My Grandma Was Always Fun And Happy She Gave Us Heaps Of Presents And Of Course Lots Of Hugs. When She Came Over On Thursdays We Used To Go Walking In The Palk Riding Our Bikes Or Even On A Picnic On A Picnic We Used To Play On The Equitment And Run All Around I Love You Granny Roman

Could I first thank all our friends and relatives for their great support over the past year. One positive thing we’ve discovered from our battle with cancer is how much our friends and relatives have supported us through this long struggle. They’ve helped me in my unaccustomed roles as cook, dresser, carer, launderer, cleaner and diversional therapist, and helped Sandra by just being there for her. You have gone the extra mile for us. You are all very precious to us. I must also pay tribute to the wonderful people at the Northern Beaches Cancer Service - Michael, Trish and Tania. They’re part of our family now. Sandra was born in Brisbane on Christmas Eve 1942 as a surviving twin. She grew up in a hard-working family at Corinda Brisbane and enjoyed school, sport, and youth activities at Oxley Methodist Church. Despite little family encouragement for her as a girl to finish High School she studied hard in makeshift study arrangements. (She had no desk and used a dressing table in her bedroom.) She matriculated from Indooroopilly High School in 1960. This was an early sign of her legendary determination and strength of character.<br /><br /> From there she proceeded to Kelvin Grove Teacher’s College graduating in 1962 to pursue the career she was made for - teaching. She taught at Milton Primary School, Yirrkala Mission, Adult Migrant Education Brisbane, Manly Queensland, Adult Migrant Education Canberra, Rapid Creek Primary School at Darwin, Adult Migrant Education Darwin, Dripstone High and Nightcliff High Darwin, Chatswood, Narrabeen and Marrickville high schools in Sydney. Her skills in teaching English as a second language to tribal Aboriginal kids led to a specialisation in migrant English education. She became Head of Wilkins Intensive English Centre in 2001 and stayed there until her retirement in 2005. Everywhere we moved -(and we moved a lot) - Sandra was snapped up as a teacher and characteristically gave her all to each new position. I think the great educational adventure of her life was going to Yirrkala in 1965 and teaching at the mission school. This was her passion, her vocation, and the fulfilment of her calling. She learnt the local language, was given a tribal name and family, recorded ceremonies and took hundreds of photos. I think these will be of significant ethnographic interest in future years. For me as her husband, lover, and long-time companion, Sandra has been the mainstay of my life for close to 50 years. We met at a youth camp in 1959 when for some strange reason she offered to line up to collect my meal. She was what we called in those days a “sort” I was smitten, and started the nervous process of beating off rivals and taking her out. I think I was very lucky to team up with this beautiful and gutsy woman. We have enjoyed life together for 50 years, weathered the inevitable storms, and ups and downs of such a long-term relationship but have been, and been seen to be, one unit - Sandra and Bruce. In time, children came along and after the death of our first son, Morgan, we were very excited to adopt Brandon in 1971, and to welcome Adam in 1973, and Cameron in 1975. After spells in Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra, we returned to Darwin in 1978 where Sandra taught at local high schools and did the usual NT lifestyle things. Her passion has always been for the sea and living close to the beach at Nightcliff meant Friday night fish meals on the rocks at Nightcliff watching the sun go down, collecting and keeping live corals with Brandon, sailing with friends, and her great enthusiasm - wind surfing. We attended and enjoyed ceremonial activities with the Timorese, Thai, Sri Lankan and Indian communities she worked with, and she went through a stage where any meal without chillies was not seen as real food. Talking with her and the boys in hospital we all reckoned that this period was our “golden age”. My career took me to Sydney in 1984 and Sandra and the boys joined me after 6 very lonely months apart. Her passion for the water saw us live at Gladesville by the Parramatta River, and then Bungan Beach. She particularly liked walking to and from work at Narrabeen High along the beaches south of our house that she loved so much. Following Sandra’s retirement, we started doing walking tours and canal boat holidays in France every year. She was very fit and it was great that we could do this together. We also treasured the arrival of our four grandchildren and Sandra absolutely loved being grandmother, teacher, sports coach and confidante to Roman, Noah, Paris and Alexis. Any tribute to Sandra would not be complete without mention of her gardens. She established two gardens in Brisbane, two in Darwin, and three in Sydney. The most challenging one was at Bungan Beach where despite the salt-laden wind off the sea she made a great wild garden of banksias and flowers that no one thought would grow there. Sandra has always loved the sea and often pointed out that her initials (S E A) reflect this. This year she cracked a bottle of bubbly over the bow of Brandon’s charter boat to rename it Sea Escape in her honour. A really positive thing about her illness was that she and I became closer as a couple, and the bonds of our family - the boys their partners and our grandchildren - were strengthened enormously. Our life has been so much richer for us knowing and loving her. She is the best thing that ever happened to me and I’ll remember her with love till I die.

Our next door neighbour in first years marriage, all those years ago in Britomart Gardens, we've been so privileged to share your life and so much feisty good humour and generous spirit. After all these 40 years we've been so saddened to see that life slip away prematurely and to travel part of the way with the family over the last ten months. We'll love and cherish you and the memories you have given us always and our hearts go out to you all. With all our love Liz and Chris