Many of us have experienced the loss of a loved one.
And from the communication I have had with our readers, most of us don’t know how to deal with it, how to get through it.
Even if we know we will meet our dear ones again, it’s insufficient.
We want them with us — now.
I remember saying to one reader that my experience with loss felt as if I had a hole in my heart that never closed.
It is just that, over time, you become accustomed to it.
You live with that hole for the rest of your years.
Arthur Knee found a perfect way to deal with the loss of his beautiful wife, Lurline.
He wrote a book.
Yes. It is a love story, about 83 years of friendship, including 74 years of marriage.
But it is more than that.
Backgrounding the main subject are informative snapshots of Shepparton, during World War II, and Tatura for several decades.
Perhaps I should first tell you about the awards Lurline earned, with her passion for volunteering.
In 1995, she was Citizen of the Year (Greater Shepparton City Council); 2014, Excellence in Volunteering (The Victorian Museum); 2017, Heritage Volunteer Award (Heritage Council of Victoria); 2019, The Order of Australia (The Australian Government); and in 2020, the Iron Cross of Merit (The German Government).
Most of these awards were connected to Lurline’s involvement with the establishment of the Tatura and District Historical Society, which led to the Tatura Irrigation and Wartime Camps Museum.
But there was so much more.
Lurline was a prefect and house captain at Shepp High.
Still in her teens, she was a Sunday school teacher and a reserve organist for the Methodist Church.
In Tatura, she was involved in the formation and organisation of the Rodney Arts Society.
I don’t like giving you lists to read, but this is the only way I can do it.
Lurline was:
- a member of the first Tatura Kindergarten Committee — then treasurer and later president;
- treasurer of Methodist Sunday School Teachers’ Group;
- secretary of the Tatura Primary School Mothers’ Club;
- secretary of the Goulburn Valley Mothers’ Club Association;
- president of the Shepparton High School Mothers’ Club;
- Sunday school teacher and church organist;
- Goulburn Valley Marriage Guidance Council secretary for 10 years; and
- Rodney Arts Society secretary for 10 years.
This wasn’t a lonely lady, filling in her days.
Lurline was the wife of a busy husband and mother of three children — and, as I write about her, I am in awe of her energy and enthusiasm to make things better.
Perhaps, writing this beautiful book helped Arthur through the most difficult time in his life.
I certainly hope so.
It is available at the Tatura Museum; or contact your nearest museum and they’ll help you out. It is titled Lurline Knee, O.A.M.
Another hole in the heart
I was planning to write a book about my best friend and mentor, but he beat me to it.
He sent handwritten pages to me, by post, on a weekly basis.
Thirteen years have gone by and there is not a day passes without thoughts of him. I’ll tell you about our friendship — one day.
Our young people
The government is warning us, through television news, that our kids aren’t learning as well, or as quickly, as they have in the past — due to AI.
Children should never have access to AI without the supervision of a teacher or a parent; so what is going on here?
The rest of the world
Frequently of late, I think we are being led by crazy people. It is the 21st century, for heaven’s sake.
We know that war creates more problems than it solves, and the unnecessary loss of lives is just plain evil.
One hundred and eighty three children in a school. It doesn’t get much worse than that.
Thank you for your kind words about Bill Hunter — and may it be easy, my friends.
Marnie
Email: towntalk@sheppnews.com.au
Phone: Text or call 0409 317187
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