By Monica Chard
Anna Gammond was clearly a driving force in our community. She has been described by her granddaughter, Sophie as “over and above”. This seems to have been the case in everything, whether it was the warm welcome she bestowed on visitors, her involvement in local groups or her dedication to her pupils during her teaching career. Anna spent her entire teaching career at St. Ignatius, Sunbury, retiring in 1988 after 25 years service.
She also helped found Shepperton Care and manned the phones for many years. She was very much a part of village life.
She and husband Peter moved to Shepperton when they started a family, living first in Glebeland Gardens, then at Craven Cottage off Russell Rd. Anna was an enthusiastic member of the Rotary Freewheelers, and revelled in the performances they put on at the village hall. She just loved performing. Friend Mary Lodge said of her “You were extraordinary. On stage you were brilliant. In life you were even better…. But by God you were an awful singer”! Her family would agree with this sentiment! Anna would have laughed. She had a great sense of humour, loved entertaining and adored people, show-ing interest in them and their lives. She had a great gift of getting on with children too. When she retired from St Ignatius she was given a standing ovation.
In her later years she adored spending time with her grandchildren, telling them stories, which she recorded on tape and endlessly entertaining them. ‘Granna’, as she was fond-ly known, inspired creativity and expression. During lockdown, she never complained, despite desperately craving the social gather-ings she so much enjoyed, and missing hugs from loved ones. Her grandchildren would visit when possible and entertain her with music and song. She was so very proud of her family.
I am honoured to have met Anna in writing this piece but I feel robbed that I was not able to spend time with her in life.