Marion Newell

Marina. Mother, Teacher, Friend. Big sparkly blue eyes so expressive, laughter spontaneous & joyful, kindness so overwhelming. A heart Steadfast & True. Genuine with a deep personal integrity. Compassionate & practical in her caring, Counting the Cost but doing it anyway. Lavish in giving. She was Faithful & she was Full of Faith, & around[…]

Ian Shaw

I first met Marina in 2006. Between 2006 and around 2018, I was treated to a number of wonderful lunches/teas at Marina and Eddie’s house accompanied by long conversations. Nothing was ever too much trouble, Tara and I loved receiving cards and e-cards celebrating festivals every year as well as the family updates. In February[…]

Daniela Pears

Marina had the most magical way of making you feel like you were enormously loved, appreciated and truly one of her dearest friends. From the moment you stepped over the threshold of ‘Bethany Cottage ‘ you felt like you’d arrived home! I’ll never forget arranging a trip up to visit Marina that happened to be[…]

Geraldine, Shirlee and Mikki

Marina was without doubt the epitome of humanity and compassion. Our family were recipients of her love and innate kindness. Our parents, Joe and Laura Carver, appreciated Marina’s healing words and uplifting advice. They held her in great esteem and we, their three daughters felt the same. Marina generated joy and warmheartedness and seemed instinctively[…]

Lee Liberman AM

On behalf of USC Shoah Foundation’s Board of Councilors, I’m writing to express our deepest sympathy on the loss of your dear mother, Marina Smith. Marina was an educator, a storyteller and an archivist of memory. She devoted her life to building understanding and empathy between different communities of people. The stories and memories that[…]

Richard Newell

Yom Ha Shoah (around 2012) In the run up to the event, Mrs Smith had written and issued the invitations (despite being ‘retired’ for roughly 7 years already) and acted as the coordinator with the Holocaust Centre for the Survivors and their families. Every invitation email/letter she had sent, to over 100 people and their[…]

Nathanael Boarer

Writing a concise tribute, having had the privilege to know Mrs Smith all my life, was always going to be a tall order. I’ve written, deleted, and edited many times; however, had it not been for Mrs Smith, I wouldn’t be writing this tribute. When I entered Woodlands school (Mrs Smiths school), my English was[…]

Simon Winston

So sad that Marina has passed away. She was the inspiration and heart of Beth Shalom, a place which allowed me to release my demons. She was compassionate, caring, welcoming, a good listener –  she was my friend. It will take me a long time to read through the plethora of lengthy, beautiful tributes above, but they were[…]

Ed Kessler

Marina was a tour de force, indefatigable in her desire to support Holocaust survivors and their families as well as the survivors of the genocide in Rwanda and many, many more. I came to know her through the annual visits to Beth Shalom by students of the Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations (later[…]

Susan Soyinka

Dear Stephen, James, Eddie and the entire Smith family, I am so very sorry to hear of the loss of your wonderful mother/wife/ grandmother. I can do no better than to reiterate the many accolades she has received since her passing. Indeed there are not sufficient superlatives to describe the kind of woman she was:[…]