At the burial
Despite the awful occasion, It was great to meet Nadine Stransen's family today. I was really priveleged to know her, and sometimes live with her at all sorts of times in the life of Nadine(sometime Andrew, and Lexy).
Among many memories I remember taking acid and valium with her one night, zooming around from party to party in cabs, via freeways over Darling harbour if at all possible.Another going to Bob Hawke's National Youth Year conference in Melbourne(a long time ago) and seizing the role of minute-taker at every group we participated in, sort of at the birth of queer theory. While in Melbourne Nadine helped catalyse the successful occupation of the Orphanage, an important 80s squat, just as, with Norman Etock, she had been the first of us to enter and occupy the Gunnery, a squat and art space/ venue in WoolloomoolooI lived in for 6 years(1985-91)
Nadine was incredibly intelligent, well read, and always ready to argue her case. She played a key role in shaping anti-discrimination law in NSW, extending protection to the transgender community.
She was an artist as well, here is a pastel she gave me not long ago
I saw so many flashes of Nadine amongst her mum Bev, siblings Simone, Michelle and Steve, niece Yasmin, here with Tanya Levin, a bit of Charles Freyberg, and Andrew Harris, and others whose names I didn't get or can't remenber(please fill me in if you can)
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