Sinclairina Spence Aitken

1919 - 2004  (85 years)

• Name	Sinclairina Spence Aitken
  Born	9 Apr 1919	30 Arthur Street, Leith, Midlothian, Edinburgh
  Gender	Female
  Residence	1941	14 Union St, Leith, Midlothian, Edinburgh, Scotland
  _UID	DB1B9948A1A740FA9835929EB70D24175565
  Died	8 May 2004	Maddington, WA. Australia   [1]
  Buried	12 May 2004	Freemantle Crematorium, Australia   [1]
  Person ID	I5194	My Big Tree
  Last Modified	27 Nov 2010

  
  

  Father	Thomas Barton Aitken,   b. 4 Feb 1884, Fallside, Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland ,   d. 1 Feb 1975, Falkirk Infirmary, Stirlingshire, Scotland  (Age 90 years)
  Mother	Catherine Manson Spence,   b. 27 Jul 1886, Dounreay, Caithness, Scotland ,   d. 19 Mar 1960, 41 Chapelton Drive, West Calder, Mid Lothian, Scotland  (Age 73 years)
  Married	17 Jul 1908	13 Prince Regent Street, Leith, Mid Lothian, Scotland   [1]
  	Witnesses at the wedding of Thomas Aitken and Catherine Spence were James Aitken and Nell Spence.
  Family ID	F1624	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	David Corrie Stewart,   b. 6 Apr 1920, 25 Halmyre Street, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland ,   d. 12 Aug 1997, Armadale, Western Australia, Australia.  (Age 77 years)
  Married	20 Jun 1941	St Paul's Church, Lorne Street, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland   [1]
  Children	1. Living   2. Living
  Last Modified	30 Jan 2008
  Family ID	F1642	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Notes from terry Stewart Attending Lochend Road Primary School she received first prize in the "Safety First Essay Competition", in 1932. On the 1st Sep 1933 she was awarded her "Edinburgh Lower Certificate". After leaving school Mum got her first job, working as a as a Live-in Helper in a children's home at Gilmerton, Edinburgh. One night her hot water bottle burst and scalded her legs. Because she could not work until her legs healed she was sacked. Working for the Martin's bakery chain of shops she became a Window Dresser and then Shop Manager. Mum and her sisters attended the Minerva Christian Mission, run by David Redpath, where they met a group of boys who also attended the mission. Their missionary worked involved them with visitiing the Leith docks and handing out religious tracts to the visiting seamen. Cathy, Mum's sister, started going out with one of the boys, David Stewart. This did not last all that long and eventually Dave gave up Cathy and started courting Mum. Following the death of husband dad, Mum continued to live by herself in Maddington. In 1999 I promised I would take her to Scotland. In the March, three months before we were to depart, her heart specialist said that he would not give his permission for her to fly until closer to the time. We were due to fly out on the Sunday. But on the Monday before he had still not made a final decision. Mum was not very well. No wonder with all the procrastination of the specialist and the worry of whether he would let her go or not. We arrived for her appointment and he sent her for more tests. That afternoon he whacked her straight back into intensive care. Her body was so short of potassium that he reckoned she would die if she went on the plane. He did say though that it would be easily rectified. Things did not look good. It did not look like Mum would survive the night. But Mum was still fighting. Tuesday no better. We had resigned ourselves to losing Mum. Wednesday morning Mum rang from the hospital and told me she was going home. Obviously Mum had had enough. She wanted to go home to her own bed. I told her I would be right out to pick her up. "No. I am going home to Scotland." There had been such an improvement the doctors had given their permission for her to go. Mum had a marvellous holiday but was very tired by the time we got her back to Australia. The week after we returned she contracted pneumonia and was ambulanced to St John of God's Hospital, Murdoch. Late on Saturday 7th Aug 1999 she had another stroke, kidneys failed and had to be restarted. By a.m Tuesday 10th she was at deaths door. That evening she was sitting up and telling everyone "I have cheated them again." Fully recovered she went home again. Then at the beginning of October she was opening her curtains and she fell over. Unable to move from the floor and not wearing her medi-alert either, she had to struggle to the phone where she called my sister, Pat. Pat was unable to lift her without causing her great pain. An ambulance was called and Mum was back in St John Of God's Hospital. It turns out she had broken her pelvis. After 4 weeks in hospital she was sent home on Tuesday 26th Oct. 1999. In 2003 she received an invitation to her neice, Barbara's, wedding. Mum was desperate to go. No one was keen to see her go or to take her. She was staying with Maureen and I this particular weekend. My travel agent was advertising a special price to the UK. I went into Fremantle, before Mum was awake, and decided to book a couple of tickets to the UK. When I got back home Mum was just getting up. She came down the stairs from her bedroom still in her nightdress, walking slowly, with the aid of her walking stick. She was very tired and barely able to walk. I told her I was going to Scotland. "Oh please take me with you". "I have got a ticket for you as well" says I. On hearing this she started beaming. She dropped the walking stick and went jigging around the room. She rushed off and disappeared up to her room. Maureen and I were astonished at this transformation but we were concerned about her heart. We could hear movement in her room and decided to leave her to her own emotions. Thirty minutes went by when she came rushing into the kitchen, fully dressed. "Can you take me into Fremantle right away". "Off course, but why?" "I have to get some things for our trip!" She had made a shopping list of items, new underwear, slacks and blouses. Two weeks later she and I were in Scotland. She made it to the wedding where she was treated like the honoured guest she was. After a brilliant holiday I got her back to Australia, all in one piece. When I got her home she was extremely happy but very tired. A visit to her doctor resulted in her being admitted into hospital yet again. When the heart specialist found out about her trip he went ballistic saying that he would never have given his permission. Mum stood up to him, for once, and said, "Well I did, I went and I am back". A surprise birthday party was arranged for her as her 80th birthday was spent in intensive care. All the family and her old friends attended and she was so over the moon about it you couldn't get the smile off her face. Everything seemed well with her on Friday 7th May, when she had her hair done. On Saturday morning I was going out to take her to lunch when Pat, who lived directly opposite her, noticed her curtains were still drawn. When Pat went across Mum had passed away. The doctor estimated she had died at about 2.30 a.m. Always the lady even in death. She was lying on the bed in her night attire with her dressing grown carefully draped over herself. Her funeral was held at the Fremantle Crematorium on Wednesday 12th May 2004. Mum's ashes were interred next to Dad's. When we cleared the house we found a packet of letters to us all. She was so prepared. Everytime she had gone overseas she had left this packet of letters in Lauries care. And it had to be returned to her when she returned home. If she did not return the letters were to be distributed. In each envelope was a personal letter expressing her love and how much she had enjoyed our company.

  
  

• Sources

  [S77] Terry Stewart (Reliability: 3).