I want to tell you about a funeral.. but first I want to tell you about a life.
I first met Geraldine in person at a Board Meeting for a Women's Organisation i was involved with. She came in like a whirlwind and swept everyone off their feet with her incredibly forthright manner, wicked sense of humour and incredible passion for justice. She was at the time the founder for a sole mother's political group that was lobbying for better conditions and government support to mum's in high need. When Geraldine was around NOTHING was dull. We hit it off straight away and became fast friends and compatriots in stirring up the system and had many latenight rendevues. She quickly became a hero of mine and we spent many hours at the pub, smoking, drinking and solving all the world's problems.
She was a fighter.. all her life she'd fought. Coming out of an incredibly rough violent child hood and working on the streets as a sex worker as teenager to support herself, drug addiction, pimps, kids , then put herself through school and university. Living in a cramped flat with 3 kids to support on her own. She would stay up far into the night after the kids had gone to bed to complete here essays and finally got her degree.
As if raising 3 kids, working and going to university wasn't enough she also wanted to change the world. She had many interests including rights of our indigenous people, sole parents, and better rights for workers. She got herself very involved with Unions here and became a leader in the toughest of Unions here.. the CFMEU.. The Construction Metalworkers and Electrial Union. She was the only woman and these blokes were TOUGH as a brick shithouse (as we say so elegantly in Aussieland). Whilst they did some great work for workers rights, there was also a lot of corruption in the Union and GAylene literally went through them like a pack of salts. She stood up for what she believed in and fought for it hard. Those toughassed Union officials were scared shitless of her.. and she won their respect and trust and made many great changes in the organisation.
I recieved a phone call from a friend telling me Geraldine was in hospital. I hadn't heard from her in a little while as both our lives had taken on new heights of buzziness. I immediately though oh she's probably got some kind of bug... then they told me she had Cancer. I was like you have to be kidding?? She was fighting fit and strong last time I saw her. I thought well it can't be that serious.. she'll pull through as I rushed to the hospital.. of course she will.. shes Gaylene!
When I got there, she was propped up in bed. .laughing as usual and told me not to bloody worry , she'd be fine! What she didnt' say was she was in 4th stage cancer and the outlook was very very grim. I found out from a friend later they had given her 3 months to live. I went back in and visited her and she said .. you know what I've beaten everything else in my life.. I'm going to fight and beat this bastard. And fight she did.. she fought for 5 long years. defying all medical prediction. she was determined to see her daughter through high school .. and she did.... the day after Ruby graduated.. she died.
It was a shock, a blow to all of us who loved her. We had known it was coming but it never prepares you. .. we had thought she would go on, fighting ,defying death.. though we knew it was inevitable at some point.
Well after the shock Geraldine was Geraldine and she had prepared every last detail of her funeral... right down to the after *party* (as she called it) menu. As a tribute to her.. nearly 1000 turned up.. from every walk fo life.. professors, kids from the local schools, mums, older people and of course all the big burly union guys in their overalls. We had it in the biggest hall at the cremotorium as she wanted no part of religion basically believing in Marx's addage *religion is the opium of the people*. The people just kept coming and flowed out onto the lawns and gardens. There was poetry and music and many jokes and stories of her life s well as touching tributes. But the funniest and most typically Geraldine thing that happened was a recording of her. basically DOMMING all the tough union guys. into singing Harper Valley PTA as it was considered her song. She said ." right you lot , including you union bastards you are going to sing Harper Valley PTA in your loudest voices and if I don't hear it up here or I'm coming back to haunt you for the rest of your bloody lives"! WEll have you ever seen big burly guys turn white with fear?? I cracked up laughing as they all looked at each other sheepishly when the music came on and at the song sheet.. First they sang softly well sort of mumbled .. obviously embarrassed and shuffling their feet..and then we heard Geraldine's voice saying *louder*! (she knew them so well) and so half terrifed that Geraldine would come down and bite their asses they all stepped it up till the whole crematorium was filled with out of tune union guys singing at the top of their lungs*
No, I wouldn't put you on
Because it really did it happened just this way
The day my mama socked it to the
Harper Valley PTA
The day my mama socked it to the
Harper Valley PTA
It was so typically Geraldine and so incredibly uplifting, funny and poignant.. we all didnt' know if we were laughing crying or crying laughing. She socked it to everyone and we were all better for it. The party afterwards was a riot.
She died as she lived, making a splash, and making everyone see outside of the box. We loved her and love her still.
Vale Gaylene.
0 comments:
Post a Comment