We moved to the historical country town of Pinjarra in 2002
and settled in the Murray River Country Estate.We joined the Pinjarra progress Association and also the Senior Citizens Computer
Club in Mandurah where I served as secretary for a year.We established a garden and Alan did a lot of work for various neighbours
with his cabinetmaking experience.
In 2005 I joined
a fantastic group of people at Beat the Feet which was dance exercise for the over fifties and was run by a really nice
couple called Max and Heather who I like to think of as my very good friends and this became a very important part of my life
and we had some great times.We performed some shows and had overseas holidays and my life was running along very well up until
2008.
At the beginning of the year Alan was diagnosed
with Oesophagal Cancer and so began a roundabout of appointments with specialists and x-ray departments etc. In August 2008
he was operated on and I sat for fourteen hours in the waiting room hoping he would make it as it was a very dangerous and
difficult operation at his age.He sailed through it and after more chemo and radiation he was pronounced free. During May
of the same year my Brother Terry passed away with a brain tumour.
At the start of 2009 things didn't seem right with Alan and he had more tests.The Cancer hadn't returned but he had
a fast moving form of Dementia.
In April my Brother
Barry died of a brain tumour but on the opposite side of the brain to Terry so he was lucid until the end. My Sister Avril
commented that she wondered who would be next as we were the only two left.A few weeks later she rang to tell me that it looked
like I would be the Last Man Standing as she also had Cancer in the liver.Four days before her 64th birthday in September
she passed away.Then in the October I had to make the decision to place Alan in care in the Coolibah Lodge in Mandurah.He
was still very active but his mind was going fast.he continued to walk round the place and took it upon himself to sweep and
help clean up but as his Dementia progressed he continued to walk as much as he could but didn't do anything else.On May 24th
2010 he passed away.
