SHE WAS incredibly intelligent but still a child at heart. A young lady who worked as a legal secretary and then for the Education Department, but never lost her love of Christmas and The Wiggles. Erin Marissa Rose Anne Hogg was born on May 13, 1982, in Sydney. Ms Hogg was a bright and inquisitive child who was reading, writing and counting by the time she started school. She was always interested in the whys and the hows, and always went above and beyond for people, even as a young girl. The only child to parents Bob and Chris Hogg, she enjoyed the first eight years of her life in Sydney before the family moved to Bathurst. Ms Hogg went to school at Bathurst Public and then completed her senior education at Bathurst High. She then majored in sociology at the University of New England. Halfway through her uni degree, Ms Hogg was afforded an amazing experience, where she attended a university scholars leadership conference at the United Nations in Bangkok. She was later invited to, and attended, an emerging leaders conference there, something she was very proud to be part of. Ms Hogg was incredibly intelligent. She had numerous jobs since entering the workforce at Coles as a teenager, including a stint as a legal secretary in Bathurst. But it was her dream job she secured about 10 years ago that really encompassed all of what Ms Hogg had to offer, giving her the best of both worlds. The role was with the Education Department, and combined her love of children with her desire for intellectual stimulation. Only 12 months ago, Ms Hogg was promoted to a role in Parramatta, where she worked on early childhood outcomes. She was instrumental in developing a new scholarship program, with her colleagues telling her parents that she had been making a really big difference for the children of NSW. When she wasn't working, Ms Hogg adored all things Christmas. Every evening in December she would watch one of the many Christmas movies that were part of her extensive collection, while wearing her festive pyjamas. But most of all, even more than Christmas Day, she loved mince pie day. It was a family tradition where she and her mum would bake Christmas cookies and around 20 dozen mince pies and package them up to give away. Ms Hogg's happy, funny and infectious personality touched everyone who knew her. However what most people never knew, including Ms Hogg's parents, was underneath her kind and bubbly exterior, she was battling severe depression. It's something her parents want to share with people, to really highlight the importance of being kind to others, because you never know what someone could be going through behind closed doors. Regardless of the internal battles Ms Hogg was fighting, her kindness to others never wavered. Whether it was sourcing Canadian chocolate to make cookies for a colleague from Canada, or buying a homeless man a sandwich and keeping him company while he ate it, she never failed to make people happy. This trait her parents consider to be her legacy, and something they hope to continue on in her honour: spreading love and kindness into the world. Ms Hogg died unexpectedly on October 8, 2023, at only 41 years of age. And while her cause of death hasn't yet been confirmed, to her parents that doesn't matter. What matters is continuing her legacy of love, and spreading the word that even the smallest kind gesture can mean the world to someone. Ms Hogg's life was celebrated at the Bathurst Uniting Church on November 13, 2023, with people sharing stories of times when she helped them, made them laugh, made them feel special or came up with a quick one-liner.