The Shoalhaven has lost one of its champions and most passionate advocates with the death of Vera Hatton on Friday, July 21, at the age of 85.
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The dedicated educator, historian and artist passed away at home after a long battle with dementia, that left her unable to speak for the past three years.
But her legacy will live on throughout the Shoalhaven, NSW, Australia and even internationally, according to husband John Hatton, the former Shoalhaven Shire President and independent State Member for the South Coast.
After researching Huskisson's history and speaking to some of its older residents about ship building, Mrs Hatton was central to establishing the Lady Denman Heritage Complex, now known as the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum.
Mr Hatton said Vera became a key influence in the way maritime history was acknowledged around the world - during visits to places including the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, and the Greenwich Maritime Museum in London.
Closer to home she was coordinator of regional museums across the South Coast, Southern Highlands and Illawarra.
To help with her work and passion for history she went to James Cook university in Townsville in the 1990s, completing a graduate diploma in community museum management, and topping the course two years in a row.
"She used that knowledge to add to the group she had formed at the Denman," Mr Hatton said.
Mrs Hatton was also on Shoalhaven Council's heritage committee, and received a healthy cities award for work in communities across Shoalhaven and Illawarra.
In 2012 Mrs Hatton was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for service to the museums sector through the Lady Denman Heritage Complex, and as a supporter of youth, social welfare and historical organisations in the Shoalhaven region.
After being invited by Premier Bob Carr to join the NSW Ministry for the Arts committee, Mrs Hatton fought for grants to be distributed to small museums across the state, bringing about a major change in the way things were done.
Mr Hatton said his wife was always bringing about changes, through compassion, empathy and understanding.
"She was universally loved, and effective in stealing her way into the consciousness of the community, and I'll miss her like hell," he said.
In addition Mrs Hatton was equally at home with the Inuit people as she was mixing with MPs from around the world, her husband said.
"She connected with peasants in Mexico, with indigenous people in Australia."
Mr Hatton said his wife was "very good at working with Aboriginal people".
"The Aboriginal elders absolutely worshipped Vera, because it was a very inclusive thing."
And he said a lot of initiatives came out of "that understanding and respect".
"She had this ability to melt into that situation with great empathy and understanding."
A key part of that was the ability to see not only the light in each person, but also their potential.
"She has this unique ability to identify the gems in people's personalities, show them how to polish those, and lift them in their vision of what their life could be," Mr Hatton said.
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Mrs Hatton also had incredible courage, her husband said.
"When I was taking on organised crime and I got involved with the McKay murder and the Mafia in Griffith and the Southern Highlands, we had some really serious death threat situations," he said.
There were even occasions when there was a police car stationed at each and of their street.
"Despite the fact I was putting myself and my family and wife at risk, she never once said 'Don't do it'," Mr Hatton said.
He recalled a time when he and his wife were travelling on a bus through Mexico, and it was pulled up by people armed with weapons.
But Mrs Hatton helped dissipate the potentially dangerous situation.
"We spoke to those people and distributed some brass kangaroos and gave them a few pesos, and this whole connection happened without language, and they pulled the logs off the bus and let us pass through."
Mr Hatton said he also once saw his wife in central Queensland squatting on the ground while a brahman bull was staring her down, snorting and scraping the ground.
"If she had moved she'd be dead, but she kept her cool," he said.
"And she kept her cool when a swarm of bees landed on her in the desert, desperate for water."
Mr Hatton said he managed to get them off by laying out damp rags.
Mr and Mrs Hatton met when they were both teaching at Nowra High School, and were married for 65 years.
Mrs Hatton will be farewell during a funeral service in the Vera Hatton Gallery in the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum, at 11.30am on Friday, July 28, followed by a wake at the Huskisson Community Centre in Dent Street.
Mr Hatton said all are welcome to attend.
