Allston,Irene historical article

ALLSTON, Irene Marjorie

(Inscription pending)

IRENE MARJORIE ALLSTON

Passed away 4 August 2025, aged 101

(Memorial pending)

Irene Marjorie Allston

Irene was born in Nottingham, England, on 3 July 1924 to Albert Vincent and Lillian Griffin Caldwell. Her full name was Irene Marjorie Caldwell. Her father was an electrician, but later had one of the first service stations in Nottingham, and then developed a business manufacturing injectors for diesel engines.

Irene trained as a nurse in Birmingham, and then as a physiotherapist in London. She married Desmond Kenneth (‘Ken’) Allston, then a marine engineer in the Merchant Navy, in 1948. They had two children - Jayne Clair (‘Clair’) in 1951 and Simon Nicholas in 1953.

Ken moved from marine engineering into management, and became a management consultant in 1958 or thereabouts. He received an assignment in Melbourne in 1960, and brought the family out to Australia then. The children were later sent back to boarding school in England, and Irene and Ken moved from Australia to Canada, and later back to England.

The family emigrated to Australia in 1969. Ken had multiple senior management roles after that, until he retired in the late 80’s. Apart from supporting him in his work, Irene had a long involvement with Gordon House, accommodation for homeless men in Melbourne.

Ken and Irene took up hobby farming in the Yarra Valley in the early 70’s, first concentrating on Poll Hereford cattle. Irene later developed an interest in the nascent alpaca industry, had many alpacas, and became an expert in alpaca health and breeding, and an alpaca judge at agricultural shows.

Ken and Irene moved to Tasmania in 1996, continuing their involvement with alpacas there.

Ken died in 2011. The last place they had lived together was Vaucluse Gardens in Hobart. When Ken went into care, Irene left Vaucluse to live back in the community. She moved to a house in Bonnet Hill, but later moved to Dennes Point, Bruny Island in 2018, following her son Simon and his wife Janeil, who had bought the property ‘Lauriston’ at Bull Bay.

Irene died at home at 16 Powell Street, Dennes Point, on 4 August 2025, a month after her 101st birthday. She was buried at the Barnes Bay cemetery on 8 August 2025.

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This historical information supplied by Simon Allston, August 2025.

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