Our
mother was born in Moshi, Tanzania on the 16th December 1931 to the
late Domingo and Flaviana Sanches. Agnes married the late Joseph Gaikwad in
1961 in Dar es Salaam. They had three children: Jason, Sandra, and Jacqueline.
She is a grandmother to Orla, Clare, and Joshua.
One
of ten siblings, Agnes is survived by her sisters Regina, Zelia and Bertha. Her
late brothers and sisters are Mary, Victor, Longlinho, Augustine, Christine,
and Robert.
Mum was
highly creative and had a natural talent for business. It is remarkable for a
woman to succeed so well in business in 1960’s Dar-es Salaam. She, however, possessed
the passion, vision, intelligence, and tenacity to succeed. She had a great love
of flowers, plants, gardening, and landscaping. She became a distinguished horticulturist
and florist, winning many awards and medals for her outstanding flower growing
and gardens.
She
turned her passion and ability into an amazing creative and business success. Agnes
acquired Vayle Springs Florists in the late 1960’s. Through her efforts it became
Tanzania’s foremost florist and landscape gardening business.
Mum
had a big charismatic personality and loved people. A great communicator, she
made friends very easily and had an enormous impact on everyone she met. For
many years she was the exclusive florist for The State House in Tanzania, notably
supplying the flower décor for Queen Elizabeth's II’s visit. She did the
floristry for significant State House events during the time of President Nyerere
including for the visit of Pope John Paul II.
Our
mother was a truly incredible woman who was multi- talented and inspired many
with her ingenuity and resilience, including her family many of whom have followed
in her footsteps. She had a heart of gold and was always there for everyone,
she radiated love and kindness to all.
Family
was especially important to our mother. When her business was growing successfully,
she looked after many family members and friends. She never said no as she had
a huge heart and welcomed many into her home.
When
she moved with Joseph and her young family to the UK in 1981, she faced the
inevitable challenges of establishing herself in a new country. With her
abilities and typical tenacity, she strived to overcome the challenges. She made
new friends, built friend and professional networks, and worked constantly. She
was a major help to Sandra in establishing her own successful floristry and
events business in London. She continued working right through to her 90’s assisting
Sandra with her event works in Claridges, National History Museum, Tate Modern
and many other prestigious venues. Age was not a barrier and she continued to create
stunning floral arrangements that amazed people with her creativity. Our mum
was truly unique and outstanding.
During
her golden years she also kept busy, spending a lot of time gardening,
crocheting, learning new recipes (although she was a fantastic cook). She loved
reading and was a talented amateur artist. There was a time in Dar-es -Salaam
our mother used to bake cakes for weddings and became known as “Mama Keki.” She
was also widely known as “Mama Maua” and “Mama Agnes.” She took time to pass on
her talents to her grandchildren Orla, Clare, and Joshua.
Our
lasting memories of our mum are simple: a loving, hardworking, passionate
figure of strength who always supported her family and soldiered on even when
times were tough stayed positive and always had a beautiful smile. She was an
inspiring presence in all our lives and her legacy will continue to live in all
of us. We were truly blessed to have our beautiful mum.
With all of our love Jason, Sandra, Jacqueline, Orla, Clare & Joshua
