'She spoke up, she spoke out': Sinead Francis-Coan remembered as tireless advocate for family and city

The Advertiser

2 days ago

Sinead Francis-Coan, the late Greens councillor of Newcastle, has been remembered as a fierce advocate, a tireless campaigner of countless causes close to her heart, and an indefatigable force in both her family and her city.
The freshman Ward 3 councillor, who served only eight months in office, died suddenly of a ruptured aortic aneurysm on Monday, June 23. She was 40.
At a memorial service at City Hall on Saturday, July 12, attended by Ms Francis-Coan's surviving family, colleagues at the City of Newcastle, and various community and activist organisations she touched, mourners heard of her industrious spirit and commitment to the public good.
"She spoke out against injustice, against violence, against racism, against discrimination of all kinds," her mother, Lyndall Coan, said. "She spoke out about workers' rights, women's rights, Indigenous rights, refugee rights, LGBTQI rights. And she did love that megaphone."
"I have been extremely proud of the work she was doing as a councillor, and I had the opportunity to tell her that just three days before she died."
In emotionally poignant eulogies, Ms Francis-Coan's sisters, Roisin and Ciara, spoke of their sister's love for her nieces and nephews, her commitment to family, and her relentlessly active spirit.
"When I asked how she was doing, she would usually list everything she had done that week," Ciara said. "I understand now how much time, love and energy she gave to causes and to people. I think I finally get it - why listing her busy schedule was her way of answering how she was. I think she felt good about being so active."
"I'm devastated to lose her, but comforted to know that she has been recognised and respected for the amazing person she was."
Ms Francis-Coan was elected to the city council on the Greens party ticket in October. She had previously run for office in 2021, missing out by a mere 80 votes. She worked as an organiser for the National Tertiary Education Union at the University of Newcastle.
She was a staunch unionist, progressive campaigner, environmentalist and an advocate for issues of equality, diversity and fairness.
She was arrested in November, last year, after participating in the blockade of the Newcastle harbour, orchestrated by the protest group Rising Tide.
When NSW Greens upper house member Cate Faehrmann mentioned her activism during her eulogy, a resounding cheer rang through City Hall, led by a sea of blue Rising Tide shirts filling the right wing of the floor.
"We would be hard pressed to find anybody else who showed up so consistently on such a broad range of issues," Ms Faehrmann said. "She always had a smile to share and was warm and friendly to everyone she encountered. She was an extraordinary person and her loss will be sorely felt in the Newcastle community."
Hunter Workers' women's committee president Teresa Hetherington described Ms Francis-Coan as a 'shining light' who "left an indelible impact on the workers of the Hunter."
"Even when you first met her, you instantly felt close to her. If she wasn't already, she would soon be your friend."
City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath described a councillor of seemingly limitless potential, and an advocate who thrived on a commitment to civic duty.
"Between October and June, Sinead led council debates on the local environment; Lambton Park; shark nets; the privatisation of Newcastle's public transport system; the loss of state government funding for the Active Stronger, Better program; the need for a special entertainment precinct here in the city; the need for a dedicated-use space in Hamilton; better or improved maintenance of our inland swimming pools; and the preservation of green space in New Lambton," he said.
"She was busy."
"While the subject matters were many and varied, there was one consistency in how she spoke to each of these issues. Her approach was always respectful, her position was always evidence based and most importantly, her words were always delivered with kindness, passion and enthusiasm."
"At the end of one particularly long council meeting last year, I walked up to Sinead because she was the only one who had two eyes still open and I said, what is your secret?"
"She laughed, and replied that she just loved being a councillor. In eight years, I have never heard anyone say that."
Ms Francis-Coan's family spoke of their love for their daughter, sister and aunt. Mrs Coan, who like many other speakers, regretted that she felt she could not wrap such a life into so many words, said her daughter's voice was as powerful as her pen.
"Many of you have said you have no words and I too am struggling, but Sinead had words," she said. "She spoke up and she spoke out."
"If she disagreed with you, she said so. She was a talker, and also a good listener."
"We must have words for Sinead."
Ms Francis-Coan was born on August 20, 1984.
Her childhood was marked by health struggles, including undergoing heart surgery at four years old to repair a narrow aorta.
She was also diagnosed at three weeks old with Turner Syndrome, a genetic condition that affects women and girls, characterised by the absence or partial absence of one X chromosome.
"That is why she was so short," Mrs Coan said lovingly. "She also had a spatial reasoning learning difficulty. This enabled her to see the world from different angles, but not always the ones expected of her."
"Sinead faced many challenges, but she rose to them and they shaped the amazing person you all knew and loved."
Ms Francis-Coan and her family moved to Newcastle when she was six months old. She attended Jesmond's Heaton Public School and the Hunter School of Performing Arts in Broadmeadow.
In 2019, she ran for the seat of Wallsend, where she received 9.3 per cent of the vote against the front-running challenger Sonia Hornery.
Her sister, Roisin, described her as a leader even in childhood; a "serious" child who was always "hanging out with the adults".
"Our parents raised headstrong women, each walking their own path," she said. "And she was certainly walking hers."
"I'm glad she put her argumentative skills to good use, fighting passionately for the things she believed in."
Her close friend, Mairtin Mag Uidhir, closed the ceremony with a blessing in Irish Gaelic, describing the culture's understanding of death as going on the "way of truth".
"They go ar sli an fhirinne - on the way of truth," he said. "For an incredible woman like Sinead, she was always searching for that truth long before she left us."
"May you find tranquility, peace and calm on this next journey. May we sing again at the top of our voices together on the other side of eternity."
The Newcastle People's Chorus closed the ceremony with a rendition of the unionist anthem Solidarity Forever, as the amassed crowd stood and many raised their fists in memory.
Ms Francis-Coan's seat on the city's council, being left vacant fewer than 18 months since the September 2024 election, will be filled by a count-back to elect a new councillor.
Long-term Newcastle Greens members Siobhan Isherwood and Anne Rooke-Frizell stood No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, under Ms Francis-Coan on the Greens' ticket for ward three.
Sinead Francis-Coan, the late Greens councillor of Newcastle, has been remembered as a fierce advocate, a tireless campaigner of countless causes close to her heart, and an indefatigable force in both her family and her city.
The freshman Ward 3 councillor, who served only eight months in office, died suddenly of a ruptured aortic aneurysm on Monday, June 23. She was 40.
At a memorial service at City Hall on Saturday, July 12, attended by Ms Francis-Coan's surviving family, colleagues at the City of Newcastle, and various community and activist organisations she touched, mourners heard of her industrious spirit and commitment to the public good.
"She spoke out against injustice, against violence, against racism, against discrimination of all kinds," her mother, Lyndall Coan, said. "She spoke out about workers' rights, women's rights, Indigenous rights, refugee rights, LGBTQI rights. And she did love that megaphone."
"I have been extremely proud of the work she was doing as a councillor, and I had the opportunity to tell her that just three days before she died."
In emotionally poignant eulogies, Ms Francis-Coan's sisters, Roisin and Ciara, spoke of their sister's love for her nieces and nephews, her commitment to family, and her relentlessly active spirit.
"When I asked how she was doing, she would usually list everything she had done that week," Ciara said. "I understand now how much time, love and energy she gave to causes and to people. I think I finally get it - why listing her busy schedule was her way of answering how she was. I think she felt good about being so active."
"I'm devastated to lose her, but comforted to know that she has been recognised and respected for the amazing person she was."
Ms Francis-Coan was elected to the city council on the Greens party ticket in October. She had previously run for office in 2021, missing out by a mere 80 votes. She worked as an organiser for the National Tertiary Education Union at the University of Newcastle.
She was a staunch unionist, progressive campaigner, environmentalist and an advocate for issues of equality, diversity and fairness.
She was arrested in November, last year, after participating in the blockade of the Newcastle harbour, orchestrated by the protest group Rising Tide.
When NSW Greens upper house member Cate Faehrmann mentioned her activism during her eulogy, a resounding cheer rang through City Hall, led by a sea of blue Rising Tide shirts filling the right wing of the floor.
"We would be hard pressed to find anybody else who showed up so consistently on such a broad range of issues," Ms Faehrmann said. "She always had a smile to share and was warm and friendly to everyone she encountered. She was an extraordinary person and her loss will be sorely felt in the Newcastle community."
Hunter Workers' women's committee president Teresa Hetherington described Ms Francis-Coan as a 'shining light' who "left an indelible impact on the workers of the Hunter."
"Even when you first met her, you instantly felt close to her. If she wasn't already, she would soon be your friend."
City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath described a councillor of seemingly limitless potential, and an advocate who thrived on a commitment to civic duty.
"Between October and June, Sinead led council debates on the local environment; Lambton Park; shark nets; the privatisation of Newcastle's public transport system; the loss of state government funding for the Active Stronger, Better program; the need for a special entertainment precinct here in the city; the need for a dedicated-use space in Hamilton; better or improved maintenance of our inland swimming pools; and the preservation of green space in New Lambton," he said.
"She was busy."
"While the subject matters were many and varied, there was one consistency in how she spoke to each of these issues. Her approach was always respectful, her position was always evidence based and most importantly, her words were always delivered with kindness, passion and enthusiasm."
"At the end of one particularly long council meeting last year, I walked up to Sinead because she was the only one who had two eyes still open and I said, what is your secret?"
"She laughed, and replied that she just loved being a councillor. In eight years, I have never heard anyone say that."
Ms Francis-Coan's family spoke of their love for their daughter, sister and aunt. Mrs Coan, who like many other speakers, regretted that she felt she could not wrap such a life into so many words, said her daughter's voice was as powerful as her pen.
"Many of you have said you have no words and I too am struggling, but Sinead had words," she said. "She spoke up and she spoke out."
"If she disagreed with you, she said so. She was a talker, and also a good listener."
"We must have words for Sinead."
Ms Francis-Coan was born on August 20, 1984.
Her childhood was marked by health struggles, including undergoing heart surgery at four years old to repair a narrow aorta.
She was also diagnosed at three weeks old with Turner Syndrome, a genetic condition that affects women and girls, characterised by the absence or partial absence of one X chromosome.
"That is why she was so short," Mrs Coan said lovingly. "She also had a spatial reasoning learning difficulty. This enabled her to see the world from different angles, but not always the ones expected of her."
"Sinead faced many challenges, but she rose to them and they shaped the amazing person you all knew and loved."
Ms Francis-Coan and her family moved to Newcastle when she was six months old. She attended Jesmond's Heaton Public School and the Hunter School of Performing Arts in Broadmeadow.
In 2019, she ran for the seat of Wallsend, where she received 9.3 per cent of the vote against the front-running challenger Sonia Hornery.
Her sister, Roisin, described her as a leader even in childhood; a "serious" child who was always "hanging out with the adults".
"Our parents raised headstrong women, each walking their own path," she said. "And she was certainly walking hers."
"I'm glad she put her argumentative skills to good use, fighting passionately for the things she believed in."
Her close friend, Mairtin Mag Uidhir, closed the ceremony with a blessing in Irish Gaelic, describing the culture's understanding of death as going on the "way of truth".
"They go ar sli an fhirinne - on the way of truth," he said. "For an incredible woman like Sinead, she was always searching for that truth long before she left us."
"May you find tranquility, peace and calm on this next journey. May we sing again at the top of our voices together on the other side of eternity."
The Newcastle People's Chorus closed the ceremony with a rendition of the unionist anthem Solidarity Forever, as the amassed crowd stood and many raised their fists in memory.
Ms Francis-Coan's seat on the city's council, being left vacant fewer than 18 months since the September 2024 election, will be filled by a count-back to elect a new councillor.
Long-term Newcastle Greens members Siobhan Isherwood and Anne Rooke-Frizell stood No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, under Ms Francis-Coan on the Greens' ticket for ward three.
Sinead Francis-Coan, the late Greens councillor of Newcastle, has been remembered as a fierce advocate, a tireless campaigner of countless causes close to her heart, and an indefatigable force in both her family and her city.
The freshman Ward 3 councillor, who served only eight months in office, died suddenly of a ruptured aortic aneurysm on Monday, June 23. She was 40.
At a memorial service at City Hall on Saturday, July 12, attended by Ms Francis-Coan's surviving family, colleagues at the City of Newcastle, and various community and activist organisations she touched, mourners heard of her industrious spirit and commitment to the public good.
"She spoke out against injustice, against violence, against racism, against discrimination of all kinds," her mother, Lyndall Coan, said. "She spoke out about workers' rights, women's rights, Indigenous rights, refugee rights, LGBTQI rights. And she did love that megaphone."
"I have been extremely proud of the work she was doing as a councillor, and I had the opportunity to tell her that just three days before she died."
In emotionally poignant eulogies, Ms Francis-Coan's sisters, Roisin and Ciara, spoke of their sister's love for her nieces and nephews, her commitment to family, and her relentlessly active spirit.
"When I asked how she was doing, she would usually list everything she had done that week," Ciara said. "I understand now how much time, love and energy she gave to causes and to people. I think I finally get it - why listing her busy schedule was her way of answering how she was. I think she felt good about being so active."
"I'm devastated to lose her, but comforted to know that she has been recognised and respected for the amazing person she was."
Ms Francis-Coan was elected to the city council on the Greens party ticket in October. She had previously run for office in 2021, missing out by a mere 80 votes. She worked as an organiser for the National Tertiary Education Union at the University of Newcastle.
She was a staunch unionist, progressive campaigner, environmentalist and an advocate for issues of equality, diversity and fairness.
She was arrested in November, last year, after participating in the blockade of the Newcastle harbour, orchestrated by the protest group Rising Tide.
When NSW Greens upper house member Cate Faehrmann mentioned her activism during her eulogy, a resounding cheer rang through City Hall, led by a sea of blue Rising Tide shirts filling the right wing of the floor.
"We would be hard pressed to find anybody else who showed up so consistently on such a broad range of issues," Ms Faehrmann said. "She always had a smile to share and was warm and friendly to everyone she encountered. She was an extraordinary person and her loss will be sorely felt in the Newcastle community."
Hunter Workers' women's committee president Teresa Hetherington described Ms Francis-Coan as a 'shining light' who "left an indelible impact on the workers of the Hunter."
"Even when you first met her, you instantly felt close to her. If she wasn't already, she would soon be your friend."
City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath described a councillor of seemingly limitless potential, and an advocate who thrived on a commitment to civic duty.
"Between October and June, Sinead led council debates on the local environment; Lambton Park; shark nets; the privatisation of Newcastle's public transport system; the loss of state government funding for the Active Stronger, Better program; the need for a special entertainment precinct here in the city; the need for a dedicated-use space in Hamilton; better or improved maintenance of our inland swimming pools; and the preservation of green space in New Lambton," he said.
"She was busy."
"While the subject matters were many and varied, there was one consistency in how she spoke to each of these issues. Her approach was always respectful, her position was always evidence based and most importantly, her words were always delivered with kindness, passion and enthusiasm."
"At the end of one particularly long council meeting last year, I walked up to Sinead because she was the only one who had two eyes still open and I said, what is your secret?"
"She laughed, and replied that she just loved being a councillor. In eight years, I have never heard anyone say that."
Ms Francis-Coan's family spoke of their love for their daughter, sister and aunt. Mrs Coan, who like many other speakers, regretted that she felt she could not wrap such a life into so many words, said her daughter's voice was as powerful as her pen.
"Many of you have said you have no words and I too am struggling, but Sinead had words," she said. "She spoke up and she spoke out."
"If she disagreed with you, she said so. She was a talker, and also a good listener."
"We must have words for Sinead."
Ms Francis-Coan was born on August 20, 1984.
Her childhood was marked by health struggles, including undergoing heart surgery at four years old to repair a narrow aorta.
She was also diagnosed at three weeks old with Turner Syndrome, a genetic condition that affects women and girls, characterised by the absence or partial absence of one X chromosome.
"That is why she was so short," Mrs Coan said lovingly. "She also had a spatial reasoning learning difficulty. This enabled her to see the world from different angles, but not always the ones expected of her."
"Sinead faced many challenges, but she rose to them and they shaped the amazing person you all knew and loved."
Ms Francis-Coan and her family moved to Newcastle when she was six months old. She attended Jesmond's Heaton Public School and the Hunter School of Performing Arts in Broadmeadow.
In 2019, she ran for the seat of Wallsend, where she received 9.3 per cent of the vote against the front-running challenger Sonia Hornery.
Her sister, Roisin, described her as a leader even in childhood; a "serious" child who was always "hanging out with the adults".
"Our parents raised headstrong women, each walking their own path," she said. "And she was certainly walking hers."
"I'm glad she put her argumentative skills to good use, fighting passionately for the things she believed in."
Her close friend, Mairtin Mag Uidhir, closed the ceremony with a blessing in Irish Gaelic, describing the culture's understanding of death as going on the "way of truth".
"They go ar sli an fhirinne - on the way of truth," he said. "For an incredible woman like Sinead, she was always searching for that truth long before she left us."
"May you find tranquility, peace and calm on this next journey. May we sing again at the top of our voices together on the other side of eternity."
The Newcastle People's Chorus closed the ceremony with a rendition of the unionist anthem Solidarity Forever, as the amassed crowd stood and many raised their fists in memory.
Ms Francis-Coan's seat on the city's council, being left vacant fewer than 18 months since the September 2024 election, will be filled by a count-back to elect a new councillor.
Long-term Newcastle Greens members Siobhan Isherwood and Anne Rooke-Frizell stood No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, under Ms Francis-Coan on the Greens' ticket for ward three.
Sinead Francis-Coan, the late Greens councillor of Newcastle, has been remembered as a fierce advocate, a tireless campaigner of countless causes close to her heart, and an indefatigable force in both her family and her city.
The freshman Ward 3 councillor, who served only eight months in office, died suddenly of a ruptured aortic aneurysm on Monday, June 23. She was 40.
At a memorial service at City Hall on Saturday, July 12, attended by Ms Francis-Coan's surviving family, colleagues at the City of Newcastle, and various community and activist organisations she touched, mourners heard of her industrious spirit and commitment to the public good.
"She spoke out against injustice, against violence, against racism, against discrimination of all kinds," her mother, Lyndall Coan, said. "She spoke out about workers' rights, women's rights, Indigenous rights, refugee rights, LGBTQI rights. And she did love that megaphone."
"I have been extremely proud of the work she was doing as a councillor, and I had the opportunity to tell her that just three days before she died."
In emotionally poignant eulogies, Ms Francis-Coan's sisters, Roisin and Ciara, spoke of their sister's love for her nieces and nephews, her commitment to family, and her relentlessly active spirit.
"When I asked how she was doing, she would usually list everything she had done that week," Ciara said. "I understand now how much time, love and energy she gave to causes and to people. I think I finally get it - why listing her busy schedule was her way of answering how she was. I think she felt good about being so active."
"I'm devastated to lose her, but comforted to know that she has been recognised and respected for the amazing person she was."
Ms Francis-Coan was elected to the city council on the Greens party ticket in October. She had previously run for office in 2021, missing out by a mere 80 votes. She worked as an organiser for the National Tertiary Education Union at the University of Newcastle.
She was a staunch unionist, progressive campaigner, environmentalist and an advocate for issues of equality, diversity and fairness.
She was arrested in November, last year, after participating in the blockade of the Newcastle harbour, orchestrated by the protest group Rising Tide.
When NSW Greens upper house member Cate Faehrmann mentioned her activism during her eulogy, a resounding cheer rang through City Hall, led by a sea of blue Rising Tide shirts filling the right wing of the floor.
"We would be hard pressed to find anybody else who showed up so consistently on such a broad range of issues," Ms Faehrmann said. "She always had a smile to share and was warm and friendly to everyone she encountered. She was an extraordinary person and her loss will be sorely felt in the Newcastle community."
Hunter Workers' women's committee president Teresa Hetherington described Ms Francis-Coan as a 'shining light' who "left an indelible impact on the workers of the Hunter."
"Even when you first met her, you instantly felt close to her. If she wasn't already, she would soon be your friend."
City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath described a councillor of seemingly limitless potential, and an advocate who thrived on a commitment to civic duty.
"Between October and June, Sinead led council debates on the local environment; Lambton Park; shark nets; the privatisation of Newcastle's public transport system; the loss of state government funding for the Active Stronger, Better program; the need for a special entertainment precinct here in the city; the need for a dedicated-use space in Hamilton; better or improved maintenance of our inland swimming pools; and the preservation of green space in New Lambton," he said.
"She was busy."
"While the subject matters were many and varied, there was one consistency in how she spoke to each of these issues. Her approach was always respectful, her position was always evidence based and most importantly, her words were always delivered with kindness, passion and enthusiasm."
"At the end of one particularly long council meeting last year, I walked up to Sinead because she was the only one who had two eyes still open and I said, what is your secret?"
"She laughed, and replied that she just loved being a councillor. In eight years, I have never heard anyone say that."
Ms Francis-Coan's family spoke of their love for their daughter, sister and aunt. Mrs Coan, who like many other speakers, regretted that she felt she could not wrap such a life into so many words, said her daughter's voice was as powerful as her pen.
"Many of you have said you have no words and I too am struggling, but Sinead had words," she said. "She spoke up and she spoke out."
"If she disagreed with you, she said so. She was a talker, and also a good listener."
"We must have words for Sinead."
Ms Francis-Coan was born on August 20, 1984.
Her childhood was marked by health struggles, including undergoing heart surgery at four years old to repair a narrow aorta.
She was also diagnosed at three weeks old with Turner Syndrome, a genetic condition that affects women and girls, characterised by the absence or partial absence of one X chromosome.
"That is why she was so short," Mrs Coan said lovingly. "She also had a spatial reasoning learning difficulty. This enabled her to see the world from different angles, but not always the ones expected of her."
"Sinead faced many challenges, but she rose to them and they shaped the amazing person you all knew and loved."
Ms Francis-Coan and her family moved to Newcastle when she was six months old. She attended Jesmond's Heaton Public School and the Hunter School of Performing Arts in Broadmeadow.
In 2019, she ran for the seat of Wallsend, where she received 9.3 per cent of the vote against the front-running challenger Sonia Hornery.
Her sister, Roisin, described her as a leader even in childhood; a "serious" child who was always "hanging out with the adults".
"Our parents raised headstrong women, each walking their own path," she said. "And she was certainly walking hers."
"I'm glad she put her argumentative skills to good use, fighting passionately for the things she believed in."
Her close friend, Mairtin Mag Uidhir, closed the ceremony with a blessing in Irish Gaelic, describing the culture's understanding of death as going on the "way of truth".
"They go ar sli an fhirinne - on the way of truth," he said. "For an incredible woman like Sinead, she was always searching for that truth long before she left us."
"May you find tranquility, peace and calm on this next journey. May we sing again at the top of our voices together on the other side of eternity."
The Newcastle People's Chorus closed the ceremony with a rendition of the unionist anthem Solidarity Forever, as the amassed crowd stood and many raised their fists in memory.
Ms Francis-Coan's seat on the city's council, being left vacant fewer than 18 months since the September 2024 election, will be filled by a count-back to elect a new councillor.
Long-term Newcastle Greens members Siobhan Isherwood and Anne Rooke-Frizell stood No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, under Ms Francis-Coan on the Greens' ticket for ward three.