Norah Mogg mourned by Bundaberg community

About 100 mourners have gathered to farewell a Bundaberg grandmother well-known in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and member of the Stolen Generation in a heartwarming ceremony.

Bundaberg woman Norah Mogg, 62, passed away on November 30.

One hundred family, friends and members of the community have paid a tearful tribute to a “bubbly” Bundaberg grandmother who “would give the shirt off her back for anyone” in a touching funeral on Saturday.

Norah Desley Mogg, 62, was told she had just months to live when she received a heartbreaking terminal cancer diagnosis in 2019.

But Ms Mogg beat all odds, fighting with all her might to stay with family and friends before peacefully passing away on November 30.

The Barkindji woman from the Darling River basin in Far West New South Wales was part of the Stolen Generations, the name for First Nations children forcibly removed from their families.

Family speak at the funeral service of Bundaberg woman Norah Mogg.

Ms Mogg was fostered and adopted by a family in Mitchelton, Brisbane where she grew up navigating the challenges of being Aboriginal in a largely white community.

She suffered significant injuries in a car accident at age 19 and was told she wouldn’t have children, but defied all odds giving birth to four girls between 1983 and 1992 – Kylie, Keylar, Krystal and Kassandra.

Ms Mogg moved to Bundaberg with then-husband Ian in 1985 where she made her mark on the community working for Home Community Care, providing support services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and community members in need.

Ms Mogg’s giving and selfless nature was not only remembered in words and eulogies but in the number of people who attended to say their farewells, including mourners from Bundaberg’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

Family speak at the funeral service of Bundaberg woman Norah Mogg.

Eldest daughter Kylie McCartney’s touching eulogy said her mother impacted countless people, especially through her work.

“Mum loved to help her people and always cleaned and was always willing to go the extra mile for her clients,” she said.

Ms McCartney said her mum was a talented netballer who could have made a professional team.

“Everyone that I speak to about mum in her younger sporting days said mum was that good [at netball] that she could have been a Diamond.”

Ms Mogg’s youngest daughter, Kassandra, described her mum as “bubbly, selfless, caring, funny, positive and strong” woman who had a “contagious smile”.

Family speak at the funeral service of Bundaberg woman Norah Mogg.

“Anyone who knew mum would agree she had an incredible heart that was so rare in this world,” Kassandra said.

“Mum could meet a person for the first time and would have a lasting effect on the person for the rest of their life.

“When my sisters and I would invite friends over, mum wouldn’t even ask if they wanted dinner, she would just simply make them a plate and say ‘dinner’s ready’.”