Philippa Skinner: Upton

I knew Pat for just under 3 years. I have learnt that you can’t measure the significance of a friendship by its length alone however, as Pat taught me so much in that short time.

I was privileged to travel to DR Congo with her twice, once in April 2007 and again in August 2008. On the first occasion my husband Graeme was also with us. In those two weeks we lapped up all Pat could teach us and tell us about her years in Congo. She opened our eyes to so much by generously sharing her experiences and patiently answering our endless questions. We were like two small children sitting at their elder’s knee, listening hard and drinking it all in! I think Pat was thrilled to share her life in this way too and in those weeks a deep friendship bond was established. On one occasion we visited the IPASC campus at Bunia, but found we were too late for the students… I think they were on their Easter break… so we were unable to greet them. Pat was sorry to miss them and wrote a quick message on the blackboard as evening darkness fell, ‘We will come back again to see you’.

Sadly not long after this trip, Pat’s illness was diagnosed and there were months of great physical hardship for her as she battled courageously with the treatment and the disease.

However, Pat was determined she would go back to Congo to see her many friends there at least once again, and she invited me to go with her in August 2008. My role on that occasion was very much ‘bag carrier’. At least-that was the way I saw it, but unsurprisingly to those who knew her, I found Pat to be determined to do as much for herself as she possibly could and to look after me, into the bargain! That was an amazing journey in so many ways and on so many levels.

We were constantly on the move from leaving home at 3am on Monday morning until Thursday afternoon. The first leg was Manchester to Uganda, where we arrived at midnight on Monday to discover Pat’s bag was lost. Thereafter, we travelled from Arua to Aru, to Boga, to Bukaringi, back to Boga, to Nyandkunde and on to Bunia. Finally we returned to Aru where we became a little more sedentary on and around the IPASC campus for the remaining days of the trip. How Pat found the energy for such travels I will never know- she was amazing. The photo shows the extent of the vegetation that had grown on the Nyankunde campus.

In a visit which was so deeply moving, perhaps one of the most moving moments came when we returned to IPASC at Bunia. The students swarmed out en masse, overjoyed to welcome Pat, ‘You said you would come back to see us. We knew you would keep your word!’ That blackboard message had been treasured and remembered. We were so grateful that Pat had indeed been able go back again to see them and honour that hastily written message.

Pat longed to go again in the early months of 2009, but sadly it became clear that would not be possible. However, she had, against the odds, been able to return in 2008, and say and do what she needed and wanted to do, and that was a great joy and comfort to her Congolese friends.

For me, to be able to accompany her on that trip was probably one of the greatest privileges and a most memorable and inspirational part of my life. At this point I don’t know if I will ever be able to return again to DR Congo, but what I learnt through Pat and her many friends there taught me so much which I hope I will never forget and I trust will continue to inspire me in the years ahead.