How Bob Carr’s late wife Helena was his “best friend” and “biggest supporter” throughout his political life – and the endearing nickname her family gave him when they first met

Bob Carr often referred to his late wife Helena as his “best friend and greatest supporter” throughout his decades in politics and, more importantly, in personal life.

The couple had no children but had been rock solid since the day they met in 1971, followed by marriage in 1973 and a racist slur directed at them by a Liberal MP in 2005.

Mr Carr, NSW’s longest-serving Labor premier, announced on Saturday that Helena, 77, had lost consciousness after falling into his arms while on holiday in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday evening.

Helena had suffered a brain aneurysm and was officially declared dead by doctors after the incident.

When Malaysia-born Helena first brought Mr Carr home to meet her family, her brother Ivan whispered to her in Chinese: “I see you’ve brought home a kangaroo.”

Bob Carr (left) often referred to his wife Helena (right), who suffered a fatal aneurysm, as his “best friend and greatest supporter.”

The couple’s deep and abiding love for each other can be seen right down to the last photo of them – a selfie – taken in Vienna just hours before Ms Carr’s aneurysm.

In addition to serving as Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, Mr Carr fulfilled a lifelong dream by serving as Australia’s Foreign Minister from 2012 to 2013.

Although Helena stayed out of the political spotlight, saying she kept “a very safe distance from the stage,” she was always there for her husband, especially as they strolled down a corridor in Federal Parliament on the day he resigned.

The only time Ms Carr caught the attention of the general public was in 2005 when then NSW Liberal leader John Brogden described her as a mail order bride at a media event.

“I just brushed it off,” Ms. Carr said at the time. “My story was really enjoyable, apart from that comment from John Brogden, so let’s not dwell on it.”

Her husband was less forgiving and rejected Mr. Brogden’s apology.

“Brogden has no character, Brogden is a featherweight mediocrity who should be voted out of his party’s leadership this week,” Mr Carr said.

“How could we accept an apology for a comment that dismisses all of Helena’s achievements in this country and her validity as a person and categorizes her as a mail-order bride?

“What kind of people would we be if we agreed to this apology,” he said.

Then-Prime Minister John Howard castigated fellow Liberal Brogden, saying: “That kind of comment was just completely wrong.”

“I know Helena Carr and she is a very lovely person and such a comment should never have been made.”

Helena met her husband in Tahiti in 1972 and the couple married a year later (pictured together in 2013).

Then-NSW Premier Morris Iemma, who succeeded Mr Carr, said Mr Brogden’s “racist comments” made him unfit for office.

Mr. Iemma said Ms. Carr was “a woman who served this state alongside Bob Carr for nearly 20 years and someone who was a major businesswoman in her own right, figured out her own identity and is a great success story for this country.” .”

“At a time when we are teaching our children respect and understanding, the deputy prime minister makes such appalling and inappropriate comments.”

On Saturday, Mr Carr revealed that Helena had lost consciousness in his arms on Thursday evening as a result of a brain aneurysm and that he had been told by doctors that she was officially dead.

“She was the light of my life, the little friend who was always there.” Nobody ever smiled more or with more vigor.

“It is unimaginable that without the consistency of their camaraderie, their sense of fun and their bright eyes, I could have won the office of my party and held the office of Prime Minister for over ten years.”

“On Thursday we walked through Vienna in the autumn weather, had lunch with two Australian friends, walked a bit more and went to the opera.”

“She was full of enthusiasm and jokes as we walked back to our hotel. Within 20 minutes she reported strange back pain, then a headache and nausea.

“Our 50-year partnership ended in the hotel bathroom when she collapsed into my arms and I caught her fall to the floor. Her eyes closed for the last time as I begged her not to leave me.

“As a girl in Taiping, Malaysia, she had written letters to Australian schools and was accepted into Our Lady of Mercy College in Parramatta. She later studied economics at the University of Sydney.

“At OLMC and Sancta Sophia College, she showed a great ability to make friends.” Every vacation was a visit to farming families who had a fondness for this radiantly beautiful girl from Malaysia.

Mr Carr said his wife fell into his arms and lost consciousness in the bathroom of a hotel in Vienna where they were staying (pictured together in 2019).

Bob Carr’s wife Helena (pictured in 2021) has suffered a brain aneurysm and has been declared “officially dead” by doctors

“I met Helena on a trip back from the United States during a stopover in Tahiti in early 1971. She was an accomplished businesswoman,” Mr. Carr wrote.

His wife became an expert in security printing and later became half-owner and manager of a printing company that specialized in high-quality commercial printing.

“The light has gone out of my life.” I know that many have faced this challenge, the loss of a life partner, the journey that no one wants.

“One reason to try is my feeling that she is there telling me to keep going — for her,” he said.