Sally Webster.
Author | Carmelle Wilkinson
Sally Webster was a beloved Curtin staff member who championed equality.
To her loving husband Evyn and sons Luke and Josh, Sally was their world.
Ten years ago, Sally lost her courageous five-year battle with ovarian cancer, leaving an irreplaceable void in the Webster family.
During her 25 years at Curtin, Sally worked across various teams and roles, from the Curtin Library, through to what is now known as University Marketing.
However, Sally’s real passion and where she forged an enduring legacy was in the Ethics, Equity and Social Justice team (which no longer exists, but its functions are now embedded within many areas across Curtin).
While small in stature, Evyn said his wife of nearly 34 years had a big heart and would always go out of her way to help others.
“Nothing was ever too much trouble,’’ he said.
“Despite being extremely unwell throughout her cancer journey, Sally remained cheerful and alwayas expressed gratitude to her doctors and nurses.
“I remember when we first got the diagnosis people would express their disbelief and say things like: “Life isn’t fair, why you?” And Sally would always respond: “Well, why not me?”
In her final years, Sally worked tirelessly to ensure Curtin achieved a gold standard in LGBTIQ+ inclusion and support in the workplace, overseeing the University’s annual submissions to the national Pride in Diversity awards.
Sally with Maureen Meredith (also a long serving Curtin employee).
“Sally had just come out of surgery and was meant to be recovering when she sat up in her hospital bed and asked me to pass her laptop, so she could finish the latest submission,’’ Evyn said.
In 2014, her unwavering dedication was recognised, when she was awarded the national Pride in Diversity Ally award.
Weeks before she passed away, Pride and Diversity told her they would rename it the Sally Webster Ally Award, in recognition of her tireless work championing LGBTIQ+ inclusion.
“In her quiet demeanour, she stood up for equality and believed whole-heartedly in making a difference,’’ Evyn said.
“Sally worked incredibly hard but was never forceful in her approach.
“She was well respected and liked by her peers. And I’m not saying this through rose-coloured glasses, but I don’t think I met anyone who didn’t like her.
“She was just genuine goodness and cared about the well-being of others.”
At one point Sally was successful in petitioning senior leadership at Curtin for funds to support refugee students experiencing hardship.
The small pot of funds gave these students enough respite to engage meaningfully with their studies.
After she passed, Curtin renamed a student hardship fund in her memory.
Over the years, the Sally Webster Hardship Fund has helped many students facing urgent and financial burdens and celebrates the kindness and advocacy spirit of Sally Webster.
A Curtin (WAIT) graduate herself, Sally met her husband Evyn at the Bentley campus on their first day of university.
Sally Webster at her graduation ceremony.
Both studied social work and hit it off immediately – marrying just four years later.
Evyn said from the moment he met Sally he was drawn to her kindness and gentle nature.
Unbeknownst to Evyn, Sally had decided at that moment she would marry him.
Evyn often jokes that marrying her was the best decision he never made.
In serious moments he simply recalls she was the best thing to ever happen to him.
“Despite her health challenges later in life, she always had a smile on her face,’’ he said.
“Sally actually wrote her own eulogy and asked me if I would be strong enough to read it. Which I did. And throughout the handwritten eulogy were plenty of smiley faces, which I read out for her too.”
Sally’s eldest son Luke is also a Curtin staff member and said over his 20 years at Curtin he’s had the pleasure and privilege of working alongside colleagues who knew his mum.
“Mum’s mantra was that you should be able to bring your whole self to work and she didn’t want anyone to have to leave their real self in the car park,’’ he said.
“This was just who mum was. Growing up I heard a story about the time she won a single jelly bean at school. And instead of eating it all herself, she brought it home so her mum could cut it up and share it with the family.”
During her time at Curtin, Luke said his mum was committed to making sure the Curtin environment was one where staff and students could be their whole selves.
Evyn, Josh, Luke & Sally Webster.
Also a Curtin graduate, Luke said he was inspired by his mum’s sheer determination and grit.
“She worked relentlessly right until she passed away on Christmas Eve, 2014,” he said.
“Mum had this deeply ingrained sense of fairness and equality and took on some pretty tough roles over her career, which wouldn’t have been easy,” he said.
He said what Sally learned on the job as a social worker in prisons and working for the Department of Child Protection she applied at Curtin.
Sally’s family were deeply moved by Curtin’s gesture to name a fund in honour of her and assured she would have been a little embarrassed by the recognition.
“She didn’t do this work for accolades, she did it because she felt strongly about it,’’ Evyn said.
“In her quiet, shy manner Sally managed to achieve a lot in her 55 years.”
“But her strongest legacy was definitely the love she had for her family. She loved being a mum.
“If she knew a fund was named after her she would have asked me “Why me?” And I would have said, “Well, why not you Princess?”.
To support the Sally Webster Hardship Fund please click here.
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