During their courtship, John walked from Sutherland to Saddlier to see Sharon and Uncle Claude made a comment along the lines that “he hoped he was going to marry her after that effort". Sharon and John went on to raise their three Children Carrisa, Evan and Sally at Saddlier as well. Once Carissa was at School and Evan and Sally were attending Pre-school, Sharon made the decision to train as a Primary School Teacher at Western Sydney University. During her training, she often called on her own children to practice her developing teaching skills when all they really wanted to do at the end of the day was go outside and play.

Looking back at this time, Carissa, Evan and Sally still remember how hard their Mum worked and still don’t know how she managed to study, being a Mum at home and making sure that they all got to school as well as their to their sporting commitments and other social activities. Sharon’s first Teaching appointment was to Bonnyrigg Primary School where she was a full-time face to face Teacher.

In 1993 Sharon took up the Position of Regional Aboriginal Education Consultant for the North Coast Region and relocated the family to Alstonville. In this role Sharon provided support to Education Managers, teachers and non-teaching staff as well as Aboriginal Communities and students from Port Macquarie in the Southern part of the region up to the NSW/QLD Boarder in the North. Sharon held this position until 1997 before accepting the same role for the South Coast Region from 1998 – 2001 initially working from the Regional Office in Warilla before relocation to Nowra.

During this time Sharon and John purchased a home in Culburra and when her tenure in the Aboriginal Consultant Role concluded she returned to the classroom and taught at a number of schools in the Shoalhaven including, Bomaderry, Terrara and Callalla Bay Public Schools before being appointed to Sanctuary Point Public School where she taught until her retirement in 2016 to prepare for Dialysis treatment. It was also at this time that Sharon and Aunty Rae decided to make St. Georges Basin home and purchased a house in Wool Lane.

Sharon loved sports and growing up she played football, netball, ten pin bowling, swimming and fishing. She was also a keen South Sydney supporter and was in her element a couple of years ago when she was invited to a Bunnies home game with Evan to watch the game from the sidelines in ‘’’The Ute” and to meet the players. While she was under instruction not to take any photos of the players, that didn’t stop her from snuggling up and getting a few treasured snaps, an art she developed down pat. Sharon also loved Commodores and it’s been said she had a lead foot. Evan recalls how she somehow managed to slip into a group of touring Commodores going up over the Mountains from Cambewarra and stayed in the group like she was one of the team.

Sharon loved many things, but without a doubt, her greatest love was for her family. Her love for her Mum and her siblings was amazing to witness and the love she had for her Children and Grandchildren was truly special. She was such a loving Mum and Grandmother and so very proud of the successful and confident Adults that they have grown up to be. One of Carrissa’s special memories was of her Mum singing to her Grandchildren before they were born and she couldn’t wait to meet them. When she went to meet Cory for the first time he was sleeping but that was no deterrent, she picked him up and woke him so that she could hold him and talk with him, never mind that they just spent hours trying to get him to sleep.

Her proudest moments of each of her grandchildren was to see them graduate from Ashcroft High School, the same school that She and her own Children had also attended. She was proud of the Leadership that they developed and demonstrated throughout those high-school years and that her beautiful and talented Tanaya was School Captain in her final year, she was their greatest fan.

That love was also extended to other family members and friends and her home was often open to other young people, friends of Evan, some of who were homeless. For many of these young “bummers” this proved to be a life changing experience and they left the Anderson family home changed for the better for this experience as Sharon took them under her wing and showed a genuine interest in them, their wellbeing and their future.

One of the stories recalled was that of a young homeless man on the side of the road selling flowers. Sharon stopped and bought all the flowers that the young man had even though they were wilted and dying and when she brought them home she told her children that it wasn’t even about the flowers, it was about the young man and showing him compassion.

Sharon was a very spiritual, cultural person and always looked to create magical moments for the Family even as they became Adults with Christmas being particularly magic. From the food to the decorations and to the atmosphere. If Sharon didn’t know how to do something, she would go out and learn how to do things, from learning AUSLAN, the language of the deaf to Belly Dancing and more recently Salsa. And anyone who knows Sharon knows she loves to dance, a love no doubt passed onto her from our beautiful Aunty Rae.

While we are Sharon’s cousins and have known each other throughout our lives, we have become particularly close over the last twenty or so years through our return to our traditional Lands, the Lands of the Monero-Ngarigo people. During this time we have each supported our Mothers, the Matriachs of that Country. We have also supported each other in our respective family Leadership roles and the mentoring of our Daughters and Granddaughters who will step up to these roles and assume those Cultural Resonsibilities and Roles in their appropriate time. We also know that the legacy that Sharon leaves her Children is powerful and that by example she has instilled knowledge and practice that will allow them each to take their place in our community and do these things with integrity and with dignity and that in itself is an amazing testament to Sharon and a legacy that honours our mothers and grandmothers who go before us.

Overall, Sharon loved Life and lived it to the fullest. She was not afraid to laugh, to dance, to love or show us show us just how beautiful, stylish and sexy us big girls can.

We will miss those late night messages "are you awake Sis" and our daughters and granddaughters will miss hearing that endearment “Baby Girl" but we will also smile and sometimes cry whenever we think of you and the love and light you brought to our lives.

Inanay Gupoo Wanna Aunty Sharon from Sienna and Maddison and Walawaani (Dhurga) (Ngarigo) our Sister on your journey into the Dreamtime.

Rest in Peace.

26 July 2018