Anna Grazyna Vickland - Boddy

The funeral service for Anna took place on her birthdate, 6 January, at Macquarie Park Cemetery. The music chosen for her funeral was: "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion "Goodbye My Lover" by James Blunt "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman Anna's cremated remains were interred under a blue commemorative plate on a grey granite plinth at plot 0065 in the Garden of Peace on 25 July 2012. The music chosen for this ceremony was "I Was Here" by Beyonce. Anna was a country girl at heart, having spent her early years living with her parents and paternal grandparents at lot 44 & lot 45 in the tiny farming village of Proszenie, which is located in central Poland, eight kilometres northeast of Piotrków-Trybunalski. Anna's father was Stefan Świątek (b. 07 Mar 1926 - d. 09 Apr 2006) and her mother was Julianna Świątek (formerly Przybył, b. 14 Oct 1924 - d. 14 Feb 2012). The Świątek and Przybył families were each residents of Proszenie. Stefan and Julia married in 1948 and Anna was born in 1951 in the regional hospital at Piotrków-Trybunalski. When Anna was still a child, she moved with her parents 50km north to the large Polish city of Łódź. Compared to life in the countryside, Anna didn’t enjoy the polluted industrial air in Łódź, but she made lifelong friends with her classmates and she enjoyed her studies. When Anna was 10yo, her younger sister Małgorzata was born. During vacations, Anna would return to visit her grandparents and cousins in rural Proszenie and occasionally go horseback riding. When she was older, she would enjoy holidays sailing on the Masurian lakes near Olsztyn in north-east Poland. Anna attained a Master’s Degree in Industrial Economics at Uniwersytet Łódzki. She married Wiktor soon afterwards and they had two wonderful daughters: Olga and Marta. Unfortunately it soon became a very difficult time to raise children, with martial law and food shortages throughout Poland. There was little hope for the future under the Communist regime, so Anna and Wiktor decided to leave their home and friends to escape elsewhere. They flew to Athens in Greece and applied to migrate to Australia. Soon they were living at Ryde in NSW. As her English improved, Anna obtained a clerical job at an office in North Sydney and she studied Financial Accounting at the University of Technology in Quay Street, Sydney. She made friends with other Polish immigrants and her girls went to local schools. Anna divorced but she continued to nurture her children and develop her career in financial accounting and industrial economics. In 1992, Anna met Anthony. He proposed marriage and they became inseparable. They travelled all over Australia and also to many places in Europe and North America together. Anna’s favourite holiday destination was tropical Hawaii, which she visited in 2002 and 2008. Anna loved to cook, making Polish pierogi dumplings by hand. Her favourite take-away was Japanese sushi. She got a taste for Mexican quesadilla during a visit to San Antonio, Texas. Anna also loved to sing and dance. She enjoyed all kinds of music, from opera to rock and roll. She had a fine soprano voice and knew many traditional Polish and Russian lullabies. She regularly attended the Polish Clubs in Sydney and Newcastle with Anthony, where dinner was always followed by energetic dancing to the kinds of folk songs that Anna had learned as a girl. Anna enjoyed several dynamic hobbies in Australia. She took up motorcycling and proudly earned her rider's licence. She trained for and completed the City to Surf run. At home, Anna enjoyed tennis and swimming whenever friends or family would come to visit. Anna’s daughters presented her with five beautiful grandchildren, whom she loved very much. Over the years, Anna faced and overcame enormous challenges. She had to change countries, change languages, change careers and even change husbands, but she always loved life and she was always optimistic for the future. Anna was a warm, kind and affectionate person who was dearly loved by all her family and numerous friends. Key dates in Anna's life: 6 January 1951 born in Piotrków-Trybunalski, Poland parents Stefan and Julia Świątek (nee Przybył), both of Proszenie early childhood on the family farm in Proszenie, before moving into a top-floor bed sitting room at ulica Orla 15, Łódź 1961 younger sister Małgorzata was born; the family of four moved into a new two-storey townhouse that they constructed at ulica Chodkiewicza 33, Łódź, where Stefan and Julianna lived for the rest of their lives. September 1973 graduated from Uniwersytet Łódzki with a degree in Industrial Economics 19 October 1974 married Wieslaw (Wiktor) Wieczorkiewicz, of ulica Franciskanska, Łódź 1976 daughter Olga was born in Łódź 1980 Wiktor and Anna took turns working in Sweden to earn foreign currency 1981 daughter Marta was born in Łódź 1984 covertly departed Poland for Athens, Greece applied for asylum in Australia 23 December 1984 family arrived in Melbourne VIC but relocated to Sydney NSW within weeks 1985 billeted at Endeavour Migrant Hostel, South Coogee settled in Herring Road, Macquarie Park 1986 family became naturalised Australian citizens changed surname from Wieczorkiewicz to Vickland 1987 moved to Lane Cove Road, Top Ryde 13 September 1988 Wiktor left, moving to Elliot St, East Ryde Anna moved to Goulding Rd, North Ryde 12 January 1990 divorced Wiktor 28 October 1991 moved to 8/6-8 May Street Eastwood 1 February 1992 first meeting with Anthony Boddy at Eastwood 9 May 1992 engaged to Anthony in Newcastle 21 February 1993 married Anthony at Banjo Patterson Cottage, Gladesville September 1993 first trip home to Poland to visit family and friends, with a stopover in London reunion of Uniwersytet Łódzki students on the 30th anniversary of graduation October 1994 joined NRMA as an accountant, later appointed as transport economist May 1999 moved with Anthony and Marta to 7/16-22 Blackwood Close, Beecroft 1999 Anna made an emergency second trip home to Poland to see her father Stefan Świątek following his first cerebral infarction (ischemic stroke) December 2004 ended full time work age 53yo, after ten years at NRMA/IAG April/May/June 2006 third trip to Poland, this time with Anthony, including visits to Germany, France and Switzerland. attended her father Stefan's funeral diagnosed with early onset dementia November 2007 fourth trip home to Poland, again with Anthony, via Italy 2008 participated in dementia home-care 2009 participated in dementia day-care March 2010 moved into full-time care at Jamieson House Beecroft 6 January 2011 sixtieth birthday party at Jamieson House with friends and family 27 December 2011 died at the Sydney Adventist Hospital, Wahroonga