Memories of Sue


Sue and I first met when were at Rosehill Infants School in Burnley, we were part of a small group of friends with Jill and Eddy. We continued to spend a lot of time together as we grew up before going off to University. When we were young we played dressing up, French cricket and some week-long games of Monopoly ! We were all in Guides together and enjoyed many camping trips to Waddow Hall, near Clitheroe. One particularly wet and windy camp we decided to make up our own version of Snow White to entertain the younger Guides. Sue was the narrator holding the show together and the finishing line was “The old queen is dead, with us no more, For what she took for H2O was H2SO4 ! A sign of our future scientific careers perhaps ! We used to enjoy sitting around the campfire singing songs, led by Sue, such as “Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree” and “Ging  Gang Goolie”. Sue also enjoyed playing the piano, and I remember her telling me that she had played a rousing carol on Christmas morning to wake her parents up. As young teenagers we were allowed to go in a group to Library Lectures, the Junior Masque Players and Central Methodist Youth Club. Just before going to University, Sue and I went to work for the summer at the Holiday Fellowship in Conway, we cleaned rooms, made packed lunches, served meals and on our days off we went hiking in the mountains. We were both interested in sewing and made our wedding dresses together. Sue’s mum had just bought a steam iron and I remember being scared to use the new fangled technology ! I was really pleased when Sue asked me to be her Bridesmaid. The last time I saw Sue and Paul was in France when we celebrated Bastille Day together having a meal in Malestroit and then going to Josselin in the evening for the spectacular firework display set to music.
I have enjoyed thinking about these memories of Sue which will help me to remember her as a quiet joker, a lot of fun and a tremendous friend.