Following her untimely death last month, many local groups are mourning the loss of Kay Burns, as the following testimonies demonstrate.
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In late 2013, Kay started the Produce Swap Group. While being its instigator, she was happiest when the group became self-organising, with various members stepping it to take the lead as needed.
For her, the building of community is what really grabbed her heart.
In addition to her many other activities, Kay took on the role of secretary for the Tanja Hall Committee and with the help of her husband Ian (“Eddie”), carried out many maintenance tasks.
She was dedicated and determined and expected twice as much from herself as she asked of others.
Kay was very welcoming to new people through the Garden Blitz she started up. She was such a doer and giver that she worked happily in everyone else’s gardens and refused almost any help in her own.
She also devotedly ran Etribe, being there for us even when travelling in India, in flooded outback Australia, and even on Gabo Island where she had to beg use of the ranger’s computer.
Kay also managed the Tathra night tennis comp for 10 years back in the days they had a record number of teams.
She organised and set up the local bushfire phone tree for 15 households in her local neighbourhood.
A passionate environmentalist, she did her time in the forest on the picket line and financially supported many different environment groups.
Kay was a talented artist. She had the compositional skills of the greats and was able to use these skills to develop her striking works.
She produced canvases, lino prints, watercolours, postcards and even a painted umbrella, Anchored at Bermagui, for the 2015 Seaside Fair.
Kay was an enthusiastic supporter of Spiral Gallery’s annual Plethora of Postcards exhibition.
Kay was also part of CIA (Comrades in Art), a group of local ex-TAFE students who meet monthly to create art and share friendship, food and ideas.
Those who knew Kay will miss her talent, positive nature, encouraging comments and enormous zest for life.
There was potential for so much more, both in art and friendship. This is your legacy Kay and we thank you so much.
Kay Burns’s funeral service will be held at Wolumla this Saturday, September 23, at 3pm, with a celebration of Kay’s life at Tanja Hall from 6pm.
