It has been a tumultuous few months with the death of my lovely mum who was 92 years old.
She lived a long and healthy life, and an exciting one too. You can read her adventures in my YA novel Little Paradise .
Mum’s secret to longevity she said was to laugh a lot and have a good sense of humour.
My mother also had an amazing mind in that she was extremely open minded and kept up with technology. She had the latest Mac, was on Facebook and Instagram and even posted Gifs from her hospital bed.
She surrounded herself with young people which I believe also kept her young at heart.
I love this photo of my parents taken in Melbourne in the early 1940’s with their whole lives ahead of them.
I have learned a lot from her and I hope I can carry on her wisdom through my books and my art.
Gabi x
Dear Gabi, So sorry to hear of your mother’s passing. I remember cousin Jame Wong from Malaysia visited her last year and was amazed that she was active on social media. Unfortunately, there were many people who remember your mother and missed her memorial at the Chinese Museum. My mum lived at your grand parents home in Hopetoun Rd from 1949-1953 and she is one of the last few remaining relatives of that generation still living. Please pass on our condolences to the rest of the family. Thanks also for writing about Jimmy Chen Ah Kew. I am sharing that story with the families of Chen Wing Shing. Mum told me his given name is the same as my father’s name. Also, I corrected the Wikipedia entry for Arthur Calwell to correctly reflect your father’s name with the correct citation in the paragraph relating to racism. Kind regards Linda Wong.
Dear Linda, Thank you for your kind words. I will email you.
Gabi xx