懷念伍月華之三
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A very sad farewell to Christine Webster
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We are in sorrow because our great friend Christine passed away recently, on 4th April 2011, after a sudden illness. Christine worked at the NFER for 20 years and 7 months and she retired from the NFER just over a year ago in February 2010.

Christine will be missed by all of us that have been accustomed to, became addicted to, and expected to get more of, Christine’s all-round good karma and friendly smile. Our thoughts are with her husband Robert, her son Julian and her family in Hong Kong, and here are just a few things about Christine that made her special to so many:
Christine had a sense of fair play and was not afraid to calmly and yet firmly point out what she felt was right and wrong. Christine was a positive force - she didn’t speak badly of anyone and always seemed to be at peace with herself, which naturally drew people to her.
She was very conscientious about her work, but cared also about the people around her, being sympathetic to the pressures that people can be under. She always took the time to listen carefully to what we had to say. Being tapped on the shoulder or squeezed on the arm by Christine asking you, ‘are you alright young man/young lady’ was great for various reasons. Firstly, Christine could squeeze your arm without making you jump, which put her into the category of people who can invade your personal space without a bother. Secondly, it’s Christine giving you the opportunity to off-load about your day’s troubles (or achievements, Christine would point those out). Thirdly, it’s good to hear yourself being called ‘young’, especially if you’re forty plus years old.
Christine had the ability to keep work in perspective and could differentiate between the importance of work and what was essential (the essential being the health and happiness of your family and also the health and happiness of your friends and your colleagues at work). In amongst all of this she did not take herself too seriously. It was good to be able to talk with someone like that.
She had a fantastic sense of humour and was always quick to laugh; when you saw that mischievous glint in her eyes you knew that a joke was on its way. She spent a lot of her time laughing (she once said everyone should have a deep belly laugh at least once a day) and she loved jokes and loved sharing them with people. Often some of the jokes were a bit naughty, maybe a bit rude or lewd, but never crude (well…maybe a few). To those who knew her best she was particularly famous for a costume she wore to a fancy dress Halloween party, however, it’s too naughty to print in Foundation Update!

Christine had many, many friends and enjoyed life to the full. She filled her time with all sorts of activities, amongst other things she taught Tai Chi to the elderly, performed Chinese drumming, was studying Islam and was a volunteer secretary for some Buddhist monks. She liked to entertain her friends and many of us in RO and others across the Foundation have enjoyed time in Christine’s home, perhaps playing mahjong.

Christine was vibrant, she touched a lot of people’s hearts and she is going to be missed so much.