Jim and Trish Lewis

Trish and Jim Lewis fell in love early in life and had two sons, Adrian and Simon. They had one precious grandson, Ezra who still knows them as Nana and Bampi (the Welsh for grandfather).

Trish was born to an Irish mother (Mary) and English father (Horace – I know, terrible) and spent her early years on a farm in the Emerald Isle. Her father was a painter and decorator, presumably with no talent for farming but an unwavering devotion to his family, horse racing and sadly, cigarettes. Her mother was a nursing auxiliary who despite cleaning well for money was largely devoid of such abilities at home. However, she was a loving mother with only a passing relationship with the truth, which could occasionally get in the way of a tall tale. Trish was the eldest of five, with three sisters (Marguerite, Ellenor and Linda) and a baby brother, Malcolm and his wife Jackie who Nana and Bampi laughed continuously with on two hour WhatsApp calls every week putting the world to rights. Jim was born to Welsh parents (Jake and Nancy) and had one sister (Gill) who passed away over a decade ago..

Jim and Trish grew up in Birmingham in the UK but to improve Adrian’s asthma moved to rural Wales, living in a tiny caravan through the Summer of ’76, which was presumably the forerunner of global warming! Jim worked as a telecom engineer, climbing poles and digging holes in the wild outdoors, as he hated to be inside. Trish became an office manager for the probation service, where she met the range of humanity from sad to bad to pure evil.

In 2007, Simon emigrated to Sydney having originally told his parents that he was going to work in New York for a year. A deliberate ploy, which meant that when he announced the move down under, his parents were relieved that he was not about to get shot in Harlem. This was the same trick Simon had used when buying a sportscar several years before. For three months, his parents had fretted over the motorbike that he had ordered before being relieved by the arrival of four wheels! In 2008, Simon announced he was not returning to the UK to which his parents responded, why would you! In 2011, Simon announced that he was arranging permanent residency for Jim and Trish.

Jim and Trish spent increasing periods living in Sydney after they got their permanent residency, but it wasn’t until December 2018 that things changed. Simon had always said he would never get married and never have children. In 2016, he got married to Soraya. In an AirBnB in London whilst visiting for a wedding, Simon and Soraya told Trish that they were expecting a baby. Without hesitation, Trish replied, well that changes everything, I am moving to Sydney permanently. Jim had stayed in Wales in their beloved cottage, so he remained in the dark until the pregnancy was announced in the new year.

Ezra Jake Lewis was born July 2019 and he has been the apple of Nana’s eye ever since. He is everything that Nana always wanted and never expected. If she could inhale him, she would, and I even think that I have caught her trying! Jim still resisted the concept of leaving Old South Wales for the new, improved version. The plan was to split time between two continents, until COVID hit and Jim was left in Wales realizing that what he really needed was upside down… In February 2021, Jim announced his intention to emigrate to be with us all in Australia, but sadly, we all had too little time. Trish was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and passed away in 2022. Jim had a massive stroke in September 2023, he recovered and enjoyed some of the best time in his life being looked after by Adrian who had moved to be with his family. Sadly, in July 2023, Jim had a fall, followed by a pneumonia and septicaemia from which he could not recover.

Jim and Trish loved Old South Wales and truly fell in love with Sydney where they leave a beautiful legacy…