Life, death and politics...
A friend from a previous life lived died on the weekend.
Honestly I can not remember the last time that Aveline entered my thoughts, but I suspect it was more than three years ago when I still lived in Canberra and would randomly run into her in the smallness of Canberran circles. But she entered my dreams on Friday night for reasons I can not fathom. I can not remember the dream but I woke up with a smile on my face, content with the thought that it was once again likely that our paths would randomly cross.
Then on Monday I came across the news that following a brain aneurism on her birthday she had passed away on Sunday. Shocked by the strange serendipity of my dreams the news has really thrown me.
I did not know Aveline well. But what I knew I loved. I remember walking into the queer brunch in my first week of uni and meeting her. I was simultaneously awestruck, intrigued and scared out of my skin by her. She was the bravest, craziest, queerest, intelligent and most political individual this small town kid had ever met. And I was continually shocked that she would want to talk to me.
We were both working at parliament house at the same time and she was this welcome burst of colour, life and passion in that building – it still upsets me that she was the absolute exception to every rule in that place. Her physical presence alone was a shock in the sea of suited conservatism, but her life, her politics and her passion were also great exceptions to the blandness of so much about the political establishment. She is one of the only people I have ever met who perfectly understood both my absolute love of parliament, parliamentary procedure and the potential role of legislative governance and my passionate desire to see a more anarchic and radically diverse culture infiltrate the system. She also so wonderfully lived her politics in all areas of her life. Political culture in this country needs more people like Aveline to shake things up, and sadly it has taken her death to remind me of my desire to passionately live my cultural politics and also to subvert and challenge the culture of the system while working within it.
Aveline seemed to irrevocably and deeply touch so many people and I am reminded of how incredibly lucky I am to have known her and so many other fabulous people who dare to live their lives passionately and radically.
Honestly I can not remember the last time that Aveline entered my thoughts, but I suspect it was more than three years ago when I still lived in Canberra and would randomly run into her in the smallness of Canberran circles. But she entered my dreams on Friday night for reasons I can not fathom. I can not remember the dream but I woke up with a smile on my face, content with the thought that it was once again likely that our paths would randomly cross.
Then on Monday I came across the news that following a brain aneurism on her birthday she had passed away on Sunday. Shocked by the strange serendipity of my dreams the news has really thrown me.
I did not know Aveline well. But what I knew I loved. I remember walking into the queer brunch in my first week of uni and meeting her. I was simultaneously awestruck, intrigued and scared out of my skin by her. She was the bravest, craziest, queerest, intelligent and most political individual this small town kid had ever met. And I was continually shocked that she would want to talk to me.
We were both working at parliament house at the same time and she was this welcome burst of colour, life and passion in that building – it still upsets me that she was the absolute exception to every rule in that place. Her physical presence alone was a shock in the sea of suited conservatism, but her life, her politics and her passion were also great exceptions to the blandness of so much about the political establishment. She is one of the only people I have ever met who perfectly understood both my absolute love of parliament, parliamentary procedure and the potential role of legislative governance and my passionate desire to see a more anarchic and radically diverse culture infiltrate the system. She also so wonderfully lived her politics in all areas of her life. Political culture in this country needs more people like Aveline to shake things up, and sadly it has taken her death to remind me of my desire to passionately live my cultural politics and also to subvert and challenge the culture of the system while working within it.
Aveline seemed to irrevocably and deeply touch so many people and I am reminded of how incredibly lucky I am to have known her and so many other fabulous people who dare to live their lives passionately and radically.
Labels: politics
posted by madam phantasm at 6:01 PM
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