Last Friday marked one year since Linda Bulloch died. She has been sadly missed and is fondly remembered. Linda gave seven years of great service as Head of Boarding and as we reflect on our Mercy focus value of Service we only need to remember how Linda cared for the boarding girls to see how this value can be lived out in everyday life.

To mark this occasion our boarding girls wrote some short reflections which were read out at Mercy Day, in acknowledgement and as a means of showing their gratitude for the care, the nurturing, the love and the service Linda gave to them. Staff and boarding students wore orange ribbons as a symbol of unity, and support that they have given to the leukaemia foundation during this past year in her memory.

My favourite memory of Ms Bulloch is when we would have our little chats when she used to take me to my orthodontist appointments. She always had time for those little conversations whenever I saw her.

The thing I remember most about Ms Bulloch is how she was always at the dining room for breakfast to greet the girls with a happy smile.

A memory that will always stay with me about Ms Bulloch is how she was always full of hugs and compliments. I don’t think a single day went by where she didn’t give at least one of us girls a hug, she always had something nice to say and I will never forget that.

One of the things I loved about Ms Bulloch the most was how she was so understanding and considerate of each and every one of the girls in boarding. She treated us all equally as boarding sisters. No one will ever replace her special place, that will forever stay within Santa’s boarding community.

Last year when I was in the middle school production and Ms Bulloch was sick and in hospital she sent me an email saying “Charlotte enjoy the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe! Have fun and ‘break a leg’ as the saying goes. Sorry I am not there. Good luck.” I still have this email and is something I will always remember because know matter what the circumstances she was under she would always want to be apart and in our life.

I remember her as a mother who took care of each and everyone of us.

At the Dowerin Field Day, me and Bella  were really tired and bored and Ms Bulloch could clearly tell, so she flipped her scarf over her head and pretended to be Mother Theresa, doing this strange accent and saying “I bless you, I bless you.”

Ms Bulloch was a kind, loving person who always had her best interests in the boarding girls she cared for and the people she worked with.

A fond memory I have of Ms Bulloch, was all the time she drove me to trainings, the way she would always greet me with a smile when I hopped in the car and ask me 1 good thing that happened to me today.

She was a determine lady who was willing to do anything for anyone and always went out of her way to help out and she always listened when you had something to say.

She would always comfort me when I was homesick and cheer me up.

My Favourite memory of Ms Bulloch was how she always updated the photos in the dining room and took lots of photos of us at rec.

I remember the time Ms Bulloch took our year to Garden City at last minute to make sure we had everything for a project.

My memories of Ms Bulloch are that I remember all the times she took me to tennis and how she would talk about boarding and how to make it a better place and how we were all going every morning at breakfast.

I remember how she always tried to make boarding a home away from home and make us feel like we could always talk to her when we needed.

My memory of Ms Bulloch is the special birthday hugs at breakfast time.

Also, her comforting attributes were so amazingly memorable. When anyone was home sick she would also come and knock on our doors giving us great big bear hugs. She also tried cracking jokes to distract us or take us to the kitchen to collect the supplies for other houses and drop them off making us feel like we were on top of the world.

I remember how Ms Bulloch would always try and make boarding a home away from home and how she was always here for us when we needed someone to talk to.

I was very close to Ms Bulloch. I especially remember the time when she drove Maggie and me to Mingenew for the Expo. She was a beautiful woman, with a kind soul and we all miss her very much.

Ms Bulloch was a women who put her heart and soul into boarding and the girls that were there at the time, She gave everything to the girls and made sure we had gotten that feeling of a little bit of home. We truely did and do appreciate everything you did for us Ms Bulloch, Always and forever in our hearts.

She was just like my second mum, She was always there for you and would do anything for you no matter the time of the day.

When she has filled in as a relief housemother on the weekends and we have have woken up to Ms Bulloch making pancakes, bacon and eggs for everyone in the house for breakfast making us feel a little closer to home.

I miss seeing her every night at dinner. She’d always make sure to come and ask everyone how their day was.

Lily and I received a letter on the front desk the day we were elected for our position as head and deputy head boarder, it was a letter from Ms Bulloch which wished us well in our position and that she was sad she wouldn’t get to work with us, she was the kind of lady who was interested in what was happening in boarding right up until the end. This was only a few weeks before she passed and it was the last time we heard from her.

Always being a happy face to see around the school, never hesitated to give your a hug.

A strong memory I have of Ms Bulloch was our morning chats at breakfast always with a caring hello, what are your plans for the day or even for the week. These conversations often lead to a 30-40 minute breakfast instead of 10 minutes. Her strong interest in the boarders and how our lives were, only further more added to her above and beyond nature to help anyone she possibly could in a day no matter how small or large.

She was one of those people who would do absolutely anything for anyone. She had the biggest heart of gold and would honestly do anything for anyone.