on sunday 1 june it will be 9 months since Stephen died. I still miss him terribly, tears still flow and painful reminders of his absence surface every day. he did leave a fantastic art legacy; his sculptures often featured trees, one of which was included in an exhibition at Centennial Park in 2001. so it is wonderfully appropriate that we have been able to plant a tree as a memorial. Centennial Parklands Foundation have a transplant scheme whereby a new 5 metre tree can be purchased from their nursery and planted in a high profile area of the park along with a plaque stating who the tree is dedicated to.
today stephen’s friends and family remembered him at a small gathering around the Moreton Bay Fig which commemorates his life. I have been visiting the tree regularly since it was planted a month ago, it’s a very comforting thing to do as the setting is so beautiful and there are lots of wild birds around. he would have loved it.
this photo of nursemyra and her two strapping sons was taken on mother’s day, just after the tree was planted. I’m not sure how long I’ll leave it up as it does identify me but since the gimcrack posts have been less about the patients and more about my research projects it’s probably safe for a little while.
addendum: Russell Crowe (actor, ’singer’, football club owner, fightpicker, phone thrower) got in on the act and donated 8 Moreton Bay Figs to the same project just a few weeks after our details were finalised. not sure how stephen would feel about the new neighbours but his tree is planted on higher ground looking down on russell’s……
