NOEL MANSFIELD, VISIT TO BROOME
Broome and the North, Jan-Feb 2019
My intention was to celebrate my birthday with my sister, Joan, and then be present for her 90th birthday in Broome on January 10th. But I have often been invited by Malcolm Fyfe to come to Darwin whenever I wanted a break. So, I decided that this was the occasion to bring these two visits together.
Joan is a St John of God sister. Her birthday in Broome was a highlight that I was privileged to be present at. I knew she was well known around the Kimberley but this celebration was something beyond all my imagining. She has been in the Kimberley for 70 years. No wonder she is well known by the locals.
The preparations for the occasion were carried out without her knowledge. I am sure she would not have come if she knew it was going to happen. Having arrived in Broome a week or so before the occasion, I thought that she would have picked up things that being said and hinted at. But she missed all these hints.
The birthday party was arranged by Besky Fernandez and his lovely wife, Nithya. I had been privileged to celebrate their wedding in India in 2011. They now have a son, Christopher. They were the moving force behind the whole celebration. Without them it would never have come about.
Bishop Christopher Saunders was one of the special guests and spoke on the occasion. I was also asked to say a few words. Then there must have been ten or twelve other speakers. Most of these were Joan’s pupils at the school; but there were others besides.
To be continued, Visit to Darwin.
