I am going to try and stumble my way through this…
The life of my dear wife Lorraine.
This is where it all started 57 years ago in the original Warracknabeal Uniting Church and as was said in our vowels, until death do us part.
Lorraine Joy Sharp was born 10/11/1946 at Sister Whitney's birthing hospital in Anderson Street Warracknabeal, she was the first child for Perce and Daisy Sharp.
Lorraine attended school at Warracknabeal Primary School then went on to Warracknabeal High School, where she left at an early age to go and work at the Warracknabeal Egg Board where she tested and packed farm eggs prior to them being sent away for sale.
Lorraine later began working at Laws grocery store where she was employed for many years.
After meeting Lorraine through the Fire Brigade in Warracknabeal in the 60s, my family moved away and I started boarding with Lorraine’s family in Craig Avenue. We had been dating for a couple of years when I asked Lorraine to marry me.
June 24th 1967 we were married at the Warracknabeal Uniting Church.
We both had no money, but thanks to my boss Alex Denham giving me one week’s pay in advance as a wedding gift and my wonderful uncle Max slipping a wallet in my back pocket, Lorraine and I were able to go away for four days to Warrnambool for our honeymoon in
the mini minor!!!
I was still a third-year apprentice when we married, so Lorraine stayed working for the next 4 ½ years and I also had a part time job 3 nights a week delivering milk to towns north of Warracknabeal, as well as my main job at Denhams.
We rented a couple of homes in Warrack until we purchased our own home at 4 Tobruk Avenue which we renovated, basically rebuilding the entire home and this is where we lived until 2007.
December 11, 1971, we welcomed our first child, a girl, Christine Joy.
Then in 1975 we were waiting for the arrival of our second child, but tragedy struck, and our beautiful baby son Jason was born sleeping on March 13th, 1975.
After a lecture from two midwives, one being Sister Dwyer, they wanted to see Lorraine back in hospital with another child within 12 months!
Then on June 24th , 1976, we welcomed our second daughter Melinda Jane.
July 1977 Lorraine was rushed to Ballarat Hospital after Dr Blanks operated on her for an Appendicitis only to find it was a lot worse than he expected and not her appendix. This is when we discovered Lorraine had Crohns Disease.
She had on-going issues and life changes, with many surgeries, 8 in total, mostly for bowel resections.
In 1985 David Denham decided to sell us the motor trimming and upholstery business side of Denham’s Motor Body Works. Lorraine became our secretary and bookkeeper, which she organised and controlled perfectly. She also helped me with dismantling seats and chairs and our daughters started calling her the Chief Staple Puller!
We ran our business for roughly 20 years until my body couldn’t handle it any longer, I had to have spinal surgery and was told to stop working so we closed the business down.
Lorraine had many interests throughout her life, she loved her sport and community groups.
The Sharp family were highly involved in the Warracknabeal Fire Brigade.
Both Percy and Daisy were life members, so Lorraine joined the Ladies Auxiliary from 1969 through to 2007. She was also secretary from 1982 – 1985 and in 1994 she was
made a Life Member of the Warracknabeal Fire Brigade Ladies Auxiliary.
Her involvement within the Fire Brigade was widespread, including catering for functions and weddings, collecting and counting money for the Royal Children’s Hospital Appeal, carpet bowls, just to name a few.
In her younger years Lorraine played basketball for the Sheep Hills Basketball Club and in 1962 she won the club’s best and fairest award.
Later in life she started to play lawn bowls at the Warracknabeal Bowling Club which she loved. She was awarded the Ladies B Grade Champion in 2006-07.
Lorraine was always watching her girls play sport when they were younger, she was their number one supporter, often being told to keep her comments to herself or to even leave the court after inappropriate comments were made to the umpires, which I’m pretty sure carried out right through her life, whether it was watching her father or myself play football, to watching her beloved magpies on tele!
After we closed the business, with all our health issues we decided to move on and retire to Bendigo in 2007, where we stayed for 2 ½ years, then after our youngest daughter became unwell, we moved to Horsham in 2010 to be close and help out with our 2 young
grandchildren.
In 2013 we moved into a lifestyle village in Horsham.
Lorraine enjoyed her lunches with the ladies, craft and activities in the community centre and most of all her valued friendships she had made in the village.
Lorraine had been quite unwell due to her crohns flaring up months ago.
They tried to treat her with different medications and injections but unfortunately this wasn’t working, and the only option left was surgery for another resection.
Lorraine was in hospital for almost 10 weeks, which was a rollercoaster.
She fought so hard, her struggle to survive was gut-wrenching. She whispered to me numerous times that she didn’t want to die, she wanted to live and watch her granddaughters grow into adults. Unfortunately, her body could not take any more and her battle came to an end.
There are a few people I’d like to thank, that being our neighbours we have had over the years. Starting in Warracknabeal, Max and Faye Smith who were there from the beginning, Les and Tracy Klemm and Dawn Walton. Laurie and Lorraine Johansson, Des and Marg Muir when we moved to Bendigo.
They were all very helpful and supportive in many ways when Lorraine became unwell or when I had spinal surgery.
I would also like to mention Mrs Theresa Johnson who was always there to help Lorraine when she was unwell, or taking her to the town centre for many shopping adventures.
Also to John and Lois Mulquinny for all your help and support.
There are so many more people to thank but I just can’t mention
them all.
So, Lorraine thank you for our amazing life together.
May you now rest peacefully.
We will always love you and you will be forever in our hearts.
Until we meet again.
The coffin bearers are as follows: Robert Sharp, Mick Preston, Malcolm Watts, Chris Watts, Keith McLean and Clinton Jonasson.
- ROBERT BROE