Patricia (Pat) Kinnaird's memory board

"Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come." - Rabindranath Tagore **************************************************************************** Pat was born in 1930 in Fife, Scotland. She was a fish monger’s daughter, an ice skater, a farmer’s wife, an African ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ sharp shooter, a hotel manager, a sales lady, but above all she was a Mum to Liz, Bill, Laura, Allan and Donald - she was also a Nana to Karen, Dianne, Harry, Nicola and Andrew and a great grandmother to Abrielle, Emelyn, Myah and Byron. Pat and Harry were married in September 1949 in Scotland and two weeks later they left for a new farming life in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Initially Pat struggled with the rustic and difficult way of life in Africa - living without some of the basics she was used to in Scotland made her homesick. She said that, for a long time, she didn't unpacked her suitcase but, after a trip back to Scotland in 1953, she realized that her heart actually was in Africa. Between 1951 and 1958 Pat had five children. Harry was a farm manager, and during the first eight years of their life in Africa they had to move from one farm to another for work . In 1958, Pat and Harry bought a farm where they grew tobacco and maize and raised Angus cattle. They settled down to life in a small community 150 km out of Salisbury (now Harare). Pat got involved in many community activities at the local sports club, enjoying her games of bridge with the other farmers' wives and taking part in concerts … her renditions of Aunty Maggie’s Remedy and Annie Oakley were a hit with the locals. In 1971 they sold the farm and moved into the city where they bought into a night club which was a far cry from the rhythms of the bush, but Pat was happy there. In 1977 they sold the night club and moved to Malawi … a country just north of Zimbabwe ... where Harry took up a position as Agricultural Finance Advisor for the Bank of America in Malawi. Unfortunately shortly after moving to Malawi, in 1978, Harry passed away suddenly from a heart attack which Pat found hard to get over so she moved back to Scotland with the family. Pat needed to return to workforce and decided to become a mature student and learn about bookkeeping, so that she could improve her employment chances. She was the ‘oldie’ in a class of teenagers but she enjoyed being there because she was always a youngster at heart. She was very proud of her achievement when she received her college certificate. Pat worked as a sales rep in hospitality and loved the contact she had with all of her customers. In 1990, Pat and most of the family immigrated to Australia and settled in Sydney. Pat bought a house in South Windsor and, after having moved from one country to another and from one house to another so many times, she was happy to finally find a permanent home and made herself a little personal paradise. Pat enjoyed playing bridge in the clubs in Windsor, Richmond and Penrith and loved catching up with her friends around the bridge tables. Then she started to play Mahjongg, which she found a bit difficult to fathom out, but, again, she loved catching up with the ladies at Mahjongg. The last few years were difficult for Pat, she problems with her back and found it hard to sit for long periods of time so, sadly, she had to stop playing bridge and Mahjongg. She did, however, manage to develop her computer skills and continued to play bridge online, along with other card games. Pat always took special pride in looking her best - she liked to make sure that she was immaculately dressed and fully colour-coordinated every morning, "Just in case the minister comes to visit", she would say. She had a wicked sense of humor and laughed often. Her memory failings used to annoy her greatly but she always made a joke about it, and tried to hide what she saw as a weakness. What a strong, beautiful woman she was. ********************************************************************************** "We love you Mum. We miss you and will always cherish the times we spent together. We will remember you in our hearts for ever. Rest in peace" - your bairns