Mrs Gwendoline Whitehouse

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Gwendoline Whitehouse, nee Tolliss was born on the 19th of February 1920 in Birmingham. She was the 3rd of 4 daughters, Beatrice, Margaret, now deceased, Gwendoline and Lillie. Gwen's father was a respected chimney sweep, who, when he died, the road was lined with people seeing him off. Gwen loved her dad and was very close to him.

At around 14 yeas of age, Gwen left school to work at Cadburys at Boumeville. Each day she rode her bicycle, to work which was just as well as at work she was allowed to eat chocolates all day. during her time with Cadburys she was chosen to show the Queen mum how to tie a bow on one of their giant Easter eggs.

Gwen met Richard Whitehouse prior to the war. Richard went off to war and was captured and marched across Holland to a POW camp in Germany. The photo on the front of the service sheet was taken during this time and posted to Richard. For her part, Gwen chose to work in the munitions factory and spent her time making rockets.

After the war, on the 13th of June 1945, Richard and Gwen married, and from that time she enjoyed being called Mrs Whitehouse. On leaving Cadburys, which every married woman was called to do, Dorothy Cadbury presented Gwen with a Bible and flowers. Gwen held on to her Bible and it meant a lot to her. Maureen was born in 1947, Richard and Gwen's only child.

Gwen and her parents worshipped at the Sparkhill Salvation Army, where Gwen became a songster. Gwen's favourite Christmas was when she received a tambourine which she proudly played. Richard was also a member of the Salvation Army and was a bandsman. No doubt they would have played and sung the songs and hymns we are having today on a regular basis, and in latter years Gwen enjoyed listening to these hymns performed on Songs of Praise. Gwen retained a close connection with the Salvation Army throughout her life and was always keen to read and pass on copies of the "War Cry".

In the early '60's Richard's health deteriorated and in an attempt to improve his health, the family applied to move to Australia. They left on Christmas Eve1961, leaving behind her mum and many of Gwen's treasured possessions, arriving in Australia on Australia Day 1962 in sweltering heat. Richard's health improved over night. They began life in Australia in a hostel at East Hills and soon afterwards bought a home, a couple of miles down the road, in Casula, where Gwen lived until her health deteriorated in the last couple of years.

In 1969 Vera and her husband moved in next door and they spent many years as neighbours. Gwen's family would like to particularly honour Vera today for the help and friendship that she offered to Gwen, or Mrs Whitehouse, as she liked to be known, these past 35 years, and it is wonderful that Vera is able to join us today.

The sale of Richard and Gwen's home in England was only good as a deposit on their new house, and so in Australia Gwen had to go back to work. Her first job was at the Hammondville Nursing Home, a job she disliked, she particularly hated having to cut up pumpkins. Gwen eventually got a job with BMC at Liverpool, working in the same factory as Richard. Gwen took pride in the fact that BMC paid her a man's wage. They were the only married couple allowed to work in the one plant. Gwen was a spare parts storewoman and was very good at her job and proud of it too. When she retired, at about 53 years of age, the office staff did a first for a factory worker, they took up a collection for Gwen. BMC had to employ 3 people to replace Gwen when she left.

Richard died in 1985 and from that time Gwen took on a new luxury. Rather than catching the bus into town she indulged herself by taking a taxi. She became well known and liked by the cabbies, enjoying the conversations, and she also developed good relationships with shopkeepers and checkout operators. In fact most of her interaction with people was with the cabbies and the shopkeepers.

Gwen, or Nanny, Nan, as she became known, had 5 granddaughters; Sonia, Debbie, Sharon, Rachel and Emma. But the female tradition was broken when it came to her 13 great grandchildren; Christopher, Katrina, Melissa, Kelly, Jessica, Rebecca, Matthew, Cameron, Tiffany, Shanali, Sheridan, Bailey and Braydan.

Gwen was a strange mix, a person who liked her privacy but a person who was fussed over and liked by everybody. Even with her failing health in Great Lakes Nursing Home,. Gwen still had this impact on some of those who came to see her. Gwen was strong willed, and when she decided to give something up, she gave It up completely. Gwen also had some unusual habits, like polishing rather than drying up the dishes, and wearing out teaspoons as shr repeatedly stirred her many cups of tea, a sound clearly heard by the neighbours

Gwen enjoyed excellent health throughout her life and was 85 years old when she died last Sunday morning on Mother's Day, not bad for a girl born tiny who was not expected to live.

Sharon then spoke (with understandable emotion) about her 'Nan' from her perspective.

Vera then spoke about her 'over the back fence' relationship with her neighbour, Mrs Whitehouse among laughs and tears from the congregation.

Today we've come together to thank God for Gwen's life and to grieve and to support Maureen and her family in their grief. But in amongst the service we're reminded of what Jesus has done for us upon the cross, by giving up his own life so that we can find forgiveness and peace with God. And we're also reminded us that Jesus is coming back to judge the living and the dead, to take his own to be with him in paradise forever .

The songs that have been chosen for today, being some of Gwen's favourites, remind us that Jesus is coming to gather his people, living and departed, from the ends of the earth. And so I've chosen a classic reading for today from Paul's letter to the Christians in Thessalonica. Paul wrote this, repeating the words of Jesus himself, because the Christians in Thessalonica were concerned about their Christian brothers and sisters who had died, as Paul writes, fallen asleep. The Thessalonians were worried that their friends and relatives had missed their opportunity to be with Christ in heaven.

I just want to make a couple of brief comments. Paul made it clear that Jesus is coming back. At his ascension Jesus promised that he would return. In fact the last words that Jesus had to say to his followers, from his throne in heaven, in the Bible, is, "See I am coming soon".

My second point is that when Jesus comes, he will return like a thief in the night. Jesus' return will not be announced or expected, and many will be caught off guard. But if you have put your trust in Jesus, this day should not catch you out. Even now you should be ready for Christ's return. And so we should be living our lives each day as if Jesus were returning today.

My third point is that when Christ returns, those who have fallen asleep, those who have died, will be woken up and they will be raised to life before our eyes. By the time Jesus returns, we might be amongst those who are raised back to life. Whether we are still alive or not we can be sure that each one of us here will be raised, and we will be judged as to whether we have trusted in Jesus as our Saviour and served him as our Lord, or not. This will be the day on which God sorts out the sheep from the goats. The sheep will join him forever, because their sins have been dealt with by Jesus, but the goats will receive God's judgement and condemnation forever.

Finally, we ourselves cannot judge who are the sheep and who are the goats, we leave that job to God. But we can judge ourselves! For if we know .that we have trusted in Jesus for our salvation, and that we have obeyed him and served him as our Lord, then we have already received eternal life. So we can know now, with confidence, how we will be judged on judgement day. This is not arrogance or pride, rather this is putting our trust in the words of Jesus and living out our lives according to what Jesus has said and done. In fact Paul here encourages us, with the Thessalonians, to encourage one another on with the words and promises that Jesus has made us in regards to our eternal future and standing before God.

Let me finish with picking up some of the themes found in the songs that have been chosen for today, that were some of Gwen's favourites. The day of reaping, the day of harvest is coming. A day when the sheaves will be gathered and the weeds will be burned. On that day there will be both weeping and rejoicing. Rejoicing for you who have put your trust in Jesus and chosen to obey him. Rejoicing for you who know that Jesus loves you and that he has gone before you and opened heaven's gate so that you will be with him near his throne, and rejoicing for you who knows that on the day that Jesus returns, the day when the heavenly trumpet sounds, that when the roll is called up yonder, that you'll be there.

These are the promises and the words that Gwen loved to sing. These are the promises that Jesus has made to all who put their trust in him, so that you can say with confidence that when Jesus returns in all his glory, and he calls his own to join him, that "I'll be there." Think about that when we sing the song at the end of the service. On the day when Jesus returns and he takes his friends to be with him in paradise forever, will you be there? If you don't have the confidence to say "I'll be there", but you want to be able to say it, then come and see me, or Maureen for that matter, so that you can.

Jesus is coming soon. Even now he sits beside his Father in heaven, joining in our prayers. And so now I'd like to take a few minutes to pray to God through Jesus.