By Alva “Bobbie” Davies

Frances (“Fran”) Geraldine Prentice was born on the 15th November 1931 in Tynong. As a child she was always compared with her twin brother (Fredrick William) but not blessed with golden curls. However she was a pretty child, very quiet and tidy from an early age. She was one who didn’t like discord. Perhaps she was quiet because her brother got all the attention. She was introverted whilst he was extroverted.
 
Frances and Fred started school on 31st January 1935 at Macedon where we were living at the time. One year at Macedon snow fell, and all the kids raced out to have fun while it lasted. Fran was mortified that she had to share the only pair of waterproof boots the family had with
Fred and younger sister Daphne. We moved from Macedon to many places before settling in Noble Park, where Fran attended Dandenong High School with her brother.
 
Her first job was with an engineering firm just the other side of Melbourne. Whilst there she organised a discount on the first ‘fridge that we
ever had.  Very good, quiet and neat worker who was highly thought of by her boss.

Fran had light brown hair, fair complexion blueish eyes  and stood about 5’5” tall.
 
Fran married Donald Daniel Prentice on 17th May 1953 at St. James Church of England in Dandenong. The couple moved to various places as Don’s job as a teacher required that they first take on rural schools.The first one was in a timber town in Gippsland where the house was unpainted and extreme small. Fran made do with a small piece of 4 x 2 as breadboard, which she used for many years.
 
Don rose to become a principal. They were well-suited and worked well together. Both interested in gardening. She blossomed after her marriage and become more confident in herself, developing a quirky sense of humour. She joined the church choir in Ballarat, where she took sick and died.
 
She had three children:
Gordon Prentice
Marion Prentice Born 16/11/57 at Warrugal.
David  Prentice      11/7/621.