Jo-Anne
Interests & Hobbies
Reading
Jo was a voracious reader, a talented writer with de rigour attention to clarity, grammar and syntax. Having fun of unintended meanings was almost a hobby! My wife Randi , a colleague of Jo’s, cannot get sayings right to save her life. Half of one is invariably thrown in with half of another. Example: “We need to rethink this project from stem to sturgeon.” Randi’s mis-speaks never failed to prompt gales of laughter from Jo who, secretly, collected them all over time and handed Randi a book of them on her retirement.
Val Sovran Mitchell: My daughter Lindsay sent me a message today saying she was reminiscing about “Aunty Jo”, remembering when we would bring her and Ali with us to visit Jo and Dave. She said that her favourite place was the library off the kitchen. It was wall to wall books. Lindsay recalled her favourite book: “The Giving Tree.” Jo established the Viral Book Club on FaceBook after much urging because she had become such a fount of book recommendations.
Social Groups
Jo love to knit. She regularly attended the K-Needlers knitting group — Joanne Burgess, Karen Gallagher, Sue Monahan and Cheryl Borris. Trips to anywhere generally included a stop at the local yarn store — to buy some and perhaps, to sling some. And there was the LHL (Ladies Who Lunch) group, colleagues from work. And ah yes, the Kindred Spirits — travel partners Cheryl Borris, Caroline Laitinen, Mary Lou Gardiner, Linda Welsh and Mavis Anderson. Then there was the of the Companions of the Quaich, Saanich Peninsula Chapter, a non-profit society dedicated to promoting and sharing knowledge and enjoyment of Single Malt Whisky. Oops, almost forgot the Ladies Housing Society (Cathy Brown, Randi Mjolsness, Jane Cowell and Val Mitchell), established to help Jo find a new house, then continued, just for the hell of it. Source: Hats off to Cheryl Borris for providing the details of much of the above. Thank you Cheryl.
Val Sovran Mitchell: Jo’s knitting was another way for Jo to give. She made beautiful scarves for friends, baby blankets for newborns, shawls for friends having cancer treatment, gloves for Alzheimer patients to calm agitated hands. She loved funny facebook posts about knitters.
Genealogy
The Kelpies, 30 metre high sculptures, Falkirk, Scotland
Dogs and Birds
She loved animals too, although cats were condemned to the level of distain assigned by O. Henry to small children. However, if it’s dogs or birds you’re talking, count her in. Jo always had a dog. There was Holly, then Sheba, then foster dogs from the fostered a rescue dog, took in the dogs of friends on holiday or helped out at a dog support agency. Dogs, I think, were Jo’s salve for the plethora of f**kwits out there messing with her head. As for birds? Count the bird-feeders in her back yard.
Meet Max. Not a nasty bone in his long, lanky body.
Gourmet Cooking
Jo and (particularly) her friend Cheryl often crafted gourmet dishes together. From the images below one gets a sense of the range and variety of delectable dishes they created. Still, images were no substitute for scoring an invitation to one of their multi-course dinners. Oh gosh. My bland English taste-buds had a crash course in why we have taste buds.
Their interest in food did not stop at the kitchen door. Any opportunity to sample the local cuisine was exercised, both here and abroad. And taking pictures of what arrived at the table was mandatory. There were wines to sample as well, of course. Did I mention the family trip to Scotland, land of the single malt, double malt, blended malt and whatever malt whiskies, a land where whisky distilleries can be found in every village, a land where the very word ‘whisky’ is patented? Yes indeed, only whisky made in Scotland can use the word. The rest of the world must add an ‘e.’ Jo would be quick to tell you that.
Jo-Anne was passionate about cooking — at a high level. Val Sovran Mitchell writes:
Jo loved watching cooking shows and in particular contests that thrust amateur chefs into the spotlight. She had a fabulous cookbook collection and always there was a stack of foodie magazines on her counter, with pages marked for recipes she wanted to try. She adored Italian cooking food and was on cloud 9 in the Italian markets. Making and sharing food was one of Jo’s favourite ways to show her love for friends and family.
From stock
Gardening
For many years, Jo was married to our friend (and to several of us, colleague) Dave Letchford. Dave has a son from a previous relationship but Dave and Jo had no children. They lived in a lovely 1920s vintage home near the Gorge Waterway in Victoria. The lots on their street were deep, really deep. During those years, Jo (and Dave) spent countless hours creating and maintaining a wonderful garden. The front yard was, typical of the era, small; the back yard was enormous. I don’t recall ever getting to or seeing the back fence.
Like all things which Jo took on, she gardened with endless energy and enthusiasm. She researched everything, from layout to irrigation to soil to the plants themselves. She took a particular interest in rugosa roses. The path-side beds leading up to the front door were filled with them. Climbing up to the front porch was a jasmine vine. At the peak of the season when the roses were in full bloom and the sweet fragrance of the jasmine was palpable, visiting Jo and Dave was…well, unforgettable (from a chat between Val and Dave. Thanks Dave).
Humour & Philosophy
Jo had a wicked sense of humour — driven by her sharp mind, political acumen and a clear sense of ‘what ought to be.’ She had no tolerance for…ahem…”fuckwits”, those who had the wherewithal to carry out their duties but preferred to remain lazy, or those who were operating well above their capabilities but had not the grace to acknowledge it or the smarts to defer to someone who did.
Where Jo went, riotous laughter prevailed. The following snippets were found posted on her FaceBook page. Her choices tell us much about the person. She revelled in irony the absurd and the obvious ignored.
