I got to Tasmania earlier this week in time to see my mother before she died in the home she'd lived in for 61 years of her life.
It's a time of crying and laughing as we gather to recount stories of Jean. As her doctor said, she was a remarkable woman and an inspiration.
She raised six kids while being the Falmouth Post Mistress, growing flowers and vegetables and still finding time for involvement in numerous organisations that provided services and support.
It is from her that I got my determination, resilience, my love of the environment and my belief that strong communities are only created by the work that individuals put into them.
She hasn't lived to see it, but she told an old friend recently that I would be the next Mayor of Cairns. Her spirit lives within me and I will do all I can to fulfil her wish, to honour her life and live mine according to the values that she so strongly instilled in all of us.
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