Weekend of Contrasts

My plans for the weekend were nonexistent until Wednesday night when I received confirmed details of the funeral of my nephew.

Braiden, aged 33 and his son, Hendrix, aged 4 were killed in a terrible accident in Brisbane a couple of weeks ago.

The tragedy was literally a front-page story in Brisbane / Queensland and the lead item on all the TV news bulletins. Given the legal matters involved, I won’t go into the details of the accident.

My nephew who grew up with some disability challenges he found lots of meaning in his life through his young son.

I arrived at my hotel in Brisbane late Friday night. The next morning, I made my way by bus to Browns Plains, about an hour south, to meet family members who had traveled from Lismore.

It was fascinating to catch the bus through the Brisbane suburbs. Having lived there on and off for a few years, I felt a familiar sense of home. The streets and many of the houses looked just as I remembered them 40 years ago. I thought about how different my life might have been if I had stayed in Brisbane. I might have pursued a career in media or done something completely different. I just don’t know.

The funeral was, of course, a very sad occasion. But it wasn’t a completely somber affair. There were moments of humor and humanity, which helped to make it feel less tragic than it could have been. Afterward, we went to a local pub. It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with close family and also to meet some family members I had only ever known through Facebook. It was especially interesting to reconnect with a younger family member I hadn’t seen since he was a child. Now grown with a wife of his own, he was so surprised to see me, which was a lovely, pleasant moment.

We headed back to Lismore in the mid-afternoon, taking the scenic coast road through Pottsville and Kingscliff. This was a road I used to drive regularly when I lived in Brisbane 40 years ago, and it has changed quite a bit, though it still has a familiar feel. The most significant change was the bitumen on the roads around Mullumbimby, but the overall vibe was lovely. We arrived in Lismore on Saturday night, exhausted from the day’s emotional journey.

The next morning, after helping out around the house, my niece spotted an event on Facebook: the Tropical Fruits Fair Day at the Lismore Showground. Within minutes, I decided to go. Tropical Fruits is the Northern Rivers’ LGBTQIA+ organization, mostly known for its New Year’s Eve festivities. This was a family-friendly fun fair, so I grabbed my mobility scooter and headed over.

It was wonderful to run into someone I know, a performer named Huey, who is also known as Rubella. It was also fun to be at the showground again. The Lismore Show was an important annual event in my childhood, so it was nice to see the grounds transformed into a welcoming, LGBTQIA+-friendly space. Unlike the New Year’s Eve event, which is known for a more raucous atmosphere, this had a much more family-friendly vibe. I ended up talking to a few people I didn’t know, and my prosthetic leg often served as a conversation starter. People would approach me and ask what happened, and I’d share my story.

It truly was a weekend of contrasts: a Christian funeral in suburban Brisbane on Saturday and an LGBTQIA+ event in the country on Sunday. It was a journey from profound sadness and grief to a celebration of life and community.