Rae Gingell 20.8.21 – 26.1.2018
As several people said at the service of Celebration of her Life, it is the end of an era.
John and Rae and 3 year old Martin came to Othona in the 1950’s and Rae continued to come until almost the end of her life. Over the years she brought her parents and various friends and the stories of her journeys and other misadventures while travelling across the country became legendary, and kept many enthralled in the telling.
Rae was passionate about gardening and preventing waste and could always be found preparing and cooking windfall apples and other fruit and was knowledgeable about herbs, often making and recommending lemon balm tea which she introduced me to many years ago. She was also a considerable artist but she hid that talent from most of us. However chiefly I think Rae will be remembered and loved for her kindness, and being totally non judgement. I never heard her say an unkind word about anyone. She loved people and animals .and was almost Buddhist in her reverence for life. There were those who found her unawareness of time difficult and sometimes frustrating but this was so out weighed by the whole .as is shown in Dave Birdseye’s poem “Waiting for Rae”
Rae was a one off and will be greatly missed and we send our love and prayers to Martin, Zoe and Clare and their families.