Eulogy for Joan

Joan’s sister Dorothy wrote the following for Joan’s eulogy.

My sister Joan Lilian was born on the 2nd April 1942 in Wongan Hills District Hospital. She was the first child of Edward and Doris McHugh and was an adored first grandchild for her maternal grandparents, aunts and uncle. She was a curly haired chubby little darling adored by all and much photographed by them all.

I was born in 1943 and then my little brother Ian in 1947. Our mother died when Joan was just seven years old. Dad refused to let the family be separated and so we experienced a succession of housekeepers. Joan quickly learned to be self sufficient and could cook an excellent jaffle. Her favourite was mashed potato and egg cooked until the bread was golden and the egg was still runny. She continued to be a good and inventive cook.

Days on the farm at Wongan Hills were full of fun. Joan's and my first adventure was when we were quite young. Dad was clearing bush some miles from home and he took us to check on the scrub rolling. We were given strict orders not to leave the car. Of course we got out and when we saw a snake Joan decided that we had to head for home. We walked and walked and got home to find that dad and mum were desperately organizing search parties to look for us in the bush. Dad had driven home the usual way but Joan had led us home safely through a back way.

When she learned to read, Joan's world changed. I well remember forfeiting my threepence pocket money to add to hers so that she could buy a little booklet of fairy stories. Her love of fantasy was born. Sewing lessons were a very special occasion for the girls at Wongan Hills Primary School. Believe it or not Joan hated hand sewing and would entertain a cluster of girls, telling stories of knights, dragons and princesses. The teacher seemed happy to ignore us on those afternoons and in return for the stories Joan wove for us we secretly did her sewing for her. She became an avid reader and I well remember stinking hot holidays at the Dandaragan farm when the weekly highlight for Joan was to borrow books from the Moora library. Three nonfiction and one fiction book plus my allocation were devoured each week and sometimes the librarian snuck in a few extra for her. Joan loved to read. She read broadly but her chosen genre was fantasy and in recent months she reread all her favourites.

On the farm we roamed the bush hunting for wildflowers, making a cubby under a wattle tree until Joan discovered a trap door spider's nest. We found fairy circles of mushrooms and even flew our home made flag in a private bush Anzac service. Joan led us on adventures too. I remember our trek across the dry stubble paddocks to the red lake and how she screamed when a little snake wriggled under a seated friend's bent legs across the cracked red mud on the edge of the lake.

Joan excelled at Geraldton High School and developed a determination to succeed. She acted in her first play at high school and was an excellent English student. She went on to the University of Western Australia, playing in many productions at the Dolphin Theatre..

Perhaps her love of textiles had its origins at age thirteen. Pedal pushers were the fashion statement for teenagers at that time. Our father brought us up strictly and disliked females in shorts or trousers. I can remember a very heated exchange between Joan and Dad but Joan made her point and sewed for herself a bright red pair of pedal pushers. After that she made most of her own clothes with Dad's approval or not.

Joan was a very special sister. She will be remembered for her determination in fighting cancer. More importantly she will be remembered for the way she introduced so many students to the joys of cooking and sewing and for her leadership in textiles groups in Western Australia.

Joan had a special place in our family life. We had many a wonderful Sundays and many family parties in the back yard at Canning Highway as well as memorable outings on Kevin's boat “Vile Body”.

Katherine who lives in San Francisco remembers and says “Aunty Joan was an exotic aunt. She thought and did things differently. Her art looked different to my Mum's, her food tasted different and her book selection was full of fantasies. And it was fascinating.

My fondest memories of Aunty Joan include:
- Christmas at Joan and Kevin's house in Bicton and the deliciously different dinners she created in her beautiful old dining room and the wonderful books she gave me every Christmas,
- weekend afternoons sitting on their back patio under the grapevine, watching Mum and Aunty Joan sipping champagne, listening to Dad and Kevin tell dirty jokes while we kids played in the pool with Helen and Martin or played with Defa the dog.
- more recently it has been Aunty Joan's passion and devotion to her crafts and her family.

I am so sad I am not there to say a better goodbye and to be with you all. I will miss Aunty Joan's sense of passion for her craft and hobbies, her creativity and individuality.”

Helen’s flower arrangement for Joan’s funeral service