A member of one of Redland’s pioneering families has died, just short of her 97th birthday.
Ruth (Esther) White (June 11, 1920 to April 15, 2017) was the youngest of eight children of Frank and Jane White, the highly regarded pioneering family of Mt Carmel Orchard, School of Arts Road, Redland Bay.
Ruth lived at School of Arts Road, spending her final years in a nursing home at the Adventist Retirement Village, Victoria Point.
She was buried alongside her parents at the Redland Bay cemetery. A thanksgiving service was given at Thornlands Christian Gospel Centre. She is survived by many nephews and nieces and their families, many still living in the Redlands. These include Dr Ken and Julie Hossack and families, Annette Enchelmaier and families and Roslyn O'Grady.
Ruth’s siblings were Halley, Francis and Frances, Joyce, Hilary, Lavinia, and Lucinda. Their grandparents were William and Eliza Fielding, even earlier settlers of Redland Bay, who set up the first store in Government Road in 1884.
Ruth attended the Redland Bay State School as a pupil from 1924 and then later, after teacher training and teaching at Manley and Aratula, became a teacher at Redland Bay State School in the mid 1940’s. Her appointment followed in the footsteps of her Aunt Mary Fielding, who was the first teacher at Mount Cotton State School.
Ruth was a champion tennis player, especially during her years at Brisbane State High School, and she also won prizes in the food section of the Cleveland Show.
In 1949 Ruth left for China, dedicating her life to being a Christian Worker (missionary) for most of her life. It wasn’t long before she and others were held under house arrest for 18 months and then after being released, she sailed for Japan where she worked tirelessly in Christian church planting and service. Ruth was held in very high esteem among those who know of her in Japan.
She is remembered as a dear daughter, sister, auntie, a precious friend and a dedicated and hardworking missionary. She was always reading her Bible and praying for her loved ones and those known to her. She was a lover of nature and gardening (farming) and caring for the environment. Most of her life was dedicated to the service of God, her Eternal Father.
- Roslyn O’Grady, niece and daughter of Ruth’s eldest sister Halley.