[Pil-pc-oceania] Tribute to my dad

Wed Feb 27 15:35:45 EST 2008

Fern,

That is beautiful. What a gift you had from your father.

I hope that the service goes well (as well as a funeral service can go), and that you find some peace for yourself and also your mother and brother too. 

You are lucky in that your father was an environmentalist, and that you have come so far for someone aged so young. My parents are not environmentalists (although they are learning) but are truly community minded people, that you can make your community a better place, just by being active in a positive way in it. I get that from them.  

Best and kindest wishes,
love Tamara

I will hug you in person at APC9, but until then, accept this one *************hug***********

Tamara Griffiths 

Permaculture designer

 39 Wattle Tree Road

 Bunyip 

 Victoria 3815

 03 5629 5918

 0407 45 7707 

scarletwoman at hotmail.com

Check out our pics at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boodicusducky/

"Be the change you want to see in the world." Gandhi

"Will it be believed, a hundred years hence, that such a state of things existed?"  Louisa Lawson, Australian feminist and suffragist. Her son was a famous poet.

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." Albert Einstein

"If you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito." Dali Lama

For inspiration, check out these amazing people http://www.pathtofreedom.com/

> Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:31:53 +1100
> From: permaculture at apollobay.org.au
> To: pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org
> Subject: [Pil-pc-oceania] Tribute to my dad
> 
> My dad's service, a celebration of his life will be held at the Warrnambool
> Special Developmental School hall this Thursday, February 28th at 5pm.
> I'd like to thank the many permies on this listserv who have emailed me
> their support & help during the last few weeks.  As none of you know dad,
> I'd like to post some info and photos of my dad.
> Firstly, this is my contribution and what I'll be reading out, near the end
> of his service.  I'll post the full service and photos in the coming weeks.
> 
> 
> Tribute to my dad  Peter Thomas Ockerby
>  
> Dad was an environmentalist, scientist and teacher.
> He was part of a research team at the University of Toronto in the early
> 1960¹s looking into the declining aquatic life in the Great Lakes.  They
> were studying the water currents.  When their research pointed to pollution
> due to the heated waste-water being pumped from the nearby Nuclear power
> plant, all their research and funding disappeared.
>  
> Dad then obtained his teaching qualifications and started teaching science
> in Canada.  Deeply concerned about environmental issues, he tried to teach
> what was then called ³the hot-house effect² but was reprimanded for teaching
> this theory.  [He was also not allowed to teach Hubbard's peak oil theory, a
> well known but controversial scientific paper in the 1960¹s]
>  
> After his mother died, Dad moved back to Australia and started teaching at
> Melbourne Boys High (the school that he was educated at).  Dad was a very
> patient and well-liked teacher.  He liked teaching at nice small secondary
> schools in rural areas and stayed teaching full time until his retirement at
> 60 years of age.
>  
> In 1969 he met then married my mum the year after.  They were both avid
> organic gardeners and shared their love of nature and care of the
> environment.  Really they were permaculturists before the word
> ³Permaculture² existed, and we always had a menagerie of animals that helped
> our edible jungle-like garden grow and vice-versa.
> >From the early 70¹s, they started to look for land to share nature with
> like-minded people and to bring up their children with a free and healthy
> lifestyle.  In 1974 they were part of the formation of ³Irun-ilam-baluk², a
> land co-operative in the Strathbogie ranges based on Peter Cook¹s design of
> Moora Moora co-operative.  There they started building their self-sufficient
> home out in the bush.  They were full of ideals, hopes and dreams.
> But working on the co-operative, building their home and living out of a
> caravan with five children in a harsh environment created strains within my
> parent¹s relationship. Their break up started in 1975 and ended with a
> divorce in 1982.   Although they spent my childhood apart, I have fond
> memories of visiting dad; going yabbying, visiting the butterfly house at
> Melbourne zoo and dad reading ³The hobbit² to me when I was sick and in bed.
>  
> My parents got back together again when I was 15 and had Davin, my younger
> brother who is autistic.  For the past 15 years while my parents have
> dedicated their lives to looking after Davin, they have maintained an edible
> garden and implemented energy efficient designs and systems within their
> urban home.  In the past two years, since moving to a smaller home they have
> been retrofitting it; putting on solar panels, tiling the floor to create a
> heat bank, putting in a water tank, edible garden and fruit trees, with
> plans for a greywater system and chook house.
>  
> Dad always said to just put him in the compost when he died and mum & dad
> hadn¹t discussed anything else.  But dad had seen the 100% recycled
> cardboard eco-coffins in Choice magazine last year and had thought it to be
> such a good idea.  Dad would¹ve wanted his departure to be as low as impact
> upon the earth as possible.
>  
> He wanted a safe and secure future for his children and for earth¹s
> biodiversity.  He wanted the Victorian state government to extend the ban on
> GM crops and for all GM ingredients to be labelled on our food. He wanted
> Australia to be GM-free.
> On this final day before the GM moratorium is set to be lifted in Victoria,
> we hope that somehow dad¹s wishes will be granted and that premier John
> Brumby will rethink the state governments decision to lift the ban.
>  
> My parent¹s love of nature and care of the environment has been imparted to
> me, not only by my nature name ³Fern Rainbow², that they gave to me, but
> also imprinted in my knowledge, ethics and lifestyle and for this I am
> eternally grateful.  Thank you dad.  You are in my heart and forever will
> be.    
>  
>  
> Music-----Big Yellow Taxi,
>                        Both sides now, ------Joni Mitchell
> 
> 
> 
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