Meet the Goodsell Family

Sit down with Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) members, the Goodsell Family.

Transcript:

We’re Bruce and Janet Godsell, and we’ve been married for 43 years.

We have 6 children, and some of the 19 grandchildren are here with us today. They come on a regular basis.

I grew up in Chachwin and went on a horticulture course for 3 years, then in 1974 started my own business. I designed and did everything outside the house, including tennis courts, automatic irrigation – like a one-stop shop.

Then my son-in-law, he married my third daughter, asked me to work for him as they needed someone in Sydney. So in 2007, I started working for Milform Products as a salesman. There was only Roger and myself, we built that business. Milform currently employs 78 full-time staff, including salesmen, sales managers, directors, receptionists here in Aubrey, and all the men on the floor. We treat our members, whether they’re members of our community or not, the same. Go and talk to them, see how they’re getting on, offer them advice and treat them as equals. I’m happily working there and when things get tough I prune the roses!

We think the same, and if we do disagree we tell each other – we’re up front. I walk at lunchtime, nearly every lunchtime, we walk for exercise. Doesn’t seem to be doing anything, but it is for exercise.

When the children come, they will often get the table tennis out, or they might play with balls down the hallway. They like to fiddle around on the pianos and guitars and they’ve even been known to wash Grandpa’s car.

Our life is really about being together with the community members and our family, and we like to help each other out any way we can. Faith is the most important thing in our lives. It is a huge thing, we wouldn’t have gotten through without our love for God and being totally dependent on God for everything. That’s our stability, joy, and hope.

We see each other quite a bit – the New South Wales ones especially – they come from the South and the North and meet halfway, and have the day together – it’s a very nice time. We all just sit down, talk to each other and see how they’re getting on. We talk to them about the kids, and the children could be off having a game of football or rugby, if it’s Victoria, then it will have to be AFL, and if it’s Sydney, it will be NRL.

All the men are out here cooking the BBQ. They all seem to be helping each other cook the meat. They are always just telling stories, laughing, and having a good time, while all the girls are chit-chatting and all the cousins are playing together somewhere. The cousins love to be together, and it’s always a happy time. It’s really wonderful.