The late Sayde Hayson epitomized hard work, a valuable skill passed down to her entrepreneurial son, John Hayson. She was known to some as ‘Sally’, a competitive businesswoman who defied the odds by doing more than most working mothers. Sally was a well-known owner of Northbridge Plaza, a property she bought and co-owned with her son from 1987 to 2004. The mother-son team turned an underperforming Plaza into a successful shopping mall. Growing up Sally had a hard life, hard work was something she learned and mastered at a very young age.

With no formal education, Sally married at a young age. By the time she turned 27, Sally had 3 children and ran a greengrocer where she worked 18-hour shifts, seven days a week. Sally was determined to succeed in both business and motherhood.

Her day began at 2 am, driving to the fruit markets so she could return to help her children get ready for school. Between running the fruit markets and being a mother; Sally was also a busy real estate dealer. She sold land and built houses with the capital from her business.

In the midst of all that, he also ran a small shopping center started by his father-in-law. He sold the grocery store and added 22 additional stores and eight offices. Sally sold the mall in 1986 and the following year she bought Northbridge Plaza. When she bought the plaza it was not a driving business, the first remodeling was in 1989 with the redesign of the internal areas of the shopping center to correct the flow of traffic, some additional stores and a remodeling. The last extension was in 2001, and Sally spent more and more time making the company a success.
In 52 years, Sally went on vacation twice.

In subsequent years, Plaza became one of the best performing shopping centers in Sydney. In addition to being a successful businesswoman, Sally has also made humanitarian donations to local community groups and schools. She was a founding patron of the Umbilical Cord Blood Bank, and each year she sponsored the Northbridge Rotary fireworks display and donated annually to the Royal North Shore Hospital. The Northbridge Rotary Club awarded her its highest honor, the Paul Harris Scholarship.

Sally sadly passed away in 2010 on August 16 at the age of 69 after a long battle with cancer, but her legacy lives on.