Ruth and Andrew – committed
The editor of the Ozgunns website, Andrew Gunn has finally been committed. No – he hasn’t gone insane, rather he has publically pledged his commitment to his long-term partner of sixteen years, Ruth Stewart.Andrew and Ruth originally met each other while they were both working in the NSW Department of Education. Since then they have seen their love grow from strength to strength.The ceremony to celebrate their commitment to each other was conducted by a former colleague of Andrew’s -Heather.Andrew and Ruth invited over forty family and friends to celebrate with them on 25 January 2012, two days after Andrew’s 60th birthday.The ceremony took place in Eden Gardens at North Ryde, Sydney. Fine weather had been hoped for, but as it turned out, heavy rain fell and the entire proceedings were conducted under cover. This did not deter people from having a good time at the event.One of the highlights of the afternoon was when Ray sang a song titled “Grace”, a play on words referring both to an unexpected happiness as well as the granddaughter of Ruth and Andrew, daughter of Ben and Carina Gunn. The significance of this is in the fact that since the birth of Grace, Ruth has become very comfortable with the role of Mammy Ruth and regularly looks after Grace on weekdays when Carina and Ben are at work or there is a need for extra support at times.
Ray dedicates his song to “Grace”
The commitment certificate was signed by friends Lee and Ron and later there were speeches from Andrew’s father, Jim Gunn, Ron, Ruth’s son Garth and Andrew. Jim had flown over from Adelaide specially for the occasion with Andrew’s sister Helen. Others from Adelaide included friends Phil and Elena with their son Luca.
Many other friends and relatives attended, a number of whom joined with Ruth and Andrew at their home after the ceremony for the “reception”.Technically, this was not a marriage. However, Ruth and Andrew believe that it was an occasion to celebrate their relationship and they thank everyone who attended. The presence of each and every one of the guests meant a great deal to them.