Tributes were paid last night to well known community activist and businesswoman June Augustus who died on Friday. She was 75.

Mrs. Augustus will be remembered as a driving force at the Physical Abuse Centre for nearly three decades.

The Centre’s mission was to provide a safe haven for abused women and counselling services for the victims and perpetrators of violence.

Her daughter, June Ann Furbert, said her mother had been sick for a long time and would be greatly missed by her family and friends: “Although she was very sick she always kept her spirits high.

“She knew that she had a limited time left on this earth and she used it wisely. She was a great mom and it will be hard for all of us to adjust not having her here.

“She enjoyed every aspect of her life. She was happy right until the end. She was a dynamic lady who loved her country.”

The Royal Gazette <$>reported in August how a seriously ill Mrs. Augustus was paid a special home visit by Governor Sir John Vereker.

Sir John presented the MBE she was awarded in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Mrs. Augustus was a former Bermuda Recorder journalist and publisher of Fame magazine.

She also ran a number of successful businesses including hat and dress shops, a guest house, and a museum of Bermudian portraits and artefacts.

She was a founding member of Project 100 — set up to help Hope Homes — and she donated a journalism scholarship to Bermuda College.

The kind-hearted community stalwart also provided basic necessities and rent to many destitute families.

Her Godson, lawyer Ricky Woolridge Jr., said Mrs. Augustus was a positive person: “She gave positive reinforcement to all who were around here and for me, personally, she was a rock of encouragement.

“I always looked forward to her phone calls when she would call me in England to encourage me when I was studying. After I qualified she would always ask me when I was going to return home to serve my country.

“She was not only an example of a strong black woman, but also an example to Bermuda as a whole. Her multitude of achievements speak volumes to her character.”

Mrs. Augustus became chair of the Physical Abuse Centre when it opened in 1979 to provide a haven of hope for the abused and had recently been its chief executive officer.

She told The Royal Gazette <$>at the time her MBE was confirmed this summer that the award was unexpected.

“I’m honoured that I have been thought about by many in the community to receive the award,” she added. “It was a surprise. Because I’ve been unwell it is something I have wanted to tell people about but I’ve kept my promise to keep it a secret until the official day.”

Mrs. Augustus was a constant champion for the abuse centre’s cause and regularly spoke out against violence for nearly 30 years.

Amid rising levels of violence in Bermuda in the 90s, she campaigned for a law change so any person who physically attacked someone would be arrested on the spot — regardless of whether or not the victim presses charges.

Speaking in 1997, she said she felt that Centre had made dramatic progress since its formation 15 years earlier.

“This is partly due to increased awareness that women don’t have to put up with constant abuse,” she said. “There is help available. We provide practical help and counselling by people who are skilled in the field.

The early days of the centre saw several safe houses set up to provide shelter for women and their children, and a hot line was established.

But faced with bills amounting to $8,000, the Centre faced closure.

It was then that Mrs. Augustus came on board and was able to persuade many organisations and businesses to keep the Centre open through various fundraising drives.

The target of one campaign was $700,000, as the centre tried to buy its own safe house rather than keep renting and getting moved on.

Launching the campaign in the mid 1990s, Mrs. Augustus said that the worsening problem of domestic violence in Bermuda could not be ignored.

In 1999, she told how a new scheme to find affordable housing for battered women had taken off, with a set of house rules drawn up to protect anyone interested in opening up their homes to women and children fleeing violence.

One of her lasting legacies will be her role in the organisation of The Moment of Consciousnes, a nationwide event in 1995 to highlight the war against drugs in Bermuda.