PHYLLIS DARDANELLE COOKE (née Rowe) was born in Brisbane on the 27th May 1916. She is the first born child—of four children— of John Matthew Rowe (1888-1970) and Margaret Ann Rowe (née Hansen) (1885-1956) and her three younger siblings were Harold, Joyce and Leonard. 
Phyllis was given the middle name Dardanelle as two of her uncles were serving Australia in the war in the Dardanelles. Phyllis’ childhood was spent at 68 Lisburn St East Brisbane, she attended school until grade 3, being the eldest she had to leave to help her mother look after her elderly Aunts. As an adult, Phyllis travelled by train around Queensland to find work doing domestic duties. She came to the Dirranbandi area in 1938/39 by train and caught the mail truck to Bollon, to go to work on Fernlee Station where she met her future husband Wallace (Wally) Cooke. They were married on the 31st October 1941 in Bollon. Phyllis and Wally lived and worked on Bullindgie and Mona. They had 8 children—Terry, baby (unnamed dec’d), Garry, Peggy (Stewart), Kevin, Barbara (Halliday), Lorelei (Brummell) and Peter (dec’d). They were all born in Dirranbandi hospital except for Garry who was born in Brisbane and Kevin in St. George. 

They moved into Dirranbandi in 1949 so their children could go to school, they bought a corrugated iron home on the corner of Horace and Hannah streets near the sawmill, which was known as the Wilgas. In 1953 they moved to their new home on the corner of Moore and Burke Streets Dirranbandi  where Phyllis was so happy.  A letter from friend Nell Johnson received a couple of days before Phyllis died, reiterated that Phyllis felt like she was living in a palace in her new home.  Wally’s job meant he could be away from the family for weeks on end so after the children were born, Phyllis was a stay at home mum. Phyllis never drove, never smoked, drank or swore, and wasn’t one for visiting or going out much at all. She liked to have a bet on Melbourne cup day, and liked movies and reading; especially Mills and Boons and Cowboy books which she said she had to stop because they were getting a bit  ’sexy’.   

Wally died in 1983 and Phyllis stayed in the family home until 1996 when she moved in as a resident at the Dirranbandi Hospital. She died on the 9th September 2004 and rests beside her beloved husband Wally in Dirranbandi Cemetery. 

Family members also resting in Dirranbandi cemetery: 

• Sons Garry, Kevin and Peter (Pancho) the youngest child, who died in 1979 in Rosewood at the age of 21 in a train accident
• Son-in-law Robert (Bobby) Stewart 
• Granddaughter Baby Angeline Brummell

Parents John and Margaret Rowe are resting in Albany Creek cemetery in Brisbane.

Information supplied by daughter Peggy Stewart