Era uma vez... uma mulher de coragem

Homenagem a todas as mulheres que tiveram a coragem de abraçar os filhos de ninguém... e amar sem limites
Mães odoptivas... onde o amor se perde na história

MRS PHYLLIS HELEN DUNN
Beloved Mother of Jill and Claire



“I am who I am… and I owe it all to you, Dear Mum”… Claire Lima, 19.7.06

“A forthright and brave woman”… Jill Relph, 19.7.06


These words sum up what Phyllis´ daughters think of her in life and in death. She was certainly a very brave and forthright lady with strong principles. She was able to transmit these principles in a lively and interesting way, always with true-life examples. Phyllis showed us how to “be”, how to “act” in all walks of life and all situations, this is what we shall always be thankful to her for. Certainly one of life´s greatest lessons.

What can we say about her life? . Phyllis lost a daughter, Jane, aged three which left her devastated. But true to form, she did not give up. She went on to adopt very young twins, which was certainly no mean feat in the mid 1960s, but she and her husband at the time, Jason, took up this challenge. As parents of two “mixed race” daughters they were often criticised by others and were the target of many racist comments. Sadly Jason died in 1969, but Phyllis, determined to overcome life´s obstacles, took the twins on a “voyage of a lifetime” to visit her brother´s family in Tasmania, Australia. Phyllis married for the second time, to Cecil, an old family friend, whose daughter, Judith is here with us today and we are sure she would support these words about her step-mother and probably add many more of her own. Tragedy struck one more time and Cecil died of cancer, leaving Phyllis alone again to deal with “double trouble”, as she used to refer to the twins, a family business and a house! But nothing deterred this strong, determined, loving woman from her goal and her endless pursuit of “doing the right thing at the right time”, another of life´s great lessons.

We are all here today to celebrate the life of this truly wonderful woman and in the words of Alix, aged 16 (Claire and Jill´s half sister) : “she was an amazing woman, very strong, with a heart of gold….. I wish I had met her when she was still well, but even so I feel honoured just to have met her and held her hand for a few brief moments…..all this is for the best because she is probably in a better place smiling down on us now…”. (Alix, 19.7.06).