G'day.
Easter has passed already........ so much chocolate: so little time....... so much lard added to my ass.....
A few days have passed, but here is the second & final instalment of my Mum's eulogy:
Surprisingly, Sadie had another life-changing event awaiting her. In an attempt to channel the energies of her busy 6yr old daughter, Mum & I attended a fete in the grounds of John Darling Colliery, where Scottish Highland dancers were entertaining the crowd. Enchanted, we attended our 1st highland dancing class the next week. And so began many years of a love of all things Scottish. An enthusiastic group of parents formed the Lake Macquarie Scottish Association which fostered & promoted many aspects of Scottish culture. Scottish country dancing, tutoring in bagpipes, highland dancing competitions, talents, ceilidhs, & fundraising to support these ventures filled what little time was left available. Sadie turned her very able sewing hands to the creation of many, many dance costumes: her ability & creativity at this meant that she would often sew late into the night as the demand for her services grew. As anybody who was a part of these activities will attest, it was a very special & fun time in our lives. But this wasn’t quite enough for Sadie: she became an active member of the Newcastle Highland Dancing Association, & later, the Hunter Valley Scots Club.
Anything that she would do to help, she would. It may have meant using her home as a base for the packing of lamingtons for a lamington drive (& if you haven’t seen the amount of coconut left over after you’ve hand-packed what seems like 300 dozen lamingtons, you’ve never lived), or providing transport for families or cooking up a storm whenever needed. As with the motorcycling, Sadie opened up her home to all & sundry, with a warm& welcoming smile to whomever needed a bed, with the instructions of:
“You can stay as long as you like. There’s the fridge & there’s the pantry. Whatever you want, you can get it yourself, & don’t expect me to wait on you...”
But of course, she did.
Pets were a constant source of joy for Sadie. A multitude of pets were a part of her life: cats, dogs (she was known as the rat-dog-lady within the motorcycling fraternity as she always seemed to have a Chihuahua tucked away somewhere), birds, & fish. All seemed to know that Sadie’s was a great place to be, including the 4 guinea pigs that I brought home one day, that soon turned into 63........... Pets: she never felt complete without them.
As time moved on & the children grew, of course, their interests changed, so Sadie had to find new ways of spending her time..... Pottery, porcelain doll making, jewellery making, lapidary pursuits & cake making & decorating all became her interests, along with the purchase of the sandwich shop with her wonderful friend, Diane, by her side. Never one to do things by halves, Sadie was never just keen about a hobby, she was PASSIONATE... ...which led to the building of a few more sheds around the yard to absorb her hobbies after they could no longer fit into the house... to the point where she could drive Ken to distraction with all her “Stuff”.... But then again, he’s always had his own “Stuff”.......
Travel became a new passion as well, with 2 trips to Britain & Europe to visit family& friends as well as a Samoan adventure a little later on.
And there was always time to listen to Macca on a Sunday morning.
But far & away, Sadie’s greatest passion was for her family. But you don’t need to be a blood relative to be a treasured member of Sadie & Ken’s family: they gladly accepted & included just about all & sundry of the various peoples who have walked through their lives over the years. In some cases, this includes a new generation of “grandchildren”.
Nothing was more important to Sadie (Referred to from here on in as ‘Mum”). The loss of her own mother was a defining event in mum’s life, & set in place behaviours that she would carry throughout the rest of her life. Ill health had plagued, but not stopped Mum throughout the years, but it had certainly slowed her down in the last few. But it didn’t stop her family involvement; instead perhaps it enhanced it by providing her with more time to be with them.
A little while ago, I asked Mum what she thought was her greatest achievement or thing in her life that has made her the most proud. Without pausing to think, she answered “You & Glen”. I think that has now been surpassed with the arrival of grandchildren into her life. For a woman who used to complain that she was “too young to be a grandmother” (until she became one, that is), Mum became the most wonderful nanny that a child could want, unfailingly indulgent & generous with her love & whatever else she could provide. At one stage, whist we were living in the shed at Mum & Dad’s, my youngest child, aged about 17months, stomped out the door at about 6.30am because I wouldn’t give in to his demand for a biscuit for his breakfast. He was adamant that his nanny would give him one, so I let him go, & sure enough, there he was, sitting up at her kitchen table, enjoying a bikie & a chat with his nanny at 6.30 in the morning........
But you all know Sadie. That’s why you’re here today. Your presence is a reflection of the woman that IS Sadie. And as I look out at you, I can see that Sadie will never leave us: she has left a piece of herself with each of you. She was different things to different people: Sarah, Sadie, Mac, Sarah J, Sade, Sister, Mrs T or Mrs Ken, Mum, Aunty Sadie, Nanny. However she was known to you, please don’t be a stranger so that we can get together & share our Sadie again.
So take a breath & be relieved: there is no more........
Goodnight all
xoxoxoxoxox
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