The ninth girl in a family of 10 (the boy was the 10th) Lesley met Jack on a blind date before the Second World War.  They quickly became serious but Jack was not prepared to marry until he came back home.

Lesley left school early and worked in a number of domestic positions until her marriage.  She remained a homemaker thereafter devoting herself to her family. However she also found time to indulge a keen interest in sports and had extensive knowledge of her native city Melbourne. Placing an occasional bet at the horse races gave her particular pleasure.

She was a much loved wife; a devoted mother; and  an adored nan to Jodi and Joel.  She regarded herself as lucky to have lived long enough to meet Georgia, her first great grandchild. In old age a circulatory problem led to an above-knee amputation of her leg. She became an expert wheelchair user and was still able to live alone despite her disability.