Canberra’s Dames of Dumaresq Street home on the market

A wise theme song for a beloved Australian soap drama sings, “Neighbours, should be there for one another, that’s when good neighbours become good friends.”

For a number of years, Dumaresq Street in Dickson has epitomised just that, without the drama of Ramsay Street.

In the early 1960s, the street experienced an influx of new residents moving to Canberra for public service positions. At this time, Dumaresq Street was considered to be on the outskirts of Canberra, in fact it was the last street on the map in the nation’s capital.

Little did they know, the new residents of Dumaresq Street formed a bond that would last a lifetime.

The Kellett clan resided at number 32 and was one of the core families of this blossoming community. Margaret, born in 1961, is the second eldest child of the four children and,describes her childhood as “idyllic”.

“I have friends from the street that I have been friends with since we were in nappies,” says Margaret.

Margaret lived in the home until her early 20s. In recent times, her mother Joan and four neighbours were affectionately dubbed the Dames of Dumaresq Street in a 2009 ABC Stateline documentary.

Four great friends – Joan Kellet, Maureen Rogers, Iris Sloane and Betty Hill – the women moved to the street with their families around the same time, and in fact Maureen says she moved in on the same day Joan did.

It was in the period of Robert Menzies’ push to bring the public service to Canberra and each of the women moved to the capital for their husbands’  jobs. 

“All our families became each others support network,” says Margaret.

“If we came home from school and mum wasn’t there, the routine was to go over to the Hill’s or the Rogers’ place.”

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In June last year, Joan passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. Described as “a true community advocate,” she was most well-known as the president of ACT Swimming for close to 20 years.

Margaret and her three siblings have decided to list the family estate on the market.

“The best thing to do for the house is to sell it on to another young family so they can enjoy the great community,” Margaret says.

Christine Fowler of Independent Property Group will auction  the property on Tuesday March 20 at 6.30pm.

“It’s a charming family home within a tightly-held Inner North location,” she says.

“It has two large family living areas, great natural light, four bedrooms and an awesome galley kitchen – all on a 700 square metre block.

“It’s all ready for you to move in.”