Lejla Nikolas mourned after sudden death at Meating Room
A former primary school teacher and avid mountain biker has been remembered for her love for life after her sudden death at a Canberra restaurant.
Canberra Star
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A Canberra husband has revealed his heartache after losing his wife to a heart attack at the age of 36.
Lejla Nikolas arrived at the Meating Room in Weston on January 11 with her partner Cornelius Weber ready to pour their first glass of wine when she suffered a catastrophic heart attack.
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Her partner of eight years jumped to her aid and desperately performed CPR compressions until paramedics arrived, however Ms Nikolas died at the scene.
In the week since her death, Mr Weber has reflected on the “fiercely independent” and “determined” partner he has lost forever.
“I’ve been in complete tears ... we were about to move into our new place but now I’m just here packing up all of our stuff,” Mr Weber said.
“We had all these new plans and adventures planned ... but now I’m just wandering around the house trying to figure out what I’m going to do.”
Originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ms Nikolas escaped the country after war broke out in 1994.
After her arrival in Australia she studied in Newcastle before moving to Canberra in 2012.
Some years later Ms Nikolas crossed paths with Mr Weber at medieval re-enactment, where sparks ignited.
The pair were inseparable and later married at the ruined observatory at the top of Stromlo in Canberra.
Mr Weber would then introduce Ms Nikolas to mountain biking, a sport she took to with ease.
She flourished, enjoying the challenging tracks and the outdoors, and even gave back to the community through youth and beginner coaching.
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When she wasn’t on a mountain bike track, Ms Nikolas worked in the ACT education department and public service for the past six years, after having previously worked as a primary school teacher.
After losing the love of his life at the age of 36, Mr Weber is left to remember his wife as a “fierce friend” who lived in the now.
“She had a keen mind and could run rings around anyone in an argument,” he said.
“Lejla wanted to do all of the things and was just terribly impatient, she would say ‘why wait, let’s just do it now’.”
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