My brother Ned was a stellar MC, who held everything together on a difficult day. I've used his text as intros and links.
Good afternoon
I’m Ned Wilson, the third of Margaret’s four children, and I’ll be the emcee for today’s Celebration of Margaret’s Life.
I’d like to start with thanking you for coming in such numbers, and also express thanks to the hundreds of you who have sent comforting messages expressing your own sense of loss, and your admiration for and your memories of Margaret.
Mum was a beautiful, talented, intelligent and resourceful woman. I’m beyond lucky that she was so committed to making my life better. She could solve problems I didn’t know I even had!
At age 24 I was departing to the UK for an extended working stay. Mum seemed stressed. Its a huge world out there with so many risks for a naive kid to navigate. Why she ended up choosing to mitigate the twin problems of mad cow disease and exorbitant pricing of dubious quality meat I don’t know, but she lovingly stowed a kilo of kryovacced, frozen eye fillet in my bag. Best steak I ever had — how the sniffer dogs let me through I will never know.
Lesley Nisbet
To begin at the start, mum’s sister Lesley Nisbet
Pippa Wilson
Pippa is the forth and most stridently independent of Margaret’s children. Pippa has been in Darwin for close to 20 years, and mum treasured her regular July trips to stay with the Wood family. There is a beautiful photo of Mum in the red earth that you will see later on. It was only yesterday that I heard that this was taken on a mother-daughter 4 wheel drive trip. Who let these two head into the wilderness alone? Neither have even head of a diff-lock, Pip can’t see anything, and Mum, when driving, was known to shoot a protective arm across any passenger when tackling a speed hump!
But into the beautiful, bumpy, wilderness they travelled, one of many treasured memories, welcome Pippa Wilson.
Deidre Pope
Deidre Pope and Mum became instant friends at Melbourne University, and were each other’s bridesmaids. They have not lived in the same city since they were in their twenties, yet their wonderful friendship endured throughout. I invite Deidre to speak of her dear friend.
Samantha Wilson
It’s no secret our sister Samantha has been a source of pride for mum. She was also her greatest support in recent years as mum’s physical health deteriorated. Thank you Sam from your siblings for your incredible care.
(The conclave finished last night. The three of us sent the white smoke and you have been elected our new matriarch. I’m bringing over my mending next week.)
Paddy Rath and the 13 grandkids
Jack to introduce kids by family
Mary Besley
With four kids in tow, Mum and dad moved to Balwyn in the early Eighties. Four was tiring work, more so as one was Tony. Luckily for mum (and for me) Mary and Rod Besley moved in a street away with their 3 boys. Mum had found a special friend and I snagged a second mum…. Plus a household that had a VHS recorder with a remote control that had an actual cord back to the machine. Bloody dad had got us a Beta.
Mary knows all the extremes of Margaret’s personality, which included her passion for recycling, reusing , remaking, repurposing. I still remember the stunned look on Mary’s face when mum whipping out a bag of second-hand clothes and said “Ned’s grown out of these undies… does Dan want them?”
Please welcome Mary Besley
Ray Wilson
Next to speak is Margaret’s husband, Ray.
Photographs
One of the worst compliments I ever received was from my friend Chris Williams, who declared that I am ‘surprisingly good looking in photos”
We are now going to watch a photo montage of Margaret, whose beauty will not be a surprise to anyone here.
Tony Wilson
We will finish today with a eulogy from Tony.
When Tony was young Mum took him to speech therapy… and it really seemed to work, Tone! Mum was immensely proud of Tony, of all the kids he most shares Mum’s passion for literature, art and creative endeavours. She did give up on his piano lessons when the teacher reported he ‘played by numbers’ but took comfort in his enthusiastic participating in the school choir. Twice he was thrown out of it, twice his devoted mother went to the school and gained his re-admission. When tearful Tony came home a third time proclaiming that all of them were playing up, but Mr Henley swung around theatrically and said ‘out Wilson! And don’t come back!’ Mum accepted what most of us now know…. There was a quality control issue. The fact that he has come without his guitar is probably a good sign for us here today.
My big brother Tony.
Ned Wilson close
Please stay and have a bite and a drink and share your own stories of a beautiful woman, Margaret Wilson. And if you have a garden please take a packet of seeds to have a little of the garden-loving Margaret with you in the months and years ahead.
It was a shock to lose Mum, and a shame for many of us that we didn’t get to say a final goodbye. When I look back at her final text it was so mundane… ‘I’ve forgotten my Netflix login, what is it?’ The answer by the way is capital Mw1006!.... She would have wanted you to have it.
Until yesterday I was also worried that my last phone call was similarly mundane. I was stressed moving house, chatted for two minutes and then finished. It was only after the shock of her passing that I reflected on the call.
Her final question to me was “Is there anything I can do to help you?” to which I answered, ‘no Mum, I’ll be ok’.
And I will be ok, thanks to my brilliant Mum.
The full service has been uploaded to YouTube. You can either share this page or the link below.
Thanks to everyone who has sent us lovely messages of condolence, and memories of Mum. Thanks especially to my three siblings and Dad, who shouldered the organisational burden of Mum’s celebration and funeral while I was in Hungary. She really was a beautiful Mum. I’ll miss her so much.
Possibly helpful note: I recorded audio on a digital recorder which gave me audience reaction and room ambiance. Microphones in reception centres are highly directional. Even running a voice recorder on your phone will give the final video atmosphere which might be lacking with directional mikes if you mix the tracks together. Worth considering.
Share this post