Rebecca Gibney has shared a heartbreaking tribute to her beloved mother, Shirley, after she died aged 91.
The actress shared the devastating update over the weekend, and revealed that her mother had passed away on June 21.
“We are utterly heartbroken at the loss of our beautiful mother Shirley Gibney,” she began in the tribute.
“This week has been about coming to terms with an unfathomable loss but I know mum would want to thank everyone for the love, compassion and kindness they have shown her through the years.
“And that’s because Mum represented everything that is good in the world,” the star continued.
Just last month, the actress asked fans to keep her mum in their “thoughts and prayers” after she was hospitalised with a few health issues.
“She was forgiving, and kind, generous to a fault, and always put others before herself.”
Over the years, the actress has candidly shared her mum’s resilience and kindness despite being a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her husband, and Gibney’s father, Austin.
“Mum overcame so much in her life because she had a deep faith that was unbreakable,” Gibney continued in her tribute.
“She believed that life would always get better – no matter what you are going through. You just have to trust in the knowledge that light will always follow the dark, that good will prevail and love is really all that matters.”
She then issued a plea to followers, encouraging them to spread kindness in honour of her mum.
“So to honour Shirley, please keep your face toward the light, show forgiveness and compassion. Love one another,” she wrote. “And wherever possible do something to brighten someone else’s day.
“Be Kind. I’m not sure how I will navigate life without my Mum but I am so grateful I was blessed to have her as my angel on earth for so long. And I will miss her beyond words.”
On Monday, she shared a video of herself dancing with her mum alongside the caption: “Because I know Mum would want people to remember her with a smile – this is part of the video tribute we played at her private family service last Friday.”
She explained that instead of flowers, her niece, Sarah, had created a Facebook page #flowersforshirley, to encourage people to buy flowers and gift them to a stranger to brighten someone else’s day.
“Dear friends, Thank you all so much for your kind messages of love and support after Nana’s passing,” Sarah wrote.
“As many of you know, Nana had a heart that was full of kindness, grace and generosity. She would never have wanted her story to end with sadness alone, but with love continuing to grow.
“In her honour, I’ve created a Facebook page called Flowers for Shirley. The idea is simple: whenever you think of nana, we’d love to encourage you to find a way to brighten someone’s day.
“Whether that be buying a bunch of supermarket flowers and giving them to a friend, family member or even a stranger. Or even just something as simple as an encouraging text, a handwritten note or a handmade gift.
“Anything that will help to carry on nana’s legacy of kindness. Then you can come and post your experiences here and we can enjoy these stories of kindness together.”
Images: Instagram
