So long, Lady Hannah

By GYNNIE KERO
PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has led the nation in mourning the death of Lady Hannah Dadae, the wife of Governor-General Grand Chief Sir Bob.
O’Neill yesterday expressed his “sympathies to Sir Bob and his family”.
“Our prayers and thoughts are with them,” O Neill said.
According to a statement from Government House yesterday, Lady Hannah, 53, passed away in Brisbane, Australia, at about 2pm on Tuesday.
Acting Secretary Bill Toraso said Lady Hannah had been “receiving medical treatment for the past three months.
She is survived by Sir Bob and their five children.
Sir Bob will arrive in Port Moresby tomorrow (Friday) with her body.
Funeral arrangements will be announced later.
After he was sworn in as Governor-General in February last year, Sir Bob paid a special tribute to his wife for her support. “Without her, I would not be where I am today,” he said.
Lady Hannah, 53, was from Garaina in Bulolo, Morobe. She was the third born in a family of nine.
She started her education at Garaina in Bulolo and Bumayong in Nawaeb, before attending the Teachers College in Madang where she graduated as a teacher.
She taught in schools in Morobe for 29 years before retiring a few years ago.
After her retirement, Lady Hannah became involved in charitable work and in the church ministry.
She continued with these when her husband became Governor-General last year.
According to the Government House statement, Lady Hannah was “passionate about issues affecting women and children which she advocated and spoke passionately about throughout her travels” with Sir Bob.
She also had been hosting Christian fellowship with female prisoners at Bomana Prison in Port Moresby and was planning to extend the fellowship to other women prisons around the country.