In memoriam: Nana Linda

Graham's Chinese grandmother, Linda, died last Saturday aged 96. She'd been very ill for a long time, but this time she went to hospital for a crushed hip, and couldn't eat, so she just wasted away. We went to see her on the Thursday before she died, and she was able to smile at Louka and reach out her hand to her, but by Friday she was not aware of us, so we were very glad we'd visited her on Thursday.

At her funeral today, we learned that she'd been an amazing woman. Academically gifted, she'd travelled from Canton to Beijing to go to university at a time when it was unusual for a woman to study at all. She'd brought her family to Australia to give her children the best opportunities in life. As I heard this, I thought how sad it was that I'd hardly known her, as I speak no Chinese and her English was limited. I hope Louka inherits some of her intelligence and generosity.


This is an old photo, taken when Louka was only 3 months old.