Mrs Holland, aged 90, who was involved in numerous local organisations, died after she was critically injured during a dog attack on Collingwood Beach on March 29 last year.

Mother Nature did her bit turning on a picture perfect day at Jervis Bay and in particular at Mrs Holland's beloved Collingwood Beach, where she would swim and walk each day.

The service heard about a loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother, friend and community volunteer fondly remembered for her hard work within the community and a generous soul.

It had been planned to hold a service last year to celebrate Mrs Holland's life, but unfortunately COVID put paid to those plans.

The service, hosted by Joanne Fabri and Bruce ManKenzie, started with a welcome to country and performance by the Dhaawarri Dancers from Vincentia High School.

The eulogy was presented by her granddaughter Taralei Williams, with other tributes from Helen Jeffrey and Nevin Holland, while Jann Kalff spoke on behalf of the CWA and Jervis Bay Community Hall, both organisations Mrs Holland was heavily involved with.

Her great granddaughter Leah Delamont a read a tribute on behalf of another of her community groups, the Red Cross.

Ada Zara Trevor was born on October 5, 1929 in the Country Women's Hospital in Yenda, in the NSW Riverina district.

Ada was the seventh child of Mabel Hodgson and Reginald Joseph Trevor Brissenden, a returned World War I veteran.

Sally's dad didn't like the name Ada and called her Sally, by which she was then known throughout her life.

It wasn't until Sally was nine that she found out her real name was Ada.

When Sally was six months old, her dad left the family home, never again to be seen, and not knowing if by choice or unfortunate events that kept her dad away, caused a great sadness for Sally for the rest of her life.

Sally's mother remarried and Sally become a big sister to a younger sister and brother, who she enjoyed 'mothering'.

Sally's parents were both only children, which meant that she didn't have any aunties, uncles or cousins with whom to connect or relate.

When Sally was two her family relocated to North Sydney and it was there that Sally started her formal education.

The family lived only a few doors down from the local school and Sally would take herself down to watch the children playing, particularly on sports days.

On one day Sally went into the playground to join in the activities, after which she proceeded to walk into the classroom with some students.

The teacher pulled Sally up as her mother arrived to get her. The teacher asked Sally's age. She was just four.

The teacher told Sally's mother to enroll her for school on the following Monday. And that was the start of Sally's school journey.

Sally's family relocated to Woonona when Sally was aged nine and she continued her schooling at Woonona Public School.

From there she entered Smith's Hill Domestic Science High School, where she attained her Intermediate Certificate and then transferred to Wollongong High School to attain her Leaving Certificate.

It was in fourth year at high school that she first met Raymond Holland (or Ray as some knew him) who was repeating fourth year and was the only child of the local policeman.

Ray took one look at Sally and decided he wanted to get to know her better.

One of Sally's subjects was cooking and Ray would wait for her when she came out of class, to ask not only what she had made that lesson but if he could taste it.

Sometimes Sally let him, other times it was 'only for the family'.

Both Sally and Ray loved to dance, so every Wednesday they paid their penny each to go into the school hall and dance for the lunch-hour.

As their love blossomed, Sally was ecstatic when Ray asked her to be 'his girl'.

The second World War was over, they were in their final year at school and wanted to marry but because they were under 21, they also needed parental permission, which was not given at that time.

So what should two young people who loved each other deeply do?

On the afternoon of Saturday, March 2 1946 Sally and Ray caught the steam train from Bulli to Central Station in Sydney.

They left the station and walked across the road to stand under a tree and pledge their love to each other. Ray slipped a wedding ring on to Sally's finger.

Afterwards, they had a meal at a café and spent their 'wedding' night in the Railway Hotel.

They both achieved their Leaving Certificates.

Parental permission to marry was finally given and on October 29, 1946, Sally and Ray were legally married.

They moved into their first home in Port Kembla, where they lived for 20 years. Their four children, Gloria, Carolyn, John and Bruce, who all survive her, grew up there.

Sally is also survived by eight of her nine grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

Sally and Ray very quickly became involved in community life and service.

Sally became a canteen volunteer at the public school her children attended as well as a member of the Port Kembla CWA.

Ray was a Freemason involved in charity works and Sally was there to support him tirelessly for more than 60 years.

Sally and Ray shared a love of music and dancing, and if music was playing on the radio when Ray arrived home from work, no matter what Sally was doing, whether peeling vegetables or washing up, Ray would go up and grab her around the waist and start dancing her around the house.

Sally and Ray left Port Kembla and moved to Windang in 1966.

Sally cut back her involvement with CWA, having secured positions as a sewing teacher at both Berkeley West and Berkeley South public schools.

Sally not only taught sewing but was also an avid dressmaker. She made all of her own ball gowns, the school uniforms for her children, clothing for paying customers and even Ray's underpants.

Sally really seemed to live life to the fullest.

She was an excellent cook and made ice-cream for her young family every night after they bought a refrigerator

She knitted jumpers and cardigans for the family, taught herself to crochet, learned copperwork, silk screen printing, painted on T-Shirts and jumpers as well as china and glassware, loved gardening, really loved music and reading.

Sally was a true 'student of life' - she loved to learn and was mentally, physically and financially practical.

Ray once stated that he and Sally had achieved so well because Sally was such a 'financial wizz'

By recommendation of their son John in 1968, Sally and Ray came to Vincentia for the day to check out the area and see what land was for sale.

They found the block where they wanted to build their retirement home and Sally put down a deposit.

In 1989 they relocated to Sanctuary Point while their first and only new home in Vincentia, was being constructed in Twyford Street.

Sally designed the house and Ray told her she could have whatever she wanted.

When she stated she wanted green roof tiles, he emphatically said 'No! Anything but that!'

While their home was being built, Ray joined the Masons Day Lodge, while Sally joined and became a founding member of the Jervis Bay Day Branch of CWA and was instrumental in the formation of the Jervis Bay Evening Branch.

In the early 1990s they both became involved in Meals on Wheels and Probus.

Sally also became involved in Red Cross and the Jervis Bay Community Hall committee.

Sally and Ray also joined Stuarts' Travel Club, enjoying many day and overnight trips on the bus, as well as train trips and overseas.

Sally and Ray did many private trips in their campervan, visiting family interstate, the annual 'relly run' as they called it, many train trips interstate, trips on the Murray River and generally enjoying their lives together.

While they did a fair bit of travel, Sally would still say, 'why would you want to go on holiday when you're already on holiday all year round down here?'

Sally went on her first cruise ship, the Pacific Dawn, celebrating her 80th birthday.

After that initial cruise she achieved her dream of cruising on the Queen Mary a couple of times, as well as her final cruise for Christmas 2019/New Year 2020 with her friend, Anne Holmes on the Queen Elizabeth 2.

All that was left for Sally, was to book a cruise on the Queen Victoria. They had decided on their cruise but unfortunately that never eventuated.

Sally was given a computer by Carolyn, John and Bruce for her 80th birthday, which she learned to use by attending classes. She also become competent in her use of her mobile phone, tablet and kindle.

One task she didn't feel comfortable with doing was internet banking, and would get others to help with that, or do it the old school way by going into a branch and being served by an actual person.

One thing Sally didn't do and frankly, couldn't understand, is how people can sit for hours in front of a computer! Sally obviously had better things to do with her time.

Sally and Ray were also generous donors to many charities, as evidenced by their cheque book butts.

One activity Sally really did enjoy and that was her early morning walks on Collingwood Beach, followed by a swim in the beautiful waters of Jervis Bay and if the dolphins happened to swim by, that was an additional bonus.

Initially it was Sally walking on her own and after she met Johanna they teamed up to walk, swim, talk and have fun.

Towards the end of April 2008 other women who were walking started to join them.

When any of the group have family visit, they too often join the group, even if only to greet the morning of the new day.

They are now a group of about 10-12 women with a couple of males who call themselves the 'Collingwood Cougars' because they are all over 50.

What also adds to the camaraderie is that some visitors to the area return to catch up 'on all the goss' and join in the fun.

The Collingwood Cougars are also volunteer rubbish collectors on Collingwood Beach, something Sally was passionate about all of the years that she spent walking and swimming here, preserving the pristine beauty.

In 2013 this great group of people, the Collingwood Cougars, helped Collingwood Beach achieve the title of the Best Clean Beach in NSW.

The members of the Collingwood Cougars sometimes joke about doing 'their Christmas shopping here' because of the numbers of towels, clothing, footwear and other items they pick up, which has been left behind on the beach, and thus preventing all of it being washed out to sea and polluting the oceans.

Sally was always in the 'thick of it', making jokes, enjoying her snorkelling and her swimming improved each year (she couldn't swim as a child and never really had lessons).

But one experience that Sally cherished, was when she was snorkelling in the Bay with Johanna and a dolphin came up beside her, looked her in the eye and then continued to glide by.

After the initial shock wore off, it was a beautiful experience that remembered as feeling surreal.

About five years ago a new tradition started of celebrating any of the Cougar's birthdays with 'Breakfast at the Beach' and thankfully Sally got to enjoy a few of those.

Life works in mysterious ways and it's with certainty, despite the tragedy, that there is no better place for Sally to have been, than here on Collingwood Beach and its surrounding beauty, when her time to leave us on this earthly plane, came, and for her to return to spirit.

Her daughter Gloria, who was also a victim of the dog attack, thanked everyone for attending and paying tribute to her Mum and also thanked the members of the emergency services including NSW Ambulance and NSW Police who helped during the incident and in the weeks and months that followed.

Including was a special thanks to the paramedics both locally and those from the NSW Ambulance Rescue Helicopter who worked to save her mum and "the angels" who pulled her up the beach and undoubtedly saved her own life.

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