“Be happy! Be happy and content.”

 

Leonora (Lee), or ‘Smiler’ as her father would affectionately call her, grew up in Earlwood with her six siblings. She went to school in the local area until eventually leaving to work as a milliner making fashion hats. Notably, Lee worked on a ‘203’ hat which was so fashionable, she would have put a bet that every person in New South Wales would have worn one at some point in time!

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Lee found love when her brother Phil was in New Guinea, and his friend Norm asked if she was married. When Phil said she wasn’t, Norm didn’t bother asking, but announced “I’m going home to marry her!” Luckily, Lee thought Norm was very nice-looking, and they married for over 60 years.

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When spending time with Lee, it was obvious how much she loved her family. Her happiest memory would have been when she gave birth to her son, Anthony, which she recalled fondly. She described Anthony as a very good, wonderful child who she loved very much, as she did her two grandsons.

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Lee’s advice to pass on to her family was to always be happy and content – in everything you do. She also noted that she never thinks of her age as it’s just a number, and instead you should just live day to day.

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To pass the time, Lee loved to look out of her window, especially if she was able to do some bird watching. Her other hobbies included knitting, playing cards with staff members, and doing find-a-words. Her cheeky humour shone through when admitting that sometimes when the find-a-word gets too hard, she cheats!

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Lee loved living in her Warrigal care home, gushing about how lovely all the staff were and how much she enjoyed her time there.

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Lee would describe herself as placid, happy, friendly, and at times cheeky! She loved animals, and would light up whenever the therapy dogs would pay her a visit. Her beautiful smile left an impact on all those around her.