British artist and teacher Sally Grace Bunker once spent 7 years creating watercolours of 100 indigenous trees for the University of Hong Kong
MY MOTHER WAS a nurse and my father was in local government in Kent. My twin sister studied botany. My older sister became a physiotherapist. We had lots of chickens in the garden and grew our own vegetables. I enjoyed athletics and went right up to doing the Southern Counties Championship. I had lots of medals. I could run very fast, actually. My father used to take me to London, where I was trained by a professional, but I realised I didn’t want to spend my life just jumping over hurdles.
I also enjoyed ballet, which I thought I would do as a career, but ballet wasn’t quite right for me. I couldn’t get my right leg up over my head because I had something wrong with my hip from doing a lot of hurdling. So, I became a physical education teacher. I went to Chelsea College of Physical Education, in Eastbourne, and specialised in dancing.
IN 1970, MY TWIN sister and I went with my parents on a sailing holiday. And this guy (Bob Bunker) was chatting away to my parents in front of me. I was already with another guy, but I looked at my sister and said, “I’m going to marry him,” without even talking to him. In 1971, we got married in Westminster Abbey, because Bob’s father was a Companion of the Order of the Bath, and members of the order and their offspring have the right to be married in Westminster Abbey. The wedding had to be done in wintertime because it’s a bit too crowded in the summer. My mother made me the most beautiful white velvet medieval dress.
