Elsa Maria Zulic – 28th February 1936 to 24th June 2015
With sadness in our hearts, we extend our sincere condolences to Brother Giulio Zulic and family on the loss of your loved one. May you feel God’s loving arms around you, strengthening each one during this time of sadness. Sister Elsa and her smile and kindness will be missed by many.
Be of good courage and look forward to the time when we will see her once again and together worship at Jesus’ feet.
Memories of our Mother by Anna and Giulietta Allen
Our dearest loving mother, Elsa Maria was born in the outskirts of a hidden northern town in Chile named Quilitapia. Mother was known to her brothers and sisters by a nickname “PIO”. They all gave each other a nickname; we as children called her ‘Checha’ or ‘Chechita’.
Mother was privileged to have loving and caring parents that provided for their needs in a happy and safe home environment.
Mother grew up in a happy homely family circle of five brothers and four sisters. They interacted together and shared their early years on a farm that grandad owned. There they raised animals; mainly sheep and goats, and as a large family they all loved their country chores.
Although they left behind the country life to lead a city life, mother never forgot her place of birth where she grew up as a young girl to young lady. She loved to go back to visit and relive the memories left behind.
Her school years were memorable to her in many ways. She loved learning and going to school.
On one particular occasion, the teacher asked all the students to show their finished homework. Mother of course was proud to show her achievements. She held her exercise book up for the teacher to have a look, not realising that her exercise book was covered in ink patches. These are the kind of true stories she loved sharing with us.
While we were still back in Chile, mother worked as an assistant nurse until our destiny took a different path, which lead us to this country that we have now made our home.
Dad arrived in Santiago Chile on the 26th December 1955. As a new arrival he stayed at a migrant’s hotel. There was a small cafeteria where our mother worked as a waitress. Dad, together with a group of migrants, walked into the cafeteria, and that was where he met our beautiful mother for the very first time. From then on they began a friendship that led them to a blossoming relationship, and within the next 18 months they decided it was best to get married. They took this very important step on the 31st July 1957 in the registry office of a small town called Pueblo Hundido.
Mother had 9 children, 19 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren here and abroad combined, and she was very proud of all of them.
The first couple of years in Australia, mother worked as a process worker. From this small beginning she then worked for the government as a school cleaner. She worked as a cleaner for over ten years. She then took early retirement.
Mother loved being in the company of others, whether at family or social gatherings, church activities, community and charity work here and overseas.
She loved gardening, growing flowers like roses, lilies and other flowers that to her were beautiful. She also had a passion for travelling, especially visiting our family back in Chile, reminiscing on stories of old times with people she loved and remembered.
Mother loved telling us stories that our very own grandad shared with her and her siblings when they were young. We loved and enjoyed hearing these personal stories, and there were never enough of them. We wanted to hear more and more. We would say: “Please mum tells us again another one of those stories that we loved to hear so much.”
Our loving mother dear, we will always have you in our hearts. You have left with us your legacy of love, kindness, joy and all that you have taught us. We will strive to follow and achieve in your footsteps.
We will never, never forget you –‘NEVER’. You gave us ‘life’, you carried us in the womb, and wherever you needed to take us, you did it wholeheartedly, leading us in the path of truth and right doing.
You will always be in our hearts knowing that on the resurrection morning we will see you again with Jesus our Redeemer by our side. ‘What a reunion that will be!!!’
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13.
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.
God Saw You Getting Tired
God saw you getting tired
and a cure was not to be
So he put his arms around you
and whispered,
“Come to Me”
With tearful eyes we watched you
And saw you pass away
And although we love you dearly
We could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating
Hard working hands at rest
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best.
Reflections of my Mother by Giulietta Allen
I would like to share some memories of my mother as I was growing up. I can remember my mother being a very kind and loving person to us. She always wanted the best for us, making sure that we were always looked after and kept clean and tidy, especially when we went to school. She was a very good cook and always had family and friends visit, always serving them the best of what she had at home. They always commented about the lovely meals and of how lucky my father was to have such a great cook.
There were times when things were hard for her at home with so many children to care for. She would have ladies come to help out with the laundry, especially with nappies, as in those days there were no such things as disposables, and many times mum had two babies in nappies. These ladies were happy to help and accepted very small wages. My mum always set goals for herself in life. She was a business person. One time I can remember my mum started a business at home selling coal. Coal was very important in those days in Chile as winter was very cold. Another time she would make some sweet treats and wrap them in beautiful cellophane paper and pretty ribbons and we (especially myself) would take them to school and try to sell them to our school teachers.
The biggest and most important goal of all that my mother set was to come to Australia. She realised that her family was very important to her, and she wanted a better life for us all; so she talked it over with dad and they both decided to take that big step to immigrate to Australia. Mum started doing all the paperwork and legal documents and within two months we were all ready to leave our native country in Chile and were accepted to come to Australia.
On the 8th of April 1974 her dreams would come true, even though it would have been very hard leaving all her family behind. Until this day I will always thank my mother for bringing us into this beautiful country that we call our home today. We arrived here on the 10th April 1974.
Once here in Australia she worked very hard to earn a living by working as a process worker and a school cleaner. Then as the years went by they decided to move out of Sydney to the country where she lived until she became sick in 2011.
My mother was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver where she underwent many operations to make her life more comfortable. She spent many times in and out of hospital; and in late August 2013, I took her into my home and became her main carer, so she could be closer to the hospital and her appointments. My mother lived with me for almost two years. I saw my mother slowly deteriorate. We took her many times to the hospital and doctors’ appointments. Despite all her sickness she always had a smile on her face and never once complained of her condition. Through her medical team, they arranged Blue Care Assistance and support for her daily needs. The Blue Care nurses would come three times a week, and they really loved her smile.
I learned many things about my mum while I cared for her, things or memories that I will never forget and will cherish forever. Unfortunately on the 12th of June 2015 (Friday), my mum had a very severe pain in her abdomen. I was very worried, so I called the ambulance and mum was taken to hospital. I went to visit her each day. I could see that she didn’t look well. I would ask her how she was feeling, and she would reply, “I feel tired and very sleepy and have no appetite”; but I still thought that she would recover as she always had done many times before. She spent three days in hospital and was discharged, but when we brought her home I was not impressed with her condition. That night was very stressful, as I felt she wasn’t right. Early the next morning we took her to her local GP, and he immediately called an ambulance. This time she was taken to Ipswich General Hospital. Doctors tried all they could, but she did not respond to treatment, and every day that followed she got weaker and slept more each day. For five days she did not eat or drink, and on the 24th June in the early hours of the morning she passed away peacefully to her rest.
