Leone’s Home

Shop assistant, receptionist, office manager, accounts reconciler, national credit manager, and finally, guesthouse sole proprietor, Leone Cordingley is a jack of all trades, and a Jill of none.

She describes her most audacious project as just a new part of her life.

“In 1982, I decided to try a new pathway in life. And my husband and I opened a guesthouse at Roseville, NSW.”

Never one to let anyone else make her life choices for her, Leone was always ready for her next adventure, and this time, her kind and caring nature for all people led her to opening the Roseville Lodge. Where their slogan was, ‘Home style casual and permanent accommodation.’

Now 76-years-old, and retired, Leone reflects on this part, “...we thoroughly enjoyed our time there, it was a learning curve for our children as well as for us.”

Because not only did Leone do, “…all the cooking and the cleaning, and the shopping and the laundry, I did meals, seven days a week; cooked breakfasts seven mornings and three course, home cooked, dinner five nights,” she also had three children, and a husband who did shift work for Australia Post, to look after.

But as they say, you can’t keep a good woman down, and Leone quickly grabbed the reigns to the guesthouse, and never let go. “After the first 12 months, we never had to take out another ad. It just grew and grew, and we were delighted with how it grew,” said Leone.

This popularity continued to spread all across New South Wales, then Australia, and even overseas. According to Leone, “We imagine we had just about every nationality at some point in time.”

And from this popularity came a wealth of stories, funny coincidences, and offers of welcome from all across the globe.

“Back in that period of our life, had we ever had the desire to travel more broadly. I guess we could have travelled the world and had accommodation all the way.”

For example, Leone’s beloved guests would invite her to their homes, by saying things such as, “Whenever you’re in Japan, Canada, Ireland, England, Scotland, Seychelle Islands, come and visit us!”

It was a learning experience for all parties involved, according to Leone, “They learnt a lot from our culture, and we learnt a lot from their culture.”

But it wasn’t all cultural exposure and gifts from afar; Leone had a tragic mishap that could have cost her the guesthouse. “Down the track… I had an accident… I broke my back in three places, and it made it very difficult for me to do all those things… I could no longer push a vacuum cleaner, my husband had to do the vacuuming.”

Despite this accident, and several weeks in hospital and rehabilitation, Leone, ever the face of resilience, was determined to get her home and work, back on track.

And she sure did, despite her husband’s worries, “…I’d never had a red rose, but when I came home from hospital, there was a red rose on my bedside table. Because he didn’t think I was going to come home I guess! I’ve only ever had one, so I pressed it.”

Leone still carries that rose; pressed between the pages of her guestbook, where she keeps the fond memories and bittersweet goodbyes of her guests, who would eventually become like family to her.

“We have had an interesting life through the guesthouse. More good people than the other kind...… It was very rewarding, and we had some good times there.”