In support of the Port Villa Hospital, Vanuatu
Gary's Speech
A year without Mel! Just over half a million minutes! 525,600 as the song says!
How could it have gone so quickly, and yet so slowly? Each time I breathe my brain shudders and it feels like it is happening all over again …and as I breathe out it seems like it has been an eternity.
A few weeks ago we were watching the film ‘Ray’ about the life story of Ray Charles the blind, black, blues/gospel singer. One of the songs he sings is called ‘I can’t stop loving you’. I can remember listening to this song when I was small, and one of the lines in the chorus goes… don’t worry; I am not going to sing it! …
‘They say that time, Heals a broken heart.
But time has stood still, Since we have been apart.’
Welcome to ‘A Gift’. We had great difficulty naming this concert and came up with all sorts of improbable names that none of us felt worked. A few months ago Ash woke up one morning and her first words were, “I know what the concert should be called – A Gift!” And so it became. The concert to celebrate the gift of Melanie. To celebrate her gifts of singing, dancing and loving that she shared so openly, willingly and with such joy. The concert to celebrate and remember Melanie with our gifts of time, organisation, money, our talents of singing, music and dancing so that we can give a lasting gift out of love to the people at Port Vila in Vanuatu. A Gift of a building built out of Melanie’s love for them and our love for Melanie.
We are not sure where the idea of the concert began, but I do know that it only came about by the generosity, hard work and enthusiasm of many; but particularly Tony, Tim, David, James and André. Also, a huge thank-you to the band, the technical crew all the performers and not to mention the staff of GPAC. All of these people have been connected to Mel in some way.
So many of the songs you will hear tonight have significant phrases and words that help to remind us not only of what we have lost, but also, of the joy Melanie gave us and because of that, have a special place in our hearts. Andre and Melanie’s signature piece ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’; the last song they ever did together, ‘Throw your arms around me’ at Nathan’s 21st after the opening night of ‘Hair’. The ‘Rainbow Connection’ which reminds us so vividly of our children’s long love affair with the Muppets and summer holidays rushing in to put the telly on to watch the Muppet Show and spending hours and hours making up plays and dances just for fun. Musicals like ‘Cats’ and ‘Joseph’ and how could we forget ‘Les Mis’ and its enduring message of unconditional love, faith and forgiveness. Music played an enormously significant role in the lives of our children as they were growing up.
One afternoon toward the end of last year I was searching through Melanie’s folders on our computer and found a piece she had written on my birthday last year. It referred to Bush Christmas in the Richmond woolshed. Mel had had a frustrating day, it was hot and uncomfortable and she was feeling quite disillusioned. During the evening, she noticed me watching enviously as Roy played his guitar (Roy is playing in the band today) and she thought back to falling asleep while I tried to play the guitar and sing to her. It is best if I finish this with her words:
‘I am whisked back to the present by the opening chord of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’. My passion is replenished and for the first time today it sounds like music. I let the introduction wash over me like a life giving wave of water, and I open my mouth to sing. My headache vanishes, and I am just left, me and my passion for music. A passion that I received from my dad, and whatever comes of it, I will happily give back to him. I am no longer singing for me, but for him.’
I never realised the inadequacy of the English language, or at least, my command of it. I would love to be able, in words, to tell you how we feel, to express the pain that is in our hearts. The last 12 months has been a heartbreaking journey of sorrow, a long and desolate valley of tears, and yet, at the same time, we have been upheld and overwhelmed over and over again by the generosity of our friends, family and acquaintances who have sustained us time and time again with their numerous visits, phone calls, prayers, hugs, their willingness to listen to our story and their laughter and tears. This reminds me so much of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ where Sam and Frodo are nearing Mount Doom. Frodo falls exhausted and says, “It’s such a heavy weight to carry” Later, Sam, with tears in his eyes cries, “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you.”
Since we lost Melanie we have been exposed to wonderful stories of hope in the midst of sadness. We have seen and heard of broken relationships healed, families strengthened, lives restored and redirected, and for this we are thankful. We have also felt an empathy and gained strength from other families who have endured the loss of a child and sibling. We urge you to reach out to families that you know like this and share with them a listening ear and help them to carry their lifelong burden.
In Hebrews 11:1 it says, “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for and to be certain of the things we cannot see.” We can’t see you Mel, but through faith we have hope and we are sure we will be with you again in heaven. We are left with an enduring legacy of Melanie’s life – her faith, her hope and her love.