Stalwart of Lisduggan community, Betty Gough is celebrated by Mayor of Waterford
Mayor of Waterford City & County Council Cllr Jason Murphy, with Betty and John Gough - Betty was honoured with a Mayoral Reception. Photo: Joe Evans
A pillar of Lisduggan, Betty Gough, was recognized last week for her unwavering dedication and invaluable contribution to her local community.
Amongst friends, family and members of the community, Betty received a Mayoral Reception at City Hall.
Born at Convent Hill in 1945, Betty has helped shape Waterford into what it is today.
In 1962, she married her loving husband John Gough. In 1967, they made their home in the housing estate of Lisduggan, being one of the first families to move into the area.
Together they raised six children, a family that has now grown to include 11 grandchildren and now two great-grandchildren.
“Generations of kindness, service and dedication have flowed from that one family home,” Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr Jason Murphy said at the reception.
From the moment she arrived in Lisduggan, Betty got involved in shaping local life. She served for decades on residents' committees, helped establish a play school at Manor St. John, organized an infamous carnival, and served as the Mayor of St. Paul’s.
Her work has proven invaluable with multiple sporting groups in the area, perhaps most notably the boxing club, where she became a driving force behind the club’s fundraising efforts.
Many in the area will also remember boarding ‘Betty’s Bus’ to head off an excursions to Woodstown, the zoo, Butlin’s, sporting events and beyond.
Mayor Murphy said: “She didn’t do these things for credit or acclaim, she did them because they needed doing, and because she believed in the value of people coming together. Her work was quietly unassuming, determined and utterly generous.”
Also recognizing the work of Betty at the reception was Cllr Seamus Ryan, who said: “The council built the houses, but people like Betty built the community.”
Betty said to the Waterford News & Star that she is proud of the entire community.
“We all moved to Lisduggan around 1966, and there was nothing. But eventually we got there and now we have everything I think we could possibly want, and in the last couple of years the new committees have done great work.
“We had great times, it was sometimes hard, but it was always good.”
