Mums of local stars share their own remarkable stories

Long before their children became familiar faces on the big stage and in sport, their mums were there for the early starts and long drives to practice.

And for the mothers of some of South Gippsland’s best-known performers and sportspeople, the phone calls still matter just as much as the accolades and applause.

Faye Gardiner, Helen Patterson and Ann-Marie Heppell shared their side of their children’s careers at The Inlet Hotel in Inverloch on Thursday, October 15, for the Southern Business Women’s Network event, “Three local women. Three remarkable children”.

There were plenty of laughs, but the conversations also touched on the difficult work of supporting a child through setbacks, whether that’s while they’re chasing a role on stage or competing at the top level of their chosen sport.

Faye, whose son Josh Gardiner is currently touring with The Book of Mormon as the standby for lead role Elder Cunningham, said audiences see the opening nights, but rarely see the auditions that lead nowhere.

Josh was facing two trips from Perth to Sydney for auditions in the coming weeks, having to pay his own way.

“You just need a lot of resilience to pick yourself up and just keep pushing forward,” Faye said.

“And I guess that’s where the mum comes in.”

She described the phone calls after disappointments and the effort to keep her own emotions steady while helping Josh through his.

Home offers another refuge, and Josh enjoys returning to Leongatha, sometimes bringing castmates to stay and showing them around South Gippsland.

For Helen, supporting high jumper and Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallist Eleanor Patterson has meant travelling overseas and waking in the early hours to watch competitions, even when Eleanor insists she needn’t bother.

But sitting in an Olympic stadium still brings some special moments.

“Oh, my god, that’s my daughter. That’s my child out there,” Helen said, describing the feeling when the high jumpers walk onto the field.

“And for me, it’s probably just the same as watching her at Little Aths, you know, waving at her.”

When asked what made her proud, Helen spoke about things beyond Eleanor’s results, such as her compassion and the way she acknowledges volunteers after competitions, often making a point to shake the hands of every volunteer, even the camera operators.

Ann-Marie’s account of her son and former Essendon captain Dyson Heppell’s childhood may surprise some people, as it actually began with basketball, including Friday night trips to Melbourne and Sunday training.

“For the next six years, that was our life,” she said.

“We never had to encourage him, he loved it.”

She said her car clocked up more than 365,000 kilometres, and along the way came worries about injuries and selection, while making sure her other sons felt supported too.

Beyond football, Ann-Marie spoke proudly about Haych the Label, the streetwear brand Dyson and wife Kate established with young Harrison Pennicott, who has scleroderma.

The clothing features Harrison’s artwork, and helps to raise awareness and funds to support others affected by the disease and research towards a cure.

Overall, the event had 58 people register for the evening.

Acting president Robyn Eva said the organisation wanted to hear how the women’s lives had changed alongside their children’s public success.

“We always hope that each event brings connection,” she said.

During audience questions, Helen offered advice for the next generation of parents.

“Let them be kids, let them be kids for a long time.”