Photo: Supplied.
Mentor, supporter, loyal friend, unstintingly generous volunteer and much-loved mother, wife and family member – Jan Spinks was many things to many people who will be the poorer for her recent passing but richer for having known her.
Jan and her husband Tony, Redlands locals since 1981, first met at a Brisbane fundraising dance. Tony asked Jan for a dance, there was mutual magic and he offered her a lift home. Jan, quite taken by this “handsome, suave young man with a white MG sports car” accepted – and ended up having to push-start the car when the ignition failed. Obviously the magic was stronger than the inconvenience; that evening resulted in 54 years of marriage and three much-loved children – Adam, Fiona and Dean – and seven grandchildren.
Jan’s ability and her dedication to learning saw her move from Mackay to study at the teachers’ college in Brisbane. While her family always ranked first and foremost, her commitment to community, her “can do” attitude and her boundless generosity saw her volunteering in various organisations, including the Scouts and Rotary (from which she received the Paul Harris Fellow award). For the last 46 years, Redland Museum has been a major beneficiary of her commitment and energy.
Jan functioned as Vice-President and Treasurer during her Museum volunteer years and colleagues speak of their appreciation of her support, her reliability, practicality, empathy and kindness, of feeling that things were safe in her hands, knowing that she would “just get on with the job”. Never one to seek the limelight, the legacy of Jan’s many contributions resonate for years to come, through the organisations and individuals whose lives she touched. Vale, dear Jan. You’ll be missed.
