Tamara Isaacs

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I do not remember exactly when I first met Gill. When I was 17 on an AJ6 tour I became good friends with Andrea Libman and I became aware of her good friend Gill at that time. But when Gill lived with my school friend Alexis Beaver in Leeds we met and then when she lived in Somerset Road in Hendon I got to know her better.

One memory of that time was driving her to Kings Cross Station to get the first edition of The Times with her accountancy exam results. Being Gill she was very nervous about whether she had passed, so I bought a half size bottle of champagne so I could keep it hidden, but of course she had done well.

In every memory I have of Gill, she is the kind and attentive friend. Even in recent years, since Andy died, my texts from Gill all ask after me and my family, checking up that I am ok when the political news suggests my work may be intense. Like many others I have enjoyed walks with Gill over the lockdown period and for many years before, which combined the greenery that Mill Hill, Totteridge and beyond have to offer with Gill’s sense of humour, common sense and wisdom.

I cannot quite bear to start the Book Club chapter, as Book Club without Gill seems inconceivable. Book Club is always more than the book, it is a time to catch up and to support each other in good times and bad. Gill is the best at all that, the ultimate friend and lynch-pin of the group. In choosing and discussing the book, Gill’s incredible intelligence shone through. Without being showy or pretentious, her incisive comments, building on others rather than ignoring them, were crucial to the discussion. She read well beyond the book club books and was a great source of recommendations.

Gill and Andy’s relationship is a source of great memories. They were made for each other in every way, and drew friends towards them while exhibiting their own strong bond. Deep kindness to others was a constant. Michael, my husband, played football with Andy and said what an exceptional team player he was, not just his football prowess but his generous personality. I could only glimpse the challenges they went through together during Andy’s illness but Gill played an extraordinary role, the mark of who she was. Whenever we met or spoke, we spoke of Zak and Mia and what they were up to. She was so proud of them for the people they are.

I write this while on holiday. At each location I keep thinking that Gill would like this place and I must tell her about it. Somehow, Gill and Andy had very similar holiday tastes to us and we followed their recommendations several times over the years and I think they followed some of ours. We also had a great meet-up one holiday in the Dordogne. I have memories of a fantastic day at a water park, with Zak and Mia ensuring my kids were more daring than they ever would have been with us. I’ll hold that memory to me, a happy day all together.

Michael and I miss Andy and Gill so much