Tribute for courier Manu Godward who became a familiar face over decades of work in Albury
Skill on show: Manu Godward and daughter Belinda wearing necklaces made for the Sisi Fiji enterprise. The pieces attracted buyers from as far away as Russia with 300 of the unique chains sold online.
BEST known on the Border for ferrying around thousands of parcels, Manu Godward had a colourful life that was reflected in her funeral.
Mourners by request wore loud shirts denoting the Fijian birthplace of the 72 year-old who died on October 25.
"Lowes must have made a killin' on Hawaiian shirts this week, let's just say," Ms Godward said.
South Pacific heritage was central to Mrs Godward's life, with Fijian rituals marking her farewell.
The young Manu was the second of six siblings and became the oldest after her big sister drowned aged five.
She came from a village, known as a home of the shark callers, on Lakeba, a three-day boat ride from Suva.
Delicate job: Manu Godward pieces together a necklace as part of her business based on traditional Fijian decorative adornments.
After winning a scholarship to study in the capital, teenage Manu represented Fiji in hockey and won a bursary though the Colombo Plan to undertake higher education in Australia.
That took her to the then Australian territory of Papua New Guinea where she met husband Eric Godward.
The marriage of a white Australian man to a Fijian caused difficulties with their car stoned in a market place.
The couple moved to Sydney and then Camden.
It was there Mrs Godward helped troubled youth, once blowing away a white powder she saw as flour and telling a boy "go get a job".
In 1990, the family moved to Yackandandah to be closer to Mr Godward's family.
Mrs Godward became known in Albury through couriering which she continued until her sudden death.
Each day she did up to 70 drop-offs across the city for her employer Toll.
Proud family: Manu Godward's nephew Henry Fisher, daughter Belinda Godward, grandchildren Liliana, Phoebe, Mia and Mitch and son Eric Godward who all spoke at her funeral.
Ms Godward said her mum's touch was on show in messages after her death.
"My favourite was 'she didn't just deliver freight to our office, she delivered humanity every day'," Ms Godward said.
Toll manager Craig Nesire, a work colleague for 25 years, said "no-one had a bad word about Manu, she was just beautiful".
Mrs Godward also set up a jewellery business, Sisi Fiji, which involved her designing and making necklaces based on traditional patterns that usually involved flowers.
To her joy Fijian journalist Jacqueline Speight wore one of her necklaces, while reading the news on television.
In recent years, Mrs Godward became a familiar face at the Margaret Court Tennis Academy as she followed the progress of her grandchildren Mitch and Phoebe.
Its director Phil Shanahan read the Lord's prayer at the funeral.
In addition to her daugther, Mrs Godward is survived by her son Eric and four grandchildren, who also include Liliana and Mia.
