SIRES, Gwen Edda (née Chivell)

My heartfelt sympathy to John, Graeme and Tonia and all the other members of Gwen’s extended family.

A very special lady and a lifetime friend to all the Perry family, and a great mate of Mrs. Perry. Look out when they both get the teapot out up there.

Aunty Gwen will always have special place in my heart. Home made cordial and her amazing sponges. John, Graeme and Tonia sending you love and hugs (even though they are not allowed). Reunited with all that have gone before. Janeen Norris (Milne)

Tonia, Graeme and John, I’m so sorry about the passing of Aunty Gwen. Sorry that COVID is preventing us from being together and celebrating her life, even if she would have thought it was a fuss.

I will forever think of her every time I see pansies. I have so many memories of sitting around having cups of tea and chatting and when I was younger running around her garden.

I loved her no nonsense approach to life and her laugh. I will miss visiting her and listening to how she found the best bargains at Fishers and that people really needed to learn how to cook on a budget. Aunty Gwen was one of a kind and I loved that about her xxx

Tonia & David, Graeme & Louise, John & Michelle and your families.
Thinking of you all as you say goodbye to your wonderful mum, proud nan and great nan.
Our times looking around her beautiful gardens and sitting having a cuppa with a home made treat will always be treasured. The stories of good times bringing laughter with tears rolling down her face. Our grandchildren enjoying tea parties with spilt water in her lounge room will always be remembered, as Gwen said “it doesn’t matter, it’s only water”, and the joy she received from sharing her garden with the children down the street.
Her strong faith was a light to all of us.
My special sister. Goodbye Gwen.
Graham & Leonie Dunkley

Gwen: Such a beautiful lady. We will never forget how much love you showed to our children and how they enjoyed coming up for a chat. You always had a wave and a smile which matched your beautiful garden. Your presence in our street will be greatly missed. Our condolences to your family. ❤️

Lindsay and Lisa Bailey.

Aunty Gwen is part of so many of my life’s memories.

Sundays after church, lunch and often tea, at the Sires’ a frequent event during our childhood.
Lots of yummy meals enjoyed from her kitchen.
Aunty Gwen was an amazing cook.

Stay overs when Mum was in hospital or just for fun.

Aunty Gwen holding a guy rope at our place when it hit the power line and she was given a shock and a (9yrs old) me told her “don’t worry, Aunty Gwen, I would have looked after Tonia(10mths at the time) if you had died”.
Not sure that was very tactful but she took it in good grace.

Youth Group evenings in the lounge.
Alan’s 21st Birthday.

My own wedding photos were taken in her bedroom as we dressed there, then due to the rain our after photos were also taken in her loungeroom.

Lots of wonderful memories flooding my mind.

As an adult I saw her absolute love for her family and then her grandchildren and great grandchildren… so many stories told to me over the years.

How she continued to look after her boys and their offspring, still collecting great grandchildren from school and bringing them to Adventure Club until very recently. We almost always had a chat at the door.

And again until recently Sundays at Church.

I will so miss her wry humour and her wisdom.
I will remember her faith, her love of pansies and her garden, her love of her family, her dislike of fuss, and her absolute stoicism over the last few years as her body began to fail her.

My love and sympathy to John, Graeme and Tonia, the grandchildren and great grandchildren who were such a joy to her and will I’m sure miss her greatly, and to the wider family as they too say good bye to such a wonderful, special lady.

Love to all,
Bernice Dodd (nee Milne)

Gwen: Such a beautiful lady. We will never forget the love you showed our children, they loved coming up for a chat. You always had a wave and a smile as lovely as your garden. Your presence in our street will be missed. Our condolences to you family.

Lindsay & Lisa Bailey

My darling sister. I was only a little girl when you were married and moved to Mildura. So I don’t actually remember but believe the stories of how you brought me a chocolate frog every day when you came home from work. I believe it because when I was older and spent time with you I always felt so loved. You showed your love through actions- creating wonderful food, a warm and nurturing home, the pride you showed for the place you lived in and the people you were so close to all those years. You had good friends because you were a good friend. You adored your children and were their rock. You worked so hard fo support your family in every way you could. And I remember your garden- strawberries and asparagus- a feast planted in the red earth. And the shed full of preserves and jams. And always your wonderful sense of humour. What a woman. I’m not sure you ever appreciated your strength and intelligence, but those who love you do.

I’ll miss you and will always love you.

Your sister
Noelle

Our love thoughts and prayers are with Gwens’s family. We loved spending time with a beautiful lady who could put the world right, talk long about her faith, and whose company we enjoyed. Will be sadly missed..

Aunty Gwen, you left us, you were always up for some fun. I remember fishing , grape picking – serious business, but not always work -plenty of fun for the kids too.

Aunty Gwen I am glad that you are my Aunty.
I think of your strong character and generous nature,
Your sense of humour and irrepressible laughter, your baking,
of beautiful geraniums and pansies, of peaches and oranges.
I give thanks for your deep Christian faith and example.
It was always good to have a chat with you- I will miss that.

Thinking of you John, Graeme and Tonia as you learn to live without your mother.

Virginia and Stephen Curkpatrick

I remember trips up to Red Cliffs in the school holidays and walking out amongst the vines and feasting on the over-ripe grapes left behind by the pickers. Aunty Gwen always had such a welcome for us and I can still hear her infectious laughter and taste her good cooking. Her faith and hope through thick and thin has been a great example to me and demands such respect. I am so glad that those of us in Adelaide who could, were able to gather and remember her today too. We’ll miss you Aunty Gwen! Jo, David, Jacob and Thomas Johnson.

John, Graeme, Tonia, and partners, our deepest sympathy to you all on the passing of Gwen. Mick and Jill Gleeson.

I was born the third daughter of five: Joan, (who is now in care), as the first born, felt real sadness when I told her that Gwen, the second born, had passed away. Dawn and Noella came later, and at the age of five, Graham joined our family becoming the much loved son, and Dad’s shadow.

Gwen was a person of great kindness, strength, courage and loving determination, and we all admired and loved her greatly. I am thinking of all of her family as they miss her too.

For ten days she cared for me after my double knee replacement surgery, and it seemed cruel that because of COVID restrictions we were unable to care for her (except by phone and mail) or even to see her.

Gwen’s strong desire to help the work of Global Mission Partners (the mission arm of Churches of Christ in Australia) meant that she found ways to spend less on her own food bill, in order to give more to needy children.

I look forward to the time we shall all be together once more, as we step from this life to the next.

Edda Thomas.

Growing up with my second eldest sister, Gwen, in Dareton, Red Cliffs and Mildura was great fun. She loved music, loved the ‘hit parade’, taught herself piano chords to play and loved singing. Our Manses were often filled with laughter and young people – many becoming her life-long treasured friends,

She loved all the clothes our dressmaker Mother made for us. I always thought she looked so lovely.

Clever with figures, she worked in the Office of Snows Men’s Wear in Mildura and, highly recommended, was transferred to their Adelaide City Store when we shifted.

Gwen was an amazing Mother to John, Graeme and Tonia and a devoted Nan and Great Nan to their precious children. She was so proud of all of their achievements.

To Joan, Edda, Dawn, Noelle, Graham, she was a wonderful sister – and there were many trips to and from Adelaide and Red Cliffs -always with mountains of her legendary food. She loved our parents – and our Father’s endless stories. Whenever there was a need in Adelaide – she was always there.

We remember her trips to Adelaide Rose Nurseries to add to her magnificent garden – and scouring second hand shops for ‘pansy china’. Such fun!
Our ‘Sister Trips’ to Hong Kong, Perth and Brisbane plus Road Trips were so memorable.

Gwen was so strong physically, mentally and spiritually – she worked so hard, delighting in her new, immaculate last house, faced difficulties and suffering with sacrificial love and resilience, and lived out her faith in God through her Church and in every day life in so many friendly, practical ways.

Her heart was as wide as the ocean, matched by the depth of her generosity.
. Loved with everlasting love.

– her loving sister Dawn Chivell

Our condolences to John, Graeme, Tonia and families. Gwen you were one lovely lady. Always had a smile from ear to ear, would come looking for me. Enjoyed your chats at my place of work for many years. RIP.