It is with much sadness that I let you know it is almost a year since the death of our dear mother, Frances Lawson (Abbott, 1949), on 10 June 2022 on the far south coast of NSW, where she and our father Peter retired after living in Beecroft, Sydney, for many years.

Frances attended MLC School from 1945 to 1949, where she was Senior Prefect in her final year and achieved her Leaving Certificate, having been awarded the Jubilee scholarship in 1947. She always spoke fondly of her time at MLC School and the lifelong friendships that ensued, especially with Shirley Mowday (Petherbridge, 1949) and Lynette Degotardi (Barker, 1949), sadly both deceased. Their friendship and loyalty were so consistent, they became affectionately referred to by family as “The Three Musketeers”.

Frances was intelligent and she valued education, discussion and travel. She was a great problem solver, always interested in people, justice and the world around her, particularly the environment and future of our planet. Her interest in science led her to university in the 1960s, followed by employment as a science teacher at Loreto Normanhurst in the 1970s. Quite an achievement with five children. But her greatest love was for her husband Peter and her family. In her own words:

“I am facing the end of a long life with overwhelming love and gratitude for a life of loving and being loved, of always striving to do the best I can (not always succeeding!) and for my most amazing, wonderful family and most of all for having lived a lifetime with the person I fell in love with.”

A gentle, generous and genuine person, she is dearly missed by her four daughters, Kerrie, Virginia, Diana and Camilla, all of whom attended MLC School, her son James, and her 15 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.