Jean Benbow

Chers amis,

Pour ceux qui connaissent Ross, je vous écris pour annoncer le décès de sa mère Jean, le 22 avril, 2014. 

Hi everyone,

For those of you who know Ross, I am writing to inform you of his mother's passing Tuesday 22nd April, 2014.

The funeral service took place at the funeral parlour at Portland, attended by nearly forty people.

Ross took the service which was secular as Jean was not religious and did not believe in the "after life". With Ross were his brother, Des and his sister, Rhonda along with other family members.

People were invited to say something....but country people are, according to Rhonda, quite reticent on such occasions.....one cousin however, did say a few words.

Ross read a tribute from our friend Liz and Alan read a tribute on my behalf. Kathryn spoke about Jean and in particular about her love of gardening. 

Hopefully Ross will write a few words about his mum shortly.

In the meantime this is my tribute to Jean:

(Just so you understand my last line, Jean and Fred used to fossick for gem stones...which they loved).

Good old Jeannie what can I say about her?

Jean was practical!!

It's probably fair to say that she was not as romantic as the Hollywood stars of the 40's....she had practical matters to attend to. Despite these practicalities, she was a warm lady and a most loquacious person.....(a bit like a certain aunty of mine).....when Jean was well, she could talk for hours.  When I met Jean in the late 90's she was quite sociable....this did wane in recent times...

Jean had some ways about her which were very foreign TO ME in terms of how a woman should behave.....drowning ferrel cats, and clubbing a snake on the head...

I grew up in the city...all the women around me were dainty and refined.....or at least they thought they were....

I have heard stories about Jean looking out the kitchen window and seeing the imminent arrival of visitors on the horizon. I am told that scones would be made and thrown in the oven before the guests had even rung the doorbell !!!

Jean loved her garden; when living in Dennington, Warrnambool, her last home prior to moving into the nursing home, she developed quite a large garden ...I believe she loved irises most of all.

This was one area in which Jean preferred to abandon the practicalities of vegetable growing in favour of flowers--simply to look at and for their scent. She wasn't rapt in green vegetables anyway....she hated broccoli !!!!!!!! and cooked her beans for at least 40 minutes....till they were grey.

Good old Jean....she was a good stick, a country girl, straightforward, ...no fuss, no bullshit.....
If she liked you, she liked you; if she didn't, she didn't. Nothing convoluted or surreptitious about our Jean....an admirable trait which is present, I feel, in the whole Benbow clan.

I hope you're at peace Jean and having a good time wherever you are.
May you find some lovely gem stones.

All my love

David



Sent from my iPad