Because of Her We Can
That's my great Nanna, Amy Ridgeway, holding onto me in the chair as I squint into the sun. My Poppy, Les Ridgeway, is standing next to my mum, Cheryl, who is dressed in that lovely yellow 70's summer dress. Everyone I've ever spoken to about Nanna Amy has said she was a beautiful person, loving, kind, and generous. I remember Nanna Amy and the house she lived in. Was it Newcastle? I remember mum and Aunty Min caring for all us kids. I remember having fun with Aunty Sandra's kids, mostly Brad and Michael because they were close to my age. I remember eating ice blocks at Nanna Amy's house and watching TV. Nanna Amy was born 110 years ago at Salt Ash near Port Stephens to Laura Maher, who would have been 19 years old at the time. Laura worked as a housekeeper for an Englishman named Henry Waddingham who owned a shipping company based at Windi Woppa. He never officially recognised the children he fathered with Laura, although my grandfather, Les Ridgeway