A Tribute to Laurel Sharpe

One of Australia’s largest running studies of cognitive ageing is CHeBA’s Sydney Memory and Ageing Study. It investigated rates and predictors of healthy cognitive ageing, mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older Australians, and has now expanded to look at the next generation of older Australians. For 15 years, more than 1000 older adults generously gave their time to the original study, including Mrs Laurel Sharpe - a participant who joined the study in 2007 as an 82 year-old and passed away this year on 3 March, aged 100. 

Laurel Maybelle Wilson was born in Waverley War Memorial Hospital on 10 October 1924 and had two children to husband Philip Sharpe, Annabelle and Matthew. Laurel was a devoted mother, mother-in-law to Tina, grandmother to Adam, Joel and Kyle and great-grandmother to Kaelan, Liam, Layla, Matilda, Eleanor, and Marcus. She was also a longtime companion to Jim Brooks, whom she considered "the brother I never had." 

Laurel had several hobbies throughout her life and was particularly skilled in sports, excelling in netball and even representing New South Wales in an interstate tournament. She was an accomplished ice-skater and spoke about her passion for dancing on the ice often in her final months. Later in life, she became very involved in Square Dancing, both dancing and helping organise conventions. She was also an avid player of card games and board games and enjoyed community activities like singing in the Coomba Choir with her daughter. Even in very late life Laurel was an expert at card games. 

Although she went into hairdressing after leaving school Laurel was very happy when she began the nursing career she had always wanted. A move to Dubbo following Philip’s return from the war altered the course of her plans. On returning to Sydney, Laurel joined her mother’s and step-father’s jewellery business where her wire-linking skills and creations for fashion shops were very popular.

"Mum was committed to contributing to the community – to enhancing the lives of others."

Wherever they lived, Laurel was the kind of person that threw herself into community life, becoming involved with Red Cross where she led a team of volunteers, Probus, Soroptimists, the Scouts and many other activities. She even once stood for Council. She was a proud recipient of the 1999 Commonwealth Recognition Award for her “significant contribution to the community of Kingsford-Smith”.

She also cared for her mother and estranged father – in two separate flatettes in the St Paul’s St home, demonstrating her caring and compassionate demeanour.  

Laurel was an exemplar of reducing her risk of cognitive decline and dementia by staying physically active throughout her life, challenging her cognitive capabilities and having strong social connections and community engagement – all important facets of protecting brain health. 

She was also highly committed to CHeBA’s research and had MRI scans, provided blood specimens and completed the COVID questionnaire as part of her participation. According to the researchers she was a “model participant”. 

She contributed her 100 year old brain to the Brain Donation program and her daughter Annabelle reflects: “though the remainder of her body has now been cremated, her brain and the information it yields lives on, continuing to contribute to the health and well-being of other people”. 

In her later years and although she had apparently never aimed for it previously, she became fixated on reaching 100. And she made it.The birthday celebrations were organized by Estia and there is now a rose bush planted in her honour to commemorate her 100th.

According to Annabelle, Laurel was a friend to many and will be missed by many. She was a very sociable, outgoing person who always got along with people, charming them and taking joy from interactions with them – and incredibly was like that right up until a day or two before she passed away.