Gran and Gramp's passing away exactly one year apart

When, after being married to Gramps for over 60 years, Gran became sick and had to go into aged care, Gramps was absolutely determined to outlive her. He visited her everyday, wheel-chaired her out into the garden and held her hand for hours. It was heart-warming for everyone to witness; a true testament to their beautiful, soulful connection.

Gran passed away on 16 September 2002.

Gramps lived on, grateful that he had been there for Gran until her end.  He himself went into aged care with heart issues.

On the 15th September 2003, one day less than a year to the day that Gran passed, he mentioned to several of the staff that "Dorothy is coming to get me tomorrow."

The next day, 16 September 2003, exactly one year after Gran's passing, he himself passed away.

There love is a true inspiration to us all.

Volvo.com project

My initial role at Volvo was based in Cambridge at the European headquarters and involved taking all of Volvo's fragmented hotchpotch of Internet sites and consolidating it into a seamless experience on one system. 

It was a wonderful job.  The people were great and I got to do lots of travelling, especially to Sweden, but also to the US and Brazil where I got to see the Iguazu Falls.  My favourite part of the job was training staff on the new system which allowed me to meet people from all over the world.  Our project team consisted of just 3 people (Mats, a dynamic and friendly guy, Caroline who I became very good friends with and myself.)  But together we were a great team and we made a very substantial difference to Volvo's global Internet presence. 

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An article I wrote (2003)

All you need to know about the new volvo.com platform

This year, Volvo migrated its internet sites onto a new unified platform with a consistent design across business areas.  Volvo Construction Equipment co-ordinated and managed this project on behalf of the Volvo Group. Here we discuss the background to Volvo’s new internet platform and the benefits it holds for future web initiatives.

The need for a new platform

Volvo’s internet presence was becoming expensive and fragmented as business areas increasingly did their own thing.  Problems included a hotch-potch of different “looks and feels”, the use of more than 12 different content entry tools across the organisation and sites hosted on numerous servers, scattered around the world.  

To solve these issues, a new unified internet platform was needed that would allow business areas to create, drive and own their own sites but, at the same time, extract synergies between them and ensure a consistent design across all sites.

The approach taken

A task force of business area representatives, led by Volvo Construction Equipment, was set up to find a solution.  It was clear that a pragmatic approach was required using one design, one content management system, one global set of templates and one hosting solution.  

It was decided that Microsoft Content Management Server (MCMS) would form the core of the volvo.com platform.  MCMS was chosen for it’s ease-of-use and interoperability with other products and the fact that its out of the box functionality fit with Volvo's business needs better than any other product.  Being an out of the box solution also meant Volvo could take ongoing advantage of upgrades and new functionality developed by Microsoft.

The project was led and co-ordinated by a programme center based in Volvo CE’s offices in the UK.   The supplier group comprised of Volvo IT North America, Framfab and Microsoft.  The project team consisted of representatives from Volvo HQ and Volvo’s business areas.

The project adopted a “think big, start small, scale fast” approach.  Volvo CE’s global site became a pilot to validate the robustness of the new platform.  Volvo Buses, Volvo Aero and Volvo Penta’s global sites were then rolled out, followed by Volvo HQ and Volvo Financial Services.  Volvo Trucks’ global site will migrate by the end of this year.

What has been achieved so far?

The new platform has proved to be flexible and robust and multiple sites have now been launched across the world.  

Global sites have been rolled out for HQ, 5 business areas and 4 business units.  16 market sites have also been launched across 10 countries as well as 11 Volvo country sites (e.g. www.volvo.co.uk ).  In addition, Volvo CE has rolled out 4 dealer sites (e.g. www.lbsmith.com).  In total, 180 editors across the world have been trained and are working in MCMS.  

External exposure to the sites has been significant.  Volvo.com sites on the new platform currently enjoy 38,000 visits per day from 32,000 visitors who view 250,000 pages. 

Benefits of the new platform

The new platform provides several benefits and opportunities for Volvo’s web initiatives: 

1. A flexible range of templates to choose from

The MCMS solution is template driven.  Currently a shared set of 30 flexible templates has been created for editors to choose from, allowing information to be displayed in a multitude of different ways.

2.  Shared templates make development and maintenance easier and cheaper 

All business areas share the same set of templates.  This means that all upgrades and maintenance of templates are done only once.  Business areas are encouraged to suggest additions and improvements to the existing functionality of templates, allowing everyone to benefit.  So far this year, over a dozen major template enhancements have been made to existing templates.

3.  A user friendly CMS tool for non technical people

The content management system is easy to use and requires no technical knowledge.  Just about anyone can do it after less than a day’s training.

4.  A streamlined process for entering, updating and publishing content

MCMS allows multiple editors to work in the same site at once and different people can manage different parts of the site.   Responsibility for updating content can be delegated to editors all over the world but control over the final version that gets published can, if required, be retained by a global or market infomaster.

5.  The ability to share applications between business areas

In the past, business areas created their own applications, leading to much re-inventing of the wheel.  The common platform opens up the opportunity for business areas to share applications.  For example, several business areas now share the same “contact us” functionality.  Volvo Penta and Volvo CE will soon share the same functionality for their dealer locators.

6.  Content shared between multiple sites

The platform allows documents and product specs that are shared across multiple market sites to be stored and managed in one central place.  Volvo Penta and Volvo CE make particularly strong use of this approach, saving much time and effort in maintenance.

7.  The ability to seamlessly integrate applications into the new design

Existing applications do not need to be reprogrammed.  Using i-frames, they can be seamlessly integrated into the site with minimum effort.  The only requirement is that the “look and feel” of the application is consistent with that of the volvo.com design. Volvo CE has integrated its e-business applications seamlessly, with excellent effect.  North America, for example, has enjoyed an increase in requests for dealer quotes by over 300%.  

8.  The opportunity to re-utilise MCMS for other projects and platforms

Volvo CE’s  Dealer Sitebuilder project takes advantage of existing corporate content by reusing it on Dealer's Sites. This gives Volvo CE control over key brand information, while allowing the dealer to contribute his specific information.    Volvo CE, Volvo Penta and Volvo Financial Services are exploring the use of  MCMS as part of the Volvo eBusiness (VeBiz) platform for dealer extranets.  Another project in progress is exploring the use of MCMS as a new platform for Violin.

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Ally's 30th birthday

Celebrated in London with close friends.

Welcome little Matthew

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A tribute to Gran (1920 - 2002)

"Gran always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete."  Marcy DeMaree

Memories of Gran (excerpt from letter from Jo - 2002)

I remember so clearly all Gran and Gramp’s yearly visits to Cape Town and all the excitement leading up to their arrival and the huge empty void that was left when they returned home.

Unfortunately this huge void that I am feeling right now is never going to go away but I have so many special memories of Granny to help me replace it with instead.

I remember, every year, without fail Granny would bake up a huge batch of meringues (glued together with strawberries and cream) for my school bake sale. In fact, I remember her making them for all my birthday parties as well. Granny was a fabulous cook. I can even smell, even now, all the wonderful roast dinners she cooked for us and the delicious crispy roast potatoes that always accompanied her meals. Her lumpy custard was legendry, although if I think about it, we all still ate it with gusto and would have complained bitterly if she had made it any other way!

I remember sitting for hours in the lounge at Epworth Road playing endless hands of card games with Granny. She certainly had a huge supply of patience as she taught me that there were more to cards than snap!! I have so many happy memories of them both in that house and I remember cycling round to swim in the pool, or to spend the night or just to come over and have a chat. We were so fortunate not only to have had them in Cape Town all these years but to have had them no more than 15 minutes away at any time during the past 20 years is also amazing.

I also remember the knitting bag that was always beside Granny’s chair. I certainly had a good few jerseys and bed socks knitted for me while I was growing up.

I remember how much Granny loved traveling round South Africa and how she and Gramps would head off on some coach tour to view the flowers, the whales or some beautiful mountain peak.

I remember how much Granny loved her yoga and how important her church was to her. It certainly gives me comfort to know that she is in a beautiful, safe place, free from pain and discomfort. I can just picture her now running around freely. In fact, she and dad are probably talking non-stop to each other catching up on all the latest news and drinking a toast of gin and tonic to all of us right now!

Oh, how I am going to miss Granny. She was such a loving person, so kind, considerate and gentle and yet so strong and brave. She really fought with all her might right up until the end. How lucky Sam was to have had her Great Granny for 2 ½ years. In fact, I think Sam also gave such joy to Granny as I remember how her face used to light up every time she saw her and how it even caused Gran to smile even when it was so hard for her to do! Gran, I will always love you and I will always remember you with a huge smiling face!!

Excerpt from a letter I wrote to Gramps in 2003 after Gran passed away

I also feel nostalgic when I think back over all my memories of gran and what she means to me personally.

I remember how excited I would feel when I heard you and she were visiting South Africa. I have a memory of lieing in bed with her when I was 6 and had just won my first book prize and she read me a couple of chapters. I remember visiting her at Epworth Road and telling her all about School and how she would listen intently to every single word – always making me feel like I was the most important person in her world right then. How she would ring me to find out how my test or match or play had gone- always thinking of me, always interested in my life. How she would cut something out of the newspaper that she thought I would find interesting or useful – often about something that I had mentioned months before. She never missed anything did gran.

And of course, I remember her delicious meals – especially her roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and veggies and trifle. Not to mention the kiersh and ice cream – do you remember that? Also sleeping over with you guys and watching old movies like The 39 Steps till late and then going to bed with a hot water bottle that Gran had prepared. And lots of later memories too. Like the wonderful, spontaneous speech she did at your 50 th wedding anniversary. The hug she gave me on the day I married Ally. The pride and love love in her eyes whenever she held Sam.


Gran’s speech at her 50th wedding anniversary (see all speeches)

All I want to say is that there are good things in life and I was blessed first of all with good health; that is very essential in a happy marriage. And then my second good thing in life was choosing my husband. And I know I made the right choice. I know I am illogical. And I know I am intolerant at times. And I shall still be illogical and intolerant at times. And I am not going to start saying sorry because most times I don’t think I am wrong! And the third thank you is for our lovely daughters. They’ve bought us so much joy and I thank you both very much indeed.

I’ve realised that growing up in any generation, it’s always the same. Whether you’ve chosen the right area to live in to get your children to the right schools, whether they are going to pass exams to go on, what subjects they ought to give up, and then there is the rushing to and fro taking them to guides, the skating, the ballet which they weren’t very good at! And that goes on today, it’s just the same, every generation is the same, it doesn’t alter.

After that, they left home and decided to go overseas. I was very happy about this and thought “What brave girls they are - but I wasn’t at all happy when they let us know that they weren’t coming back because they were going to get married. I cried buckets and Tony had a terrible time.

But then I soon realised how lucky I was that this happened because if they hadn’t done this, we would never have come to South Africa and visited our lovely son in law and grandchildren who have always made us so welcome. We would never have made friends with so many of their friends who have also made us so welcome. And the same goes with Canada. We would never have visited Canada and seen the beauties of that country and met the lovely people there.

So all in all, this life of ours has gone on at a terrific gallop and it gallops along too fast really, but all I want to do today is to thank my family and all our friends, both new and old, for giving us this wonderful opportunity of such a beautiful day.

Gran as a youngster

Gran as a beautiful young woman

Married to Gramps for over 60 years

With her beloved girls

A loyal friend for 50 years

Very special childhood memories

Her very special "surprise" speech at their 50th wedding anniversary

Some later photos

Getting to see her great grandchild

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Related links

• My childhood letters to Gran and Gramps
• Photos of Gran
• Gran and Gramps wedding (1941)
• Gran & Gramps 50th wedding anniversary (1991)
• Posts tagged as "Gran and Gramps"
• Biographical information and registries

Mum and Mike's wedding

My toast to Mum and Mike on their wedding day

It is my great pleasure to propose the toast today to Mum and Mike.

Before I do that, I’d just like to say how absolutely thrilled and delighted we all are that two such special people have found such happiness together.

Ally, and I have been living in London for the past year so we haven't spent as much time with mum and Mike as we'd like but something that has struck us time and time again, whenever we visit Cape Town, is how much they adore each other and how much fun they have together as a couple.

Whether Mum and Mike are gallivanting along Blouberg beach on a blustery Sunday morning, going off on a romantic weekend to Stellenbosch, shouting their support for the South African cricket team or just having a quiet evening at home, they clearly share a zest for life and for each other and it warms my heart to see.

I've always had a very soft spot for Mike. I remember when I was 9 years old, I suddenly became madly passionate about collecting stamps. Mike invited me round to see his collection - he was a serious collector in those days - and as we flipped through his album, he suddenly reached in and took out a stamp and gave it to me as a spontaneous gift.

I clearly remember being very excited because the stamp had a bust of Queen Victoria on it - not that Queen Victoria's bust was much to look at! - but it meant the stamp was over a hundred years old which seemed mind-bogglingly old to me at the time and really caught my young imagination. 22 years later, I still have that stamp and I still treasure the childhood memories attached to it.

It's been wonderful getting to know Mike and to discover just how special he is.
I love that he's always got a twinkle in his eye and he's always got a fascinating story to tell. I also love his sense of humour - when you're with Mike, you always know you'll get to enjoy a good hearty chuckle about something or other.

Another thing I love about Mike are his passions - like his passion for sport, which I must say is fast rubbing off on mum, although she is not quite yet at the stage of leaping excitedly out of bed at 4 am in the morning to watch the cricket on TV.

Then there is his love for fishing on the Breede River, and his love for collecting antiques and china and paintings and mementos - in fact you name it, I think Mike collects it!

I was amazed to discover that Mike owns every single National Geographic since 1951 or something! Mum took one look at this lot and banished them to the garage where they now take up a whole wall and a half of space. I reckon the reason Mike promptly sold his big Merc and got a zooty Toyota was so he could fit his car amongst the magazines!

Its fitting that Mike is such a special chap because he has found in my mum, a very, very, special partner.

She is simply the most generous and caring and person I know, which is undoubtedly a quality she has inherited from her own mum. She is always there for her friends and family, always thinking of others, always ready, at the drop of a hat, to give of her time and energy to help someone.

And no matter what comes her way in life, she always remains the same - optimistic, full of life and down to earth.

Mum has been an absolute treasure to Jo and me, always encouraging us to follow our own dreams and do what makes us happy. She has also been the most amazingly supportive daughter to granny and gramps during their time in Woodside Village.

And of course, she is the most wonderful Granny. I don't think there has ever been in the history of the world, a more doting and adoring granny than she is to Sam.

So all I can say is that mum deserves only the most special things that life can bring and that is one of the reasons we are so delighted that she has found a soul-mate in someone as special as Mike.

So, friends and family, I'd like to invite you to rise and join with me in toasting our special couple.
Mum and Mike, as you travel on your journey together, may your marriage be filled with love and laughter. May the most you dream for be the least you receive. May your joys be doubled and your troubles halved. And may you live as long as you wish and receive all you wish for as long as you live.

Ladies and gentlemen, to Jill and Mike!

Letter to Mike (July 2004)

Dearest Mike

I don’t know if I’ve ever expressed properly just how absolutely thrilled and blessed I feel to have you as part of my family.

You’ve brought so many blessings to us all:

It warms my heart to see how much you and mum adore each other, and the support and warmth that you bring to each others lives - and also how much fun you obviously have together. It’s been fantastic to see mum find such happiness and fulfillment with such a special person as you.

It warms my heart too, to think of the constant support that you gave gran and gramps and your mum during their tough times at the end. You and mum were a veritable life force to them and made all the difference at a time when they needed you most.

It warms my heart too, when I see what a wonderful grandpa you are to Matthew and Sam – and how they gravitate to your warmth and solidness and sense of fun. They are so very, very lucky to to have you in their lives, now and as they grow up.

It also warms my heart to see how much Jo adores you too – and how much fun you and Anthony have with your shared passions and your shared sense of humour.

And it warms my heart also, to know that you are there for me and Ally too. I know that if ever there is a problem or I need advice or re-assurance, I have only to pick up the phone. Your warmth and your wisdom are so very appreciated.

Obviously, it saddens me that we see you guys so seldom and we do miss you and mum very much. We so look forward to spending more quality time with you in Cambridge during your visit and can’t wait to have you and mum to stay with us in Australia.

Love Graemefx