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1949 to 2006
Brenda passed away peacefully at home 10:30 am Monday 6th March 2006.

Love you always.
Steve

Christmas was just great, all went well and everyone was still in holiday mode.

Robert received a phone call on Thursday night 29th Dec from his best mate. He told Rob that his mum was unconscious on the floor and there was blood. He had called the ambulance and police and wanted Rob to come over. Rob and I went over to the house to find that Andrew’s mum Kylie was dead.

Kylie was Brenda’s best friend. She had been there for Brenda throughout the year.

Quoting Robert
“She was a wonderful and talented lady. Always helpful and caring to anyone she met. Very talented crafty lady and has made some amazing things in her time, most being some astonishing cakes.”

See the following news article Husband charged over fatal bashing. 30/12/2005. ABC News Online

We just hope justice is done so the family and many many friends can have closure as to why such a wonderful person’s life was taken.

It’s now over a month since I last wrote an update.
My apologies.

‘Brenda opening a present’

Christmas was a huge success. Brad and Teegan stayed Christmas Eve. I glazed a half ham on the bone and we enjoyed some of that on Christmas Eve. Christmas day turned out to be a mild day weather wise with the sun shining and the temperature only reaching the low twenties. I was up early Christmas morning to stuff the turkey and get it cooking. I put it in a roasting pan on the barbeque and put a hood over it. This makes a good oven outside and leaves the kitchen oven free for veggies.
Our friend Kylie popped in to wish us a Merry Christmas. Kylie always pops in on Christmas Morning as she does her rounds. We then opened a few presents before Brenda’s Mum and Dad and her brother Keith arrived from Collie. Brenda was still in bed so we all congregated in the bedroom with her. I was about to make a cuppa for everyone when the door bell rang. It was Mrs. Claus from down the corner. Our neighour Louella had dressed up in a Santa suit and came down the street bearing gifts.

Brenda and Mrs Claus

She didn’t have black boots so she kicked off her thongs (flip-flops) at the door and came in barefooted. Everyone just loved it she keep complaining how hot it was in the suit and kept pulling at the beard to talk. We certainly had a good laugh. Louella was just leaving when another Santa appeared in the street. The Coogee Progress Association each year take Santa around the streets of Coogee in a open top car ringing a bell and handing out lollies to the local children.

Brenda and Steve

Brian and Dale arrived and everyone relaxed with a cuppa and sausage roll or fruit mince pie. We had an ample supply of Christmas goodies as several friends and church ladies had cooked for us.
I am overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone.

Sarah and I prepared the veggies and started them going. We also had two Christmas puddings that Brenda’s Dad had made steaming away for dessert. You can see that we still celebrate Christmas in the traditional way.

Christmas Table

When every thing was cooked it was time to carve the turkey and dish up. The turkey was lovely. It was so moist and tender. Brenda’s Mum certainly enjoyed it as she chewed on a wing.

‘Everyone at the table’

Then it was time for the pudding. I took control of the brandy bottle because if Dad gets hold of it the pudding gets flooded in brandy and if we light it we have to call the fire brigade.

Grandad’s Christmas Pudding

The pudding was great as always but for some reason there wasn’t any money to be found in it. I don’t understand that as every other year everyone usually ends up with about two dollar in their plates.

With lunch finished it was then time to relax and let lunch go down. Every one enjoyed themselves.

Brenda’s niece and partner Dean and their son Ryley came up from Collie for Boxing day. This was a very relaxed day with leftover ham and turkey with some salad for lunch. Ryley’s present from us was a fire engine and bubble maker fire extinguisher.

Ryley with Fire Engine

We also gave him a fireman’s suit. The suit was made by Kylie from his granddad’s (Cardiff Keith) old fire-suit jacket. Kylie managed to cut it down so she had enough to be able to make some pants. It had all the badges for the Collie-Cardiff Volunteer Fire brigade.

Fireman Ryley

Keith has a shed on his property to house the tanker and Ryley often goes with him to fuel up etc.

Christmas was wonderful and the next couple of days were quite relaxed with visitors popping in and out.

God Bless and thanks to everyone

Love Steve

Well Christmas is only days away.

This year we are looking for a miracle in Santa’s sack.

Brenda had an MRI scan at the beginning of December. The results are not good. The tumour has regrown almost to the size it was pre-operation and has invaded other parts of her brain. The Chemo Oncologist gave us the results and also said that the tumour was not responding to the Chemo. He said we should stop chemo and let the palliative care people make life as comfortable as possible. Brenda felt that things were not going well up to the scan and this proved to be the case.
We left the Chemo Oncologist and went to see the surgeon. The surgeon had the same news. He would not attempt to remove any more of the tumour as this would do more harm than any good as this time he could not follow up with Radiotherapy. Brenda received the maximum dose of radiation the first time. Any further radiation would damage the brain.
We came away quite depressed; the prospects are now NOT good. The tumour is quite aggressive and it is only a matter of time before it takes over.

I have dreaded having to write this update. I thought I could just sit here and let it roll off but it’s not coming.

Well I guess I should continue as I started and just tell you what Brenda has been up to.
Last Sunday we attended Carols by Candlelight at a park in Yangebup (a Suburb nearby). The Carols were put on by our church along with several others. Well can someone tell the weatherman that is now summer and you don’t go to Aussie Christmas Carols in you overcoat, scarf and beanie. It was quite cold at the Carols, we had taken some folding chairs but Brenda needed a rug. Friends from church were sitting beside us and they had a quilt on the ground for their young lad to lie on. I remembered I had a lined picnic rug in the car so we swapped the rug for the quilt and Brenda and my Mum snuggled up under it.
My Mum arrived the day before flying in from Parkes in NSW.
She had to get a commuter flight from Parkes in the middle of New South Wales to Sydney. She then boarded a Virgin flight from Sydney to Perth. The Parkes-Sydney flight is an hour then about an hour and half in Sydney then the Perth flight takes 5 hours. It is great to have Mum here.

Brenda is still able to walk with the use of the walking frame. We like to keep an eye on her as she is losing strength in the left arm and leg. The pain is mostly under control as the nurses have been fine tuning her medication. Brenda is still able to laugh and has been entertaining her visitors well.

Christmas will be here at home with Brenda’s Mum and Dad and brother Keith coming up from Collie for the day. Brenda’s other brother, Brian will come over with his partner Dale. Brenda’s nephew Brad and his partner Teegan will come up from Collie on Christmas Eve and stay for Christmas lunch then go to Teegan’s parents at Peaceful Bay down south. On Boxing Day Brenda’s niece and her partner Dean and son Ryley will join us. My Mum will be here as well.
We will enjoy Christmas as best we can as we enjoy each and every day.

God Bless
Love Steve