A DEVOTED mother and grandmother, a creative who crafted dazzling dance costumes, a devotee of big family Christmases – long-time Rosewood resident, Robyn McInnes, passed away on July 30 after a fierce battle with cancer.
Robyn Annette Coughlan was born on September 15, 1946 to Francis and Noreen Coughlan in Annandale NSW. She was the second eldest of their seven children.
In 1964 at the age of 18, Robyn met and married John Wilcox and together they had two children, son Lee and daughter Jody, however, their marriage ended and with the support of her family, Robyn went on to work and raise her children.
Six years later, Robyn met Lance McInnes, while waitressing in a Chinese restaurant. It was her second job as she worked during the day in a food tech lab.
After Lance’s many invitations to dinner, Robyn finally agreed to go out with Lance, and this is where their story began.
Lance and Robyn initially lived in Camperdown NSW and in 1971 they welcomed the birth of their son Shad.
Shortly after Shad's birth the family moved to Annandale where in 1973, their second child, Melanie, was born.
In 1978 Lance and Robyn were married. The couple continued to focus everything on their family.
Robyn always loved Christmas and made it a magical time for her family. Each child had a corner of the room filled with gifts and they recall the fresh smell of the pine tree and all the tinsel which “made the room look like a fairy tale”.
Almost 40 years ago, Lance and Robyn moved their family to Rosewood and Robyn was quick to make friends.
In 1988, tragedy befell the family with the sudden death of their eldest son, Lee. Robyn struggled for many years with the loss of her first-born child but found solace in the birth later that year of Lee’s son and her first grandchild, Lee.
Robyn’s family grew with the birth of grandchildren Ryan and Che-anne, who she raised and loved as her own. She could often be seen at dance eisteddfods supporting Che-anne’s dancing, working tirelessly creating dazzling costumes.
And from 1992 onwards, more grandchildren were born and in time, great-grandchildren.
Robyn was a wonderful grandmother who spent hours playing with ninja turtles, soldiers or dolls, she would dance, sing and create special names for her grandchildren like pixie, elf, or leprechaun.
In 2019, Robyn and her family received the heartbreaking news that Robyn had terminal cancer and the journey of her treatment regime began immediately.
Robyn’s fight for life was driven by her love for her family and she never gave up. She attended her oncology appointments each week “with a smile on her face”.
And she kept going in the hope of a miracle.
Robyn will be remembered as a kind and loving woman with great inner strength and courage
