Dancer of the Light (for Melanie)
Magpie voices carolling the dawn Written by Julie Gainey |
Personal Piece: by Melanie Libb, André, Ashlee and I went to Richmond’s on Sunday 17th. On the way home we talked about Bush Christmas. Ash remembered that Mel was out of sorts because of the poor behaviour of some guys who promised to take her and Leiha out to Richmond’s after work at Juicy Stuff. Something happened to turn her attitude and feelings around; Ash couldn’t remember what it was. I found this in Melanie’s folder on the computer on the 21st October 2004, two days before her 19th birthday. Mel wrote it on the 25th May 2004 at 10:55am. This was my 49th birthday. |
Remembering Mel
As we drove in to see Melanie last night a rainbow suddenly appeared and lingered over the Barrabool Hills. It spoke so strongly to us of God’s promise of His peace to us, and that he is holding us in His arms, just as he is holding Melanie. On the way home, the rain just poured down.
Melanie Kim was born at Box Hill Hospital at 4:35am on the 23rd October 1985. For some reason we were expecting a little brother for André (19 months) and we had primed him to say Timmy Paul. Of course he couldn’t say that and called her Mimmy Paul. It took us weeks to re-program him to say Melanie Kim. The nurse thought she was Chinese and was quite surprised to see two very Anglo parents! She was gorgeous and was blessed with the most powerful set of lungs.
As a baby she had trouble sleeping because of sensitivity to any yellow coloured food! We had to get up to her every night and hold her and then let her play until finally she would go to sleep in our arms 3 hours later! She kept us awake then and nothing much changed even as she got older.
Every morning Melly would come out to the kitchen and crawl onto our laps. She was always silent in the morning; she would never talk, just cuddle or eat. Invariably the first word she’d utter each morning would be “Omphray” in a very stern voice after he annoyed her yet again!
When Melanie was 3 I had the privilege to stay at home as the main carer while AJ went to kinder. This has always been a special part of my life. André and Mel were like twins. At home she often played Maid Marian to André’s Robin Hood or was being tied to a cross for a ritual crucifixion at Easter time. Much of her childhood was made up of doing ‘Shows’ for anyone who’d watch. We had many ‘concerts’ with the Richmond boys and the Hewson girls.
She always loved to sing and dance and make up little plays with her brother and sister. She would sit in the kitchen cutting and pasting while she made up little songs that had no real words or meaning but just meandered on to epic proportions.
Melanie loved her dolls and would feed them and wrap them up and love them. When Ashy was born in 1989, she had a real doll to love and to play with. Ash, Mel and André have always been special to each other and it wasn’t long before Ashlee too would join in their special productions.
The backyard pool provided hours and hours of fun for the kids. Playing Rodeo, Blind Man’s Bluff, Shoulder Wars and Boogie Board Wars. A wonderful place for neighbourhood friends and cousins to play as well as celebrate birthdays. Mel’s birthday in October invariably became the first swim of the year!
Melly’s capacity to love extended to the whole family. She loved her Great Grandmother, her Grandparents, her Godparents, her uncles and aunts, and her cousins. She always treated each cousin as special and individual. Her younger cousins looked up to her as a role model and she always felt in awe of their talents, their abilities and their love for her.
Melanie loved to use her body to express her feelings and emotions, or just have fun. Her body yearned to move. She was passionate about her ballet and loved creating new dances to explore the depth of her inner self. Melanie begged us for two years to learn ballet before we finally gave in to her and took her to Sandra Clack’s school. The ballet scene was so foreign to us but finally we even managed to learn to put her hair in a ‘ballet bun’.
We watched her learn and grow as a dancer, from beginnings with Miss Sandra, to consolidation with Mrs K and finally to reach fulfilment with Miss Anne. Melanie developed deep and abiding friendships with her fellow students.
Melanie loved being at school. She had a passion for learning, and finding out new things about the world fascinated her. Strong friendships developed from Kindergarten right through to year 12. She had an unquenchable capacity to develop new friends and remain loyal to old ones. Melanie was elected School Captain of Western Heights College in 2003. Many of the teachers at Bannockburn Primary and Western Heights had a special place in Melly’s heart.
As she grew, Melanie’s love for music and singing blossomed. At the age of 15 she began singing lessons with Marion. Her taste and choices in music developed along with her voice. Most of us have heard her sing. The special quality of her voice and her gift for making each song her own, brought joy to many, many people. For this we will always be thankful.
Mel loved the stage, starting as a youngster in the chorus at GSODA and graduating on to bigger roles over time. Along the way Mel’s life was enriched by her friendships, all of which she treasured. This continued into the adult theatre world during this year with Oklahoma, Hair and Sweeney Todd.
Melanie had the unique ability to share her faith with many, many people. A month ago she spent a whole afternoon decorating her bible, which has been used today. Her Confirmation, Christian Life Weeks and Easter Camp had a powerful impact on her faith and life. She was often the ‘life of the party’ and liked nothing more than being crazy with her friends. The faith and prayers of her friends also gave her strength, and courage, and peace.
In ‘Hair’, which was Melly’s final show, the tribe mourn the death of Claude in Vietnam. They come together to sing ‘Let the Sun Shine In’. Melanie’s faith in Jesus was a very real and tangible thing for her and although it isn’t meant this way, I would like to change one letter, from U to O. Let the Son Shine in. Into our hearts, into your hearts, just as he was in Melanie’s heart.
They would like to sing this for Melanie now.
Let the Son Shine In
My sister was everything that anyone would ever want to be. I have not only lost my sister but also my best friend. Mel’s gift was that without effort she could treat everyone as a brother or a sister, and so many as a father or a mother. I used to write stupid little poems for her and for some reason she loved them. Today I would like to read one that she never heard but I hope she would love it as well.
| For you. Dry your eyes, Mate, Hold my hand, Brother, Dance with me, Father, Trust me, Mother, Cuddle me, sister. So |
Libby, André, Ashlee and I will never forget –
On Sunday night after the busyness of ‘Hair’ and a rehearsal for ‘Sweeney Todd’ she came home exhausted. She got straight into her pyjamas, curled up on my lap in front of the fire and fell asleep. Melly has left behind a legacy of love. Her capacity to love unconditionally is an inspiration for each and every one of us. |