Eileen Weedon-Newstead

The following is a dedication by Jerry Pursley.
The most gracious lady, to me the highest emblem of Qantas in her work and attitude, devotion to friends, family and her airline Qantas. Eileen knew everyone and they all knew her. I met Eileen when I joined Qantas in HNL 1970, as a traffic agent. The many wonderful stories of her flying days with BCPA and her experiences as a nurse, bringing up her son Marc as a single mother in HNL. She had a fascinating life. She returned to Sydney when she finished working in HNL and passed away there. She was so loved and missed by us all. As she loved Hawaii so much, her son brought her remains back to HNL and all of us who could, boarded a catamaran and Marc scattered her ashes off Waikiki. A beautiful Hawaiian sunny day, the Pacific Ocean so blue, Diamond Head bursting with green colour , the beautiful skyline of Waikiki, blue skies and all of us toasting this wonderful and dear friend. I am proud, as is everyone, to say we were friends with this special lady. A true Qantas Ambassador. It is thanks to Eileen and people she knew who I could and did contact so that I could apply and be accepted as a Qantas flight attendant. So often in conversation with some of my first class passengers onboard, Eileen's name would come up. They all had wonderful memories/stories of a lady who always made an impression and they all loved her and her kindness. Thank you Eileen.