My friend Irene

I use this blog to record and share those bits of our life that family members might be interested in. There's a lot I haven't shared - and I've never shared much before about my friend Irene. 

I took this picture below over ten years ago in Brisbane - only a year or so after I first started working with her. At the time I took the picture so I could get Julia Gillard (our then Prime Minister) in the frame... but as it turned out I could not have found a better setting for my friend Irene - because she is STRONG and SMART indeed!!

Irene and I worked closely together for over a decade from 2008 - mainly with schools in the ACT supporting them with improving outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. We learnt a lot together, took some risks and achieved a lot too - and became such good friends in the process.

We learnt a lot from our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues - and had fun at the same time. Meeting the trans dressing Sistagirls at a conference in Darwin was a bit of a riot!

Working with the Jervis Bay School and Professor Tony S. provided us with great opportunities to meet elders from the Wreck Bay community and spend some time in this beautiful part of the ACT Territory.

At the end of 2017 my friend Irene was diagnosed with cancer - one of the bad ones we were to learn. So followed surgery and then so many rounds of chemo over the next two and a half years. Irene had to have a shoulder replacement in the midst of all this too - after a shocking fall. Neuropathy played havoc with her usual athleticism.

But by the end of 2018 Irene was back to her usual dynamic self. She'd stayed working, I'd given up, but we still had great times together enjoying everything our beautiful city offers. David and Irene became so interested in the joys of Campbell life they bought an apartment off the plan - only a few minutes walk from our apartment. We looked forward to sharing many evenings like this enjoying our Aspen Island...... and walks around the lake ...

.. and with our other friends too ....

We had a fabulous stay together in Sydney in December 2018 and a big night out at the spectacular Bennelong Restaurant in the Sydney Opera House. Wonderful memories!

But the start of 2019 brought us all back to earth - with really bad news about the progress of Irene's cancer.

Despite this she continued to defy all the doctor's predictions of her imminent demise, launching herself and David and Rhys into skiing adventures (never let a shoulder injury hold you back!) beach stays and European adventures, squeezed in between chemo rounds, scans and blood tests. She stayed working too, and ran our TLC Book Club! A Strong and Smart woman no matter what!

This is one of my favourite pics of Irene - taken in Winter last year, on one of her favourite city walks (at the National Arboretum). Happy, feeling pretty fit, relaxed and in charge of her day!

But even this strong and smart woman knew that time was running out by the start of this year. She and David had moved into their new Campbell apartment in late November and despite Irene having many bad days they were able to fit in a wonderful night out with us in January at our own local French Bistro. It was so good to see Irene able to enjoy the wonderful food on the menu that night and share travel tales and lots of laughs.

Irene sent me these beautiful pics of her skiing in Japan - ONE MONTH AGO! - one last time in her beloved Japan, with her David and Rhys, in her happy space in the snow.

With them all safely back from Japan I took this pic 2 weeks ago in Irene and David's fabulous new light and art filled apartment.

... and we could all see, despite her ever present humour and vivacity, Irene was losing strength, weight and getting closer to the end of this unfair fight.

Two days ago we learnt Irene had moved to Clare Holland House, which is familiar territory for us. She is very drowsy now and on a lot of pain killers and David is with her there pretty much 24/7. Luckily she seems comfortable there.

There are so many people who have loved and been inspired by this wonderful, funny, inspiring, courageous, unforgettable, so Strong and Smart woman. We are so lucky to have met her and shared so many precious times as her friend over the time we've known her.



A sad post script: My dear friend Irene passed away in the early hours of Thursday 5th March. We are grateful that it was peaceful in the end and her beloved David and Rhys were with her.