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[Page 106]
AFTERWORD BY YVONNE ROSSELL
Edith Forshaw, I love you.
When I first read Mum's manuscript I realised it's importance and the time she had devoted to telling us her story. How fortunate we are to have our own piece of history documented forever, thanks Mum. I too have devoted a lot of time preparing the writing to make a manageable sized book for each of us. Nothing has been omitted from the original writing, spelling and punctuation are as Mother wote. Mum has written down her life for her family and written it over a period of two years. That I find remarkable. Mother makes mention of the year 1987 on Page 117 (Page 80 original document) and she started writing her story in 1985. during the time Harold was in the Byron Bay Nursing Home.
I shall pick Mum's story up from where she left off and tell it as near as possible to how I believe she would reflect on those years.
Mum recovered from her pancreas operation plus an ensuing gall operation that same year. The gall operation was carried out by Dr Curlie at the Sanitarium Hospital, Wahroonga. After a short convalescence in Sydney, Mother and Harold returned to Suffolk Park. It wasn't very long before they then moved to Ballina to Crowley Village, a retirement villa. I for one thought it was a good move as Suffolk Park was somewhat remote and also it took a lot of looking after which proved difficult for both of them after having such a bad run of ill health. During the year or so they lived at Crowley Village all the family managed to visit them and thinking back now it was an ideal move for them. It wasn't long before they had the prettiest garden and best lawn in Crowley Village!
Soon Crowley Village became too much for them as well. In the September of 1984 Harold turned 80 and along with Mother, Margaret, Alan and myself he celebrated in style. We went to a french restaurant in Bangalow and had a wonderful dinner, complete with 80th birthday cake, one of those celebrations you never forget. It was special for all five of us.
For the best part of 1985 Mum's time was taken up with looking after Harold, his health had started to deteriorate before they moved from Crowley Village to the unit in Norton Street. They made that move in the December of 1984. Mum was happy to be out of Crowley Village as she felt more independent away from the "retirement folk" in control of her own destiny so to speak.
Christmas 1984 was celebrated with Merle, Ron, Stephen and Geoffrey at the Lismore Workers Club. Merle must have talked hard to convince Mum to have Christmas lunch out, however they were all back at the flat for Christmas tea!