Remembering Rosemary
Rosemary Harris was a lifelong supporter of the principles of trade justice and kindly chose to remember Transform Trade in her will. We are inspired by Rosemary’s commitment to improving things both in her local community as a member of her local church and also for the growers and makers across the world to access a fairer trading system. Her eldest daughter, Katy Harris, remembers her extraordinary life.
Rosemary celebrating her 90th birthday.
Our mother Rosemary was born in 1930 in North Queensland, Australia. Her father, a priest, mother and two brothers (soon to be three) moved back to the UK in 1935. She settled with her family in Brixton, south London, as a carefree barefoot young girl with a strong Aussie twang. During the war, she was evacuated to various families in southwest England, ending up at St. Brandon’s Clergy Daughters’ School, and then Wells Cathedral with living and studying accommodation in the magnificent Bishop’s Palace there.
The medieval architecture of Wells motivated her to study architecture at the Brixton School of Building at the age of 16. She qualified as a chartered architect by the time she was 21, highly unusual for a girl at the time. She married our dad, fellow architect Raymond Harris, in 1957, and had 4 children while continuing to practise architecture. She spent much of her career updating what was then a very run-down Islington, in north London, where we lived.
She was a life-long devout Christian, always involved in her local church, and a passionate supporter of charities that helped people to help themselves. Traidcraft for her was at the forefront of supporting farmers and businesses to access a fairer trading system and get a fair wage for their time and products. She would purchase Traidcraft coffee and tea in bulk for decades and always took an informed interest in the work of the charity. She also encouraged others to buy ethically too.
Retiring to Petworth, West Sussex, in 1987, mum and dad bought an exceptional 1653 Cromwellian Grade 2* listed merchant’s house. Dad set about filling the house with beautifully crafted furniture that he made and mum designed an exquisite garden with a kitchen garden, conservatory, lawns, ponds and a half scale gazebo styled on the one at Trinity College Cambridge – made by dad. All her gardening was organic, and she was able to open it to the public for many years.
All her adult life, mum campaigned for her charities, which at one point numbered almost 50! Every visit we made to their stunning home we were treated to a delicious cup of Traidcraft coffee. She is missed by a brother, 4 children, 11 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
Rosemary and Raymond Harris
We are so grateful to Rosemary for remembering Transform Trade in her will. Rosemary’s gift will help us to use our expertise in trade to bring people together to fight injustice - so that farmers, artisans and workers across the world can earn enough to feed their families, educate their children and plan for the future. Not only now, but for years to come.
If you’d like to discuss how to leave a gift in your will or what kind of difference it will make, get in touch with Sarah McQuaid on sarah.mcquaid@transform-trade.org or call 0191 497 6445 for an informal chat. Giving a gift in your will enables us to champion the communities we work with long into the future, building a fairer and more sustainable world together. Thank you.