Rather than focusing on our loss, I want to use this time as a moment of gratitude that we all experienced the joy of having mum be a part of our lives.

I am grateful that she was with us for as long as she was and that Gia and Aaron will always remember their time with their nani happily. Her three grandchildren gave her so much joy and were blessed to have such a loving grandmother.

I am grateful that so many of us here today were touched by her capacity to love deeply, freely and selflessly. Mum loved us so much and I am grateful to have been cushioned and protected by that love my whole life and that I have learned to love just as deeply.

Mum was a fierce, hard-working, strong, passionate woman who could be single-minded in her determination to do what she believed was right. I am grateful that she was such an amazing role model for so many kids at the schools she taught at, for her friends and family, and I am grateful that Neil and I had such an incredible mum to guide us throughout our lives.

Lastly, mum lived life to the full and I always admired her joie de vivre. She was happy, playful, intensely curious about the world. I am grateful that she lived such a full and fulfilling life, traveling the world, discovering new places and I am grateful that her sense of adventure rubbed off on me.

We miss you mum but you will forever be loved and remembered.