A STALYBRIDGE-RAISED teacher is honouring her father in the best way by having a book remembering him published.
Georgia Beswick may now be based in Brisbane, Australia, after growing up in the town and educating the next generation at Gorse Hall Primary School.
But the miles have not stopped her from giving dad Richard the best possible tribute, in the form of Notes With Nowhere To Go.
Designed to help people cope with the loss of a parent, or loved one, it is already proving a hit.
And one word stands out from all the positive feedback she has received – relatable.
Speaking from Brisbane, although she will be returning to Stalybridge in December, Georgia said: “I’m such a closed book usually, so these notes in my phone were sat there for years.
“I’d just add to them whenever I was anxious or whenever I just needed to say something.
“And I said to my partner at the time, ‘I actually think I’ve got enough here to do something good with them, instead of them just being sat there.’
“Dad died four years ago in December and I had this big thing – I needed to make him proud.
“He was proud of me, we had a really, really close relationship. But when I decided to put it into a book, it was like, ‘Oh, well, I hope he’d be proud of this.,’ because I just want to help other people now.
“So two years ago, I decided to start writing the book, just to help others.
“It’s just about getting it out there, so people know it’s there. I’ve actually really pushed myself to publish it, to be honest, because I hate any form of attention.
“But now I have, I’m like, ‘I need to let people know it’s out there or there’s no point in me doing it.’”
Now the book – sub-titled Grief Advice from Someone Who Has Been There – is available, it has been a success.
And what her colleagues at a school in Australia, along with those she was alongside at Gorse Hall, say about it has convinced her it was the right thing to do.
Georgia added: “I worked at Gorse Hall for six years and quite a few of my colleagues lost people.
“One of them messaged me saying, ‘I honestly couldn’t put it down, like, it’s so relatable.’
“I’m not the most confident person, to be honest. I’m quite humble. So, it’s nice hearing from people that tell me that it’s raw and relatable.
“I wanted it to be like you sat with a friend. That word, relatable, is the highest praise. It’s really nice to hear.”
That feedback is telling Georgia the book was the right thing to do as while individuals affected feel like the world has stopped, time marches on.
She added: “Another colleague said, ‘It’s the way you’ve said, the world carries on for everyone else. Yet for you, it stands still and that’s it.’
“I had dad’s funeral off work, but I didn’t have any other time off. You go back and you feel so different. But for everyone else, nothing’s changed.
“Back in class, the kids are just like carrying on with the day. I love my job and I needed that distraction.
“But for your colleagues, if you look at you and they don’t know what to say, it’s like, it was just awful.”
Georgia’s roots may be in Stalybridge – and she will soon be back in her hometown. However, home for the time being is Brisbane.
Meeting partner Tom in a pub saw her take the plunge and reconnect with an uncle, who lives thousands of miles away.
But home is home and family calls, as well as the weather.
Georgia, 29, told the Correspondent: “You know what, I miss the cold.
“It gets far too hot here for me. It’s just turned into spring and it’s gone from 15 degrees to 30, just like that in a day.
“I came because I met my partner, but I also came because my dad’s brother lives here. It was a big thing for me to come and reconnect with him.
“Also, after my dad passed, I thought, ‘Life’s too short,’ and a few days before I left, one of dad’s best friends texted me and said, ‘Your dad had always said he hoped you’d live in Australia.’
“I was like, ‘I’m on the right path.’ That was like confirmation, it was the right decision for me.
“I’d met my partner and he was coming here. So I was like, ‘Life’s too short. I’m going to go. I’m going to leave my job.’
“So it was that kind of quiet, quite silent guidance from him, I suppose.
“But I’m ready for home. I’m ready for my people now. I’ll take rain and cloud if it means I can see my mum and my people on most days.”