Betty Berry writes:

It was a profound shock when, just before Christmas, my dear friend Audrey told me she was terminally ill with cancer. Like many other friends, I was well aware that she was not in good health but she had kept the truth from us all for as long as possible.

Thankfully, her illness was short and she showed great courage and fortitude in those last weeks of her life, before passing away peacefully in a nursing home in Malta, in the presence of her beloved family.

There she received the care and comfort that she needed to ease her pain. Such was the love and concern for her that in those last weeks, all her dearest friends made the journey from Gozo to Malta to visit her and she greeted everyone with her radiant smile, even though she felt so terribly ill.

Her family and friends are devastated by her passing - our dearest Audrey has been taken from us, leaving behind a sense of loss and the sadness that we will no more hear that lovely voice - no longer see that smile - no longer enjoy intelligent conversation with a lady of sharp wit and intellect.

Audrey retired to her adored island of Gozo over 25 years ago, after a lifetime of teaching. Her great passion in life was for her own animals, as well as trying to make conditions better for the small animals of Gozo.

It was through SPCA (Gozo), as it was known then, that I first met Audrey in 1986, when we were volunteer helpers at the animal clinic in Victoria. We both became more and more involved until Audrey was made clinic manager, a position she held until she stepped down in 1992.

The clinic flourished under her management. Thanks to her enthusiasm, SPCA Gozo was at the forefront of the neutering campaign, which has made such a difference to the small animals of Gozo, particularly cats.

Audrey was humble and courageous. This she showed when she helped me remove a bunch of mad dogs from a house in Victoria. The owner, who was demented, had draped wires and cloths as booby traps all over the house, which over the years had become festooned with thick, black cobwebs.

It was only at the end of hours spent struggling to catch the dogs that she told me of her fear of spiders, which somehow she overcame. It was a harrowing experience for her and I so admired her for seeing it through, but that was so like Audrey - a woman of great character, who was not one to complain when the going got tough!

She was to the end of her life an enthusiastic supporter of the Victoria Scout Group and one who rarely missed a fund-raising lunch or dinner - the group will sorely miss her, especially her dear friend, Group Scout Leader Lorrie Saliba. She was a person who always put others before herself and was a caring friend to many - the epitome of selflessness.

After Audrey married Stuart, a memorable event for everyone who attended, they enjoyed their years together in their apartment in Victoria, until Stuart passed away. Just shortly before her own passing she lost her beloved pets, Willie the little dog and Ġiġi the cat, both of course rescued from the street and who had reached a grand old age themselves.

Audrey was a very special person and her memory will always be cherished by her family and friends. She has a lasting legacy in Gozo SPCA - a society she did so much for and supported generously to the end of her life. My sympathy goes to those who loved her - Hilary her daughter, John her son and their families and her friends in Gozo, Malta and UK. Rest in peace, my dear, dear friend - we will miss you so much.