And so it was to be. The casket was piped in to “Highland Cathedral” and out to “O Flower of Scotland”. The church was decorated with Clan banners and the Keith and Austin tartan. During the Piper’s Lament, the Gentlemen of the Clan laid a flower each on the casket, as did the representatives of the many other Clans who gathered for the occasion.

We heard the story of her life: beginning in 1919 as one of six children farming in the remote dusty dry rural heartland of New South Wales where survival itself depended on hard work, self reliance and co-operation with family and neighbours. Jean excelled at school and won a scholarship to become a teacher, which took her to Sydney as a teenager in the immediately pre-War years. It was there she met her future husband, John Marshall, and married barely months before he shipped out to fight in the Pacific theatre.

The post-War years were about home making at a time when Sydney was booming. Jean and John made their home at 26 Ivy Street, Linfield, only a few steps away from the Church where the service was held. As well as raising three sons, Jean continued her career teaching science at schools for girls in the district. Clearly her influence on the lives of her pupils extended beyond that of instructor, because we heard from several of her original pupils about the formative impact she had on them, and how they became and remained her friends. Right up until shortly before her passing, groups would meet regularly with Jean for lunch or tea and a catch-up.

Dave Austin, Clan Keith Commissary for Queensland, spoke in tribute on behalf of the Clan Keith. He recalled the Sunday phone calls we have all received from Jean when she would deliver “instructions” to her lieutenants” and enquire after news of “her clansmen and women”, always with the opening “Jean Marshall here …”. Mostly he spoke of her commitment to the Clan Keith and the leadership she provided by travelling widely to events and to provide support to members of the Clan, especially those who were ill or had suffered one of life’s misfortunes.

Jean’s interest in Clan Keith was sparked by her eldest son Bill. In his eulogy, her youngest son Ken Marshall also paid tribute to his older brother who died tragically when the doctoral thesis he was writing on the Honours of Scotland was almost complete. It was Jean who picked up the pen and completed her son’s work, their combined efforts receiving high acclaim by the academic reviewers before the PhD was awarded posthumously.

Jean also made a contribution to the wider Scottish interest community in Australia. This earned her the award Duine Urramach (D Urr), which in the Scots Gaelic means “Honoured Person”, by the Celtic Council of Australia in 2010.