April 5, 1904 - September 6, 1902
| William Geffen's Consecration
- 20th of April 2003 Speech written and given by Adam Rudy Grandpa was an unassuming man. He portrayed much of what is good about humanity. He never demanded or complained. Was always willing to participate in what was being arranged. He epitomized the graceful elder. He taught me much about how to treat others and how to work with what was available. He respected and appreciated what little he had and the world around him. My generation has become a little too consumed with the acquisition of material possessions and self gratification. But here was a man who had no material wealth and yet was at one with his family, friends and surrounds. Not stressed or depressed and never a complaint did he utter. He's the one who had balance and in my opinion this is one of the reasons he lived such a long and healthy life. Maybe his deafness spared him some of the chatter that can get one down, perhaps left him more time to reflect without the noise. A better example of how to live ones life, in my experience, is unmatched. Grandpa had a special bond with his son Laurie. Often when asking Grandpa what he wanted to do today the reply was "let's see what Laurie wants". His eagerness to be with and please Laurie was strong but in his way, modest and not overdone. The naches he derived from Laurie was his reward. Grandpa accepted all of us regardless of our faults or differences. A man who lived an entire century but was not stuck in the past or old fashioned in his thinking. His devotion to Granny Anne and their amazing marriage of 57 years is an example to us all. He loved his daughters Desiree and Maureen and all his grand children and great grand children. I am sorry that Max, Asher and Josie will not remember him. My early memories of Grandpa and Granny were in Adelaide and their flat in Cross Roads. I remember Grandpa going off to the bowling club, bringing home a trophy or a frozen chicken as a prize, I even remember going to the club and having a sip of his beer, the whites stand out in my mind. I remember him taking the bus to Glenelg, a swim in the ocean was a simple pleasure. I remember sleeping there on a Saturday night, watching TV with grandpa and then going to Granny's room to eat chocolate and watch more TV. I remember summer holidays in Carrickalinga with who mispoche, the fishing and the beach. Later I remember the Sunday lunches on the Esplanade, Granny brining at least some of the food. Our move to Melbourne was not happy time for Granny, she missed us. Her regular visits were a treat. Grandpa wouldn't always come with, but often he would. Not one to stay idle, he would request a major project to keep him busy. Painting our front fence was one particular holiday that sticks in my mind. This wasn't a man who could do nothing or waste time, he was productive person with a fierce work ethic. A man who worked from the time he was a teenager, a man who when he retired from the railways took up another position with an airline and even then when he had had gone one step further than most would bother, took a final job at a petrol station. Not glamorous but this was an unpretentious man. Granny and Grandpa's move to Queensland was probably at Grandpa's
request to be with Laurie. They both adapted, it was not ideal with
the family split between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast but he
made the best of it, his surroundings and the situation. I remember
playing pool with him, I remember one particular visit I was with
my friend Nathan staying in Buddina. Two young healthy guys and
we just wanted to stay at home. Grandpa suggested all three of us
have lunch at the yacht club. We resisted. He persuaded us and of
course we had a good time. This man's attitude was such that he
convinced two people more than 70 years his junior to leave the
house and enjoy themselves. |
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