The lighting and re-dedication of Mum Shirl’s Memorial is
part of a $50 million plan by the City to redevelop Redfern. The decorative
lighting will illuminate the Redfern Park Gates, the Redfern Court House, the
St Vincent de Paul Church, and the Redfern Post Office.
“I am pleased to see Redfern’s historic buildings
illuminated and privileged to honour Mum Shirl, one of Redfern’s most generous
volunteers,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore.
In her 74 years, Mum Shirl was a powerful advocate for
Aboriginal rights and welfare. She assisted in setting up the Aboriginal
Medical and Legal Service in Redfern in the 1970s, visited prisoners in gaols
and opened her home to the addicted and homeless.
“She was a dynamic, unbelievable woman. I know my life has
been enriched. She kept that candle burning and took in the wounded,” said Ann
Weldon, Mum Shirl’s great-niece.
Growing up in an Erambie reserve in Cowra, Ms Weldon
remembers Mum Shirl defying the welfare authorities when they attempted to
remove children. “She made people listen. That we are survivors and we have to
be acknowledged,” said Ms Weldon. “She was the matriarch of this family. She
willingly gave and left a legacy that most Australians can be proud of. She was
just a remarkable lady. We were fortunate to have her.”
Close friends remember her as a passionate and formidable
woman.
“She was absolutely fearless. She wasn’t scared of nobody.
She would take on the police, politicians,” said Kaye Bellear, a close friend.
Marni Kennedy,
sister of the late Father Ted Kennedy of St Vincent’s
Church in Redfern whom Mum Shirl worked closely with, remembers her as a woman
who had an open heart.
“She had a brilliant mind. She was a mentor and a friend. We
called her the Saint of Redfern, her heart went out to the homeless, the
addicted,” said Ms Kennedy.
Social worker Rhonda Ansiewicz
met Mum Shirl whilst working in a soup kitchen in 1974. She would often drive
Mum Shirl to prisons and remembers occasions where Mum Shirl would be called in
to quell riots.
“She understood their pain and their incarceration. She had
an amazing way of embracing people,” said Ms Ansiewicz.
Friends remember Mum Shirl as a woman of deep religious
faith who didn’t hesitate to challenge church officials when she thought they
were wrong.
“She was refused communion as a young girl and that nearly
broke her heart,” said Ms Ansiewicz. “You could have huge fights with her
though. She’d say, ‘I’m an MRC’ (Mad Roman Catholic). She’d take on anybody.
That’s what Ted and Shirley taught. You stand up. You pull the rug from under people
who oppress.”
Source:
South Sydney Herald March 2008 – www.southsydneyherald.com.au