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Happy Mother’s Day to the best. Below is an excerpt from a speech I gave this week at the girls school for a Mother’s Day breakfast. Love you mom! @deirdreplummer

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I immigrated from the USA in 1985, when I was six, with mum and dad, my two sisters and brother.

As immigrants with no extended family, my parents both worked incredibly hard building a new life in a new country with way too many children.

A few years in, mum decided it was important that we all go to private schools because some of us still couldn’t read. I started at Queenwood in year 3 along with my two sisters.

Things were wild, mum had her own aerobics business which she ran out of the Woolloomooloo police boys club, dad was locked in at work.

Mum drove a brown mini van with only two seats in the back, so we’d draw straws to avoid being the ones rolling around loose in the boot with the 30+ pairs of hand weights and huge speakers she brought to each class. It was deeply unsafe but more than that, it was so embarrassing.

Mum would pick us up from bottom school and would leap out of the van in her black unitard, red leotard over the top, double socks (different colours) and high-top Reeboks so she could pop the boot for to scramble in with our school bags hoping that no one was watching.

When mum was asked to be the parent speaker at my year 12 valedictory dinner, I was shocked, and apparently asked her why the school didn’t ask one of the good mums to do it.

My girls seemed to be equally shocked when I told them I was speaking today.

At the time, I thought my mum was incredibly embarrassing. But now, standing here, I see something very different. I see a woman who was resourceful, determined and absolutely committed to giving her children every opportunity she could.

What I once saw as chaos, I now recognise deeply as love in action.

#akramkhanballet #vincenzolamagnamusic #mathiasfriishansenmusic #royaldanishballet #ladymacbethofmtsenskwhat an amazing night…the sunset on the fire curtain of the Copenhagen Opera House.

#steaming #oslo-copenhagen #onboard

#morningatrepton #still #holidaywithfriends #bananarama

View out the window on the long way around from Sydney to Milan…an extra treat…#safeflight #ana #lascalaringcycle

Opening night of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel…what fun! Oddly this photo is reminiscent of the set! #hanselandgretel #operaaustralia #scarywitch #sweetgretel #funnyhansel

The sky over Bangalow…we hurried home! #stormsacomin #soonitsgunnarain #betterduckinside

Peonies are my heart’s heart…how lovely are these in vases from Bangalow Pharmacy…#peonies #heartsheart #earlysummer #theflowerbarco

Peonies are my heart’s heart…how lovely are these in vases from Bangalow Pharmacy…#peonies #heartsheart #earlysummer #theflowerbarco

Peonies are my heart’s heart…how lovely are these in vases from Bangalow Pharmacy…#peonies #heartsheart #earlysummer #theflowerbarco

@haystack.curators Alyssa at @haystack.curators has done an amazing job at sorting out some ancient photos. I love this one, me as a toddler loving my suitcase…this is still true! Love packing a bag for a trip…precient image.

Oh this moon…friend,healer, constant companion. #moon #crescentmoon moon #friend

Safely inside the Hurtigruten Mail Boat…reminds me of The Lord of the Rings!#hurtigruten

#hurtigruten Norway reminds me of The Lord of the Rings…of course, because it is from Norse Mythology.