Hi, I’m Tammie!
I’m the founder of Memwah. My mother-in-law Jenny had a story to tell, and it was her story that started this journey.
Jenny had always wanted to write her life stories and share them with her grandchildren. But her dream of becoming a writer had passed years ago, and the task of putting pen to paper was now overwhelming.
Jenny’s 70th birthday was coming up. I wanted to give her something momentous. I thought, what better birthday gift than to help Jenny write her life story? So I hired a writer who would sit with her while she recounted her favourite memories. The writer recorded it, transcribed it and edited it into a book.
I felt deeply moved as I sat with Jenny and listened to her recount her life. I thought, what a privilege listening to another person’s life story. I learnt more about my husband Lukas, and received deeper understanding into what led him to become a youth counsellor.
Together, we found things out about Jenny we would never have known if we hadn't asked a writer to help us. It was an experience I’ll remember forever.
Soon after Jenny’s birthday, I fell pregnant. When my beautiful baby girl Maggie was born, she was put on life support for 10 months. While sitting in the hospital day after day, worrying about my baby’s health, I reflected on what was important in life.
Why are we here? What does it all mean? It got pretty existential, I have to admit!
I thought about what meant something to me. I realised, it’s the people I love most and the stories we share. This realisation led to another one. There were many things I had never asked my parents, like how my grandfather died or how my dad felt about coming home after the Vietnam War.
So after 22 years in corporate events, I decided I wanted to do something else. I wanted to ask the important questions. How could I make documenting life stories easy? How could I encourage others to share their memories with the people they loved most?
COVID-19 was the catalyst to take the leap and create something that would not only bring people together, but would make a legacy for future generations.
And so, Memwah was born. A life story video maker that helps you record your life story with thought-provoking questions to guide you.
Since starting this journey, I’ve realised we all carry stories. Each and every one of our stories is precious and deserves to be heard – yes, even the embarrassing stories you’d rather forget!
Memwah gives you the gift of hearing your family’s history. Let’s hold our memories close and celebrate our lives together.
