IN HERVEY Bay, Lynda Eadie is known for her warm smile, caring nature, and unmistakable love of hats.
As manager of the Hervey Bay Hat Co., there’s nothing she enjoys more than seeing a customer’s eyes light up when they discover the perfect hat.
“I really love what I do,” she says. “I feel incredibly fortunate.”
But behind the hats and happy moments is a deeper story.
Like all of us, Lynda has her own life journey, and here, she opens up and shares just a small part of it.
Born in Toowoomba, Lynda’s start in life wasn’t easy.
Her mother was just fifteen when Lynda arrived.
Her father left when she was only two, and her only sister was born.
Then came some of the happiest memories as the family moved in with her grandparents while her mum went out to work.
But by age six, Lynda’s family moved out on their own, and a few years later, things took a turn for the worse with extreme domestic violence, which they experienced for twelve years.
The trauma from those years has never truly faded.
It’s an experience that fuels her ongoing advocacy for open discussions around domestic violence.
Lynda remembers playing street tennis with her sister and neighbourhood kids until the sun went down and cherishes the loving influence of her grandparents, particularly her grandmother, who remains one of her greatest role models.
Like many teens of the time, Lynda left school at fifteen.
Her first job was in a health food shop, before moving into administration, which for her family, was considered “Hitting the big time.”
Without formal qualifications, Lynda built a strong career by mainly learning on the job.
At twenty, she moved out with her boyfriend, who later became her first husband.
In 1993, they settled in Hervey Bay, but the marriage ended three years later.
In 1998, Lynda remarried into a local farming family and had two children, now aged 26 and 24, who are the loves of her life.
Then, in 2007, life took a sudden turn when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, two years after first discovering a lump that a doctor had dismissed.
When her nipple became inverted, the cancer was detected, which led to a mastectomy a week later.
Lynda and her husband were determined to keep things ‘normal’ for their young children, then just five and seven, she continued with school drop-offs and weekend soccer games, all while undergoing six months Of gruelling chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation in Nambour, as the treatment wasn’t available in Hervey Bay Back then.
“Losing my hair was harder than losing my breast,” she recalls.
Watching her children day to day made the battle one she could get through.
Today, Lynda lives with lymphedema, a lifelong condition caused by the removal of lymph nodes.
It’s managed with compression garments, massage, and a positive mindset.
Five years later, Lynda was taken off Tamoxifen, a hormone-blocking drug, after experiencing severe headaches.
A precautionary MRI revealed a benign brain tumour, unrelated to her breast cancer. The resulting craniotomy left her with 36 staples across her scalp.
In 2014, Lynda and her second husband separated. They remain committed co-parents and have a strong, respectful relationship.
Outside of work, Lynda enjoys live blues music and adores her two dogs and seven chooks.
Becoming an empty nester has been emotional and lonely at times.
“You’re always a mum, whether they like it or not,” she says, smiling. “But when they leave, it’s hard not to feel a bit lost.”
But through it all, Lynda has never lost sight of the values instilled by her grandmother, kindness above all.
“If you can’t be kind, don’t say it.” It’s a mantra she tries to follow every day.
Now, at fifty-nine, Lynda says she has no regrets. “I’ve had struggles, sure. But I’ve also had incredible joy and love my life.”
By Kim Parnell
From What’s On Fraser Coast Magazine
