The eulogy delivered on Monday (Aug. 26) at the funeral service for Joan Purcell is included in this week’s Local Paper. So too is a photo-feature page.

Family friend Neil Beer delivered this tribute:
Joan was born on Sunday, May 28, 1922 at Travancore Hospital in Holmes Rd, Moonee Ponds.
Her mother was Ann Marie (nee Booth) and father Frederick Houghton Gentles who fought at Gallipoli and on the Western Front from 1914-1918.
Fred, as some here will know, lived to just short of his 100th birthday.
Joan was the eldest of 3 girls, her younger sisters being Jacqueline (sometimes called Shirley) and Judith.
She began school at Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School in Essendon at 4¾ years of age and spent the whole of her school life at this school.
All her life Joan was an outgoing, talkative , vibrant personality and as her childhood and best friend for 79 years, Shirley Lawrance, always said “Joan should have been on the stage”.
The friendship between Joan and Shirley began at Lowther Hall when they were 11 years old. They became and stayed best friends for 79 years.
Joan adored attending parties, Pantomines and the theatre: this led to her to playing in amateur theatrical performances at the Princess Theatre and His Majesty’s Theatre, with also a turn on the ABC with Bruce Beresford.
At school Joan was involved in pageants and plays, basketball, tennis, athletics, baseball and after school, horse riding.
At seven years of age, Joan was given her first pony and would ride from her home in Essendon through the paddocks to Bulla, Oaklands Hunt Club each Saturday.
As she progressed to bigger horses she also suffered a few falls, breaking her collarbone at 13 and when she was 17 breaking her leg very badly with a compound fracture of the tibia and fibia.
Joan’s Uncle Sier had white ponies which she rode in various classes at Melbourne Royal and Sydney Royal Show – in saddle pony classes and led classes.
She also rode in country shows and made many country friends
She went to her first race meeting when seven years old at Moonee Valley, and later in life loved to watch the races on TV.
When Joan left school she began a three-year course in Dietetics at Emily McPherson, which led to a one-year Science course at Melbourne University, as her aim was to gain a Bachelor of Science.
However her ambitions were cut short due to the badly broken leg sustained when her horse clipped a fence and fell and due to the outbreak of WWII.
Her Dietetics course was temporarily suspended and by the end of the war her life had changed from city living to living in the country.
In the meantime whilst recovering from her broken leg, Joan came to visit Shirley Lumley (Lawrance) in Yea, whose family had taken up running the Grand Central Hotel.
Her visit was to be for three weeks but she ended up staying for three months, and it is during this time that she met her husband to be, Harold. Of course as these were the war years there were many balls and fundraising efforts for the teenagers to attend and it is during this time that Joan met her husband Harold –
Joan said “he was coming down the stairs at the Shire Hall as we were walking up and he obviously liked what he saw” and so they talked away the evening.
Joan then began working in the Supply Laboratories Physics Section in Melbourne and remained in this employment until 1945, living in Melbourne after she had married Hal until the end of the war.
Joan and Harold married July 4th (American Independence Day) 1942 at Christ Church, Essendon, on a cold wet windy day with only three days’ notice to organise everything as that was when Harold had leave. They managed three days honeymoon at Beaumauris.
In 1945 they returned to Yea purchasing ‘Outlook’ in Smith St. Yea, where they spent all their married life, producing three baby-boomers: Helen, Margaret and David.
So a busy married life in Yea began, with Harold returning to work in the family business E.S. Purcell & Co. and running with his brothers, the family properties, Sheoak, Beaumanto and Highlands with Joan supporting him in his many community activities.
Not content with the workload of raising three children, Joan participated in a large and varied number of organisations
She decided that a pre-school was needed in Yea , so she held a meeting in her home to get things started – four people attended, and then advertised publicly a bigger meeting with the result that in 1954 the first school in the old Miller St building began.
From then on, with Joan at the forefront, there was lots of fundraising and dedicated hard work and Val Borrie appointed as the teacher.
As of this year the pre-school will have been in existence for 65 years all due to one little lady’s determination.
We now know it as the Yea Childcare Centre, which has been essential to the early childhood growth of so many local children.
Joan was a great believer that the war years were the beginning of Women’s Liberation, with women having the freedom to earn their own living, travel overseas, gain a higher education and enrol in University courses.
Joan had a strong religious faith and lifetime involvement with the Church.
She was heavily involved in the CWA, with state music and drama, started CWA Night Branch, was Upper Goulburn Group President for two years, on the CWA State Executive and given Life Membership of CWA Victoria.
Eighteen years as a member of the Girl Guides Association of Vic., involved in re-writing a Brownie Guide Book for Australian Brownies.
She assisted in the formation of Young Farmers in Yea, and also the early formation of the Baby Health Centre.
Joan held office in the Yea Primary School Mothers’ Club, member of Yea High School Mothers’ Club, Church of England Guild, Lions Ladies Auxiliary, RSL Auxiliary, Yea Fire Brigade Auxiliary, Red Cross, and Yea Hospital Auxiliary.
She represented Yea on Australian Assistance Plan, was judge of Rotary’s high school competitions, member of the Yea Liberal Party, Judge of Regional and Yea Sun Show Girls, and taught religious instruction at Primary School.
Joan was also involved with the local Pony Club and was radio announcer at the Yea Show for many years.
I fondly remember in the 1970s, when I worked in Lilydale travelling down from Yea each day, picking Joan up from Smith St at 7.30 in the morning so she could travel into the city by train.
The car radio was always tuned to 774, however by the time we reached Murrindindi Station, the radio was turned off as I was entertained by Joan for the remainder of the journey.
Joan relished having long meaningful conversations and very much enjoyed her discussions with her son- in -law Richard Ivey on the English language and grammar. She was devastated when Richard passed away very suddenly in 2014.
In 2004 Joan decided that she needed to downsize from the large rambling house with wonderful views up on Smith St.
After spending seven years in her neat brick home in Snodgrass St , she made her own decision to move to Rosebank in 2010.
Joan loved her IPad and was very grateful to young Richie for getting her going on it at the age of 81 and keeping her updated as it allowed her to keep in touch with so many family and friends.
We often laughed at the risqué jokes Joan would send on and thought how very with it and modern she was keeping up with this latest technology.
She loved the fact that she could enjoy being in touch with the extended family no matter whether they were in Australia or travelling the world.
Joan was so very proud of the achievements of her three children and their partners, her five grandchildren and six great grandchildren, and we often heard of the latest antics and funny things the great grandkids had said and done.
Joan said: “I have had a very comfortable life and am so blessed to be surrounded by loving friends, family-children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and with my children living so close by.”
She loved going out with the girls-Helen and Margie, and of course, shopping. It wasn’t a day out if you couldn’t shop.
It was so like Joan to tell the children to wait a week for her funeral after she passed away.
When they asked why Mum? Joan replied “You can’t expect people to just drop everything to come to my funeral.”
The information in this eulogy has mainly come from a journal that Joan wrote and in which she said: “Life is like a tapestry – the silk shining, gay colours of every hue, a glimmering kaleidoscope.
“A knot or two, some tiny, and one or two large ones, where you have tried to cobble the strands together”.
Joan was loved and treasured by so many in her community … a long live well lived.
“We will miss you so very much Joan.”