By Maria Millers
Next Saturday will be International Women’s Day which celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
Last Thursday on a beautiful day when it felt good to be alive, a group of over 30 people, predominantly women, gathered in the Rotunda of the Emerald Cemetery to hear reflections on and memories of the lives of two remarkable women: poet Stella Turner and artist Jenny Saulwick.
The event was part of U3A’s Our Women’s Lives Well Lived class initiated and led by Dorothy Scott.
It emphasized the importance of keeping alive the memories of those gone and cherishing the moments we had shared with them.
I spoke about Stella Turner who had been a member of the Woorilla Writers and involved in our publications, performances and literary festivals.
Environmentalist Karen Alexander spoke of Jenny Saulwick’s incredible life of art and design and the recognition she received.
Among personal reflections shared with Jenny’s children and friends who were present Karen drew our attention to the incredible volume of Jenny’s art and design as outlined in the Awards Ceremony of the Lifetime Achievement Yarra Ranges 1916.
Jenny has also been a leader on environmental and arts issues since she first moved to the Dandenong Ranges in 1968.
As well as bringing up a family and running an arts business she has been involved in many organisations and campaigns.
These campaigns have sought to build and maintain local community spirit and awareness.
This has contributed in no small part of making the Dandenong Ranges a unique and highly valued district famous for the arts and environment.
Stella’s son Peter and family of her close friend, nature artistSusieWardle were there to hear me speak about when Stella Turner joined Woorilla Writers.
She was already a published poet, and regular contributor to many literary magazines and a long -time member of the Society of Women Writers.
Her other passions were music and nature in all its forms, from tiny birds that filled her garden to rugged outback vistas and native plants.
Her long time friendships and association with Suzie Wardle and naturalist Jean Galbraith translated into beautifully illustrated books of poetry: Season of Gold, Fuscias at Six, Descant of Birds and the 25 Wild Flowers of the Dandenongs.
An accomplished cellist, after her marriage she turned to Chamber Music, teaching and writing lyrics. In 1985 together with Wendy Morrisey they won the Henry
Lawson Award for classical songs and she continued collaborating in bringing music to children.
Such was her collaboration with Bob Graham in the delightful Sounds and Music.
Outback Woman by Stella Turner
Woman, you belong to the red earth
And stunted mallee gums
Where a hot ball of sun
Rolls across the sky
shrinking reluctant grass to spikes…
where water is the enemy
to be fought, outwitted, taken prisoner.
Tap the tank rings
Wash in a cup of water, then
Carry any dregs to your dream
a rose bush near your back door.
It has flowered for you in good years
Yet your eyes have a far-away look.
Do you yearn for more than one rose bush?
The Emerald Cemetery is a peaceful well -tended bush fringed oasis, a short drive from Emerald with graves going back in time to the late eighteen hundreds.
Cemeteries have long been places of contemplation, where the living came to remember the dead and perhaps reflect on how short our lives really are.
How many times on road trips around the country or overseas have you been drawn to an old cemetery?
Often visibly neglected, yet you can’t help but be captivated by the moss-covered tombstones, the weathered crosses, or the crumbling headstones.
Some, like famous war cemeteries, are tourist attractions.
Cemeteries are interesting.
They’re worth visiting and they’re worth studying.
But today people are finding it hard even to visit their living loved ones, so regularly visiting a cemetery may be relegated to only special anniversaries.
To read the gravestones on the hill;
The graveyard draws the living still,
But never anymore the dead.
The verses in it say and say:
“The ones who living come today
To read the stones and go away
Tomorrow dead will come to stay.”
Excerpt from In a Disused Graveyard by Robert Frost.
There is a growing change of sentiment towards how we bury our dead.
For some, burial is dictated by religious and cultural norms but many in a predominantly secular society hold different views.
With urbanization and population on the increase, as well as a scarcity of land, there is growing interest in green burials, moving away from using materials like wood, metal, stone etc. all of which contribute to deforestation and carbon emissions.
Some cemeteries have been built on land with contested histories, including Indigenous.
Green burials, cremation, and digital memorials are gaining popularity as more people reconsider how they want to be remembered while minimizing environmental and financial burdens.
There is also now a generation who may prefer online memorials and virtual tributes instead of traditional grave site visits.
Every grave tells a unique story, hinting at the trials, victories, and tribulations that the deceased experienced during their time on Earth.
Each tombstone bears witness to a life lived, filled with joys and sorrows, love and loss.
Could not the same be achieved with alternative means of ‘burial’ that acknowledges the changing society and the need to protect our environment.
We can surely still reflect on mortality, fragility of existence and the legacies left to us.
In the case of both Stella Turner and Jenny Saulwick they were gifted artists who have left us public examples of their work.
We should not forget but make sure we keep them alive but also remember that there are of course many more private treasured legacies left by less prominent women and families will hopefully make sure these legacies are passed on to future generations.
And as I opened my talk with a quote from 18th century woman writer, George Eliot, I will finish this piece with the same quote:
Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them.
Similarly the ancient Egyptians believed that only when your name vanished from people’s memories, you were truly dead.
On International Women’s Day remember not just the women who have left public legacies like Stella and Jenny but also all those who have in some way touched your lives.
