i have copied this extract from a record put online by Edith Dorothy's family:
Mum died at 2.05 am on Thursday 30th January 1992 in Westmead Hospital. Her frail body finally succumbed to the ravages of asthma; a disease that had for most of her life seen her seek relief in various brews of drugs, suppositories, inhalents, needles, miracle creams, psysiotherapists and assorted witchdoctors. And so, at the age of 79, Edith Dorothy Leman (nee Lomas), went to join Alexander Elias Leman in the great somewhere..a place where souls that are inextricably entwined in life, finally get together for the duration. Karl and I drove to unit 4, Woodbury Village at Winston Hills to initiate the removal of Mum's furniture and personal belongings from the unit which, as we had been informed, had to be emptied in the week following the demise of a resident. The tiny flat was in its usual spotless and ordered condition. I could see Mum shuffling around as she waited for her transport to the hospital, ensuring that all four rooms were immaculately clean and tidy that everything was in its rightful place. Every ornament and nicknack would stand resolutely in its allocated position awaiting for the return of its mistress who would administer to its daily needs. I felt as though it had become my responsibility to break the dreadful news that the little lady would never return and that their future was looking decidedly shaky. The bed was made as only Mum could make a bed. Tight as a drum with each fold falling precisely to the floor. The bathroom gleamed and not a stray crumb blemished the tiny kitchen. Her clothing hung in regimented rows in the wardrobe with her shoes standing in an orderly row beneath. A smell of camphor pervaded every nook and cranny. But no matter where I looked, I could not find the little lady who, no matter how sick she was, always presented herself to the world in the same way she presented her home..immaculately. She was no longer there. A dreadful sense of violation overcame me as we sorted through, laid claim to and discussed the logistics of dispensing the many items that we knew had meant so much to our mother. Most had no monetary value and some were beyond our understanding but over a couple of days, Karl, Fay, Lea and myself were forced to adjudicate on each item that we had pillaged from draws, prised from walls and extracted from cupboards. Eventually, we succeeded in removing all evidence of Mum's ten year tenure at the village. A final look around before pulling the door shut, revealed two pathetic plastic bags containing things that we left for charity, laying on the floor. Sad and mundane remnants of our mother's journey. However, this unpleasant task did produce some memorable discoveries which made us wonder how much we really knew about Edith Dorothy Leman. Hidden away, interspersed amongst invoices, recipts and cards of every description, were snippets of information which sent cold shivers down my spine. There were aspects of her life that, although not all that earth shattering in themselves, she had never spoken of. These had been hidden behind a demure veil that had very seldom been lowered. Literary awards from the Newcastle Herald revealed that as a youngster, Mum had been a creative writer who in the act of keeping these cards, had felt proud of her efforts and wished to be reminded of them. Never had they been shown or talked about to Karl and myself. Often I had expressed my annoyance with Mum's letter writing which was usually limited to three or four words scribbled on a card or on the inside flap of an envelope. We found a tangerine Flamenco dress carefully stored away, to which she had briefly alluded on a couple of occassions. She had made this for herself when a teenager and had danced in some musical production. Her marriage certificate refers to her as a dressmaker but we never saw her do so. Mum assembled two photo albums, one for each of her sons. The phot