Hazel

10 May 1948 – 14 September 1998

Greewich Sydney
September 1998

Dear Rob, Josh, Zoë and Pat

How much I have thought about all of you over the last couple of months, there is always so much you want to do to help, yet so little you can do. Whenever I think of Hazel I always think of the wonderful sense of humour she had — what a great laugh and smile she had — on such an elegant and beautiful person.

I do remember one funny day that Hazel came over to the house. I was cooking cocktail food for 100 people — food everywhere! Henry was sitting in the kitchen with me crying becuase he had fallen off his bunk bed. It was 5:30 & Hazel & I decided we needed a glass of wine, so out came the bottle. We sat there drinking with Henry crying every now and then. Hazel then said to me, "Maybe he’s broken his arm." I said, "No, he’s perfectly alright." We went on & finished the bottle & Hazel took Josh and Zoë home. That night we ended up taking poor Henry to hospital & sure enough he had broken his arm. I rushed back home and rang Hazel to tell her. She was so sweet & said how bad she felt sitting there in the kitchen with a glass of wine. I said, "Well, never mind at least we got to finish the bottle"! I think she thought I was rather a crazy girl with hundreds of crazy children running all over the house. My memories of her will be of such a calm laid-back person, nothing was too much trouble. Josh and Zoë will be so proud to know that they had such a wonderful mother. For me and my family, we feel honoured to have known such a beautiful person. Please, if we can help in any way — call.

With love to you all,

Alice, Tony, William & Hen

xxxx

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Alice is the mother of Joshua’s schoolfriend, William Crips’s.