This week, Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest after a long and extraordinary reign that touched countless lives – many of them here in Australia.
Catherine – affectionately known as “Reenie” – is one of those lives. An 85-year-old resident at St Martin’s Residential Aged Care home, run by Anglicare Southern Queensland in Brisbane, Reenie was in her early 50s when she was invited to meet Her Majesty after running marathons around the world to raise thousands of pounds for local charities.
Reenie’s daughter Lorraine recalls that her Mum only took up marathon running in her 50s.
“That was one thing with Mum. She was very determined when she wanted to do something. She’d do it until she couldn’t do it any better or anymore. She’s a very, very determined lady. She has always been driven by helping people. She’s a very giving lady,” she said.
According to Lorraine, Reenie was “beside herself” when she was invited to meet the Queen, who spoke with her for several minutes and thanked her for her generous charity work; the story of when “Reenie met the Queenie” became a cherished one in their community.
“At the time, Mum told me that the Queen was simply the most amazing and gracious lady. She was delighted to meet my mother and I think both ladies had a lot of respect for each other,” she said.
The meeting inspired Reenie to carry on working with people in need, and she didn’t slow down even into her 60s and beyond; she taught disabled children to swim, continued her fundraising, and even had an entire ward named after her by one of her favourite charities, St Luke’s Hospice.
“When I found out that the Queen had died, I thought of Mum straight away. Given that Mum now has dementia, she is completely unaware. But if she knew, she would definitely shed tears.
“She has given so much in her life and I am just so proud of everything she has achieved. She has helped so many and been rewarded again and again for her compassion. Meeting the Queen was just the icing on the cake, really,” said Lorraine.
A truly incredible story – that brought together some truly incredible women.
