St Joseph's Catholic Church was packed for the farewell mass where grandson Ben Sharpe spoke lovingly about a life well lived and the many lives touched by his 'vibrant, kind and generous Nana'.

Born in Manilla on December 19, 1923, the young Peggy McNamara grew up in a family of four boys and three girls - all deceased except for her younger sister Jill. Despite living through the depression and the war years Peggy always looked back with fondness on her very happy upbringing.

Peggy's working life began at the age of 15 as a secretary for Kennedy's legal firm in Manilla, where she was employed for seven years and claimed the title of the fastest shorthand typist in NSW. Peggy met the love of her life, Jim Sharpe, at a St Patrick's Day dance when the young soldier was in camp at Tamworth in 1941.

Read also:

Jim was born in Warwick in 1919 and enlisted in the army when he was just 17. Posted to the 10th Australian General Hospital unit as a nursing orderly, he was one of the 133,000 Australian, British and Indian service personnel who were captured by the Japanese in the Fall of Singapore on February 15, 1942.

After somehow surviving the horrors of the POW camp at Changi, Jim was discharged at the end of 1945 and went home to his parents who were living at Ipswich - but after a few months, his love interest drew him back to NSW.

In 1947, Jim and Peggy were married in Manilla and moved to Gunnedah where they built their first home in South Street, and developed lasting friendships with their neighbours. They later built a new home Baxter Street.

In 1948, their only child James Trevor was born, and lifetime friends were formed through activities such as tennis, swimming, dancing, movies, picnics at the river and other sporting interests. Jim was heavily involved in rugby league and cricket, as well as basketball and water polo.

Peggy received a phone call from local solicitor Bill Baxter in 1954 asking her to fill in as his secretary for a few weeks - that few weeks ended 41 years later when she retired as a partner in the firm.

While working full-time, Peggy studied law and was admitted to the BAR on February 12, 1965, becoming the first female solicitor in the north and north west region of NSW. Peggy was later recognised by the Attorney General's Department for 50 years of service as a Justice of the Peace in NSW.

Beside practising Law, Peggy also had the opportunity to attend the International Law Conventions in Singapore, Malaya, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan and New Zealand.

She also found time to be a member of QUOTA, a non-profit international organisation empowering women and children, the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and people with speech difficulties in local communities around the world. Dedicated to the service of others, Peggy received an award for 40 years of service to QUOTA.

Peggy was a foundation committee member of Yallambee Homes for the Aged, serving for 25 years as a board member and trustee. In 2017, she was invited to unveil a plaque marking Yallambee's 50 years of service to the community.

Peggy also supported the work of the Sisters of Mercy in Gunnedah, serving on the St Mary's College Board of Management for 10 years. Her Catholic faith was an integral part of her life.

After the death of her husband in March 2003, Peggy became a member of the War Widows Guild, and also joined Legacy and Probus, where she truly enjoyed the friendship and fellowship. Peggy always maintained a keen interest in the community and the lives of her extended family.

Ben Sharpe calculated that his grandmother had given 166 years of combined service to the community.

"Nana really loved this town and its people, and despite decades of pleading from her grandchildren she would not move north to the warmer climates of Brisbane and Queensland, so please accept my sincere thanks to all of you for making my Nana's life so special."

Despite all of her achievements in life, Peggy Sharpe said not long before her death that her most gratifying achievement had been her "loving and lovely family".

"Each and everyone of them, I hold most dear," she said.

The farewell mass at St Joseph's on June 21, 2019, was followed by interment at Gunnedah Memorial Park.

The late Peggy Sharpe was predeceased by her husband Jim. She is survived by her son Jim, daughter-in-law Wendy and their family.