peta and son, Michael.
The couple bought a holiday house in Shoreham in 1959 and then built a house at Flinders in 1985. Max Newbound died in 1992, aged 67.
Zeta Newbound was on the committee and pennant captain at Flinders Golf Club, a member of Somers Probus and is now a member of Flinders Probus, Flinders Community Association, Flinders District Historical Society and the exercise group.
Max and Zeta Newbound travelled overseas and went caravanning around Australia together. After his death she continued to spend winters in Queensland, driving her campervan alone.
Some of Zeta Newbound’s thoughts: Washing machines are “the best invention”; burnt orange is her favourite colour and “dark chocolate and white wine” among her favourite things; however, she gets “really disappointed with the way we are messing up the world. We need to use more common sense”.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 21 November 2023
