A Tribute to Gwen from Corinne Carthy
A Note From Rob
Corinne Carthy got to know our family through working with my sister Kate. Corrine had moved from France and ‘adopted’ us as a sort of surrogate family during her time here. Corinne eventually married Irishman Tim Carthy, and they had four sons, with the couple and their family making a move to Dublin.
Corinne’s Words
I was very saddened to hear of Gwen’s passing even if it was somewhat expected. The greatest happiness I have left today is in remembering her living.
She was a great lady with charisma, honesty, kindness, morality, a great sense of humour, intelligence and knowledge of life. I could talk about Gwen that I have adored since the first day I met her all those years ago, for hours but I will just write about 3 special memories of my time with her.
Corinne and Gwen
Gwen/Corinne/Alf and the remote control
I lived with Gwen and Alf for 4 months when Kate moved in with her husband Ken and I had to move out of 106 High Street.
After dinner the 3 of us would move into the tv room with a cup of tea and a biscuit or two and settle in for the night. Gwen and I would always have a program or movie we wanted to watch but Alf wasn’t interested. He would put on the news or some really boring program and that was it, we had no say.
We both knew that within 5 minutes he would be asleep, so we didn’t mind that we were so complicit. Gwen would wink at me and we would sit comfortably with Alf pretending we were interested in what he was watching and making conversation. Within 5 minutes as predicted he would be asleep so on Gwen’s instructions, I’d get off my chair, change the channel delicately with the remote control that Alf would still be holding on his lap, and Gwen and I would settle in to watch our program giggling away. It worked every time, and if he woke up in the middle of it to see he was on the wrong channel we’d just say that he’d changed it in his sleep.
Alf ‘watching’ the television
We laughed about it for many years even after Alf had passed, it was our secret.
My first ever celebrated birthday in Australia
I was still living at Alf and Gwen’s place when it was Mother’s Day week-end. What no one knew (or at least this is what I thought) was that it was also my 25th birthday.
Corinne and her adopted Aussie family
Kate had invited us for Mother’s Day celebration lunch over in Baulkham Hills in her new home. Alf for some reason wasn’t coming (I can’t remember why exactly) so Gwen and I drove off.
We were greeted by Kate and Ken and the kids and had a beautiful lunch – me still thinking it was a Mother’s Day lunch when for dessert, Kate and Gwen produced this birthday cake with candles and cards and presents. They had somehow found out it was my birthday and had gone out of their way to make it special for me - home away from home.
I remember sitting on the sofa bawling my eyes out as I was so profoundly touched that someone other than my family cared about me and showed me so much love. Gwen, with no quibbles, had put ME ahead of her Mother’s Day celebrations and gave ME the floor for the day, and when I argued on the way back in the car that it should have been her day, she just replied, “Oh don’t worry, there’ll be plenty more Mother’s Days, but no more 25th birthdays for you or for me”.
Grandparent’s day in Killian’s school
Killian was about 4, we were living in Lindfield and he was going to preschool.
One day he came home from school upset – I asked him what the matter was, and he replied it was going to be ‘grandparents’ coffee morning on the Wednesday at school and he didn’t have grandparents to invite like the other Australian Kids.
Later on that day Gwen dropped in for a visit out of the blue – like if she had sensed something. She said she was in the area and wanted to say hi to the kids and see Julien who was the new addition to our family. We had a cup of tea, and I mentioned Killian’s upset. Her face just lit up and she called Killian to her knees. He was playing on the floor near us. “Would you like me to come in as your granny darling”, she asked Killian with her soft caring voice, and his face lit up like it was Christmas. “That’s solved then”, she replied. “Mum will give me the details and I’ll see you in school on Wednesday” she told him.
On the Wednesday, I dropped Killian to school and Gwen was there waiting. The two of them went in holding hands and I left.
I went to pick up Killian a few hours later after school and as I was walking away back to my car, I heard someone shouting, “Mrs Carthy, Mrs Carthy”. I turned around and the head of the school was chasing me. “Who was the woman you sent with your son this morning?” she asked. My first reaction was, “Oh no, what happened?” The headmistress went on to say, “Please tell her if she’s looking for a job she’s hired!”.
We ended up talking for 20 minutes as she told me what a wonderful person Gwen was, how she took it upon herself to rally all the foreign kids. Killian from Ireland, Joseph from Lebanon, Wang from China, Maria from Greece, and so on. How she read them stories, played hopscotch and pushed their swings in the playground, wiped tears and noses and cleaned scratched knees. How she truly went out of her way to make the grandparents coffee morning special for all the kids no matter the colour of their skin or the language they spoke. I left teary eyed and so proud of knowing this beautiful soul.
Gwen was a true inspiration and I can only hope to pass on all this kindness and love to my own grandchildren one day.
Gwen I will love you always
Corinne
Gwen
Written by Corinne Carthy, edited and augmented by Rob Landsberry, last modified 29 October 2024