[Oe List ...] Marge Kloepfer

[frank bremner]

Dear Mark and Jenelle

Thank you for your reflections.  It's given me some things to do as I wite 
some journal jottings about death, about Death (who in Terry Pratchett's 
novels rodes a white horse called Binky), and particular deaths.

The particular deaths in past years were my mother Hilda, a cousin Jim, and 
Stuart, the husband of a cousin of my mother - all in the same week, 
scattered across Australia - back in 2001.  Mum died on Anzac Day, a day 
symbolic (as Jim Bishop has been known to tell) of folly, failure, mateship 
and resurrection.


[An aside:  Noel and I were driving Suzanne's VW along the banks of the 
Delaware River in Philadelphia. It was April 25 1980.  The car ran out of 
gas ("Petrol, as you call it in Australia" said Al Gore recently an our 
ABC-TV's "Enough Rope" - I was touched that he acknowledged the subtlties of 
cultural difference) and we fund a callbox and phoned the auto club.

"Just like Anzac Day", I said.  "What?" asked Noel.  I started to explain, 
but then over WXPN, the radio station of the University of Pennsylvania, 
came Scotsman-come-Australian Eric Bogle singing the original version of his 
song "And the Band played Waltzing Matilda".  I collapsed in a weeping mess. 
  And then explained.

Within a month I was back "home".  Just recently I have re-read one of JWM's 
talks in which he talked about his pride in being an American (or 
USAmerican, as Methodist theologian Leonard Sweet prefers), and made some 
notes about why "I still call Australia home".  Steve Irwin, Peter Allen son 
of the "Tenterfield Saddler"- how different are some of our heroes!]


Then it was cousin Bob, the closest thing I ever had to a brother in my 
teenage years - a PhD (Physics) genius - struck down by Huntington's.  A 
year later his father Norm, his heart finally broken by life's events and a 
heart weakened by malaria caught in PNG with the RAAF in WWII.

Then it was Graham, a kindergarten, high school, uni, church youth group and 
army reserve mate - Hodgkingson's.  Denise, wife of another mate of similar 
background, one day younger than me. - of a sudden heart attack.  The other 
day it was George, from the 1A/2A/3A/4A/5A stream at school - i had planned 
to invite him to my 60th party.  You expect Syd, our Chemistry teacher - the 
other day at 92 - but not George!

Then Gwen, wife of Norm, mother of Bob.  A death notice and a private 
funeral with only her nuclear family - "She was pretty strong on that", said 
remaining son Trevor on the phonefrom Sydney .  "She said she'd become her 
own person since Norm died", I commented.  "Yeah", said Trevor, "She had 
this to-do list on her dresser which included phoing you to take her 
shopping."

And Leslie, girlfiend of 1972 or thereabouts.  We went to the concert 
version of Jesus Christ Superstar together.  She married a farmer in the 
district where where she first went teaching.  Died of bowel cancer.  I read 
about it in the newspaper at 2.00 am of the day of the funeral.  Don 
(another cousin) and Diane went up country to the funeral - they had worked 
the next farm - and forgot that I knew Les!  Pat and Kate, through whom I 
met Les, went up.  No-one asked me whether I wanted a lift.

And on it goes. Vera, Mum's sister, is the last of the aunts and uncles.

When contemporaries go, "before their time" (whose time?), it reminds us of 
death sitting on our shoulder.  How am I eating?  How am I exercising?  
Should I outline my projects before plunging in too deeply, just in case 
someone else ....?

"I wasn't expecting you" he said to the cloaked figure in the doorway.

"NO-ONE EVER DOES" (his words are always in upper case) is the reply.



Again, thanks for the item in the Dialogue.  It will help me write some late 
condolence letters.

Cheers

Frank Bremner
South Australia

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