Peers

I recently returned home to Lismore for the funeral of my Aunty Joanie. My parents’ generation has only one remaining member, an aunt in her 90s who lives in Brisbane. Joanie, was 96 when she passed, and she held a very special place in my heart.

I was fortunate enough to have seen her recently, when I was home for Christmas. While she was, understandably, frail at 96 (and living in a nursing home), she knew vaguely who I was, even if she couldn’t quite recall my name.

It was good to be able to say goodbye and to catch up with family who remember “that generation”.

My cousins and I were reminiscing at the funeral about the incredible changes they’d witnessed throughout their lives. Born before the Great Depression, they lived through several wars, raised families during the baby boom, and had seen so much dramatic shift in the world.

As they’re passing, I guess we’re the “old ones” now :) And the world we’ve experienced will seem as “foreign” to the coming generations, as our parents and grandparents did to us.

One thing I noticed at the funeral was that she had outlived all her peers. At that age, her friends were all gone, and only her children, grandchildren, and other family members were left to remember her.

This post is a reflection on the past couple of weeks, including some photos I’ve taken.

Now, back in Sydney, and I’ve been catching up with friends, including seeing a few movies I’ve blogged about lately. Mardi Gras is just around the corner, and I’ll be marching this year with People With Disability Australia (not the ABC this year). Nonetheless, I popped in to say hello to my ABC Pride people at Fair Day.