Paula Gerard Munro nee Carr was born to parents Josephine Elizabeth Riordan and Thomas Carr. Proud wife, loving mother of four children, adored grandmother of 9, special great grandmother of 14 and now a great great grandmother.

Paula lived most of her childhood in inner city suburbia as an only child. Growing up she held employment in a milliner's shop and eventually went to work at McPhersons Ltd in Richmond where she met her future husband. They courted for a while and eventually married on 30 September 1939. Paula's parents would not let her marry young, so they were married not long after her 21st birthday.

Paula and Bob raised four children in Richmond. Their lives were turned upside down with the death of their eldest son at the age of four and a half.  The family resettled in Preston where they remained for the rest of Paula and Bob's lives.

Mum was a quiet, gentle woman who catered for her family's needs. Mum was not a fussy woman; she enjoyed the simple family life. She was not a good cook, a fact that the family always teased her about, but she still lovingly prepared meals for us all.

Mum was very proud of all of her children and grandchildren and enjoyed displaying family photos of us all around the house. Not always getting our names right, she always looked for the first opportunity to tell friends about us all. For most of her life, she was a stay-at-home mum, but for a short period worked locally at a Preston factory.

Mum was very proud of her youngest son when he joined the Navy at age 18 and you would have thought he was the only sailor in existence as she followed his career in earnest as he travelled around the world.

Due to poor health at the time, Mum relied heavily on her eldest daughter to help her bring up the younger children in the family, giving Mum and Pat a very special bond.

I have very special memories of Mum as I grew up and always enjoyed our chats over endless cups of coffee. Mum never liked to talk about herself and was more interested in hearing about how our lives were going. Mum was an excellent sounding board for any problems or ideas that may have arisen in our lives. She made useful suggestions but was never judgemental.

I miss our Mum greatly and wish she was still here with us but I know that our loved ones are never taken away from us without leaving lovely memories behind and we all have wonderful ones.

Paula's Parents

Thomas Carr b. 15 September 1870  d. 19 October 1947 - buried Fawkner Cemetery, Roman Catholic, Comp T, Grave 3556

Josephine Elizabeth Riordan (2nd wife) b. 5 February 1879  d. 2 February 1940 - buried Fawkner Cemetery

Paula's Grandparents (Carr Branch)

John Carr (Master Mariner) b. 1828 Queenstown, Ireland d. 20 April 1906 - buried Northam, WA

Married 9 July 1853 Hobart, Tasmania to

Mary Murphy b. 1832 County Cork, Ireland d. 6 November 1877 - buried Melbourne General Cemetery

Paula's Grandparents (Riordan Branch)

Timothy Riordan (Snr) b. 1835 County Cork, Ireland  d. 25 November 1895 - buried Melbourne General Cemetery, Roman Catholic, Comp T, Grave 570

Married October 1867, Goleen, County Cork, Ireland to

Margaret Barry b. 1839 Yougal, County Cork, Ireland d. 1925 - buried Fawkner Cemetery, Roman Catholic, Comp H. Grave 1270