Sue was terrific. I met her a few times in Nepal.

Remembering a pioneering adventurer on the fifteenth anniversary of her passing, to her family and friends who miss her, thanks for inspiring all to go for their dreams.

I remember Sue with love and affection and admiration. I was her flat mate in Wollstonecraft Sydney from 1992 to 1996. There was never a dull moment. I remember when she would arrive home from a big overseas trek with so much climbing gear and stuff – I thought she was going to set up camp on our huge patio.I used to worry terribly about her whenever she left to go on one of her big mountain climbs and lived in fear I would turn on the tv one night to learn she was missing. Sadly my worst fears came true when I turned on the television that Sunday night and every tv station was featuring her tragic accident. I went into shock not sleeping for the next 4 nights. I have a beautiful picture of her my Sydney my friends obtained for me and had it blown up and framed and she hangs on our hallway wall where many people who visit us on the Gold Coast want to know all about her. Every year on this date I light a candle for her. She will never be forgotten. I know God will be keeping her busy in heaven organising all sorts of challenging tasks for her.
Gone from sight but forever in our hearts.

As a teacher at Avalon PS I will never forget Sue’s inspirational visit. At the time I was teaching 1/2/3 composite class of very bright children and they were full of questions, excitement and wonder as Sue related her experiences and passion about the mountains, Nepalese people and the beauty of the wilderness. She encouraged the children to follow their dreams and to be passionate about their life journey ahead. I remember her saying the most dangerous part of the climb was the descent and sadly this was true for Sue. As the anniversary of her passing is remembered I wish to send my thoughts and love to her family and let you know she inspired a young generation of children to unlock their adventurous spirit, be humble and appreciate the beauty of nature around them. Her spirit will live on forever.
Rest softly Sue in your beloved mountains and thank you.

Hello my friend, It has been a while and I miss having a chat with you, catching up on news and adventures. You would be surprised at how we’ve all grown, in so many ways. All is well, lots of love, Joanne

About 18 years ago I attended a conference in Tassie. My roomie was Sue – I had no idea who she was. The opening night of the conference went rather late and I remember, climbing out of bed, Sue came back in, returning from a long morning run, offering me a cuppa with a her signature grin. I admired her mind over matter already that morning. Wondering over to the conference, my jaw dropped, when I saw her walking on stage, being “kinda a big deal” and listening to her talking to the audience about the strength of one’s mind, I smiled to myself about the fact, that Sue had no inflated ego at all – she was happy to be just a roomie at a conference.
We laughed about this, days later, when I told her that I admired her climbing accomplishments. Her response was, “Dunja, it is overrated. Anyone healthy can do it, if your mindset is right. What sets one apart as a leader is the fact that you are able to make life changing decisions in a matter of split seconds”. What a passionate leader she was – she keeps inspiring many of us years after her passing.

I climbed with Sue in Cordillera Real in Bolivia and Cordillera Blanca Peru in July 1992. She kindly loaned me $USD100 after I was running low on funds (robbed in La Paz). Attached two photographs of acclimatization climb on Ala Izquierda (right wing) of Condoriri (5648 m) on 8th July 1992. Sue is standing on the top of a rock rib on the prominence with Huayna Potosi (6088 m) in the background.

It was great to see her go all the way on the 8000ers.

Your photo of Sue appears to be above the terminal moraine and lake of the glacier below Wallunaraju in the Cordillera Blanca near Huaraz, Peru