Trio of Mount Magnet helpers go separate way with a tear

A trio of women who spent more than five years crusading for Mount Magnet youngsters were separated last Friday — and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

Bev Basham moved to Mt Magnet from New Zealand in 2015 to be closer to her daughter, taking a role with Centacare’s Bidi Bidi childcare centre. That’s where she met Lizzie Little and Marilyn George.

While they started as co-workers, it didn’t take long for lifelong friendship to blossom, with the women supporting each other through grief, family challenges and isolation.

Ms Basham’s daughter left town 18 months ago, and she has a grandson she’s not yet met.

She decided to leave to be closer to her own family.

“It is with a great joy that I leave here because of what I am going to, but also with great sadness because of what I am leaving,” Ms Basham said.

She praised Ms Little for her creativity and Ms George for her cultural knowledge — both skills which she said were paramount in helping prepare young kids for success at school.

Ms George and Ms Little were grateful for every-thing Ms Basham had brought. Ms Little said: “She’s gone from being Bev to ‘Nana BB’... She’s become the unofficial grandmother to all the kids who attend here.”

Ms George said “When I lose any of my family she was there to support me and sit down and have a yarn with me. I want to thank her for all the things that she’s done.”