She came from half a world away in order to come home. Janette Handley, who emigrated from Australia in 1960, settled in the Three Villages and found her people among a host of civic organizations.

“She became adopted into this community in the United States,” said daughter Shannon Handley, one of Janette and her late husband Edmund Handley’s four children. “And I think she always felt thankful for that, to be this person who was not from here and who could be part of it by making herself a part of it.”

That said, her daughter added, “My mom never became an American citizen. She was very attached to her Australian roots.” And her Aussie accent. “She's famous for her accent. She never lost her accent. And her grandchildren loved it and did impersonations of her!”

Within the larger commun

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