It is sad to hear of the passing of
our dear friend, Mary Smith. Our condolences to Hec, and to Tania, Hector and
their families. Mary and her family made a sound contribution to our lives in
Panguna. It was indeed a wonderful place to spend a few years. In mining
circles outside Bougie it was considered that we lived in a remote location.
The residents of Panguna were rarely heard to describe it so. There existed
these strong family networks as with the Smiths and many others. The Smiths
arrived in the mid-70’s and then stayed longer than most.
Hec has kindly shared with us some
nice words, see directly below. And long time family friend Bill Howie has
blessed us with his contribution, see further down. Thanks Bill.
“ Mary Smith 20-05-42 to 01-03-2018
As her health declined, Mary spoke of
how good a life she has had, and the many countries she had visited and, of
course, the many good times and incidents that brought joy and laughter to her
life. Especially about her time in that beautiful island paradise we called
Bougainville.
She had that wonderful ability to
laugh at her own mistakes, and who will forget the chicken soup fiasco, one of
many funny times,
Mary was not a determined person,
neither was she stubborn or argumentative (I can see the eyebrows being
raised).
Squash players will remember her
stoushes with the umpire. John McEnroe would have been proud of her. Mary was
taught the game of Bridge by Leila Worth on Bougainville, a game she grew to
love, and it became a major part of her life; she was an active member of the
Tamborine Mountain Bridge Club.
Mary has been privileged to live with
her family, including the grandchildren, for the last 24 years on Tamborine
Mountain. She helped her daughter Tania manage the Guest House and raise the children.
She is dearly loved and missed by her family.
Hec Smith “
“For a few of the early years I worked with
Hec in the Concentrator Division. For many years he was our Milling Operations
Supt. I can remember one particular occasion when the Panguna-ites displayed
their generosity towards a bunch of new hires,. This group were mainly single
electricians and engineers from the UK. The Panguna families, via the sporting
clubs and otherwise, were most generous with their assistance. A few names that
I can remember are Ernie Stegel, Ian Sanderson, Mike Leatherland, Bill (Derek
Richard) Bailey, Brian Smith (a Liverpool supporter), and John Tovland. I
wonder where they are now …
Thank
you Mary.
Bill
Howie”
From
Peter Bennett and Davo.
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