Anne Russell was born in Glasgow on March 27, 1931 and passed away on August 25, 2026.
She was the daughter of Forbes and Jean Murison, and had one brother, William, who emigrated to America.
Anne often spoke very fondly of her father, who was an architect.
Growing up, Anne spent a lot of time with her grandmother, and fondly remembered her Aunty Meg.
She said she learnt knitting skills from her grandmother, whom she remembers knitting her own stockings.
Anne sometimes spoke of how their lives were affected by World War II.
She used to speak about the bombing raids, being in the air raid shelters and the difficulty of food rationing that lasted for many years.
Anne would only have been eight years old when the war began.
Anne was a very proud scholar at Hutchesons’ Grammar School in Glasgow.
She always eagerly anticipated the arrival of the school magazine.
A couple of years ago, she was proud to be mentioned in the magazine as the oldest former scholar.
She did well at school and was a talented pianist.
She had considered continuing her music at The Glasgow Conservatorium after school, but then decided it would be much more practical to learn to be a secretary and so she took that path.
She continued to play the piano all her life and just last Christmas she entertained us with beautifully played carols.
Anne began work at the Glasgow University Medical School from 18 years of age, and this is where she met her future husband, Bobbie, who was a medical student.
Anne described these times as the happiest of her life — spent socialising and playing a lot of tennis into the long Glaswegian summer evening.
Anne and Bobbie married in the mid-1950s and had three children: Robert, Gordon and Lesley.
In 1965 in Seymour, the then doctor in town, Colin Officer, was struggling to find GPs to come to Seymour, so they advertised in Great Britain.
At the time, many GPs in Britain were looking for a change, as they were not enjoying working in the new National Health Scheme.
Bobbie applied to come and work in Seymour and took over the medical practice on the corner of Anzac Ave and Goulburn St, where it still is today, with Dr Bryce.
They all arrived in 1966, the Russells with their three children and the youngest, Lesley, being only three years old.
Many will remember what a great contribution doctors Russell and Bryce made to the town from then until their retirement in 2006.
Anne is the last of these two important Scottish couples to die, and so it is the end of an era that many in Seymour will remember.
Anne embraced everything that life in the Australian countryside has to offer.
She was always at the pony club with Lesley, with the family water skiing in Nagambie, or snow skiing at Mr Buller in the winter.
Anne’s parents came to live in Seymour in the early 1970s and she cared for them until their deaths.
Anne was a fabulous sewer and cook, she had an extraordinary natural sense of colour and design, which was obvious in her beautiful patchworking and painting.
After arthritis stopped Anne from sewing, her artistic pursuit was painting, which she approached with the same natural skills.
She shared her sewing and cooking skills with others at the community house in the 1980s.
She was a member of the art society, the U3A choir and a steward in the sewing section of the Seymour Show.
Anne suffered two major tragedies in her life: the death of her son, Gordon, in 1989 and her daughter, Lesley, in 2023.
She was a stoic, determined woman who made the best of every day despite her great sadness.
One of her greatest consolations in recent years was the publishing of Lesley’s cook book, Nothing Rhymes with Orange.
She was very proud of Lesley’s work, and, in her book, Lesley wrote, “I owe a multitude of thanks to my Mum, who taught me to love food”.
Anne’s greatest delight was the births of her two great grandchildren in the last two years, Margot and William.
She cherished her Scottish heritage and became more Scottish every day she lived.
In later years, she would often speak Glaswegian words and phrases for different things we were chatting about.
She delighted in telling the story that her father had told her as she left Scotland to come to Australia: “You have a good Scottish tongue in your head, girlie, and don’t be afraid to use it.”
I know we have all heard that “good Scottish tongue” at some time.
Anne was creative, talented and caring, and will remain deeply loved, respected and missed in Seymour.
Cheery by the noo Annie, ca’ canny.
The community will remember Anne at Anne’s Afternoon Tea, held at Cafe 96 on Station St on Saturday, September 19 between 2pm and 4pm.
All are welcome to attend.
7°C