For Grandad

Helen and Grandad at Terranora, 1987

I remember Grandad as an extremely quiet man: when I was little, he would sometimes take so long to answer a question (often as much as several seconds: outrageous!), that I would repeat the question several times. He was always very patient with me, because of course he had always heard me the first time; he was just taking the time to formulate a response. When Grandad said something, it was always worth listening to.

He was a capable man, a thinker, a reader, a man who not only knew how to fix things, but also took the time to do so. I remember with particular fondness his unexpected artistic side: he encouraged me to paint, drawing me sketches of traveller's palms and Norfolk Island Pines to paint in the outlines of.

Traveller's Palm by Dad and Helen

The time I spent with him in Queensland was delightful, full of good food and the seaside, sport and outings (which I now realise must have often been quite tedious for him: endless trips to Dreamworld and the like!). It saddens me that I can't be with you all to say goodbye to such a good, gentle man, but I am comforted by the knowledge that his was a full, successful and well-lived life.

- Helen Thomson

Musical Tribute

Helen, now living in the Netherlands, recorded the hymn In Paradisum from the Requiem Mass to be played at her grandfather's funeral.

In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem.

Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.

The words mean:

May the Angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs greet you at your arrival and lead you into the holy city, Jerusalem.

May the choir of Angels greet you and like Lazarus, who once was a poor man, may you have eternal rest.

Listen to In Paradisum - Warning: Large MP3 file (~12Mb)

 

Page created 29 July 2005; last updated 25 October 2005