From Carla Hewson-Brown

I have so many fond memories of Estelle, I just don’t know where to begin. The more I think about Estelle the more things I remember, it all puts a smile on my face. I spent a lot of time with Estelle often on our own when we were flatting in Dunedin and then when we travelled through Europe in 2005. So many funny things happened during this time, things that were quite often really silly and if I try to repeat them, they won’t seem that funny to anyone else. Estelle had this clever sense of humour that I loved and often it was the simplest of things that were the funniest.

From hysterically crying in the cinema watching Anchorman, trying to suppress our laughter at the drunk, crippled man falling off his chair in a restaurant in France, to the time when we came across the bush whores in the back blocks of the Czech Republic. There were always smiles, laughter and silly humour.

She is and will always be one of my favourite people ever. It never occurred to me that Estelle would not be a part of my life forever; I just always thought she would be there.

I remember like it was yesterday when she emailed me to say that she was coming to our wedding in Thailand. I felt so happy and lucky that one of my dear friends would be there to share our special day. We were both so glad Estelle and Jake got to stay in Phuket for longer, I will always treasure the extra good times we had.

Estelle was such an amazing, gorgeous woman & adored by so many people. Everyone she knew was touched by her spirit, my sister Trina said to me in Phuket “That Estelle is so serene” and she was, she had such a calm, cool aura about her.

I so enjoyed being her friend. I loved the email updates I would get from her about her life and plans with Jake and how happy he made her. It gives me comfort that she found such happiness in the last years of her life.

Stellie I will think of you always, we are all less fortunate that you are no longer in our lives. To me you will always be that bright star in the sky the glows stronger than all the rest. I know that you are never far away, you will always watch over your family and remain in everyone’s hearts and thoughts.

Gone but never forgotten. Love always, Carla X!