My family first met Joyce at Rickard Street, Ryde, when Colin and Joyce announced their engagement. Joyce quickly endeared herself to all members of our family. We quickly became aware of her advocacy of a Yes result in the successful 1967 Referendum. Joyce somehow convinced Col that he should move from the Physical Sciences field into Social Work as she continued nursing.

After their wedding in 1966, Col and Joyce moved briefly to Darwin and then to Alice Springs. In the early 70s I made two visits to Alice Springs: the first with my brother Col and later with a teaching colleague John Howard to help run a summer vacation play centre. We met members of the family including two foster children, Sammy and Glennis, and good friends such as Jill Pattenden. It was here that Liesa, Pauline and Grace were born. Joyce was looking after a group of children at a local clinic and I kept a video of a trip we took with the children out to the Tropic of Capricorn monument on the Stuart Highway.

In the early 70s, I was there in Alice after the Whitlam government gained power and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Gordon Bryant helped a group of Indigenous people take possession of a cattle station in the Northern Territory. Apparently Joyce was instrumental in helping an Indigenous group to raise funds to purchase another cattle station and she was the one who delivered funds to the bank.

A further visit to Alice was aborted for me when Cyclone Tracey hit Darwin and survivors were streaming south through The Alice. There was no accommodation available. The vacation activities were cancelled.

When Colin and Joyce moved back to the East Coast, Joyce was actively representing Indigenous people in conferences around Australia and overseas, at one stage meeting leaders of the Black Panther movement in the US who greeted her as a sister.

Our family maintained close contact with Joyce and Col in the years when they lived in Maclean and Sydney. My dad, Bob, and Col’s dad Les were very supportive of the Woolitji Co-operative Project in Maclean and members of family became shareholders of the co-operative. Some of our overseas visitors met Joyce and Colin in Maclean and the visit made a lasting impression on them. I made a few visits to the Hillcrest community in Maclean and met some of Joyce’s family who welcomed me warmly. Joyce was keen about setting up the Nungera Gallery in Maclean for her Yaegl people.

My partner Leonie and I have fond memories of visits by Joyce, Col and girls to our home in Terrey Hills and when we left Joyce took pity on the fact that Leonie had a sore back, arranging for assistance from the girls in the packing up process. While I was teaching at Meadowbank Boys High in Sydney Joyce and Col alerted me to the arrival of a young lad called Joe Simpson from the Northern Territory. He was in Sydney to get treatment for a heart condition. In the end he was well enough to play in my basketball team. Joyce and Col were always helping kids.

Having moved to the North Coast we also met up with Joyce and Col around Maclean and Yamba after Evette was born. We watched as Joyce, Colin and eventually Grace were candidates for election in various spheres of government. It was always a joy to attend significant birthdays and anniversaries and we were thrilled to watch Pauline’s film When Colin Met Joyce on SBS. We enjoyed happy times at their South Arm island home and around Maclean on the Clarence River near Joyce’s birthplace. We have enjoyed listening to the Jazz radio programs broadcast by Evette on the local Yamba radio station.

When I was working at the Lismore Campus of Southern Cross University in the 1990’s, I became aware that Joyce had been a member of there University Council in its foundation years and she had helped found the North Coast Institute for Aboriginal Community Education which has been dedicated to keeping Bundjalung languages and culture alive.

On a trip to Canberra to see my sister Merilyn, we visited an exhibition at the National Museum where we were pleased to see the recognition given to Joyce for her contribution, with other leaders like Faith Bandler, to the 1967 Referendum campaign.

In recent years we have admired Joyce’s resilience as she battled poor health. Despite this, she always welcomed us with her characteristically cheeky smile and a big, warm hug. She always showed concern for members of our family and particularly Uncle Bob.

The passing of Joyce will leave a huge hole in our hearts but she will leave some very significant memories. Our thoughts are with her immediate and extended family.

Neville and Leonie Jennings on behalf of Colin and Pat, Merilyn, Amita, Matt and Natalie amongst others in the Jennings Clan.