By Kanau Sion and Joanne Kanau
Graeme is a very good friend of mine and I have known him for a very long time. He is one of the most genuine persons I have ever come across. We had been flat mates in the past and we went to church together quite frequently. Although I was not a keen adventurer Graeme was always and would suggest that we drove out to visit friends, to the country side and visited orchards and wineries, and involved in out door activities with mates, especially on winter.
This is an important part of him as I came to realize and which can also be attested to by his parents and brothers: his twin James and younger brother Steven. I was like "who wants to be involved in out door activities in the cold winter!". I had to get used to the idea that it was both healthy and warmer indulging in such activities compared to what could otherwise have turned into a stay at home and eat a heap every time and tucking into bed and becoming an obese situation.
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| The celebrants and marriage vows: Graeme and Sandy exchange vows and rings. They are now officially husband and wife and we are all very proud and happy to witness. |
It was because of Graeme that I have become an old hand here amazingly too soon... that I am almost qualified to say I know a lot of places and also this city back to front because I have traveled almost every nook and cranny courtesy of Graeme. I owe a lot to this fantastically genuine man I have embraced as a brother and a great friend to my family and whom our children have grown accustomed to call uncle Graeme. As a brother I had encouraged him, over time, to get married and how wonderful wives, children and family life could be and could mean. This is because he probably was the only one left from a long line of my long time Australian buddies yet to get married and I guess this tone emanated and resonated pretty much from my personal experience.
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| With the newly weds: Joanne, Lois and Ludwina are seen here with Graeme White and Sandy Barnes after the wedding. They are now Mr & Missus White. "Graeme, no more KFCs because you have a lovely wife to cook you nice dishes now". |
Today (Saturday 9th October, 2010) was Graeme's wedding day and it was held in The Western Suburbs Christian Center Community Hall in Mt. Claremont - our home church. To all of us..... his friends and family members it was a special day that marks a brand new chapter in his life. He was going to wed his fiance Sandy Barnes, his girl friend and fiance to whom he was dating for just over a year. Joanne and I were privileged to be invited by them to attend and witness their wedding a long with so many invited guests. For them it may have been surreal, but yet wonderful moment for them for sure.
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| We are seen here with the newly weds. We are all very proud and happy for Graeme and Sandy for their wedding. The newly weds are part of our extended family now and we wish them all the best in their married life. "Graeme and Sandy, you have a home in PNG". |
The huge turn out, the procession, the church and state representative celebrants formalizing the marriage and the marriage vows they both echoed ending with 'till death do us part" was a proclamation of their life long commitment together. In the end we were all happy for them. We mingled with our church goers, invited guests and took pictures. And we had great news for all our kids....that finally aunty Sandy and uncle Graeme, as they would normally refer to them, are now husband and wife. We wish them all the best in their marriage and may God bless them richly with His many blessings.
