Julie passed away suddenly and peacefully on the 25th August 2025, at the age of 82, surrounded by family.
She was known for her quiet dignity, impish humour and dedicated love for her family.
Julie was an unexpected gift to her parents Irene and Alan Stewart, inheriting her mother’s stoicism and her father’s sense of humour. She was born in 1942 and grew up in Croydon, Sydney with her parents and two older sisters, Colleen and Wendy, and later with Colleen’s son, Craig. She is survived by her sister Wendy Kemp.
Her younger days were spent developing her skill in playing tennis, and a strong competitive nature and graceful ability enabled her to win against players who would go on to play professionally. Her love for playing tennis endured all her life.
When she was 16, Julie started working at Rhettie & Vickery, a firm of Chartered Accountants in Sydney. It was there that she met Brian and they became firm friends, sharing fun times and eventually becoming engaged and being married, welcoming daughters Vicki and Lindy.
A desire for adventure led the family away from their home in West Chatswood to Fiji for 3 years, returning to Chatswood afterwards and catching up with family and friends. A love for seeing new places resulted in travelling around Australia in a bus while the girls were in their early/mid teens. This close family time was a highlight of Julie’s life. Following the trip, the family moved to Armidale and worked hard redeveloping the Tattersall’s Hotel. Julie and Brian moved to the Central Coast, and must have had itchy feet, as they left for another stint in a motor home, this time for 6 years. Julie enjoyed settling in Harrington NSW afterwards, meeting new friends and of course, being able to play tennis every week at the Harrington Tennis Club!
Julie loved expanding the family when Lindy married Erik and Vicki married Anthony. She delighted in welcoming her granddaughters, Jessica, Alana (Ali) and Olivia and enjoyed watching them grow and being their “Nan’.
More recently Julie and Brian moved to Bolton Point on Lake Macquarie.
Having a widely distributed and varied circle of friends has always been valued by Julie.
We invite family and friends to leave a message on this tribute page and/or join us to celebrate Julie’s life in the afternoon of 14th November 2025, from 1:30pm to 4pm.
Please RSVP your interest for catering purposes by 3rd November 2025.
Thank you for adding a memory. It means a lot to comfort families and to keep the memory of Julie alive.
Thank you for your message. It means a lot to comfort families and to keep the memory of Julie alive.
My memories of Julie are as a special friend over at least 60 years, always beautifully calm and composed. I can hear her gentle voice now. Unfortunately, I have not ...
My memories of Julie are as a special friend over at least 60 years, always beautifully calm and composed. I can hear her gentle voice now. Unfortunately, I have not been well and will be unable to attend the memorial service.
Our memories of Julie were always full of wonder at her magic calmness which she displayed as Brian whisked her off again and again on their various adventures both before ...
Our memories of Julie were always full of wonder at her magic calmness which she displayed as Brian whisked her off again and again on their various adventures both before and after Parenthood.
What a thrilling and varied life they gave to Vicki and Lindy and we all saw with admiration how well they did when they left school.
Our most recent memory was seeing her sitting in Brian's convertible Mercedes after driving down to Gloucester from Harrington with her head nearly blown off, but, smiling to be joining the fun of their Car Club outing.
Her patience and wry sense of humour was to the fore when she shared her lounge room with Brian's rowing skull for what seemed years!
Because her life has been taken so suddenly we will only remember her youthful vitality.
With Love and Condolences to Brian,Vicki and Lindy.
Penny and David Mitchell
Denver and Cathy Webb
Julie and I were neighbours and “bike buddies”. We enjoyed riding along the river at Harrington, undoing all good intentions by calling in at the Golf Club Cafe for coffee ...
Julie and I were neighbours and “bike buddies”. We enjoyed riding along the river at Harrington, undoing all good intentions by calling in at the Golf Club Cafe for coffee and cake before the ride home. We never did lose weight with our biking endeavours, not that Julie needed to!
Wonderful memories over many years including our young lives, our weddings, families and mutual friends.
We met Julie through the Harrington Tennis Club and also the Taree Historical car club. She was a great competitor at Tennis. It was always a pleasure to play with ...
We met Julie through the Harrington Tennis Club and also the Taree Historical car club. She was a great competitor at Tennis. It was always a pleasure to play with her . It was such a shock to hear that she passed away. We will miss you Julie. Thank you for your friendship. May you RIP and God bless.
Julie your lovely smile, your kind heart & true friendship is sadly missed. You will always be a treasured memory in our hearts. We miss you.