Agnes Virginia Gaikwad

In memory of our beloved mother Agnes Virginia Gaikwad. Our mother was born in Moshi, Tanzania on the 16 th 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 Elizabeths 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.