MARION ROSS BLAKE (nee MACKENZIE )

6 April 1950 – 26 July 2007

Breast cancer shortened the life of our beloved Marion, but she will live on in our hearts and our memories forever and will be sadly missed by her family, friends and all who knew her.

Throughout the 6 1/2 years of her illness she was incredibly brave and faced the battle against breast cancer with great courage and optimism and with dignity and grace. She was an inspiration to so many of us, who admired her ability to smile in the face of adversity. At no time did she ever complain, nor was she ever willing to surrender to this disease.

During Marion’s first visit to a radiation oncologist, he told her that this should not have happened to her. Lovely and slim, she had always taken good care of herself - eating well, never smoking and rarely consuming alcohol. She was aware of the disease and was vigilant in her self-examinations. The regular annual mammograms she had had over many years did not detect the tumour. She discovered the 10mm lump herself, in December 2000, only 10 months after a routine mammogram. At the time of diagnosis, no cancer cells were detected in the lymph nodes removed from under her arm and her prognosis for the future was excellent. Unfortunately, as we now know, the cancer had already spread to her bloodstream. By May 2002, the cancer had metastasised to her liver and sternum. Marion was just terribly unlucky.

Early Years in Killarney (1950-1968)

Marion Ross Mackenzie was born at the Royal Brisbane Woman’s Hospital in Queensland, Australia on 6 April 1950 and was the eldest of five children of Bruce and Leonie (Pat) Mackenzie of Killarney, Queensland. Her parents met by chance when her father, on service in New Guinea during the Second World War, received a government war parcel from Australia, which had been prepared by her mother, a young Tasmanian nurse. She had left a note in the parcel so he corresponded with her and, after the war, they met and married in 1947. As there was a six-year gap between Marion and her next sibling, she was of great assistance to her parents in the upbringing of her younger sisters and brothers, Heather, Vivienne, Donald and Jamie, and was like a second mother to them. Her nurturing nature was evident from an early age.

Marion was born with a congenital cataract in her left eye, which became divergent. An operation was performed when she was nearly three years of age but she could never use this eye for vision and often closed it whenever the overall lighting level was bright. A cosmetic operation, to correct the divergence, was carried out in March 1973.

Marion’s happy childhood years were spent in Killarney, where father Bruce owned and operated, in partnership with his brother, Ferrier, movie theatres, a farm and a general store, known as “Mackenzies’ Emporium”. Ferrier and his wife Joan’s son, Sandy, who was of a similar age, was her constant childhood companion and they were often mistaken as brother and sister. Her fondness of musicals, such as “My Fair Lady”, grew from her weekly attendances at the cinema.

Marion was educated at Killarney State School, until Grade 10, and completed her senior education at the Warwick State High School. She excelled at English and French and received academic prizes for these subjects. Memorable holidays were usually spent at the Mackenzie family holiday home “Mackross”, at North Burleigh beach on the Gold Coast in Queensland. Her loving parents installed in her the high standards and good manners, which she maintained throughout her life.

Her father’s six week round the world trip in 1962, with his brother Bill, encouraged Marion’s sense of adventure and desire to travel. As a young girl, she travelled several times to visit her maternal grandparents in Tasmania. Her cousin, Julienne Harnett, recalls the two of them sleeping in a room on the verandah of their grandparent’s East Devonport home and having to go to bed really early, when the sun was still up, as Marion was supposed to rest her eyes. They had to top and tail but the mosquitoes kept them awake. Julienne also remembers that they were both fascinated with their grandmother’s English accent, as she was born in London. Unusual accents were a novelty in Australia in the 1950’s. Julienne also recalls their grandmother taking them on the little ferry into town wearing their best dresses with hats, gloves and patent leather shoes. She said they were allowed to go to the cake shop, where they could choose one cake each to eat.

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As a member of the Killarney Girls Brigade, Marion also travelled by train to national camps in Adelaide and Perth. Another Girls Brigade member from those days, Jill Mogridge, studied nursing and married a doctor, Geoff Beadle, who became Marion’s oncologist in 2002.

Leaving H ome for Brisbane (1968-1975)

In 1968, Marion moved to Brisbane to study at the Dawn Moore Secretarial College. Her parents arranged for her to reside at Lady Musgrave Lodge at 35 Astor Terrace, Spring Hill, which was originally founded, in 1891, by an early Queensland Governor’s wife, Lady Musgrave, to house homeless migrant women. In later years, it housed girls from country areas, who were working or studying in Brisbane. It was at Lady Musgrave Lodge that Marion met many of her close life-long friends, including Cherry Peters and Roslyn

Franklin, both of whom she later lived with at Wigan Court, 59 Bonney Avenue, Clayfield. After completing the secretarial course, she went to work on Wickham Terrace at her uncle Bill Mackenzie’s oral surgery practice.

By 1970, her desire to live and travel overseas led to a position with Trans-Australia Airlines at Brisbane Airport, which allowed her to obtain air travel concessions. In September 1972, she took her first overseas trip to Papua New Guinea where she stayed with Susan and Denis Riley, who kindly allowed her to use their vehicle for touring.

In October 1973, she went on a round the world trip visiting Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, Hawaii and Fiji and, in 1974, she arranged a trip, with her air travel concessions, to the United Kingdom and Europe for her parents.

Departing Australia for the United Kingdom (1975-1980)

In late 1975, Marion made another trip to Singapore, the United Kingdom, Europe, Spain and Morocco with her sisters, Heather and Vivienne. While her sisters returned to Australia to further their education, Marion remained in London. She stayed initially with Harry and Angela Wagstaff, who were family relatives, at their home in Chingford. She continued to maintain a close family link with Harry and Angela throughout her life.

After a variety of interesting temping jobs, which included editing a newspaper with Doug Disher (now well known in real estate in Brisbane) and acting as a tour guide, she obtained a receptionist position at the Victoria League at 18 Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, and moved to the League’s student hostel at 55 Leinster Square in Bayswater. She had been a member of that society in Brisbane where she had met dear friends Wendy Morrish and Pamela Smith. She was also a member of the Britain/Australia Society and the Royal Commonwealth Society. The Victoria League arranged trips at weekends to places of interest and held functions for its members and Marion became actively involved in organizing and participating in these activities. It was through the Victoria League that she met many of her English friends, which included Joye Dodd, Bill Williams, Trisha Comrie, Mary Furlonge, Alyse Holloway and Pauline Davidson.

Wendy Morrish arrived in London in early 1976, for an extended holiday, and had arranged accommodation at a private bed and breakfast establishment, operated by Mrs Paula Jeffries, at 53 Westbourne Terrace in Paddington. In May 1976, Marion decided to move to Mrs Jeffries’ with Wendy.

It was at Mrs Jeffries’, at 53 Westbourne Terrace in Paddington, that I first met Marion on 22 August 1976. I only know the exact date because Marion noted it in her diary for that year. Although I had forgotten the details of that meeting, she remembered them and told me some years later. I was very impressed with her and decided she was a person I should get to know better. I had travelled to London from Auckland, New Zealand via Asia and the Trans-Siberian railway through the Soviet Union. My father and mother, who was also a member of the Victoria League, had stayed with Mrs Jeffries in 1975 when they were on a trip to the UK and Europe. She had been recommended to them by a family friend, Ruve Wallace, who had actually taught my father in the 1930’s and had stayed with Mrs Jeffries on a number of occasions in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Marion and Wendy had been anticipating my arrival as my mother had written to Mrs Jeffries, asking if I could stay with her, and she had read the letter to Marion and Wendy. On my arrival at Westbourne Terrace, I first met Wendy as Marion was away babysitting

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Lady Crocker’s cat at her home at 31 Bressenden Place in Victoria. Apparently, Wendy tried to ascertain

my height in a doorway so she could inform Marion whether I was tall enough. The message Marion

received was that I was too short.

Mrs Jeffries was not very impressed with me at first, as I was not well dressed and had a backpack. I was not the sort of clientele she normally had to stay and told Marion and Wendy I was not like my father, who was always very presentable and was usually dressed in a jacket and tie. She also disliked me asking

questions and once when I enquired how the General Post Office emptied the coin operated telephone box

located inside her front door, she got quite cross with me. Sometime later, however, I happened to see her

empty the coin box herself. When she discovered that I was an engineer her impression of me changed as she had the false idea that an engineer could fix anything from TV sets to plumbing.

At the time, I was using Mrs Jeffries’ as a base, whilst I ventured on trips to Europe and around the UK, but Marion was living there. My room was on the same floor as the kitchen and her room was on a higher floor. Marion would come down the stairs for breakfast every morning and I used to try to be there at the same time so I could have breakfast with her. The stair floorboards used to squeak so I had forewarning that she was coming. We used to chat over cereal, with watered down milk (a Mrs Jeffries’ specialty), a boiled egg and toast. She would ask me what I had been doing and gave me advice on what to see, as she was very knowledgeable about London. Mrs Jeffries also liked to chat with her and would sometimes send me away telling me I was too early for breakfast.

In September 1976, soon after my arrival at Mrs Jeffries’, Marion and Wendy went on a trip to Scotland with Charles Page and Stuart Pantall. Before their departure, Marion had a problem with a zip on her suitcase and sought my advice. She was not pleased when I told her that her favourite suitcase had a poor quality zip, which needed to be replaced, so she asked Mr Kaye, Mrs Jeffries’ long time companion and a regular visitor to Westbourne Terrace, for help. Mr Kaye, who was a tailor, arranged for the zip to be replaced with one of better quality.

Mrs Jeffries did not approve of guests cooking in their rooms or washing clothes in the bathrooms and so one had to be discreet in such matters. I soon realized that she was also favouring Marion and Wendy as she was providing them with an evening meal for the same rent. Sometimes, I would cook a meal on my camping stove in my room. Marion warned me, however, that Mrs Jeffries knew I was cooking in my room as she had discovered my camping stove and cooking utensils in my wardrobe during a routine room search. Mrs Jeffries was not a person who respected one’s privacy and had the annoying habit of bursting into your room without knocking, when you were there, or searching the room and examining the contents when you were out. My parents also experienced this behavior, when they stayed with Mrs Jeffries, and my father often recounted the story of how he dropped his trousers one time when she burst into their room without knocking and she was so shocked that she never did it to them again.

During my stay at Westbourne Terrace, I often had discussions with Marion on various topics, one of the most popular being the idiosyncratic behavior of Mrs Jeffries and speculation about her past life. It became apparent, for instance, that Mrs Jeffries had never been married. Marion also informed me that she had worked for many years at Harrods, hence the reason she had regular shopping deliveries from that store. She also told me things that only a woman would notice, for example, Mrs Jeffries evidently washed dishes under running water from the tap and seldom laundered the tea towels. She also had some interesting sayings eg if it was cold she would say that she had put the “fire” on, which was an electric heater with a light and revolving wheel behind a false flame fa?ade.

In January 1977 and after many years at Westbourne Terrace, Mrs Jeffries moved from central London to 172 Gunnersbury Lane, Acton Town, and Marion and I both found alternative accommodation. She moved to a flat at 12 Rutland Gate, Knightsbridge with Micky Scott, an elderly lady, and I moved to 57 Pymers Mead, West Dulwich and then to 63 Perham Rd, West Kensington. We occasionally made contact by telephone, but I did not believe I was high on her list of admirers. One time, I called in to see her at the Victoria League, as a surprise, but she was occupied with other people and so I left without talking to her. On 17 October 1977, I asked her out, for the first time, to dinner near Leicester Square and afterwards we went to see the film “Valentino” starring Rudolf Nureyev. I held her hand for most of that evening and did