Simone Crerar remembered for her strength, kindness and courage

Loved one’s honour Simone and call for greater awareness of and better clinical protocols for uterine cancers.

Simone Crerar was born in Sydney in 1968 and grew up as the youngest — and only girl — alongside her three older brothers. Adopted as a baby into a loving family, she was treasured from the moment she arrived. The family’s childhood was full of beach trips and holidays on the NSW south coast that included fishing, swimming, and exploring creeks. Simone was energetic, adventurous, sporty, and determined to keep up with her older brothers in absolutely everything. Those early experiences shaped her lifelong love of animals, nature, family, and the coast.

Simone was intelligent, fiercely independent, funny, and deeply loyal. She had a strong sense of fairness and an instinctive ability to see through pretence or incompetence. She valued honesty, authenticity, and loyalty above all else, and she was never afraid to challenge unfairness when she saw it. At the same time, she was incredibly warm and caring, someone who loved conversation, entertaining, good food, coffee, red wine, and spending time with the people she loved.

Professionally, Simone built an impressive career across public service and emergency services organisations, including roles with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Fire and Rescue NSW, and the ACT Emergency Services Agency. She was highly respected by colleagues for her intelligence, professionalism, discretion, and calm nature under pressure. People trusted her judgement. She had an extraordinary attention to detail and a strategic mind, but she was also compassionate and grounded — someone who quietly influenced the people and organisations around her through integrity rather than ego.

Simone built an impressive career across public service and emergency services organisations, respected by colleagues for her intelligence, professionalism, discretion, and calm nature under pressure.

After many years working in Sydney and Canberra, Simone made the decision to move to the Far South Coast of New South Wales looking for a quieter and more peaceful life. She settled first in Merimbula and later at Pambula Beach with her beloved dog, Saffy. She immediately fell in love with the region — the ocean, the community, and the slower pace of life. She found work at the local hospital and was beginning a new chapter that genuinely made her happy.

In April 2025, Simone began experiencing severe abdominal pain and swelling. Initial investigations concluded that she had uterine fibroids, and she was prescribed medication to manage the pain. Over the following weeks, however, her condition deteriorated rapidly. Her pain became increasingly severe, her abdomen became grossly distended, and she grew weaker and more fatigued. Despite the dramatic progression of her symptoms, her condition continued to be treated as fibroids.

Following a CT scan, Imaging diagnosed her mass as fibroids, despite the later opinion that the imaging clearly demonstrated a very large cancerous growth. A subsequent ultrasound also concluded the mass was fibroids and did not include the more detailed investigations that may have assisted diagnosis. Despite Simone’s worsening symptoms over a nine-week period, no definitive testing was undertaken, and no urgent escalation occurred through her treating medical services.

Simone was born in Sydney in 1968 and grew up as the youngest — and only girl — alongside her three older brothers

A specialist appointment was eventually arranged for early July 2025, but Simone’s health deteriorated dramatically before she could attend. On 3 July 2025, at just 56 years of age, Simone died alone at home in her sleep.

A post-mortem examination later confirmed she had metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma — a rare and highly aggressive uterine cancer that had already spread to her liver.

“As a family, we are still struggling to come to terms with how quickly Simone deteriorated and how such an aggressive cancer was repeatedly diagnosed as fibroids despite her worsening symptoms. Today, no woman should die undiagnosed and without proper support while actively seeking medical help”, her brothers Scott and Stephen said.

At the same time, we want Simone to be remembered not for the circumstances of her death, but for the extraordinary person she was. She was strong, funny, intelligent, compassionate, and fiercely independent right to the end. Even during the most difficult months of her illness, she never completely lost her hope and determination.

“Had Simone have been diagnosed correctly; she would have fought the cancer with all her typical strength and determination.  Regrettably, she did not get that opportunity, Scott and Stephen said.”

“By sharing Simone’s story, our family hopes greater awareness can be raised about uterine cancers and the importance of properly investigating persistent symptoms such as abdominal swelling, pelvic pain, bloating, fatigue, and rapid physical changes. We also hope her story contributes to meaningful improvements in women’s health care and diagnostic pathways so that other families do not experience the same loss.

Most of all, we hope Simone is remembered for the life she lived — for her strength, loyalty, courage, warmth, and the deep love she had for her family, friends, animals, and the beautiful south coast she had come to call home.”