The tale told by Fay and Graham Hemers is a clear example of a life well lived, a love most cherished, and a passion for helping anyone and everyone who has crossed their path.
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After 48 years of marriage, the Pacific Palms humanitarians are thick as thieves, their story an intricate dance of laughter and loving memories.
“We enjoyed 30 years in Pacific Palms, where we were very busy, getting as involved with the community as possible,” Fay explained.
“We joined the Lions Club, where I was treasurer and Graham worked his way up to president.
“We were very happy doing that for more than 10 years.”
For his years of dedication, Graham was awarded the Melvin Johns Fellowship, the .highest form of recognition conferred by the foundation.
“Melvin was the founder of Lions Club International,” Graham explained.
“In our younger days we were both very into playing sport, cricket, tennis, fishing too. We spent a lot of time outside.”
“That was mostly when we were living in Dural,” Fay added.
“We had a boat when we first moved up here and we loved to take it out on the lake, but a lot of the time we were so busy with the Lions Club we didn’t get around to much else.
“We were always raising money, raffles, dances, all sorts of things. We helped a lot of people in that time, it was hard work, but very satisfying.”
The couple, who lived together in Dural for 20 years before moving to the Great Lakes, owned a nursery and were passionate about nature.
“We used to grow a lot of citrus trees, and had a big garden on our 10 acre property,” Fay said.
Graham was Sydney born and raised, while Fay enjoyed some of the warmer scenes of Australia before settling in NSW.
“I was originally from way out west in QLD,” she explained.
“I had two daughters from a previous marriage, and we were all living up in Darwin where I was working as a nurse.
“When I moved down to Sydney with my family, I met Graham through some mutual friends.”
And what a lucky thing it was, as the couple are still happy as Larry, with a large family to boast.
Now living in BaptistCare Kularoo Centre in Forster, Fay and Graham enjoy visits from their family who live in the Blue Mountains.
“One daughter died from cancer, but the other is married with children,” Fay said.
“We’ve also got grandchildren, and great grandchildren, coming out of our ears! There are lots of them.
“It’s a bit of a big trip but we enjoy seeing them when we can.”
