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Family, faith and sport

Obituaries

Patricia Mary (Pat) Hayward - Born: April 4 1944 | Died: June 19 2018

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Patricia Mary Hayward was born at the Angaston Hospital, the second child of Ross and Maire Hurn. She grew up in a loving family with her two sisters, Sue and Jill, and her brother Christopher (deceased) on a share farm on the outskirts of Angaston, just behind Yalumba Winery.

It was an idyllic childhood, much of the time spent playing with the 10 Hurn cousins. But she also learnt the value of hard work with summers spent fruit cutting and drying.

Family was an important part of life and included visiting those relatives who lived further afield. Many Easters the family travelled to Renmark to spend time with Pat’s maternal grandparents (Rosenberg) and it was there that she and her siblings learnt to swim in the Murray.

Pat was educated at Angaston Primary School and then Nuriootpa High School. She studied to become a primary school teacher at Wattle Park Teachers College, before teaching at Gawler and Angaston primary schools.

Sport was, and still is, an integral part of country life and it was in the Hurn genetics to be the best sportsperson that you could possibly be. Pat was a talented athlete playing various sports but she excelled in netball.

Early on she played ‘A’ grade netball for Angaston as well as coaching and holding various positions on the committee. A ‘handy’ tennis player, she was at a social tennis afternoon in January of 1965 at Peter Dermody’s farm at Kapunda when she met Jim Hayward.

A fortnight later he got up enough courage to ask Pat out for a date to the Barossa drive-in to see the latest film by the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night.

She must have been pretty impressed by his choice of first date as they were married by Father James O’Loughlin at Our Lady of the Valley Church Nuriootpa on September 24 1966. They moved to a farm on the outskirts of Kapunda where they lived for 38 years.

Pat taught until the end of the first term of 1967 at Kapunda Primary School, resigning to have her family; Chris born in 1967, Andrew in 1969 and Sarah in 1974.

She taught her children the importance of family, love, service, faith and community. She encouraged them to make the most of their talents and to the best person that they could possibly be.

Pat returned to teaching in 1976 at Kapunda Primary School where she taught for the next 17 years. She thoroughly enjoyed her teaching and is fondly remembered by many students as a compassionate, encouraging, firm, fair and unbelievably patient person.

She had particular skill and passion when working with students who found things difficult. She was passionate about children being involved in sport during their primary school years, organising sports days, swimming carnivals and SAPSASA sports events.

Her involvement with the Kapunda Netball Club began in 1967 and she was active in various roles over a 30 year period. She was a player, coach, umpire and administrator at club and association level, played in the club’s first A grade premiership in 1973 and represented the association at A grade level for more than 10 years. Pat was awarded life membership in 1996.

When she retired from teaching and had more time, Pat was determined to support others in the community in any way that she could. She continued her involvement in pillars of her life such as school and church. She volunteered at both Kapunda and Freeling primary schools where she loved to listen to students read.

She was committed to her faith and had a lifelong involvement with the Catholic Church. She served on the church council, parish council and helped establish the Light Regional Parish Council, serving as chair of the executive for several years. She also served as chairperson of Kapunda Hospital board and Kapunda/Eudunda Meals on Wheels. She also volunteered at the local library, aged care homes and assisted the Vietnam Vets fundraising march.

Her many years of service were recognised in 2013 when she was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award for the Barossa and Light region.

Pat’s commitment to the community is an example to her children and her grandchildren on what it means to be an effective and valuable member of a country community.

Taken from the eulogy given by Pat’s children.

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