When I first met my Auntie Sheila I was about seven. To me as a seven year old she was very exotic; she was all dressed in white and she had a very exotic name, Cabrini. We could only see her every eight years, at least that's was my mother's answer to my question "how often is she let out?" This of course made her more exotic than her brother Martin who lived in very exotic Fiji and was let out every seven years.
My Exotic Aunt. The most famous exotic Aunt in litreture was probably Henry Pulling's Aunt Augusta in Graham Greenes novel "Travels with my Aunt". When I think about Sheila I think about my travels with my aunt and my aunts travels with many others.
But it wasn't eight years before she was let out again. Sheila visited Ireland when I was 12. It was the summer after I had finished Primary school and was just going to start 2nd level. Sheila was teaching in London and she managed to persuade Brian and Joan that it would be a great idea if I spent a month in London with her the following summer. So I did and at the age of 13 I started my travels with my aunt.
What a marvellous adventure - a month in London. London that world famous city with so many world famous place that I had seen on TV and films, books and magazines: Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, St Pauls Cathedral, Regents Park, London Zoo. So many exotic sights and places. Of course I spent a little time in school, but it was summer term with outings evey second day. We went to the Zoo, the Science Museam, The Victoria and Albert Museum, Cantebury Cathedral and much more.
I did get a little carried by all the tourist hype. I was much taken by the presence of the Union Jack everywhere, from postcards and button badges to large plastic shopping bags with the Union Jack on them. I collected these various souvenirs - oblivious to the cultural significance of all of this. My father Brian, a captain in the Irish Army was not to impressed when I showed all this paraphernalia on my return and soon all union jack symbols were banished to the attic.
When Sheila moved to the Lake District, the travels with my aunt continued. Through Sheila I became very familiar with the Lake District and have been back walking there many many times since.
Auntie Sheila Replies
Uploaded by M+MDWhen she moved to Suffolk and SAY (Suffolk Association of Youth) that was a very big change in Sheila's life and very much in keeping with my exotic aunt's reputation. She was now Chief Executive of the voluntary Youth organisation in Suffolk. Suffolk was a stopping off point for me travelling to Europe via Harwich.
After retiring from SAY Sheila didn't really retire but continued to travel. She joined VMM and spend 3 months in Sierra Leone, she went half way round the world with my mother Joan to visit Fr Martin in Fiji.
From Roscommon to London , Preston, Keswick, Stowmarket, Fiji Sierra Leone and many other places in between, my exotic Aunt leaves Aunt Augusta looking very ordinary.
So like all of us here today there is so much to celebrate. Sheila has enriched all of our lives in so many ordinary and exotic ways.
